Punk rock has taken on a number of forms since it’s emergence in the late 70’s. While some artists have celebrated its more abrasive aspects, many others embraced the speed and energy while adding melodic elements to it. Brooklyn’s Fat Heaven‘s new two-minute-long single “Crybaby”, with its aggressive and punchy power trio sound, clearly falls within the genre, with the band’s penchant for catchy vocal melodies placing them closer to poppier acts like Jimmy Eat World and Green Day. That said, there’s certainly enough edge on “Crybaby” to fuel a mosh pit.  The band’s lyrics, included on each of the four videos linked to the EP’s tracks, indicate thought behind the rhymes. “Suburban Nightmare” doubles-down on that approach with a high-powered lament on the working life. “Never Needed You” provides the perfect break-up song for those who’ve been in (and then out of) a relationship. Final cut “Fashionista” adds a 50’s feel to the progression while calling out style appropriation when it’s merely a pose. The band is promoting a live show on 11/16 at a “secret location” (DM them for address). – Dave Cromwell

With digital releases dating as far back as 2008, Gabby’s World has always been a little more than a side project for Eskimaux‘s Gabrielle Smith. But the artist decided to make it her main outlet when the previous band name proved controversial for PC reasons. Beast on Beast is the first full length to come out under the new moniker, but still delivers all the goods Ms. Smith has gotten us accustomed to: her delicate melodies, introspective lyrics, and fragile voice. Single Winter Withdraw, streaming below, feels particularly appropriate at this time of year. 
Be ready to catch Gabby’s World live at Zone One on November 15 befor she leaves on a US tour with like-minded Philly artist Yowler.

There is a lot of excitement among musicians about the new musical technology brought by a new, powerful generation of synthesizers, audio plugins and guitar effect pedals – we know something about it because this blog is supported by the various music gear expo we organize. And yet, 90% or more of the new music we cover doesn’t exploit this new technology to its full potential. If it’s true that great songs don’t need special effects, it can’t be denied that the sound of indie has mostly turned stale, and that the genre is in desperate need of a sonic lift. Rock’n’roll has always been propelled by new technology: the electric guitar’s role in the early days, the Beatles’s experimental pop, Jimi Hendrix’s creative use of feedback, Robert Fripp’s tape-based music and Radiohead’s sample mangling – just to mention a few – are all proofs that new technologyand experimentation are central to the genre’s health.  
NYC’s Altopalo is one of the few local artists we’ve heard this year that’s accepting the challenge posed by this new technology. Their latest full length frozenthere is a collection of ambient-soul, experimental tracks seemingly played by an abstract orchestra of camouflaged instruments. The soulful vocals of Rahm Silverglade tie together a record whose BPM is slowed down to downtempo territory to allow and highlight the band’s sonic exploration, and that carries on the conversation Tom Yorke and company started in 2000 with Kid A.  

Sammy Rae forges a sound entirely of her own in her debut EP, The Good Life, released July 20. This artist executes her style with such playful spirit and vocal dexterity that this new collection can’t help but gleam with personality. Rae’s tracks don’t feel as though they’re sung, but rather performed, and laced with a bit theatricality and a ton of confidence. Capable of fitting comfortably in either a swanky cocktail lounge, a roaring jazz club, a theater, or a suburban kitchen, her sultry jazz soul has a quality that allows it to wear a multitude of stylistic hats. The EP’s opening track, “The Feeling,” is a flawless preview of her sound, unveiling the liveliness that exists in her layers of joyful saxophone, bouncy percussion and vibrant lyrics. Sammy Rae’s songs are alive and pulse with brilliant authenticity, showcasing not only her musical acuity, but also her colorful character as an artist. To stream Sammy Rea’s The Good Life EP, check out her pages on Soundcloud or Bandcamp. See her live at Bowery Electric on November 19 – Rebecca Carroll

Reliant Tom’s Bad Orange is one of those records that proves art is all in the details. Each of the album’s nine tracks are underscored by sparse, gritty electronic production that feels at once cold and analogue, creating a musical mise-en-scene for powerful vocal performances by vocalist Claire Cuny. Track “Alien” perfectly sets the scene in this regard, with Cuny crooning against electronic drums and brooding bass in a manner similar to that of Trent Reznor or Thom Yorke circa OK Computer, albeit more melodic and less rough around the edges. Overall the entirety of Bad Orange is a moody, cool, and well-produced effort, representing a bold vision for Brooklyn duo’s first full length release. Stream below the video for single Happy Birthday, and the entire record under it. –Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)

Behind the Lost Boy ? moniker, Brooklyn-based rocker/guitarist Davey Jones draws a character from tales of the late ‘60s through the early ‘90s in Lower Manhattan and Downtown LA. Inspired by memoirs, literature, and music from this era, Lost Boy ? tells the story from this retro vantage point exploring the trials, tribulations, and sounds of the Sex, Drugs, & Rock N Roll era. Today, he’s back with a new record titled Paranoid Fiction.

Once a month, National Sawdust puts on “The Revolution,” a  performance series showcasing Brooklyn & Harlem artists as a means of empowering and invigorating the local music and arts scene. Each month, three innovative and emerging artists from different genres get to showcase and share their work in a space that fosters connection, healing, and revolution. Sponsored by the Deli, Revolution Vol. 33 will take this place this upcoming Saturday featuring Addison Frei, Ryan Peter Scott, and Samira Gibson. 

Based out of New York by way of South Carolina, Samira Gibson taps into a haunting groove in her experimental neo-soul. Wielding her rich, powerful vocals like a knife, Gibson cuts through the noise and lets her words shine in her latest release, “Mona Lisa Remix.” The young singer has an impressive repertoire, having performed background vocals for heavyweights like Mary J Blige, Vic Mensa, and Elle Varner.

