There’s something very genuine that comes across in the debut single “Space” (streaming below) by the new Oakland post-punk outfit Normies. Besides being easy listening, the track is well-crafted from top to bottom, without losing the lo-fi appeal. The vocals rise and fall alongside the driving guitar parts, all while maintaining a dreamy appeal. This track is a strong start for the three-piece, and leaves us excited for what’s next. You can find them tomorrow (April 13th) at Eli’s Mile High Club, alongside Freak No Hitter, Scrim, and Screaming. – Lilly Milman

NYC’s romance with Post Punk is not over yet, and we ain’t gonna complain about it. The seminal movement from the 80’s that triggered the first wave of creative yet minimalist DIY rock already influenced a slew of break-out local artists including Interpol, The Rapture, Liars, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Parquet Court among others. In the last few months, quintet Bodega (previously known as Bodega Bay) has made progress to potentially add their name to this list, gaining a lot of attention both in the city and at SXSW with their super-fun live performances enhanced by musical wild card Nikki Belfiglio’s, an effervescent backing vocalist that also plays a range of percussive instruments. The trademark of the band’s stripped down but driven sound, however, lies with Ben Hozie’s semi spoken-word style of singing. The band just unveiled this video for single "Can’t Knock the Hustle" and announced the released of their debut album Endless Scroll, scheduled for a Jun 1st release. Bodega also landed an opening gig for five Franz Ferdinand shows in April (including the Brooklyn Steel date on the 15th) and will tour Europe in May. Buzz alert, indeed!

New York’s Liquor Radio tastefully blends indie-rock with dashes of Americana to create a sound that’s quite their own. Their sound is energetic yet controlled; the band’s rhythm section is somewhat dialed back, with melancholy violin and piano leading many of their songs. Further, Liquor Radio indulges in intricate vocal harmonies, rounding out an intriguing and assertive sound. Liquor Radio is playing Mercury Lounge on April 15th, with Juliet Garrett. Check out "Bottles of Yourself" below! – Ethan Ames

The first instinct when hearing Bambara is to label it as a noise-rock outfit, but pretty soon there comes a hesitation. The New York transplants, originally from Georgia, bring a sort of Western rhythm into the affair. The howling guitars start sounding like an ominous wind ripping across the new frontier, the groaning vocals become an impassioned southern drawl. That may be overstating certain influences, but it is true that the core of Bambara’s sound is a mutation of guitar music, manifesting in near-forgotten influences (desert rock?) and otherworldly contortions of guitar noise. That remains just as true on the band’s third album, Shadow on Everything, released last week. It’s a dark, effects-heavy piece of post-punk that draws apt comparisons to the deep, tense and troubled music of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. On April 13th, a week after that release, Bambara will celebrate the album live performing with added accompaniment from strings and saxophone at ALPHAVILLE. Listen to Shadow on Everything below. – Cameron Carr

With a forthcoming debut EP set to be released this summer, the Oakland “hydra-hiphop” duo FR333 has already carved out a space for itself with the release of excitingly fresh—and aptly named—single and subsequent video “Contagious Spirit ft. ASTU” (streaming below.) Made up of rapper MADlines (Maddy Clifford) and producer XOA (Allie Howard), FR333 brings a feminine energy that hits hard to the hip-hop scene. Created in celebration of black girls and women, the video is ethereal and fluid, cycling between images of surreal dancers, nature, and everyday life. – Lilly Milman

Running the gamut from string-led slowcore to crunchy emo, Good Looking Friends have a pretty firm grasp on the world of emotional basement music. The group’s latest track, “Front Porch,” pairs twinkling guitars with sweeping orchestration before a rushing climax recedes into the swell of strings. It’s the first single from Good Looking Friends’ new album Settle In, Decay, out April 6th. The band recently played the release party at Bushwick Public House, but you can catch them again at Muchmore’s on April 20th. In the meantime, watch the video for “Front Porch” below. – Cameron Carr

In the spring of 2017, Colatura vocalist/guitarist Digo Degorio convinced vocalist/guitarist Jennica Best to quit her job and start a band with him. With the help of drummer Rich DeGregorio, the band built up a following by playing shows around the city. Now they have a debut EP ready to release on April 13th. The EP, titled Spring Drew Blood, introduces the world to Colatura’s eclectic style, which takes from ’60s garage rock to ’90s grunge and post-punk. Tracks on the album examine the concept of self-worth, made clear in song titles such as "Is Love Enough?" and "Afraid". You can stream the latter track below. Listen for Degorio’s dreamy guitars which can turn crunchy on a dime, and for Best’s opera-tinged vocals.

