Channeling the sound of UK 1980s/90s shoegaze and post-punk, Venn has seen success after the release of their debut EP earlier this year. The band has managed to capture the sensitive adrenaline rush, found in the music of My Bloody Valentine and New Order, in their own unique while still paying obvious homage to their forebearers, even producing a cover of the classic New Order song “Ceremony”. This high energy group is sure to put on a great show, so don’t give this one a miss!

-Michael Dranove

In their debut EP, Positions, post-punk band Dancing Tongues lays out a dynamic and energetic mix that constantly changes. Formed in 2015, the three-piece band emits a pleasurably enigmatic approach that may be hard to decipher at times. Though the band features vocals that seem distinctly new-wave, Dancing Tongues’ instrumentals smoothly shift from alternative, to garage, to pop. Catch the band at The Echo 08.02. – Tafari Lemma

Todd Stoops made a name for himself as the keyboard wizard of several electro-funk acts in the Northeastern United States. Recently he has relocated to the Bay Area and has found a home with Reed Mathis and the underground funk swing of his band, Electric Beethoven. On Friday, July 27, Stoops will be hosting an all-night funk free-for-all at The Boom Boom Room featuring friends from all of his current projects. Guests include Mathis, Jay Lane from RAQ, and several special guests that have yet to be announced. Tickets are $5 and available here.

– Joshua Huver

We doubt if there is a town with more gripes than Boston. That seems to be the reason for the abundance of pissed-off garage rock bands like Allston’s newest stars: Beeef. Since the release of their sarcastic 2017 release A Beeef CD, they received high praise from their own music scene, and celebrated local publications like Allston Pudding and Boston Hassle. That being said, we believe they are deserving of the attention, with charismatic, surfy guitars and jaunty rhythms. A Beeef CD is angsty, wronged, and heartbroken, but in all the right ways. This release shows a band that has found its place among its surrounding punks, and we hope they stay there. See them at Great Scott with Ian Sweet and Baby! on August 17th. -Allie Miller

Born in 2014, the Nashville-based four-piece CHICO has gone through quite a few lineup changes since the release of their debut EP Pipe Dreams. All the current members have played (or currently still play) with other bands, which explains the immense range of the EP. CHICO’s brand of garage rock is infused with psychedelia, slacker rock, prog-rock, and even a bit of folk. While songs like “Bald Sockets” and “Ruined” (streaming below) are explosive and guitar-heavy, title track “Pipe Dreams” is slow and melodic. CHICO will be playing with Butthole, Phobos, and Supermelt at The East Room on July 31st. – Lilly Milman

Guerilla Toss‘ new full length GT Ultra was partly inspired by the CIA’s “Project MKUltra” which experimented with drugs to weaken and torture those under interrogation, and appropriately enough, the album art is covered with acid blotter papers. The release, the band’s second under DFA, showcases a more mature production that doesn’t get in the way of the group’s signature unpredictability. An acid trip in itself, GT Ultra takes the conventions of dance, punk, electronic, and rock music and rips them apart. “Can I Get the Real Stuff,” their second track, introduces the band’s repeated practice of entering the realm of a recognizable sound/genre, and tearing those walls down with something unexpected. It sounds like if LCD Soundsystem and Sonic Youth combined forces, or if Blondie went haywire. Their fourth track “TV Do Tell” follows this same idea, bringing in instances of ’80s pop, until an uncontrollable frenzy takes over, as if someone was messing with the pitch lever on the entire track, while changing the tempo signature without warning. “Skull Pop” brings forth cryptic lyrics, like a recap of a hallucination, aligned with music hinting that something went wrong along the way. GT Ultra follows no patterns, no norms, yet comes together throughout the turmoil as one of the most exciting releases of 2017. Be sure to see Guerilla Toss live when they play in NYC again (or wherever you live).  – Pearse Devlin

