If there’s one thing that R’n B aficionado J. Hoard has been able to showcase through his soulful catalogue is that instrumentation does not intimidate his craft one bit. Less experimental, but more ambitious, the new single “Sirens” sees the singer exploring religious themes with refreshing emotional depth, and a gospel-infused choral accompaniment guaranteed to impress. After debuting with the unconventional electro-jazzy rhythms of the his first collection, "Arctic," Hoard’s music picked up momentum with last year’s "Feel Good EP." Hoard is currently taking on the New York scene, with an upcoming gig at Rockwood Music Hall on Friday, May 19th, and a split show with fellow up-and-comers DDWhite, Joanna Taters, and All Be on June 9th at Arlene’s Grocery. – Valentina Rocha

Singer Chelsey Coy is a vintage vision in the black and white video for Single Girl, Married Girl‘s title song off of their new LP, "Spark." The clips move between riverside shots, the occasional "look up" moment at the city’s famed skyscrapers, green spaces among the concrete and the typical West Village stoop… everything the average New Yorker might find "normal" suddenly gains wonder, awe and beauty. New York’s prettier sides become a lovely, delicate backdrop for Coy’s hollowed-out harmonies and sprite-like falsetto, moving into a primal rhythm section that echoes the rumble of the subway below. The band’s new album, Spark, is out May 19, with a release show scheduled for May 18th at Rockwood Music Hall. – Geena Kloeppel

Jangly and infectious indie group Cende unleashes its debut EP "#1 Hit Single" on May 22nd, with a release show at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right on May 26th. After changing their name from Downies at the end of 2015, the band has grown from a house venue trio to a quartet receiving press from major outlets such as Pitchfork and NPR. The songs on ‘#1 Hit Single’ — much like those of the band’s 2015 EP — describe the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of living in a DIY space for over three years. You can stream one of those tracks, titled "Don’t Want To", below. Cende will tour the country opening for Alex G this summer; if you can’t see them at Baby’s All Right, they’ll be back on July 7th to play at Bowery Ballroom. – Will Sisskind

Bellows is the bedroom project of Brooklyn songwriter/guitarist/producer Oliver Kalb, an ex member of now defunct NYC collective of songwriters collaborating with each other called The Epoch. Active with this solo project since the beginning of the decade, Oliver has developed a sound that’s at once melodic, edgy and delicately textured. Latest and third LP ‘Fist & Palm‘ showcases a preference for intimate atmospheres (at times reminiscent of Elliot Smith’s whispered folk-pop) and an effort to explore new sonic territories. The band just announced an east coast tour with hardcord punks Big Ups (strange pairing!) and unveiled a new video for single ‘Spring, Summer, Autums and Winter’ – streaming below the one for our favorite track from the latest album, ‘Thick Skin.’

Check out Bellows interview with Delicious Audio about Pedals and Synths.

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

Next month, Wives will be performing at Brooklyn’s Rough Trade, but any facts beyond that are difficult to ascertain. According to the group’s Bandcamp page, they hail from Queens, but with no Facebook links, a dead Instagram URL and no other social presence, just who Wives is remains a mystery. What isn’t a mystery is that the band is writing some straight, kick-ass tunes that are good enough to share even though details are scarce. Wives deals in noisy indie rock, with an air of apathetic street cool. The band’s vocals radiate a Lou Reed-type swagger, talk-singing smart lyrics against simple yet potent instrumentals. "So Far Removed," their latest (only?) multi-track release is 4 songs worth of what the band has tagged as "grunge, noise, pop," which serve as unlikely but accurate descriptors. If you want to learn anything more than that, you may just have to check out the show on 6/6, when Wives will play alongside Jay Som, but in the meantime, you can start your own detective work by hitting that play button below. – Olivia Sisinni

The two wonderful soul voices of Elysse and Brittany Campbell will be among the sound you’ll hear reverberating this coming Monday May 15 at Greenpoint’s Good Room during the third appointment with the Deli-sponsored, LPR Presents organized concert series The Hum. While we covered Campbell at length (she was on the cover of our magazine last year), Elysse is a new face in the NYC scene, and a very promising one. The only track she has currently available online showcases a delicately expressive artist supported by an uber-intriguing production that strikes a balance between classic soul and trippy, Lynchian atmospheres.