Colatura will perform at a release show for Spring Drew Blood at Rose Gold on April 12th; get the EP there before it goes live online the next day. – Will Sisskind

For the musicians behind the smooth alt rock of the Oakland group Deep Well, authenticity is key. Made up of the musicial veterans Elijah Behar (vocals and guitar,) Sam DeMello (percussion,) and Jordan Sperry (bass,) the band is dedicated to creating clean and stylized rock—as seen on the latest double single (streaming below), recorded live at the legendary studio Tiny Telephone (which has held sessions for Death Cab for Cutie, Deerhoof, Spoon, and more.) Reminiscent of the earlier work of alt-stars Imagine Dragons, the tracks “Control” and “666666” are both soulful and dynamic, an effect that is only intensified by the fact that they were recorded live. Deep Well will be playing their next show tomorrow on April 11th at Brick & Mortar. – Lilly Milman

The southern New Jersey shore town of Asbury Park continues to produce a steady stream of new artists in both music and visual digital media. The recent partnership between musicians The Cold Seas and video production company Carousel Media House on the bands latest release “Retrograde” is both a sonic and visually stunning achievement. With the imagery surfacing from a stark candlelit black and white, a rich modulating synth pulses behind somber vocals. A pretty face appears momentarily, accompanied by lyrics “I think of you at times, until it kills me on the inside.” The full band emerges and the mood is further established with the simple hook line “I’m feeling something for you. Can I get something from your heart?” The band will play next at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park on 4/19 and in nyc at Pianos on 5/4 with Memoirs of Addiction. – Dave Cromwell

Dru Cutler took the stage at Pianos on April 7th to release his newest LP, Bring Closer The Distance. The record marks a shift in lyrical content and production value for Cutler, who debuted in 2016 with the album Familiar. On Bring Closer The Distance, Cutler reaches out through his words to people who shaped him throughout his life, including his father who lives with bipolar disorder and his estranged stepmother. In songs like the thundering "Oceanside", which has hints of U2 and Bob Dylan, Cutler comes to terms with his reality and place in a conflicted world. Speaking of Dylan: Bring Closer The Distance showcases the mastering genius of engineer Dave McNair, who worked with Dylan and David Bowie, as well as mixing engineer Andy Taub, who has worked with Keith Richards and Ani DiFranco. Dru will host a vinyl listening party with intimate acoustic performance at Noho Sound on April 13. Stream single "Oceanside" below. – Will Sisskind

New York’s alt-folk powerhouse Welles has delivered again with his new single, "Seventeen." It’s at once easy listening and a foreboding portrait of a young person’s foray into intimacy. Welles paints a first-person picture of someone who’s contemplating whether or not a hook-up will have deleterious effects on the other person’s psyche, while also acknowledging the lust that seems to have overtaken the narrator. "It’s cold in the water/I wonder if I should bother/When she gets old it’ll haunt her/I’m here tonight and I want her/I’m here tonight and I got her." It’s a balladic pop song at its core, with an eminently singable hook ("Seventeen/So unclean"), yet a darkness lines the song’s edges. Welles kicks off a U.S. summer tour at Mercury Lounge on April 9th, with Wild Moon. Listen to "Seventeen" below! – Ethan Ames

The newest EP, Puzzle Dust, from Hollister-based trio Conserve takes the band in a completely new direction from their debut self-titled album. In their sophomore release, they completely strip down their sound and rely solely on acoustic guitar and vocals—whereas Conserve is heavily punk and garage influenced. This isn’t a surprising move for a band that is determined to escape the confines of genre, and they do it well, bringing a distinctly grunge sensibility to singer-songwriter tracks. Catch their next show at The Colony on April 29th. – Lilly Milman

Listen to our favorite track “Inside Looking Out” below.