Lola Kirke is the daughter of Simon Kirke, an English drummer for the rock bands Bad Company and Free. Primarily known for her acting, (she had a role in David Fincher’s Gone Girl), Kirke has also turned her talents to music, and currently calls herself bicostal, split between LA and NYC. Her solid, self-titled EP dropped last year. It features her breathy and expressive vocals with a hint of country twang. Album closer "Not Used" is a highlight that feels like a classic and hearkens back to luminous figures in country: Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris. She’s definitely worth checking out at Baby’s All Right on November 19. –juan leon

With their fast paced sound, perfasive distortion and abrasive melodies reminiscent of legendary Husker Du (the first bands that blended hardcore punk with pop melodies), Brooklyn’s Surf Thugs could be described as a proto-pop punk revival band. This being said, the single ‘Just Sad’ (streaming below) from their brand new EP bearing the same title, sound to our years like a reinterpretation of the garage sound of the ’70s through a ’90s filter. The experiment works, and the other four tracks on the record well complement it with their incessant power chord aggression and in your face vocals, propelled by relentless drums. You can bob your head to these tunes tonight (November 10) at The Well.

P.S. We found out about Surf Thugs’ gig in our site’s DIY NYC Live Listings section, check it out and promote your show there for free!

Blush is the new solo project of Brooklyn singer-songwriter Maura Lynch (previously keys and backing vocals in Darlings). With its distant, reverberated vocals, first single Daisy Chain (streaming below) seems to confirm Maura’s preference for (beautiful) melodies that work around your ears, rather than in front of them. The tracks’ sleepy attitude and plodding pace place it squarely in the dream pop niche – heck, even the lyrics are about dreams! According to Bandcamp, the full record will drop on December 8th, but we couldn’t find a date for the release show.

Bootblacks offer a gothic melancholia bounced back and forth on synth-pop beats, a menacing vision of gloom that’s infectious. Bootblacks’ post-punk/new-wave sensibility is beautifully paired with Panther Macdonald’s vocals. They’re straight out of the post-punk catalog: romantic, dramatic, seductive. The band promises a seedier vision of NYC, one of decadence and decay. They shared their preference about synths with our sister blog Delicious Synths, check it out!

Some bands are like wine, they get better with time (sadly, most don’t). The Majorleans’ 2013 album "Black Belt" showed a confident band with solid songs and production values. Armed with a sound that could be described as "classic rock sans-cheese,"  and blessed with the character of songwriter Nicky Francis DiFonzo’s vocals, the record brings to mind Tom Petty and the electric Bob Dylan of the ’80s. But new single "Black Magic Woman" (streaming below) takes things to a whole new level: it’s a blue blues made even darker and vintage sounding through a noir, loungey arrangement that flirts with psychedelia and The Beatles of Abbey Road. The trio will be performing at Berling on November 11, we recommend! 

Three NYC based bands with a surprisingly similar sound (rather mellow but edgy, electronic and melodic, featuring female lead vocals) will share the stage of Baby’s All Right in occasion of the headliner’s Iris Lune release party. The other two are Lip Talk and MMEADOWS. We created a compilation of their songs for you, it’s really good, check it out!

We are very excited to inform you that avant-electro-psych band Guerilla Toss, who graced the latest cover of our NYC print issue, will be performing their first live show since that issue hit the streets of NYC in mid October. The band’s latest album, entitled GT Ultra and released through DFA Records, is an exuberant, multifaceted explosion of sound inspired by mysterious government sponsored experiments and The Greatful Dead (althoughg it sounds nothing like them). The band recently unveiled this new video for single "Betty Dreams of Green Men." The live show will be at Baby’s All Right on November 16, be there!

Upper Wilds are an experiment in distortion. Their debut album, "Guitar Module 2017" (Deli NYC record of the month last month) is one frenzied wave of noise going through the entire body. Once the senses accept this new experience, the lyrics can finally be appreciated. Somehow, through all the glitchy melodies come these heavenly vocals that find a near-perfect blend of pop and punk. This is another band that shouldn’t work but totally does. To hear it, to believe it, check out Upper Wilds’ upcoming show at Gold Sounds on November 18, right after the band’s brief east coast tour. – Amanda Ogea

Earlier this year, Mark Crozer and The Rels released their Planting Seeds Records LP “Sunny Side Down” on vinyl. Although a Brooklyn resident, Mark recorded the tracks with his band at Mitch Easter’s North Carolina studios with an emphasis on live energy interplay. The intro to “Here Comes the Storm” (streaming below) adopts backing vocal stylings reminiscent of the Beach Boys, keeping the mood light and airy, as it attempts to hold off emotional thunderstorms, soon to be delivered through the chorus, where a melancholic chord selection backing lyrics “to put a smile, on my face again” evokes an aching romanticism. An ending coda repeats the title like a mantra, drums rumbling across toms and a white noise build-up creating the sonic equivalent of weather borne chaos. The band will support The Jesus & Mary Chain (whom Mark also plays bass in) on an east coast tour that arrives at PlayStation Theater in NYC on 11/17. – Dave Cromwell

Avant-pop duo, Reliant Tom, is nothing if not absolutely striking. The two-piece combines clever instrumentals and cutting edge musical tech with sultry vocals and sharp-tongued lyricism. Last week, the group dropped their latest music video, for "Poor You" a trippy and disorienting display that provides the perfect visual accompaniment to the song’s haunting tone and minimalistic sensibilities. Check it out streaming below. –Olivia Sisinni

Bodies Be Rivers’ newest single "None the Wiser" (streaming) from their forthcoming debut LP Things I’ll Tell You When You’re Older, is simply delightful. The listening pleasure begins with the ear-catching, nuanced arrangement which builds into a confident full band breakout. "Your weather never changes / your curtains always stay" sings singer and songwriter Lauren Smith, displaying wistful yet confident resignation. Her vocal timbre gives us a little more of this delicate self-assuredness, guiding the track and keeping us grounded. If the rest of the album is in line with this gorgeous first single, we’re in for a treat. By the time "None the Wiser" had ended, I didn’t want it to be over. – Geena Kloeppel

Their third release in two years, What You Say and What You Mean is the newest project by DIY alt-rockers Remember Karen. The Oakland-based quartet specialize in melodic tracks that mystify with their cryptic, abstract lyrics (“your ghost always sits in a suburban chair / traces of the not-yet in a parking lot”), yet stay far, far away from the cringe-worthy realm of fake depth. The best part is, they don’t take themselves too seriously, either. They aren’t afraid of rhyming “modesto” with “unimpressed-o” in “Afternoon Waking Life” (streaming below)—a move made even more successful by the whirlwind chorus that follows it. Their music nods at the early work of indie rock legends Death Cab, working in a similar stripped-down style to their debut LP Something About Airplanes. However, that is not to say it is derivative. This is not a recreation of something that already exists, but rather, a revival—one that we’re excited to see unfold. Remember Karen will be playing their record release show at 924 Gilman on November 12th at 6 pm. – Lilly Milman, photograph by Kevin Steen

Until then, you can exclusively stream the entire record below. The album will be available on Remember Karen’s Bandcamp page starting on November 10th.