THE DELI

With a sound both meditative and gothy, Brooklyn duo Surf Rock is Dead pairs sunny melodies to melancholic tinges, ala the Drums. Their guitar sound, although not distorted, has heavy shoegazer leanings, a genre that’s tightly connected to the use of stompboxes. Since guitarist Kevin Pariso confided us that he often gets asked about the secrets behind his uber dreamy sound, we just thought we’d give him an opportunity to come clean in this Delicious Audio Interview. – photo by Michael Cooper

Formerly known as the ska group “Eli Whitney & the Sound Machine,” Cold Wrecks is a Brooklyn pop punk band whose impassioned, buoyant tunes are bound to trigger comparisons with Blink-182 as well as the scene’s current favorites, Modern Baseball. With its multi-faceted guitar work ranging from bright, Husker Du-style open chords to rhythmic power chords and even arpeggios at times, their debut album “Breaking” (released in July 2016) is a collection of catchy, energetic songs that combine a strong dose of riffs with heavy, yet relatable lyrics tackling topics such as loss, rage, and grief. Describing themselves as a “punk band full of sad songs and good times,” these guys are sure to bring both energy and awareness to their next two local shows at Muchmore and Sunnyvale, respectively on January 21st and February 15th. – Jocelyn Huggler, photo by Kaitlyn Laurel McGann

With the snarl of mid-aughts alt bands like Fall Out Boy and The Used, MD-based A Place in Time, is treat for 20-somethings like me that are pining for some catchy pop punk with an unbreakable sincerity. Their latest single, "Perish the Thought" is wrought with thick lyricism, infectious harmonies, energetic drumming and soaring sing-along choruses–a potent blend that’s destined to worm its way into your head and have you hitting the repeat button. Catch A Place in Time on 12/30 at VFW Post 350 "Hell’s Bottom" with WVNDER, Who is Atlas, Waves Overhead, and Heavyweights, and be sure to stream them below.-Olivia Sisinni

‘Tis the season of the ‘Best ofs’ and this year we’ve got a pretty sweet one for you, directly from out 49th print issue of The Deli NYC – yes, in case you weren’t aware of it, we exist in the tangible world too!

If you didn’t stumble upon a copy of our magazine (we put it in all the alternatively musical places we know in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, LI and NJ) check out the full article digitally here. And DO NOT DARE to miss the playlist of said article, streaming below, because it’s not available in print!

P.S. The tracks are organized in order of Soundcloud popularity.

Ever wish all songwriters were actually songRIDERS – i.e. they focused on taking us for a ride, rather than just… writing songs? This neologism works well for Brooklyn’s Magana, the indie pop/alt folk project of Jeni Magana, who released her haunting and slightly eccentric debut, four track EP ‘Golden Tongue‘ this past October 2016. In it, Jeni takes us on rides of the mental variety, and since we are brainy New Yorkers, we are feeling right at home. Two songs stand out to our ears: ballad "The World doesn’t Know," with its elegant melodies, trembling guitar and sophisticated chord progression, is dream folk perfection; its lyrics, through Magana’s heartfelt vocals, find the ideal form of control a lover can have over the loved one: an imaginary one. "Get it right," as moody and only slightly faster, also deals with thought process and relationships, focusing instead on how the right words, but only the right ones, can change minds. (Incidentally, that’s a lesson we all need to learn if we want to win the next elections). We stream both tracks below. Magana will be performing live at Manhattan’s FIKA on January 6th.

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