Poppies have managed to gain a generous following with their introspective, melodic sound and singer May’s childlike, delicate vocals. After debuting their very first "Double Single" featuring the tracks "Egghead" and "Mistakes," and the release of the subsequent "Told," the band is ready to finally debut lengthier work. On June 9th, they will be joined by BRNDA, Dougie Poole and Vas Deferens, for an exciting release party at The Glove, hosted by comedienne Gina Ginsberg. This gig will also be the kickoff of the band’s upcoming tour, which will see them take their emotionally-charged, languid ballads all across the North East. Catch their latest release below, the video for "Mistakes," a soulful, nostalgic explosion into the New York transit nightlife. – Valentina Roja

"Shapeshifter" is a very appropriate name for IAN SWEET’s debut LP, as it represents a change in the lineup of what comprised singer Jillian Medford’s bedroom pop solo poroject. Now accompanied by a bassist and a drummer in the studio and on the road, Jillian forges tracks that resonate very differently, though her crackly vocals remain the stars of the show. "Most of the songs on Shapeshifter don’t settle in a particular scene so much as they delve into a sensibility," reads the album’s description on Bandcamp. Another delicious surprise is realizing that most of the tunes on the record were inspired by inanimate objects. IAN SWEET is sticking to the Midwest for the summer, but while we wait for the return of Medford’s Crocs in the big city, let’s take to heart the meaning behind the album, that there is "no one absolute; just the ease that comes with knowing everything will be OK as long as you hold tight to the pocket-sized things in life that bring happiness while you watch the rest of your world fall apart in slow-motion." – Valentina Rocha

While their debut LP was released less than a year ago, Solilians have actually been producing music for quite some time. Emerging in 2001 as So L’il, the band experimented with their sound for almost a full decade through their 2012 compilation, "Best of the First Decade." After their second record, the band reformed as Solilians, this time steering away from the pop inclination of their first incarnation. In their latest effort, 2016’s "Shin," shimmering electronic soundscapes echo through with hazy, dense vocals. The eight-minute "Lamedvavniks" takes listeners on a cosmic voyage through the different textures that set the tone for the expanded sound, only to explode in an electric groove in the last minute of the track. Solilians will be performing along with special guests The Stargazer Lillies, Landing and Guiding Light at Trans-Pecos, in Queens for a night of Beautiful Psych, next Saturday, May 25th. 

Guitars have been around for a really long time, but no one has ever heard one quite like Julian Lage‘s. The twenty-six-year-old jazz guitar virtuos previously to Bandcamp to release his first instrumental work in 2015, a rich feast for the ears that combined technical complexity and skill with the intimacy of classic guitar. Lage, who has built himself quite a reputiation after being discovered as a prodigy (he is the subject of the 1997 Oscar-nominated short documentary feature, "Jules at 8,"), has released a new single, entitled "Nocturne"; accompanied by a trio, Lage embraces electric nuances in this adventurous track off of the 2016 LP, "Arclight." We are streaming here a track from his previous full length "World’s Fair." Lage will be performing with Margaret Glaspy at the New York Guitar Festival on Thursday, the 25th, before heading off to tour Europe during June and July. – Valentina Rocha

The distortion is a little more raw in "These Days," Brooklyn indie surfer Aaron Taos’ freshest track, which debuted a little over a week ago on Soundcloud. While his sound remains upbeat and melodic, there is something loaded with more substance in the artist’s comeback single. "The aftertaste is bitter, but it gives you something to be glad for," he sings, almost seemingly describing the more rugged turn he has taken with the latest offering. Two years after undeground hit EP, "GUITS," the Connecticut native has crafted an alluring alternative rock jangle as catchy as ever. We’ll keep watching out for Taos’ upcoming releases and, hopefully, live gigs. – Valentina Rocha

If there’s one thing that R’n B aficionado J. Hoard has been able to showcase through his soulful catalogue is that instrumentation does not intimidate his craft one bit. Less experimental, but more ambitious, the new single “Sirens” sees the singer exploring religious themes with refreshing emotional depth, and a gospel-infused choral accompaniment guaranteed to impress. After debuting with the unconventional electro-jazzy rhythms of the his first collection, "Arctic," Hoard’s music picked up momentum with last year’s "Feel Good EP." Hoard is currently taking on the New York scene, with an upcoming gig at Rockwood Music Hall on Friday, May 19th, and a split show with fellow up-and-comers DDWhite, Joanna Taters, and All Be on June 9th at Arlene’s Grocery. – Valentina Rocha