New York’s indie-pop trio Blank Spaces makes good use of their familiarity with ’80s new wave to create a sound that’s at once recognizable and unique. On their 2016 single, "Note to Self," Blank Spaces embarks on a three-and-a-half-minute journey into anxious ambivalence, with the kind of punchy urgency reminiscent of Talking Heads. "Note to self/Staring at the wall/Wait for something to happen/Won’t make a change, won’t make a difference/Let’s lose these shackles/Let’s leave this house." It’s a song that propels itself and carries the listener along at great speed. Blank Spaces is playing at Mercury Lounge tonight with The Silk War. Listen to "Note to Self" below! – Ethan Ames

Detroit Rising, part of the Down Jazz record label, is a funk-fusion act that shatters conventions and boldly explores new musical territory. Comprised of Detroit-hailing, NYC-based musicians who have played with Parliament Funkadelic, Lady Gaga and Mary J. Blige, Detroit Rising is a three-piece that exhibits undeniable musical expertise. Their new album, A Cosmic Jazz Funk Adventure – released March 30th via Light in the Attic & Down Jazz Records – is startling and compelling, harnessing many different musical influences to create a final product that one would be hard-pressed to define. It’s a lot of funk, a little R&B, a little jazz, and a lot of fun. Detroit Rising is playing at Rough Trade NYC on April 8th to celebrate the release of their album, with music starting at 1:30 p.m. Watch the official video for "Little Bit" below! – Ethan Ames

The electro-pop duo Kid Le Chat will make you want to groove. “Weatherman,” the lead single from their self-titled EP released last March, is a a fun synth-pop song with sparse electric guitar riffs and light percussion, making it a bop and a must for any 80s revival party playlists. Jam to the track below. – Nicolette Natale 

This artists submitted their music for review here.

Deemo is bringing back that ’90s hip hop flavor.  For fans of Premier beats, early Nas flow, and that New York Grit that made Craig Mack such an icon, Deemo and his team have a slew of bangers.  With lines like “It’s my House Party, but the Kid don’t play,” he demonstrates his grounding in the culture, and his wordplay reflects a scholarly approach to the architects of the Hip Hop kingdom. – BrokeMc

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Aerial East‘s indie/alt-pop is an exercise in subtlety: the Texas-born, NYC-based artist’s smooth, retro instrumentation belies themes typically reserved for the most irreverant of artists. At a glance, one might think they’re listening to pre-British invasion pop from the early ’60s. Strings, tinkling pianos, whistling and low-key jazz drums abound on "Crazy Now," in which East quietly bemoans her own attempts at radical, if not frantic, attempts at self-transformation, which ultimately leave her no better off than where she started from. "I started smoking again/I tried out sleeping around/And when one boy didn’t like me/I fell right back down/I’m crazy now." Aerial East is playing Mercury Lounge on April 5th, with The Weather Station. Listen to "Crazy Now" below! – Ethan Ames

Released earlier this month, Diary’s will-o’-the-wisp, is a refreshing mix of dream pop and drone rock. The three-song EP is filled with mesmerizing vocal reverb and electric guitar riffs, lulling you on “Contours” and then bolting you awake on “Fuchsia Gray.” You ca catch them at Muchmore’s on May 12th. – Nicolette Natale

The Deli SF is excited to announce that from the same people that brought you the monthly Milk Was A Bad Choice showcase, comes Throwin’ Bo’s—a new local showcase at the Elbo Room, hosted on the first Thursday of every month. For everyone who feels like they hang out at the same bar and see the same people every day, this is the event for you.

The first installment is approaching quickly on April 5th, featuring the psych-influenced, jangle-folk of Oakland rockers Half Stack, the fast-paced alt-rock of San Francisco-based The Band Ice Cream, and a headlining performance by none other than Oakland mainstay The Younger Lovers (streaming below). When we say the lineup is stacked, we aren’t kidding around.

This event is 21+ and will cost $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Anyone interested can RSVP on Facebook. – Lilly Milman

New York’s Rosehardt (real name Caleb Eberhardt) has a unique musical aesthetic that would be hard to categorize as any one genre. It’s a little bit nu-soul, a little bit R&B, a little bit hip-hop, and a lot of heart. On his forthcoming LP, Songs in the Key of Solitude, dropping April 6th, Eberhardt throws caution to the wind and embraces myriad influences to the utmost effectiveness. Of the three tracks available for preview on his bandcamp – all varying wildly in style – "Fall Into You" is a stunning example of the end result of Eberhardt’s stylistic melting pot yielding something greater than the sum of its parts. He sings, "I just wanna be used/I don’t wanna be loved/I just want someone to take me for granted." It’s compelling material and makes for a unique listen. Rosehardt is playing a record release show at Baby’s All Right on April 6th, with support from Warren Wolfe and Synead. Listen to "Fall Into You" below! – Ethan Ames

New York’s Holy Hive are masters of cerebral, understated indie-pop. The trio’s 2017 Daybreak EP is a collection of six twisting, winding and surprising compositions, rich with catchy melodies and refreshingly spare arrangements that include classical guitars and reverb-drenched piano. Brevity is an asset to Holy Hive, particularly on the final track, "Nocturne," whose spindly piano arpeggios and minor key invokes a sense of delicious apprehension, all under the three-minute mark. Holy Hive is playing at Baby’s All Right on April 4th, in support of The Shacks. Don’t miss the show, and listen to "Nocturne" below! – Ethan Ames

Ed Pastorini has been around New York’s underground music scene for a minute- the multi-instrumentalist and composer is a member of 101 Crustaceans, who’ve been a band since the 1980s. Now, Pastorini is back with a new record as a solo artist, called Strange Lures, which is out today. His charming, eerie video for "Loss," a song about just that, is filled with clips of serene landscapes, houses being bulldozed, and ghostly couples dancing. There are also a few brooding images of the artist projected into parts of the video, making for an altogether haunting experience. The release show for the album is set for April 14th at the Owl Parlor in Brooklyn. – Geena Kloeppel

The music of Dark Tea has all the intimacy of lo-fi bedroom recordings—acoustic guitar, casio keyboards, near whispered vocals—but manages to present it with the smooth sentimentality of folk. Gary Canino, the songwriter behind the project, weaves elements from the worlds of indie rock and twangy Americana together into delicate arrangements. The songs gain added emphasis from Canino’s choice to use accents sparingly, only occasionally letting in pedal steel guitar, a guest vocal harmony, or wash of keyboard. With a new tape on the way, Dark Tea will play a release show at The Glove on April 1st before embarking on a west coast tour. Though there are few details about the release, we’re hopeful this isn’t just an April Fool’s prank, get to the show to find out. – Cameron Carr

In its new singles, NYC based quartet Kyle Duke & The Brown Bag Boys tosses aside the clean, ’60s inspired pop that characterized so much of their 2017 EP "Aquatic Pop," and takes up instead a more grating and edgy sound. Without losing their light-hearted approach, in "Ocean Waves" the band plays with quirky synthesized effects (including vocals transposed one octave down), referencing the psychedelic ’60s both in the melodies and the arrangement. On “Motivation,” Duke asserts his apathy in typical slacker-rock fashion, although the track is rooted in a droney rock’n’roll riff that’s in part reminiscent of The Jesus and Mary Chain. These guy’s rock’n’roll history hodgepodge is rather entertaining, check out the two singles below and see them at Sunnyvale on April 12th. – Nicolette Natale

This artist submitted music for coverage here.