There are several unwritten rules in the music scene regarding the steps that musical artists should take to “make it”: practicing, recording, performing… What goes often overlooked, though, is the power of collaboration. In this regard, NYC based musicians Pascal Le Boeuf, Sarah Goldfeather, and Robby Bowen have teamed up and taken a peculiar path in their musical endeavors: instead of forming a group identity on stage, they’ve decided to keep their separate identities and work with Four/Ten Media on a music video for their new, collaborative track, “Empty Promise”, which offers an intriguing visual representation of human’s dependence and habitual use of technology. Their work won them Best Video at Atlanta Shortsfest and premiered on July 24th. The trio plans to work on a series of videos in the future, and if they are going to be all as good as this one, there is little doubt that more and more people will take notice. – Pearse Devlin

After turning heads with their 2014 release "Three Pound Universe" Baltimore’s Deaf Scene returns with a music video for the song "Acid Fight" from their upcoming album. The group adds so many crystal clean ornamentations to the groove in this track that the ornamentations seem to seamlessly build on top of each other to the point where it’s hard to tell whether the song is still in 4/4 or some other time signature altogether. The unstoppable groove and the often soulful guitar timbres result in pure head-banging bliss.

Here is the new music video for “Acid Fight” from Deaf Scene

-Michael Dranove

Victoria Rose began releasing music under the name "Brittle Brian" in 2014, nearing the end of her enrollment at Boston University. She began putting out two absorbing electronic tracks on "Instrumentals for Looking at Animals" an album sweetly fitting to the activity it recommends. Then her first full-length, Bony French Cathedrals, was a stripped-down acoustic album full of confession. Continuing her organic, self-recorded and produced aesthetic, she released Verisune, an album released following her graduation from college which lead her to become a staple of the Boston scene, playing everywhere from house venues to local favorites like The Great Scott. Like the stark portrait of its album art, Verisune is a personal album that is utterly unique and intense. Most recently she’s released "Truther," an eerie ballad which alternates Spanish folk guitar with Elliot Smith influences. We look forward to anything that this individual singer-songwriter brings to Boston in the future. See her alongside Horse Jumper of Love, Dust from 1000 Yrs, and Blue Smiley August 24th. -Allie Miller

Mississippi-born and LA-based Dent May never thought he would be singing about the 90210, but that’s exactly what happened on his upcoming album, Across the Multiverse. The singer and multi-instrumentalist has learned to love his new city, and it’s evident in every lyric and funky synth beat. Singles like the titular “Across The Multiverse,” (streaming below) which features Frankie Cosmos, have a certain groove to them thats typical of Dent May, but with a more refined production style and a pointed theme. The rest of the album will be released on August 18th, and he will be playing a show at The Glass House on August 5th. –Lilly Milman

Psych-Rock band Ritual Talk released an extremely intriguing debut single (with video, streaming below) entitled, “Help, I’ve Been Dreaming”, and is scheduled to perform at Pianos on August 4th. The track is an art-rock song that flows through so many sounds, it becomes difficult to even categorize, yet manage to stay within tasteful boundaries, never sacrificing musical coherence for the sake of experimentation. A rather complex ¾ beat starts the song off, traveling into more psych-rock, wavier sounds from both the guitar and harmonizing female and male vocals. The lyrics are serene, succint but poetic. Then, a more indie rock sound evolves through intricate guitar pattering, slowly evolving as background organs enter the soundscape. If you dig this single, keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming album and don’t miss them live!– Pearse Devlin

Bay area psych-funk band, Loos Leaf, recently released a new single, "Green Eyed Stare." A kaleidoscopic fusion of funk, R&B, dub, jazz and psych-rock, "Green Eyed Stare" showcases the band’s mastery of complex time signatures and a zealousness to blend diverse styles into one composition. Loos Leaf will play a record release show on September 30th at Kuumbwa Jazz. Listen to the single below! – Ethan Ames

Brooklyn-based funk group IGBO continue to share their positive spirit with their new Rooftop Cookout Series happening now at My Wicked Lady. As the first of a two-part event series, they invited fellow dance-fusion stars Buscabulla, Puck, NiDi Halum, Naimi, ignaBAE and Jaws to for a afternoon dance. Praised by both NPR and The Fader since the release of their debut EP INDIGO GREEN BROWN ORANGE, they’ve been going from one sold-out NYC show to the next. The EP is a six-track mix of every thing from psych, jazz, afrobeat, and (according to their bandcamp tags) "astro-rap." Usually, all of these different sounds will flow within the same song, with changes as natural and welcoming as the spirit of their colorful performance style. If there was any dance party we’d want to attend this summer, it would be IGBO’s. Listen to their 2017 release "Thunderlove" and don’t miss their upcoming show at C’Mon Everybody on August 8 within Elisa’s residency. -Allie Miller  

For Nashville-via-Philadelphia artist, Devon Gilfillian, soul music is all about one’s roots. In his new video for the track “Here and Now,” he infuses his Nashville surroundings into his R&B music, creating a soulful mix of folk, blues, country, and groove. According the Gilfillian, the song is about a woman who he will one day love and live in the moment with. He is currently on a southern tour, and will be back in Nashville on August 17th to play the Soulshine Music Loft. –Lilly Milman, photo by Lindsey Patkos

Brooklyn non-profit venue National Sawdust is hosting The Revolution Vol. 17 on July 29th, a monthly installment in an ongoing performance series sponsored by The Deli. The Revolution is a showcase of Brooklyn and Harlem-based performers who advocate for community empowerment, change and activism through the arts. Featured this month are the hip-hop/soul powerhouse Cross Culture, the jarring and introspective songwriting of beccs, and the smooth R&B stylings of Bridget Perez. You can listen to some of their music below! – Ethan Ames

One of the most surprising aspects of Brooklyn band Cutouts’ debut album Baby Blue Suede is that the title originates from a poem about a Billy Joel song. The crooning of Cutouts is a far leap away from the pop legend provocative pop-rock, but in a weird way, it makes sense for this band. Their thematic goal on this album was to foray into the complex and unpredictable — and they do this well, over a psychedelic soundscape of guitar loops, distortions, and even a refreshing violin part. Their use of characters in songs like “Nina” and “Baby Blue Suede & the Dangerous Three” shows their narrative capacity as artists, as well as their ingenuity. Cutouts are definitely a band to watch in the Brooklyn scene, and they will be at the Mercury Lounge on July 28th. – Lilly Milman

Watch the video for our favorite track “Phone Sex” below.

It’s hard to believe that the singer-songwriter Matt Siffert was born and raised in New York City, since his music fits so comfortably in the Nashville scene. His move to Music City infused his already folksy tracks with Americana influences that can be seen everywhere from the new-found hint of a twang in his voice, to the groove of his guitar. He is slated to release his seventh project Gallatin on July 24th at The Basement alongside Zach Torres. – Lilly Milman

Watch the video for his latest single, “You Left and You Didn’t Say Goodbye” below. 

Avant-pop sextet, Arthur Moon, recently released their sonorously boisterous debut EP, Our Head, and since then, the record’s delicate, electro-tinged 5 tracks have been defiantly stuck in our heads. We recently saw the band at a Sofar Sound show and were mesmerized by their performance (check out the video of their Beatles’ cover from that same show, streaming below), so we highly recommend you check them out at their next live performance at Baby’s All Right on July 30th.

Our sister pedal blog Delicious Audio just published this interview where they talk about gear and the creative process.