Those who, like us, need at least one tense experience to survive through the mellow/hypocritical holiday season, might want to consider witnessing Brooklyn’s post punkers Talk Shop live at Alphaville on December 28. The trio’s 2016 debut record is unapologetically grating and exists in an imaginary musical intersection between Violent Femmes and Olimpia’s Old Time Relijun. Check out closing track Love Dart, streaming below

Something very simple happens to bands that are able to keep together for a few years: they get better, their songs get better, their recordings get better, and – if all of the above happens – their fan base slowly starts expanding. In four years, Jersey City’s Long Necks went from humble, ukulele-fueled beginnings to the full folk-pop-rock production of their upcoming LP "Will This Do?," scheduled for a January 26th release. The record is marked by the full and expressive voice of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Lily Mastrodimos, who can play a list of instruments that would make Paul Simon envious. The band will perform live at the Silent Barn on January 5th, just before embarking on a 17-day east coast tour.

Brooklyn’s post-hardcore/metal quartet Husbandry sounded pretty darn heavy on 2016’s debut full length "Fera," but the 2017 EP "Bad Weeds Never Die" takes things to an entirely new level, with metal influences seemingly taking over emo and post-punk ones. Their distorted guitars, in this new record, are a lot more explosive and dynamic, so our friends at Delicious Audio thought about asking them a few questions about it in this Q&A. Check out their video for "Elder Spencer Deery" streaming below.

The last few years have seen a rise in experimental, genre-bending, independently produced music. Perhaps this is due to the internet’s ability to access almost any music instantly, or maybe the breadth of music already created pushes artists towards a disregard for barriers of style. The disappearance of label-driven artist development might be part of it too. Whatever the cause, the NYC scene is producing a lot of incredibly innovative music — and Jelani Sei is part of this phenomenon. The Connecticut/New York group plays soulful, hip-hop and jazz inspired music with a flair for indie and alt rock traditions. Without abandoning the approachable framework of pop music, Jelani Sei has created a complex and intelligent sound. You can hear the group’s idiosyncratic style opening for T-Rextasy on December 23rd at Trans-Pecos. – Cameron Carr

Prawn has never had the sudden rise to widespread success that has graced other bands in the supposed emo revival. They’ve played a long game, touring basements, releasing splits, and slowly building the critical respect they deserve. Which is perhaps a little strange, given their music’s knack for swelling and exploding with post-rock rapture, sometimes gradually but often abruptly. The New Jersey natives make tasteful emo embed with subtle math rock influences and cascading echoes. You can catch Prawn playing Baby’s All Right on December 22nd with an all-star lineup of current and rising, vaguely emo acts: Slingshot Dakota, People Like You, and Queen Moo. – Cameron Car

Those who happen to miss the sense of mystery the holiday season brought with it when they were more religious than they are now, have an opportunity to recover some of that feeling tomorrow (12.20) at Rough Trade, where orchestral band Seasonal Beast will perform live. Led by producer/composer Yuval Semo and singer extraordinaire Yula Beeri, the NYC collective offers uber-intense, atmospheric music that blends droney elements with classical arrangements. The visually stunning (sort of)-live video of single "This is Where" provides the perfect amount of drama and uplifting emotions to help us celebrate a holiday that can still represent an effort towards spiritual rebirth, with or without God in the picture.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best mellow songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Strawberry Runners‘ debut full-length In The Garden, In The Night, was one of the NYC pop highlights of 2017. The band, led by Emi Knight, captures intimacy with an unusual fullness, filling out bedroom-bred sincerity with trumpet and keyboards for a vaguely orchestral sound giving songs a more considered and affecting tone. The band is scheduled to play their last show of the year at new Bushwick venue Elsewhere on December 30th. Check out their recent video for ballad ‘Dog Days,’ streaming below. – Cameron Carr

When the longstanding Brooklyn DIY landmark Shea Stadium was forced to close its doors this past spring things looked grim. But, at the end of what’s been a long and difficult year for so many more reasons, Shea has thankfully managed to keep going in the interim by hosting events at other venues while it hunts for a new space to inhabit. Closing out the year, Shea brings a lineup of local favorites to Brooklyn Bazaar on December 21^st: Yucky Duster’s scrappy punk, Bueno’s crispy alt-rock, Fits’ unhinged DIY energy, and Emmerson and Her Clammy Hands‘ intimate bedroom songs. Though Shea is still deep in the process of finding a new home, let’s hope this is the only year without a stadium. – Cameron Carr

Self-described as a "breath of fresh, New Jersey Turnpike air" NJ band, The Vice Rags, lay down no-frills garage rock that isn’t afraid of getting dirty. The four-piece just dropped a new self-titled EP which presents some warm, classic-sounding tracks that will satisfy your most staunch rock ‘n’ roll crate-digging purists (see "Alright By Me" streaming below) alongside wilder, brasher songs like opening track "Shut Up & Love Me." If you take your hearty helping of garage rock with a side of fuzz and crackle, the Vice Rags are definitely not a group to pass on. – Olivia Sisinni

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

Ellen O synthesizes her training as a classical pianist with an affinity for hip hop and trap to forge a fresh sounding chillwave blend. The artist’s experimental fusion creates a soundscape of eerie synthesizers driven by a future bass aesthetic, all of which forms the perfect background for her smoky vocals. Ellen O’s second and most recent album You/Sonata features artists Smoke DZA, SHRAF, and Khallee, as well as a more mature vision of her unique aesthetic. Check out Ellen O’s newest album straight from BabyGrande Records or wherever you stream your music. —Amanda Ogea

Tomorrow’s 22nd installment of The Revolution, a Deli-sponsored monthly showcase highlighting the best emerging local artists with a particular focus on Soul, Hip Hop and Funk, will deliver a lineup that’s bound to lift souls. Yes, because soul is the common thread found in the three acts performing in the stylish architecture of Williamsburg’s National Sawdust. 

Soul Science Lab is a collective of incredible musicians able to seamlessly combine afrobeat, funk, pop and hip hop into wonderfully produced tunes even the most static of New Yorkers will be hard press not to move to.

The lineup, co-curated by Soul Science Lab, alongside Katie Jones, founder + producer of The Revolution series, will also feature the mellow pop of Meridian Lights‘ and The Experi3nce‘s inventive soul/hip-hop.

The night will start at 10pm, tickets can be found here.

Who has the guts to mash up Big Sean, Kendrick, and Chance the Rapper, AND perform said-mashup with an acoustic guitar? Anna Shoemaker does. The pop artist’s downtempo cover has garnered almost 700,000 plays, and she’s just released the VHS-filmed music video. shoemaker has quietly released covers on SoundCloud over the last 4 years, and the buzz surrounding her definitely isn’t undeserved. She recently signed with Steve Madden’s 5Towns Records, and plans to release new music next year. Anna Shoemaker’s striking voice holds its own even without production elements, but we are interested and excited to hear her with a fuller pop sound. – Geena Kloeppel

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