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.

Ora Cogan plays a unique blend of psychedelic folk, dark wave ambient and experimental dream pop.  Her new album Crickets is scheduled for a full release later this year, but is currently sharing two tracks to listen to now.  Title track “Crickets” presents a circular time signature via cascading guitar figure and bell chime percussion.  Ms. Cogan’s vocals emerge unexpectedly and float above the defined rhythm, adhering to a much looser structure.  A variety of keyboard synths are employed, creating pulsating textures underneath changing segments.  There are elements of Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny and Renaissance’s Annie Haslam in the sweetly powerful vocal phrasing and loose psych-folk performance.  Second track “The Light” builds off of a tambourine and snare percussion pattern with syncopated counter strikes.  Ora’s vocals feel more intimate here, leaning closer to the ethereal charm of Kate Bush.  Ms. Cogan will be appearing at Union Pool on 05/14. – Dave Cromwell

May is apparently International Masturbation Month (even though July 21st is International Masturbation Day, according to Wikipedia). It’s also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month—a celebration worth having with friends beside (or along with) your JO buddy.

Asian American & Pacific Islander voices have historically been reduced and marginalized in Western-centric music culture, but this month the voices of AAPI artists coalesce in a resounding cheer of affirmation. Enter Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Showcase: a series of events spanning six dates, 24 artists, and several venues across Orange County, Long Beach, and Los Angeles as a collaboration between organizers [Redacted] and Moon Room, with support from KXLU, Allies in Arts, Center for Asian American Media, Color Study Zine, and more. Earnest in conception and DIY in approach, the showcase will feature AAPI solo artists and groups of the Southland breaking new ground with compelling sounds and shattering tired stereotypes as they face systemic issues of cultural (mis)representation head-on.

This Sunday, catch the first free 21+ showcase at Fullerton’s Continental Room featuring Polartropica, Lions!, PAST HYPE, and Phoebe’s Guitar. – Ryan Mo, flyer credit: Roger Hallaway

We heard talent when we heard Dolly Spartans‘ debut EP by Dolly Spartans in the spring of 2015 – and that’s why we named it our record of the month. We are glad to see other local blogs covering the young NYC quartet: The Wild Honey Pie just posted a very flattering review of their latest single "It’s not Easy" (streaming below). The group just released sophomore EP ‘Time Sides With No One‘ and it’s scheduled to perform at the new Shea Stadium location on June 1st, which we are not entirely sure is defined yet, although the venue recently more than succeeded in funding a Kickstarter campaign for its new spot.

Maybird, a Brooklyn based four-piece band from Rochester NY, recently released their newest single, "Keep In Line" produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. It’s a song that the band’s songwriter’s Josh Netsky wrote about that "feeling of restlessness [felt] when someone you’re used to having around is out being productive and you’re not, but wish you were." A paradoxical thought that ended up becoming a productive one, since it inspired this song. With its plodding tempo and lazy psych-pop melody, the single expresses Josh’s desire to travel and make music. That desire will be soon fulfilled through a short North East tour and a performance at Union Pool on June 3rd.