Sun Voyager is a heavy-psych trio that gets it right. These fuzz freaks drag the psych genre back to its gritty roots, all the while using each song in their upcoming LP to subtly experiment with sister genres. The tracks are fresh (fresher than Sun Voyager’s bongwater, at least) and at the perfect lengths. For these guys there’s no need for pretentious half-hour anthems though – which, considering the band’s groovy setup, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Get your preorder in for “Seismic Vibes,” their forthcoming album from King Pizza Records out on 04.20. —Amanda Ogea

Eric Benoit‘s sophomore album Heartrender consists in seven tracks of emotional journeying through a tortured relationship. Beginning in 2014 with his bold album College, Benoit has melted his soul into roaring lyrical anthems with the arrangements of haunting electronic soundscapes. His second release builds upon the work of his debut, exploring themes of trauma and unresolved pain with explosive lyrics such as "Fucking is a disease/Procreation is incest". Benoit will mark the album’s release with a show at Pianos on Saturday, January 27th. You can stream two tracks out of Heartrender below. – Will Sisskind

Dragonflies by Eric Benoit on VEVO.

Hello good music diggers!

The Winter 2018 issue of The Deli NYC (our 53rd!) is now available for you to read online, here!

This is also the first NAMM issue of The Deli, since a week from today we’ll be at the Californian musical instrument convention with a huge booth full of guitar pedals!

That’s why we took the opportunity to put on the cover of our magazine the legendary Brooklyn noise rockers A Place To Bury Strangers – a band that makes their own stompboxes, called Death By Audio.

The issue features a lot of other local artists (and their pedals) and also an article about the best records of 2017 by emerging NYC Artists – check it out!

Here’s a playlist of the artists featured in the issue.

This album is some serious boxing entrance music. Synth brass, synth strings, and synth choir over 808s combined magnificently with copious Dragonball Z references set the stage for an epic confrontation between Hunit Stackz and his arch nemesis: mumblecore rappers. By about a minute through the album’s opening track, you almost feel sorry for the rappers who Hunit Stackz is eviscerating. As Hunit Stackz told the Manhattan Digest, “mumble rap is garbage…Overall it’s a disgrace to the greats. I decided to step up as the anti-mumble rap spokesman in hip-hop.” As for his own tracks, Hunit Stackz is not modest saying, “I feel I deserve unprecedented superstardom.” And after listening for a while, I think I’m ready to live in a Hunit Stackz dominated rap market.

-Mike Dranove

In March, you can pick up Amen Dunes‘ fifth album, Freedom. However, right now, you can watch the music video for "Miki Dora", the first single from the album. Damon McMahon, the brains behind Amen Dunes, reflects on his youth and upbringing in the eleven tracks on Freedom; in "Miki Dora", he connects the life of the legendary surfer to his own, touching on the surfer’s criminality and distorted personality. Tastes of the early-80s post-punk and late-80s no-wave scene come through in the track. The music video for the first single stars seventeen-year-old Boomer Feith running through New York City in slowed-down scenes to fit the bass-heavy moody music; scenes of McMahon singing and lyrics from the song cut in between.

To celebrate the release, Amen Dunes will perform at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 31st with a brand new live band. Get a taste for what’s to come by watching the video for "Miki Dora" below. – Will Sisskind

Wild Americans’ 2016 EP lighten up is a psychedelic experiment in Americana, the result of which is their vision of "relaxed funk" – and theior music carries a certain groove, indeed. The band, however, keeps you from getting too comfortable for too long, however. Guitar-driven nostalgia is kept on its toes with groovy hooks and an unexpected vocal range (especially in “Loser Freaks”).  The artists’ music reflects their name: a celebration of youth and freedom as well as a connection to the past. Check out Wild Americans’ single release at the Brooklyn Bowl on 01.29. –Amanda Ogea 

Robert Earl Thomas, lead guitarist of Brooklyn dream pop duo Widowspeak, has released a video for the track "What Am I Gonna Do" off of his upcoming solo debut Another Age. The video for the introspective song showcases intimate close-up shots of Thomas somberly walking through New York City beneath a grainy black and white filter reminiscent of film noir that emits a melancholic, yet atmospherically romantic moodiness. Another Age releases February 16th on Captured Tracks. – Alexander Beebe

Brooklyn darlings Kino Kimino‘s debut LP "Bait is for Sissies," featuring Sonic Youth Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley serving as session men, will throw you off-guard, just like the band’s bizarre, at time nonsensical videos. The brainchild of Kim Talon, the power trio offers deadpan vocals, gritty guitars, and 90’s-cool-kid vibes embedded in an ever-shifting sonic soundscape. The final result fully justifies Kim’s recent move from LA to the edgier NYC scene. Don’t miss their uipcoming show at Elsewhere on January 30th, and those of you into guear and guitar pedals should check out the Kino Kimino’s Q&A with Delicious Audio!

"My head spins like Earth itself," sings Anna McClellan on her newest single "Flailing Orbits." She shows a wonderful, healthy amount of self-awareness, admitting to deep-rooted pessimism and a complicated, flailing relationship. An almost dreary-sounding vocal performance works surprisingly well in this song, but McClellan confidently admits towards the end of the track: "for the first time in a while / I’m not dying to see your smile." Who needs optimism, anyway? Anna McClellan shows that feeling a little bit of existential dread is just fine, too. -Geena Kloeppel

Youtube memetrash aesthetic goes live this Friday with KNOWER‘s first Los Angeles show of the year featuring live backing band at the Lodge Room Highland Park. Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi, the project’s only constants, mix electrofunk and jazz with more than a touch of net humor that makes anyone wonder when they’ll do a collaboration with Bill Wurtz. The duo will embark on several festival appearances before taking off in the spring to tour through Europe. Friday’s show will kick off with performances from Thumpasaurus, The Unending Thread, and Plexus. – Ryan Mo

Listening to The Royal They can feel like teetering on the brink of chaos. The trio seems captivatingly in control of impromptu bursts of sound, explosions of cymbals and fuzzy guitar. At some moments you wonder if the band is about to lose control, but they never do. The dynamic intensity has visible roots in ‘90s grunge but The Royal They abandons lethargic delivery in favor of ferocity. The band’s thunderous sound will strike again on February 1st when they open for Big Ups (our Best NYC Band of 2014, featured on our cover that year) at Silent Barn. – Cameron Carr

Listening to the slippery, psychedelic folk rock of Sacramento’s four-piece Honyock is like looking at an old picture of the city that they hail from. Their Demo E.P., which begins on the explosive track “Heather” (streaming below), is a fully-fleshed ode to folk with stoner-rock sensibilities heavy enough for them to accurately brand themselves as “Peyote-Tonk.” The surreality with which they paint their music – audible in the classic, and surprisingly dynamic, psychedelic guitar distortions – is combined with an unexpected edge that is impossible to get enough of. They recently joined indie veterans Surfer Blood at the Blue Lamp for a show. Keep an eye out for their next live show announcement here at The Deli. – Lilly Milman