Brooklyn-based O Mer participates in the effort undertaken by a select number of soul artists (many of them based in NYC) to dismantle once and for all the notions that: A. electronic music is overly clinical and "cold," and B. soul music is not adventurous enough. In his single “Now I’m Alive” (streaming below,) his falsetto, overlaying a heavy bass synth line and melodic drops, makes the song surge with emotion. A pulsating beat accompanies the vocals towards a word-less chorus, where abrasive synths intersect with ghostly melodic lines in a triumph of glissando. The artist employs similar production approach in more lyrically driven single, "Overflown." O Mer will be playing a set at Alphaville on July 13th, alongside Secret Crush and No Ice. – Lilly Milman

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

For Becca Mancari, making music is a showcase of humanity. It’s evident in her songs the effort to convey who she is, through her confident and evocative alto. Through music retaining the twang Nashville is renown for, Mancari informs all of her songwriting with her life experiences, specifically those that involve her travels—she’s lived everywhere from Staten Island to Zimbabwe. She’ll be playing a show with Bermuda Triangle and Liz Cooper at the Basement East on July 12th. – Lilly Milman, photograph by Zachary Gray

Listen to our favorite track “Dirty Dishes” streaming below.

Even with only one four-track EP under their belt (released in January 2017), NYC’s Dodgeball already showcase an intriguing ’90s revival sound influenced in equal parts by slack rock and post rock. A twisted, cranky guitar, an evocative nerd-boy singing, and a killer name that’s a 10 on the nostalgia scale. Like the mellower cousin of Ovlov or Krill, Dodgeball forge charmingly sad, somewhat hesitant songs, with the power to win you over. We are entranced by tracks like "Veggies" (streaming), constructed on a fragile web of intersecting guitar lines and precarious vocal melodies, slowly gaining more drive and density. Don’t miss their next show at Ridgewood Community College with Dark Tones, Oceanator, and Panoramic. – Allie Miller, photo by M.Cicchetti Photography.

On July 19th, Wilder Maker will be taking the stage at Baby’s All Right to celebrate their 7” release, New Streets, with special guests Wilsen and Star Rover. Unveiled back in April, the single features an elegant and silky smooth combination of alt pop, folk, and jazz. Katie Von Schleicher’s serene vocals recollect a fun day with friends strolling through Brooklyn, going to parties – and even taking shrooms. The track combines clean and sophisticated chord progressions from Gabriel Birnbaum (also involved in the songwriting) with a sensual incorporation of a tenor sax solo that builds towards an exuberant finale. Check out a live in studio version of the song, below (courtesy thrdcoast.com) and also the other noteworthy single ‘Only Child,’ streaming underneath. – Pearse Devlin

Steep Ravine is a folky rock ‘n roll band steeped in bluegrass traditions from the Bay Area of San Francisco. Guitarist and lead vocalist Simon Linsteadt and violinist/vocalist Jan Purat met in high school and linked up with bassist Alex Bice while studying in Santa Cruz. They released their third full length LP, Turning Of The Fall, earlier this spring, complete with a full West Coast tour that just wrapped. On Saturday, July 22, catch a special and intimate one-off performance at the infamous Santa Cruz hotspot, The Crepe Place.

– Joshua Huver

Like flying over a futuristic city on a sunny day, Jay Pray’s new self-titled album has a technological feel to it, but it’s never a cold one. In a way it’s a little like the sci-fi movies produced in the ’50s and ’60s: free from cynicism, technology was portraid as an exciting and benevolent force. This is captured best on "Time" (streaming), where Pray’s smooth, soulful vocals glide over the track’s glittery and at times groovy instrumental. He’s also not afraid to slow things down, like on "I’m Sorry," where both Pray’s vocals and the arrangements get a shade bluer. On these tracks and the rest of his LP, Pray has exhibited a knack for catchy songwriting that doesn’t pull any emotional punches. You catch him live at Lantern Hall on 07/13. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber