L.A.

Bedroom recorder DALTON changes gears on his latest EP, ANIMAL

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Singer-songwriter Nate Harar has been quietly working on a new collection of songs for his first release in over two years. Herar, who goes by the moniker DALTON, hasn’t necessarily changed his technique even if his approach to songwriting has altered since the release of his garage rock-leaning debut effort. In shedding his former skin, Herar is now exploring the more contemplative side of art pop after a time of personal uncertainty. He’s generously revealed two tracks off of his latest upcoming EP ANIMAL, Proem and Myanmar, both of which feature sparse arrangements of lavish ambience under achingly intimite observations. His metamorphosis is now complete.

ANIMAL is out on May 5 via his official bandcamp page.

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"Proem" 

"Myanmar"

NYC

Prism House bring their moody electronic “sound collages” to Alphaville on 05.04

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With creative beats, innovative samplish and lush synth layers Brooklyn-based Prism House crafts electronic bangers that feel a bit brooding if not totally enigmatic. Their music is moody but bewitching, and takes cues from both the dance floor and the found-sound techniques of musique concrete–creating an overall sound that is at once jarringly unstable and sonically irresistable. Check out "False Future," the first track off the band’s 6-track Landfall EP streaming below, and if you are into it don’t miss their upcoming show at Alphaville on 05.04. – Olivia Sisinni

 

Toronto

PET HEADS – “STRANGE SERENITY”

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Pet Heads is the brainchild of Carlos Coronado. I wanna call it indie-soul. They have just released a video for the track "Strange Serenity". It’s a dreamy tune with soulful synth and smooth vocals. The video features Mr.Coronado himself showing his best solo rhythmic steps which impressed the lady enough for her to help him finish it off. Cool and unique track with a video to match. See ’em Saturday May 6 at Handlebar in Kensington along with Yeomans, Champion Ski and The Drywall Heels. – Kris Gies

 

Philadelphia

New Cayetana LP Available for Streaming

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The DIY ladies of Cayetana came together and taught themselves how to play their instruments. And after the successful release of their debut LP Nervous Like Me (Tiny Engines), they have also bravely chosen to start their own label Plum Records – "rock and roll without compromise" – to release their forthcoming album, New Kind of Normal, due out May 5. "The record is about mental health…struggling with that and settling into a new kind of normal where you can finally recognize your own your destructive behaviors and accept love into your life." Cayetana just premiered New Kind of Normal over at Hype Machine, and you can stream it below now.

NYC

Wilder Maker unveils groovy summer jam, “New Streets” + plays Rough Trade on 05.06

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From the electric guitar hook to the soft, confident, sultry vocals, it is clear that Brooklyn’s Wilder Maker has mastered the art of caressing the ear in "New Streets." I am not hesitant to call this one of my favorite new songs- the affectionate, breathy saxophone and the breakout drums exude freshness, turning this song into a real jam. Gabriel Birnbaum has mastered the art of the chill-yet-groovy indie anthem and Katie Von Schleicher’s vocals exert peak girl-power and a refined boldness. "New Streets" is on repeat on my playlist, and it should be on yours, too. Catch the band live at Rough Trade on May 6th. – Geena Kloeppel

 

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Rootsy songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

 

NYC

Electro-Soul Artist on the rise: Ben Alessi

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Though Ben Alessi has mostly made his name impressing audiences at some of NYC’s medium-sized venues, his music is the kind you could imagine reverberating through crowds at Governor’s Ball one day. This isn’t just because his potent mix of electropop and r&b is catchy and inventive. It’s also because his sound, mixing soulful vocals, euphoric hooks and groovy beats, is tailor-made for people looking for that elusive, heart-pumping mix of joy and sadness that only seems to surface when big music, like his, is performed to big crowds. You can listen to his latest single, "ONLY," below, and get a taste. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Portland

The Toads’ ode to Portland

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Portland has become quite the popular place over the last few years. The influx of new residents has pretty much ruined what old locals have considered to be all that’s in the city, with all the condos going up and old haunts going down essentially serving as proof of that.

But no matter how much Portlandia may have skewed (somehow accurately and inaccurately all at once) their depiction of Portland, The Toads have written their own little ditty about this rainy city. It reigns incredibly true.

With lyrics touching on how open Portland is with nearly every type of social and individual freedom, "Portland, Or" shows how much The Toads love their town in a catchy, pop-punky way. If anything, it should be the city’s anthem. 