Ryan Peter Scott looks for answers to life’s greatest conundrums in his particular style of smokey, guitar-based blues. His introspections are highlighted on his latest record, Smoke & Licorice, which focuses on the journey of a young man searching for his own voice and autonomy. In a blend of funk, jazz, avant garde, and 70s rock, Scott creates a sound that feels familiar but innovative, as he flexes his prodigious guitar skills in his music.

Pianist, composer, and producer Addison Frei writes socially conscious and compositionally complex neo-jazz. He’s currently studying at Julliard, and working on a digital EP called Future Speak that explores today’s political climate through spoken verse, acoustic improvisation, and components of electronica amongst his piano compositions. 

Listen to the playlist below:

Chloe Lilac’s coined ‘bedroom pop’ has torn through the NYC scene with the release her latest single, “Summer,” released October 24 with an accompanying music video. Her reach, however, has not stopped there, as this new track has already accumulated over 800K streams on Spotify, gaining widespread critical acclaim in the process. This solo artist debuted her lighthearted sound with a series of three self-released singles—the first of which, “Reckless,” immediately catching industry attention with its rapid ascent to the top of pop charts. Rooted in nuanced coming-of-age themes, her carefree style brightly captures the liberated feeling of being young. Her newest 90s-inspired music video tugs at latent memories of summertime during youth, showcasing an image of reality that is tinted by wistful nostalgia. Lilac’s spirited lyrics and nonchalant sound merge to create an explosion of feel-good dream pop. Stream Chloe Lilac’s latest music video, and catch her performing “Summer” live at Mercury Lounge on December 6 with NYC-based rock group, Demi. 

If the debut album Million Movies by San Francisco’s husband and wife duo Love Jerks had come out about 40 years ago, it’s likely that they would’ve been tapped for the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. The album is unlike anything else, combining over-the-top emotion with corn-syrup-sweetened lyrics and a delivery so ironic that it becomes serious. Teeny-boppers face doomsday on the high-speed track "Apocalyptic Make-Out," featuring the tongue-in-cheek chorus of "Oh owww. Squeezing these. Kissing that." Love-birds spin "round & round" on "Gold Sparkle," the perfect prom song for the hopelessly and embarassingly smitten. The self-titled track begins with Bryan declaring "You’ve got some fangs, but it don’t get me upset / I’ll bring the blood, if you bring the turtleneck." On this album, love is weird. It’s fanatic, fleeting, fabulous. And, most of all, it’s grand. Because what could be better than two love jerks finding each other and forgetting the rest? Get a little closer to synth-pop heaven and stream Million Movies below and keep an eye out for the Love Jerks’ next live show. – Lilly Milman

“Can you forgive yourself for turning your back in fear? Do you understand your friends when they decide to stay at home?”

These are some of the questions Brooklyn singer-songwriter Pearla asks on her recent single, “Forgive Yourself,” a track filled with inquiries that are so disconcerting and difficult to answer that it’s hard to tell if they are experiments in self-examination or merely rhetorical. Regardless, there’s a remarkable amount of introspection evoked over the course of “Forgive Yourself’s” three sparse minutes, all building to an explosive end of featherweight vocal harmonies and thunderous electronic noise. Pearla’s sound is mellifluous and engrossing, but her music resonates so strongly from the sense of unease in what she asks of us as listeners – to take a good hard look at our lives, and ask for forgiveness. It’s a task easier sung than done.

Pearla will play Zone One at Elsewhere on November 28th, supporting Ritual Talk and Stello. Ahead of the show, stream her newest release Forgive Yourself, Pumpkin below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt) Photo by Josh Katz

A consistent New York sound pervades the entirety of For The Rest To Rest, the newest release by Brooklyn trio Veda Rays; it’s one that reads like a sly nod to records like Room On Fire and Antics and a continuation of the very same raucous hellraising indie that characterizes the Big Apple’s sonic aesthetic. That isn’t to say that Veda Rays don’t have some tricks of their own up their sleeves – Rest’s eleven songs provide a fresh take on driving, guitar-based post-new wave through fuzzed-out production and subtle synth parts, bringing an additional depth to their tracks that fills the entire record with a sound that’s simultaneously dark and dreamy. In doing so, Veda Rays solidify themselves as expert purveyors of indie, pushing NYC’s sound in a direction that develops the city’s sonic traditions while quoting them.

You can catch Veda Rays at The Footlight on November 17th alongside Little Hustle, Gracie Mansion and Le Guin. Until then, stream For The Rest To Rest below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Lydia Gammill

Sister Sparrow embodies a new type of femme fatale in her new video “Ghost” – not one of a last century Bond girl, but of a 21st century woman who knows her worth, and better yet, the tools at her disposal.

Sparrow sings over the track’s chorus that she’s “gonna give you the ghost,” referring to the act of severing communication entirely with a (now former) romantic partner; this ear worm refrain is further accented in the music video by an entourage of choreographed dancers clad in black, body rolling at the costume party while the aforementioned scorned lover searches the room for Sister Sparrow as she evades him through the crowd. As the scene concludes, Sparrow’s ex-bae turns around to find the party has disappeared entirely, transitioning the subject matter from figurative to literal in a Gone Girl-by-way-of-Sixth Sense twist – fittingly spooky for the video’s release on Halloween earlier this week.

The whole production is a fun, wordplay-laden track that juxtaposes themes of modern dating with the idea of actual spirits, accented by the track’s upbeat style and playful instrumental accents. If you’re already missing last week’s scary energy, “Ghost” provides an avenue to extend the autumnal spooks as you dance your way into November. Watch the video below, and catch Sister Sparrow at Irving Plaza December 1st. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt)