Kelsey Byrne, the Brooklyn based artist behind VÉRITÉ, worked as a waitress at the Times Square Applebee’s, (a position feared by most), for three years to foster her career in music. After receiving praise for her first single “Strange Enough” in 2014, she has gone on to record 2 EPs and a full-length album Somewhere in Between in 2017. The standout from that album, “Nothing” is a melancholic, electronic gem that includes all the elements of a great pop song. Her voice is airy yet commanding, the synths behind it powerful but not overwhelming. She will be performing on August 28th at National Sawdust as part of the Hum Series, a showcase that celebrates female and non-binary artists. This particular show will feature custom arrangements for an all-female pop chamber orchestra. – Lily Crandall

Star the Moonlight’s debut single “Don’t You Think You Wanna” is a groovy jazz/soul song you won’t be able to get out of your head. Hattie Smith’s timeless caramel-smooth vocals overlay the band’s funky rhythms as she pleads “Don’t you think you wanna slow down?” while Maximillian Zooi’s funk-inspired clarinet interludes give it a kick. Their first single is a promising sign of good things to come from the band; their debut album is set to come out later this summer. You can see Star the Moonlight live at the Knitting Factory on August 28. – Lily Crandall

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

It can be easy to take the music of Lindsey Rae Radice, also known as PYNKIE, on face value. Just glancing at the SoundCloud page for half a second can give you a lighthearted and sweet impression of this New Jersey indie pop artist. There are cutesy emoticons and descriptors, smiley old photographs and an album cover that features a picture of a baby with a guitar drawn into his/her hands. It’s after your first listen of the album neoteny do you get a clearer idea of the kind of depth she is offering and the importance of this aesthetic. The warm guitar tones and soft drumming create lullaby-like atmospheres, quaint tunes like “Dog in the Sun” are full of sun-gleaming vocals and genuine affection in the lyrics. But there are turns when Radice points this bright outlook inward and lets the radiance fade. Her music is full of bewilderment, anxiously trying to maintain childlike exuberance as the grown-up world continues to push “maturity” through you. It leads to moments like the outro to “~Ghost~”, where the gorgeous acoustic arrangements become ghostly, alien sounds that, after so many upbeat songs, assume an uncomfortable aura. Stream PYNKIE’s album below and catch her performing at Baby’s All Right on August 13. -Tucker Pennington

The crux of horror-punk’s ability to be taken seriously is that it takes menacing imagery that may have lost its potency and makes it sound horrifying and threatening – without altering the B-movie inspiration. Darkwing seems to have learned this important lesson on their latest single “Ignorant Ghost”, an anxious and ethereal grunge anthem. Vocals slathered in echo drone on about a relationship souring as pummeling drums implode. Leather jackets and smoking weed in bed are more in tune with stoner rock ideals, but the imagery of ghosting–ditching a relationship without a response and transforming into a literal specter–is amusing at first and haunting after repeated listens. The distressed energy of the songs is stretched ad infinitum during the instrumental bridge, where the guitar and bass interplay between Sharif Mekawy and Richard Rodgers feels like industrial machinery reaching its breaking point. Darkwing’s take on relationship death could have quickly become a joke song with a title like “Ignorant Ghost”, but it’s the atmosphere and sounds the band crafts surrounding these motifs that make it a unique blend of horror punk and grunge angst. You can stream the single below and catch the band playing at Alphaville on July 28. -Tucker Pennington

Having just released her long-awaited debut album Both, Okay Kaya shows no sign of slowing down for the rest of the summer. The Norwegian, NYC based singer-songwriter has shared the music video for "Habitual Love", a slow jam which follows the album’s theme of dual identity, trauma, depression, and love as a physical embodiment. Kaya took to the Rubber House retreat near New Paltz to film the video, in which she shows off her talent as a dancer and hides a secret love affair with a faceless, featureless mannequin from herself. The artistic clip matches the song’s dark vibes, which Kaya will present live on her upcoming tour. Beginning in mid-August, Kaya will take to the Northwest and make her way back east; then in October, she’ll fly overseas to play a few European shows before returning to Brooklyn for a homecoming show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. – Will Sisskind

National Sawdust’s monthly premiere of emerging local artists called The Revolution is set for its 29th iteration on Saturday, July 28 with a variety of new bands. The three local acts juxtapose each other in genre and songwriting, yet their sounds are engaging in their own distinctive way. Bonomo’s laid-back, silky jazz compositions are wonderfully playful and find grooves that slither around without becoming monotonous, and his somewhat subtle music contrasts his two contemporaries. Cape Francis brings subdued indie folk that transforms murmuring guitars into a roar of organic energy, whereas Hannah Sumner’s ethereal walls of synth pop wrestle with her restrained yet impassioned voice in a combination of natural and synthetic energies. These artists offer wildly different appeals and styles, doubling down on The Revolution’s commitment to diversity in sonic palettes. The show begins at 10 p.m. and you can listen to The Deli’s playlist featuring these acts below. -Tucker Pennington

Idgy Dean will bring her spirited performance to BAZA Studios on July 26. Combining indie rock, DIY, and psych qualities, songs like “Inauguration” and “Indian Squirrel Dance” possess a very edgy, rough, early 2000’s indie rock vibe with an added primal edge introduced by tribal sounding tom toms, performed and sampled live, on stage, by this multi-talented and multi-tasking solo artist. – Pearse Devlin

The debut self-titled EP by the San Francisco-based quartet Moon Daze is hot and cold, dousing lyrics like “It’s okay, I didn’t love you anyway,” (from lead single “Leather Jacket”) in the syrupy sweet vocals of Florie Maschmeyer and Carissa Quiambao. The EP retains the surf sensibilities of the Bay Area, as seen in the bouncy “Disco,” but elevates them to a hypnotic dream-like state. Listen to the EP in full below, and see Moon Daze play live on August 3 at The UPTOWN in Oakland. – Lilly Milman, photo by Domini Dragoone

The New Review, the Boston-based funk-soul eight-piece, are known for bringing an uncontainable energy wherever they go — and their newest single “Portrait of a Man” (streaming below) is no different. With every piece of soul they create turning to gold, it’s no surprise that a video of the band performing the song landed them a spot headlining the Tiny Desk Submissions Showcase hosted by NPR in New York City. The melody of the heavy-hitting track takes it easy in all the right places, ebbing and flowing with an intuitive sense of rhythm only accessible to the very best. The New Review will be performing in New York City at DROM on August 10, and then heading back to New England for a show at Foam Brewers in Burlington, VT on August 11.  – Lilly Milman, photo by Madison McConkey

It can be embarrassing listening to previous generations of artists create songs they envision as teenage anthems. Not only is it impossible to create that intangible feeling of what it’s like to be a teen when you’re so far removed from it, but who honestly wants to be a teen again after you’ve lived through it once? That question is quickly answered by indie-pop wunderkind Harrison Li, who performs under the Harry Teardrops moniker. Many of Li’s songs operate within very traditional realms of pop, dreaming of idyllic scenarios in the city with your crush, going on drives and truly living life. These themes may sound trite on paper, but it’s the modern production flourishes that make these vicarious adolescent excursions so intoxicating. The newest release from Harry Teardrops is titled “Mercedes Benz” and it perfects this unique formula. Bedroom pop never sounded so glamorous in its youthful longing; stylish guitar riffs and trap-inspired drum patterns create a snapshot of what it’s like to be young through the morose and crystalline prism of Li’s summery hooks. “Mercedes Benz” is a wistful digital collage of exuberance and heartbreak and arguably the best Harry Teardrops song to date; you can catch him performing at Baby’s All Right on August 2 and stream his music below. -Tucker Pennington

“You’re just my type, everything’s so nice,” drawls the melodic first line of “Domino” (streaming below), the newest single by Bay Area moody indie rock outfit Same Girls. The rest of the track follows in the same carefree, fuzz-filled style, relying on the punchy guitar riff to build into an explosive chorus. It’s obvious from the first few seconds that Same Girls have ensnared a bolt of lightning in a bottle here, and made an instant hit. If this is any indication of what’s to come on their forthcoming album Young Minded, then prepare to add a new favorite album to your list. See them live at Café du Nord on July 21, and then again at the Throwin’ Bo’s showcase at the Elbo Room on August 2. – Lilly Milman, photo by Amy Lombard

After spending a few years touring with the indie-pop darlings Magic Man, Boston-based Justine Bowe decided it was time to take a step back and focus on herself — a decision that manifests itself most clearly in her solo project Photocomfort. Although she’s been working on music under the moniker for years, she only recently released her official debut EP, a triumphant five-track project called Understudy. Not only does this release showcase Bowe’s skills as a lyricist, producer, and vocalist, but it is also provides a nuanced portrait of the artist as a young woman. It’s thought-provoking, dynamic, and vulnerable — and yet, it’s light and easy to listen to. All in all, Understudy is required listening for anyone who has dealt with imposter syndrome, struggled to find a voice for themselves, or even just had a really bad day. Justine Bowe has finally taken center-stage, and it’s exhilarating to watch. – by Lilly Milman, photo by Andrew Janjigian

You can catch Photocomfort playing live at Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on July 28, as well as at her record release show at Great Scott on August 16.

Read a Q&A with Justine of Photocomfort and stream Understudy here.