Inspired by the mind expanding sounds of the ’60s, Send Medicine began as the solo project for Toronto based singer/songwriter Julian Hacquebard in the summer of 2012. Now based in Los Angeles and expanded to five members, the band, in last year’s debut album "Scary Aquarius Daughter" honed a sound that updates psychedelic folk to the current times. They just landed a prestigious residency at the Satellite for the month of June, starting on the 5th. Check out their latest single ‘Translucent’ (streaming below).

If you are into guitar pedals, check out this feature where Julian Hacquebard on our sister blog Delicious Audio.

Readers who’ve been sticking around for a while may remember Rachel Trachtenburg from teen indie band Supercute! (active in the NYC scene around 2013), and then also as the drummer of ironic folk pop band The Prettiots. Rachel, who is also an actress and model, has recently formed her own group, called Wooing, which is about to release its debut EP through a live show at Pianos on May 10th. The show is part of a monthly residency that will see the band perform at the Ludlow venue every Wednesday of the current month, starting tonight (05.03). The three songs available online showcase a trio uncommitted to a particular genre (we hear, intermittently, folk, noise rock, dream pop…), but generally inclined to find any good excuse to get really loud and noisy, as you can hear in streaming track ‘Tear World.’

In 2017, folk music is far from being simply a revival phenomenon. In the last few decades, the genre has been undergoing a healthy evolution, incorporating elements from pop and indie rock, often flirting with melodic and "dreamy" components that don’t necessarily belong to its most authentic roots. This process had the effect of widening a sonic palette that started to feel and sound outdated. You can hear all that in NYC songrwriter’s new release ‘Rain on the River.’ Her single ‘Alexander,’ which was included in the April 2017 "New Folk" playlist by Indie Feed Music, is a delicate and passionate folk-pop ballad about ex-lovers and the ageless question "…do you think of me the same way I think of you?" The all-consuming melancholy such thought could induce is tempered by Sydney’s light tone and breezy melody, which makes it sound like an afterthought – at least until everything goes quiet and the crucial issue comes up: "have you found another girl? […] Are you happy now?"

This artist submitted music for coverage here.

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

Naming your band Debbie Downer immediately suggests a thematic concept.  Comprised of members from other more established local bands amusingly masking their identities in Ramones-style unity (all copping to the surname “downer”), their just released track "I Did It All For You" (streaming below) comes in advance of debut EP ‘You Know You’re Wrong.’ Drawing from iconic 60’s girl group motifs, The Shangri-Las tough-but-sweet boldness is updated to reflect modern day issues.  That era’s call and response background vocals are grounded by a solid bass line and enhanced by free flowing surf guitar parts.  The track’s sweetest moment arrives in the chorus, where the lyrics “you know you’re never gonna be anything at all” confirm the "downer" tendencies that inspired the band’s moniker.  The group has a number of local shows coming up, including this Friday 5/5 at Monty Hall, 5/19 at Sunnyvale and appearances during The Northside Festival in June. – Dave Cromwell

We are not sure what led Dan Goldberg of The Spookfish to record his album "Black Hole" in a studio after spending ten years recording his own music in DIY fashion (according to his Bandcamp profile, the man has recorded 10 full lengths between 2010 and 2014!). Whatever the reason, the music of The Spookfish hasn’t lost one bit of its lo-fi character and charm, developing on often juxtaposed and sometimes blended elements of dream-folk and 8-bit space rock. Single ‘Everything is Moving So Fast,’ one of the few tracks with lyrics, perfectly describes the static and surreal mood of the record: "You’re standing slowly, watching it pass, everything is moving so fast." Echoes of early Flaming Lips and Sebadoh give this track a ’90s flair that is though misleading: the rest of the album is a very personal, mostly instrumental – and often quirky – take on lo-fi.

Minimalism and noise rock are two musical waves NYC has proudly fed and bred over the decades; the latest product of their fusion is GOLD MINE, a project led by drummer and vocalist Andrya Ambro of now defunct noise duo Talk Normal (which made the cover of The Deli in our 2010 Best of NYC issue). The band, performing live as a trio since 2014, will be releasing debut LP ‘Nerve’ on June 2nd, and judging from the preview track ‘Easy’ (streaming below), we are in for a suspenceful, tense, unnervingly sincere record. The record release party is scheduled for June 3rd at Alphaville.

