Step into the kitchen with See, There’s Your Problem, the new EP from Kings of Freon. Playing off goofy exuberance from its radio advertisement opening, the songs that follow exude a melodic control but quick-paced smoothness. Then, “Plug It In,” hits with a yearning desperation, a departure from the tunneling rhythm that returns on “(Take Off Your) Fridge Door”. It’s solid indie-punk with lots of humor.
Chicago
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Bonzie “Combback”
Bonzie (aka 21-year-old Nina Ferraro) has released a second single from her forthcoming LP Zone on Nine. The single is called “Combback”, and is a mostly acoustic and dark, emotional journey. Zone on Nine will be released on May 19th.
New England
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Sinnet Drops New LP Gentle Humor, Plays The Lilypad 5/5
Boston’s spookiest indie-rockers, Sinnet, are celebrating the culmination of years of hard work in their new LP, Gentle Humor. The band, led by Aaron Spransy (The Fatal Flaw) creates a smooth, soulful vibe that immediately infects the listener. At times moody and ambient, Sinnet are becoming the masters of off-kilter indie pop. Check them out at The Lilypad in Cambridge on May 5 for their record release, featuring The Silver Mirrors and American Echoes or hit up their website for Spring tour dates in a city near you. You can also pick up Gentle Humor on 5/8 when the album drops. –Brian Varneke
NYC
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Debbie Downer shares debut single, play Monty Hall on 5/5
Naming your band Debbie Downer immediately suggests a thematic concept. Comprised of members from other more established local bands amusingly masking their identities in Ramones-style unity (all copping to the surname “downer”), their just released track "I Did It All For You" (streaming below) comes in advance of debut EP ‘You Know You’re Wrong.’ Drawing from iconic 60’s girl group motifs, The Shangri-Las tough-but-sweet boldness is updated to reflect modern day issues. That era’s call and response background vocals are grounded by a solid bass line and enhanced by free flowing surf guitar parts. The track’s sweetest moment arrives in the chorus, where the lyrics “you know you’re never gonna be anything at all” confirm the "downer" tendencies that inspired the band’s moniker. The group has a number of local shows coming up, including this Friday 5/5 at Monty Hall, 5/19 at Sunnyvale and appearances during The Northside Festival in June. – Dave Cromwell
NYC
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The Spookfish’s surreal space-folk (or something)
We are not sure what led Dan Goldberg of The Spookfish to record his album "Black Hole" in a studio after spending ten years recording his own music in DIY fashion (according to his Bandcamp profile, the man has recorded 10 full lengths between 2010 and 2014!). Whatever the reason, the music of The Spookfish hasn’t lost one bit of its lo-fi character and charm, developing on often juxtaposed and sometimes blended elements of dream-folk and 8-bit space rock. Single ‘Everything is Moving So Fast,’ one of the few tracks with lyrics, perfectly describes the static and surreal mood of the record: "You’re standing slowly, watching it pass, everything is moving so fast." Echoes of early Flaming Lips and Sebadoh give this track a ’90s flair that is though misleading: the rest of the album is a very personal, mostly instrumental – and often quirky – take on lo-fi.
Philadelphia
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The Deli Philly’s Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner: Blubird
Inspired to make music by Philly’s robust DIY scene, the youthful band, Blubird, which is made of Alex Black Bessen (drums, vocals, guitar), Erez Potok-Holmes (vocals, guitar), Henry Wolgast (guitar, drums), and Jack Correll (bass), is our most recent Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner. The fellas are about to go their separate ways for college, but they still have plans to record/release more music and play a bunch of shows in and out of town. However, before all this goes down, you can learn more about the soon-to-be high school graduates and the band’s brief history HERE.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Tell Me” – Lizdelise
Lizdelise seems to have channeled St. Vincent in its latest single, “Tell Me”. Framed in the clean, percussive, drum-machine snap and rough around the edges guitar riffs, the contrasting, silky, vocal texture provides an adhesive sonic foil. It’s a cliff-hanging example that will keep our ears to the grindstone for future developments from the group’s new label, Odd Gift Records. You can catch Lizdelise at PhilaMOCA on Sunday, May 28, as part of a lineup that also includes Lady Parts, Adler Hall, and Carroll.
NYC
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Minimalist noise rockers GOLD DIME (members of Talk Normal) announces debut LP
Minimalism and noise rock are two musical waves NYC has proudly fed and bred over the decades; the latest product of their fusion is GOLD MINE, a project led by drummer and vocalist Andrya Ambro of now defunct noise duo Talk Normal (which made the cover of The Deli in our 2010 Best of NYC issue). The band, performing live as a trio since 2014, will be releasing debut LP ‘Nerve’ on June 2nd, and judging from the preview track ‘Easy’ (streaming below), we are in for a suspenceful, tense, unnervingly sincere record. The record release party is scheduled for June 3rd at Alphaville.
San Francisco
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Cathedrals Release New Single – Try To Fight
The San Francisco based band, Cathedrals has released a new single entitled, Try to Fight!
"Try to Fight came about when we finally met in the studio to share and build upon the ideas we’d written separately. Coincidentally, one of Brodie’s melodic ideas fit perfectly on top of an instrumental Johnny had written. With spring now in full bloom, we’re so excited to finally share this song in time for the summer." – Cathedrals
Philadelphia
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Debut Harmony Woods LP Available for Streaming
Philly singer-songwriter Harmony Woods, a.k.a. Sofia Verbilla, shook our foundation with her latest single "Renovations". Her debut full-length album, Nothing Special, is set to come out this Friday, May 5 via Honest Face Records, but you can stream the LP below in its entirety. It was recorded by Modern Baseball‘s Jake Ewald with bandmate Brendan Lukens accompanying on lead guitar. You can also join Verbilla and friends the evening of her release at JJ’s Diner, where she’ll be supported by Major Pursuit and Soft Idiot. (Photo by Emily Dubin)
NYC
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Sneaks makes synth-spoken-word great again
On her 2nd full length release, DC-based Sneaks shows she is a creative tour-de-force. As the minimalist backing tracks drive the music under the oblique spoken-word metaphors, Sneaks somehow manages to make listeners forget the fact that her music has no melody, barely any harmony, a rhythm section consisting almost solely of drum tracks, and lyrics that often don’t even rhyme! There is some serious originality at work in this music, anyone able to take the sound of Devo, strip it to its bare bones and somehow keep the music enticing is worth looking out for.
-Written by Michael Dranove