Give it a listen below and see how much of it sounds "so typically Portland."

Portland

Fresh Traxx: Rasheed Jamal – “Better Off $$$”

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*photo by RoseLeon

Rasheed Jamal is one of the leading voices in Portland hip hop, flowing about relevant, thought provoking subject matter over bumpin’ beats. Many flock to Jamal’s tracks for insight, and he just dropped a new one with a bomb beat and some quick rhymes.

"Better Off $$$" could be a club banger. Jamal goes in expressively hard with his words over the trappy beat. It even landed its own spot on Vortex Music Magazine’s 3rd anniversary collectible vinyl compilation.

Dive into it below.

Portland

Shadowlands climb up the steep and thorny way to heaven

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Shadowlands know what’s up when it comes to brooding darkwave and post-punk. Their sonance aligns more with the horror-esque sounds of a more "traditional" ’80s style of post-punk while still remaining original, and definitely not coming off replicated. It’s for this reason they’re one of the first acts to come to mind when thinking of local bands of this genre in general, and why all of you voted them your favorite band to play the recent darkwave and post-punk festival Out From the Shadows Fest.

Another special victory for Shadowlands is that they’ve been chosen to play the next Brickbat Mansion night, Portland’s female-led goth and darkwave DJ night. Lead singer Amy Sabin will join resident spinners DJ Curatix and DJ Wednesday in being the premiere ladies of the night.

This edition of Brickbat Mansion is an RSVP event held at the steep and thorny way to heaven on May 5, so if you wish to attend, respond via the Facebook event or by sending an email to rsvp@thesteepandthornywaytoheaven.com. Listen to the Shadowlands track "Fade" below and be on the lookout for their video for "Liberation," coming soon.

Philadelphia

The Deli Philly’s May Record of the Month: Raw Rock Fury – Ecstatic Vision

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For their sophomore album, the quartet of Ecstatic Vision unleash Raw Rock Fury, available via Relapse. After a mood-establishing intro, the band quickly tears into the cosmos with the high-voltage, backend rhythmic stampede of “You Got It Or You Don’t,” which is elevated by the eccentric, powerful saxophone runs of Kevin Nickles and the primordial roaring command of Doug Sabolik.

Segmented in two, “The Electric Step” is first steeped in a hazy, haunting chant, reverberating in the distance, before the high-octane, steam engine hits the rails running. Mysterious keys loom, setting up the bluesy boogie of harmonica blows. Then, Sabolik issues an alluring order. “Let’s get away from the city and clear our heads”/“Take me away to the better days.” Stoking the white-hot, hard-rockin’, musical fire, the band continues to rev up in all-consuming, sweat-dripping trance, inducing fire-breathing, apocalyptic grooves.

However, Ecstatic Vision never burns themselves out; rather, “Keep It Loose” reaches back and reignites. Gathering pressure with the ticking percussion, the stargazing, guitar swirls tee up the fury of tenacious, unwavering vocals, blowing the top off the cooker with an all-out blitzkrieg. In its final act, the persistent, thumping bass and engulfing keys of “Twinkling Eye” cuts through the clouds in a gradual climb, setting the stage for a triumphant conclusion.

Raw Rock Fury pulls listeners into Ecstatic Vision’s vortex of psychedelia. It’s an album that victoriously captures the band’s live-performance energy and cohesive complexity, without masking their natural fervor. – Michael Colavita

Portland

The catchy melody of The Loved’s “Back to Me”

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Poppy indie rock trio The Loved sure know how create harmonious melody, especially out of the simplicity of just three chords.

Driven by Lael Alderman’s expressive vocals, The Loved balances galvanic rock with the tenderness of dulcet songwriting and rhythmic instrumentation from bassist Daven Hall and drummer Jake Endicott. They’re doing a staggered release of their debut album, by dropping a series of singles throughout the first half of the year. The first single, "Back to Me," has a video that coincides with it.

"Back to Me" as an idea seemingly came out of nowhere for the band, and within seven minutes was a finished song. The song has a lot of power and its video compliments it well. On the song, Hall said:

"There was a vision for this album going into the studio, where we could create an album that moved and would move you, that would sometimes rock you, and where there would still be plenty of space for things to breathe, and we walked out off there with all that."

Watch the video for "Back to Me" below.