On her 2nd full length release, DC-based Sneaks shows she is a creative tour-de-force. As the minimalist backing tracks drive the music under the oblique spoken-word metaphors, Sneaks somehow manages to make listeners forget the fact that her music has no melody, barely any harmony, a rhythm section consisting almost solely of drum tracks, and lyrics that often don’t even rhyme! There is some serious originality at work in this music, anyone able to take the sound of Devo, strip it to its bare bones and somehow keep the music enticing is worth looking out for.

-Written by Michael Dranove

With creative beats, innovative samplish and lush synth layers Brooklyn-based Prism House crafts electronic bangers that feel a bit brooding if not totally enigmatic. Their music is moody but bewitching, and takes cues from both the dance floor and the found-sound techniques of musique concrete–creating an overall sound that is at once jarringly unstable and sonically irresistable. Check out "False Future," the first track off the band’s 6-track Landfall EP streaming below, and if you are into it don’t miss their upcoming show at Alphaville on 05.04. – Olivia Sisinni

From the electric guitar hook to the soft, confident, sultry vocals, it is clear that Brooklyn’s Wilder Maker has mastered the art of caressing the ear in "New Streets." I am not hesitant to call this one of my favorite new songs- the affectionate, breathy saxophone and the breakout drums exude freshness, turning this song into a real jam. Gabriel Birnbaum has mastered the art of the chill-yet-groovy indie anthem and Katie Von Schleicher’s vocals exert peak girl-power and a refined boldness. "New Streets" is on repeat on my playlist, and it should be on yours, too. Catch the band live at Rough Trade on May 6th. – Geena Kloeppel

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

Though Ben Alessi has mostly made his name impressing audiences at some of NYC’s medium-sized venues, his music is the kind you could imagine reverberating through crowds at Governor’s Ball one day. This isn’t just because his potent mix of electropop and r&b is catchy and inventive. It’s also because his sound, mixing soulful vocals, euphoric hooks and groovy beats, is tailor-made for people looking for that elusive, heart-pumping mix of joy and sadness that only seems to surface when big music, like his, is performed to big crowds. You can listen to his latest single, "ONLY," below, and get a taste. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber

The Hum is a critically acclaimed, month-long weekly residency featuring first-time collaborative live performances from a curated line-up of NYC-based female musicians. Since the inaugural edition in April 2015, over 150 artists have participated in the series, representing a diverse array of female musicians of all ages and levels of notoriety, as well as a variety of musical genres and instruments. Presented, produced, and curated by Rachael Pazdan (Music Director at Le Poisson Rouge and LPR Presents), this small scale series has become a fixture in New York’s music community, and The Deli has been a proud sponsor of it since its inception.

In its 5th installment, The Hum will take place Mondays in May (sans Memorial Day) at Good Room [98 Meserole Ave] and on Thursday, May 25 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are now on sale, exclusively at LPR.com and at the Le Poisson Rouge box office. 

The Hum will feature over 60 female artists this May, including members of Speedy Ortiz, Cibo Matto, Au Revoir Simone, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Beverly, Sad13, Escort, and more, paired with artists including Angel Deradoorian, The Blow, Eartheater, Caroline Rose, and many others. Here’s the full schedule.

Check out below a compilation featuring a selection of the many NYC based artists involved in this event.

Color Tongue is a spacey, indie-psych rock band hailing from Brooklyn. Their latest release, Sprouts, is 8 tracks of inventive, sometimes atmospheric tracks, that while feeling expansive, ground itself with both its fun and infectious qualities. With such a myriad of different sounds coming from their latest record, we were curious to hear the band talk a little about their creative process, and of course, their gear, check out this interview on Delicious Audio. Don’t miss them live at The Knit on May 4th!

Also! Here’s a list of the band’s favorite emerging NYC bands!!!