Check out the full list of Monday’s collaborations, tickets can be found here:

Caroline Rose + Zoe Brecher (Sad13) + Noga Shefi + Joy Morales ///
Little Kruta + H3R ///
Brittany Campbell + Maya Lazaro + Kate Ferber ///
Joy Elysse + Bria Monet + Adi Meyerson + Taylor Zaro + Savannah Harris  ///

With pure, dulcet vocals and driving, twangy instrumentals, Brooklyn-based Chamber Band serves up folk rock in a style all their own. Recently, The Deli was able to talk with the band a bit about their background, and how they manage to churn out such powerfully penned tracks. Read the full interview here. 

P.S. The band won this interview through The Music Building‘s Expose Yourself Campaign – you can sign up here to be considered!

"If the delta blues gave birth to yet another slew of gold records why wasn’t anyone dancing?" The question posed in the bio on Revel in Dimes’ website hints that their music aims to get you up on your feet, swaying to dark, textured rhythms. Half of this is true – I did find my feet tapping along to the drum kit, but instead of the grit you might expect, the band’s sound has a smooth quality to it, that doesn’t interfere with its energy and power. Though Revel in Dimes hails from Brooklyn, the percussive elements on "Runnin’" are warm and wispy, reminiscent of a hot summer afternoon somewhere Southern. Catch the heat at their live show at Brooklyn Bowl with The Yeahtones on May 17th. – Geena Kloeppel

Music lovers who were sonically aware in the late ’90s and early aughts will find a lot to like in Juiceboxxx‘s debut single ‘Freaking Out’ (streaming). The tune somehow manages to incorporate in one single track some of the most mind blowing music of that era, from Beck’s quirky-yet-groovy production style to the punchy and synthetic big beat of The Chemical Brothers, while adopting a tense rapping style in part reminiscent of The Beastie Boys. 

The track is "about hitting brick walls and fucking everything up but despite it all staying the course and trying to change your life in a positive way." Juiceboxxx’s debut album ‘Freaked Out American Loser’ will be out 7/28 on Dangerbird Records, and you can catch the man live on May 24th at The New Secret Project Robot Space on 1186 Broadway in Brooklyn.

Sofar Sounds started in London in 2009, when two guys realized that most live shows felt kind of soulless. They started Sofar Sounds as a way of booking intimate, secret shows, and the idea found the unconditional support of sir Richard Branson, quickly expanding to hundreds of music scenes (NYC was among the first). The Deli enjoys being involved in these events not only because of the noteworthy local talent on display, but also because they are well lit, something that allows people to actually see our print magazines!

Sofar and The Deli have a joint event booked for tomorrow, but we can’t tell you where it is nor who’s playing until a few hours before it begins… why? Because that’s how Sofar Sounds works: it’s about creating suspence and exceeding expectations. So… you just have to trust us that this is a show that’s worth witnessing, with three uber-talented NYC based artists (two ladies and one dude), playing music intersecting the folk, pop, soul and experimental genres. You can purchase tickets here using code DELI-64AE0, which gets you to skip the line and go straight to payment. See you there!

Obliques is the project of New Yorkers Zach Van Hoozer and Ben Flesch. The duo is adopting the marketing technique of depriving the press of their head shots, replacing it with tasteful graphics. Their smooth and well produced pop-soul features an interesting balancing act between the soulful and passionate but clean vocal melodies and the edgy distorted guitar parts. Single Lightweight (streaming below) perfectly exemplifies this dynamic, which is in all likelihood the sign of a healthy collaboration. This is definitely a band worth checking out when they play at Berlin on May 23rd.

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

This Thursday, May 11th, Boiler Room is teaming up with the Dance Liberation Network to produce an event at Brooklyn’s House of Yes to raise awareness for Let NYC Dance, a campaign to help repeal the archaic cabaret laws still in effect in NYC. The event, which will be live streamed via Boiler Room’s channels, aims to drive attention to the campaign and encourage people to sign the petition pushing for repeal of the law: since 1926 it has been illegal to dance in NYC without a Cabaret License- a nearly unobtainable license that is far out of reach for bars and clubs that cater to everyday New Yorkers. 

Musically, the night will unify a broad range of DJs/performers to illustrate the diversity of NYC’s sound, spanning the range of generations of music and people who have been affected by this law. Each DJ will celebrate a different generation of NYC sound, grounding the event in a historical and educational context. Dancing is part of the fabric of NYC and they want to highlight the absurdity it being illegal to do so.  

Check out the NYC based artists involved in this bill in the playlist below.