THE DELI

Ice Balloons is the eclectic supergroup of Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio), Sean Powell (The FuckEmos), Giselle Reiber (Midnight Masses), and Rob Bryn (Wild Yaks) – among others. After their 2013 self-titled debut (their only record to date), they kept a sporadic live show schedule, but one always filled with fun performances full of energy and all kind of psychedelic noises. Their show at Rough Trade on June 14 opening for Celebration (an ex Brooklyn band close to TV on The Radio) promises to be another opportunity for loud, on stage partying between a bunch of old time, talented friends. 

The Hum doesn’t need any introductions (if you don’t know what it is, look here). The fourth monthly appointment, scheduled for Monday 22 at Good Room, will feature a diverse line up of artists, including a performence set curated by She Shreds magazine, the rag entirely focused on female guitarists. A wide variety of genres will be represented, from Desert Sharks’ garage rock to Arooj Aftab eastern compositions, from the electronic experimentations of Stud1nt to the revival pop of Crazy Pills. We created a compilation featuring most of the of the artists involved in this promising night of collaborative performances curated by LPR Presents, check it out!

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, the four dudes in Plastic Picnic seem to carry some of that sea’s peacefulness embedded in their musical DNA. The quartet has just released a new single entitled "Miss it Still," which confirms their inclination for spacious synthpop atmospheres and warm melodies. The track will be included in the band’s upcoming debut EP, whose release date is still unknown. What is known, thought, are the details of their next live show: Berlin on May 25th.

The music found on Pilot Violet’s new EP, "Nite Farm" is a well produced homage and revisit to the more soulful synthpop of the 80’s. Each track on the seven-song project blends that era’s simple synth patterns and beats with the cinematic vocals found in recent pop acts like CHRVCHES and The XX. On tracks like "Ordinary Day" the instrumentals are skimmed to their essentials, which serves as a nice contrast to the impassioned and emphatic vocals. Pilot Violet has a fresh sound, not because of its individual, recognizable components, but because of the inventive ways they are sewn together. You can listen to "Ordinary Day" below, and catch their new project live at Nublu on 5/31. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber

NYC-based, art-rocker Zach De Sorbo shares his latest video for “Party Hardy” (streaming below) under the moniker Demure For Sure.  This lead single from his forthcoming LP Tie-Dye Shadows is a two and a half minute guitar fueled psych out trip.  While the song title may sound more like an Andrew WK anthem, the track soon crosses over into an increasingly psychedelic realm.  Mad synth twiddles emerge then quickly recede for a less noisy surf-rock feel, while the video’s imagery depicts… an exploding mind:  golden wigs, masks and too-close-for-comfort, slightly-oddball plush toys vie for attention alongside lollipops, jellybean “drugs” and “Be-Bop-A-Lula.”  With the protagonist now transformed into a clown costume and party hat (not unlike David Bowie’s character in his “Ashes To Ashes” video), the imaginary nature of this “party” is fully realized.  Having a soft-character collection as your only party guests seems appropriate for the frenzied vocal and riff-driven hook punctuating each line of the chorus.  The full album is set for release in June. – Dave Cromwell

“I’m coping” Kaimbr assures the listener on “Cora”, the first track of his latest full length release, Share the Shelter. Starting the album with a song dedicated to his mother, Kaimbr switches between conventional raps and a sense of lo-fi innocence on the album. Giving the album a real sense of concept are the retro, often melancholy samples, which add a nice touch of melodic material to the album, giving it a unique, tight sound.

Here is “Defiant” from Kaimbr’s latest album Share the Shelter, which dropped May 16th.

-Written by Michael Dranove