New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
For those out there searching for an artist that perfectly balances the sounds of garage and psych while proudly wearing a strong blues influence on their sleeves, Brooklyn-based five-piece, God Tiny, might be exactly what the doctor ordered (think Blue Cheer but with a more friendly, modern facelift). We here at the Deli are excited to premiere the band’s latest single: "
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best alto rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Have you ever wondered what the genre "alt-cherub" sounds like? Listen to Thelma to find out – these keywords are listed as the genre on her Facebook page. It’s a pretty accurate description; her sound is sparse, though at times breaking into affected drum arrangements; falsetto gliding overlapping in canons and synths building drama make sure you never feel quite at ease in Thelma’s world. The song "Peach" highlights that conundrum and puts inner turmoil into sound form, while debut album opener"If You Let It" (streaming) methodically builds itself in ways that are at once operatic and experimental. Check out Thelma live at Alphaville in Brooklyn on April 29th. – Geena Kloppel
Jackals have the reputation for being sly, wild, and dangerous, so it’s fitting that a Brooklyn-based noisy, garage-punk quintet would steal their name. With vocals that snarl, beats that kick and a delrious mashing of psych and punk aesthetics Damn Jackals deliver the type of garage rock that riles up crowds. On the band’s latest video for new single "Stop N’ Cop," singer/guitarists Beau Croxton croons his way through a surprisingly smooth melodic hook and growls through the verses with the blitzed-out filter of an am radio. This, accompanied by blistering instrumentals and visuals that reflect the playfulness of the band, make "Stop N’ Cop," a track you don’t want to sleep on. Keep your eyes peeled for the band’s new EP "That’s It" out tomorrow 4/28, and catch them live tonight at the Mercury Lounge. – Olivia Sisinni, Photo credit: Will Foster
We feel like recommending this bill of NYC based artists playing Union Pool pm May 02. Wilsen is a band led by amazing songwriter Tamsin Wilson, they were featured on the cover of our magazine a few years ago. Alpenglow, hailing from New England but now full Brooklynites, play similarly ghostly folk rock, and they do it well. Hite, on the other hand, is a new face in the local scene, and a compelling one: the solo act’s debut LP "Light of a Strange Day" is one of the most interesting releases we’ve heard this year, a sparse record filled with inspiring sonic ideas, edgy soul songwriting and a voice that’s impressively controlled and expressive. Do not miss!
NYC-based folk rockers Evening Darling are bringing something a little different to the city: a country vein. You can hear it in their tasteful harmonies on "Live Where You Lay," reminiscent of Lady Antebellum, and the straightforward boom-chuck country/americana drum sound. There is a darkness to the slicing guitar solos and groovy keys, however, dare to make it more of a rock tune. The band has just released their self-titled debut album and will be playing The Mercury Lounge on May 18th in support of LA indie poppers Valley Queen. – Geena Kloeppel
The first few seconds of Near Northeast‘s Indali are ethereal, almost like the sound we imagine people hear when they are approaching the gates of heaven. Slowly creeping through the ambiance are reverb heavy guitar lines, keeping the music somewhere in between shoegaze and indie pop, with the legato feel helping the music steer clear of twee.
A certain seriousness is essential for the song given its subject matter: a mother and child being dragged out to sea by riptide. The video’s visuals underscore the tragedy in the music, with images of playful beachgoers intermingled with footage of people being drowned in tsunamis. As drummer Antonio Skarica put it in an interview with DC Music Download, “The line is so thin between carefree frolicking and complete destruction.”
Near Northeast’s new album True Mirror drops May 3rd. You can catch the album release show at St Stephen’s church on Newton St this Friday night.
-Written by Michael Dranove
Shoegazer John Lutkevich of Soft Fangs will play Baby’s All Right on Friday night, opening for Wildhoney from Baltimore and Froth from LA. This will mark Soft Fangs’ second show with both bands; the three of them performed at Boot & Saddle in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Lutkevich will also play to support his latest release, a split EP with fellow Brooklyn bedroom pop band Bellows. You can stream the whole record — which includes Soft Fangs’ tracks "Sugarblood" and "Nine Lives" – below. – Will Sisskind
This debut solo entry by percussionist Sam Sowyrda (also of Brooklyn psychedelic-pop sextet Cloud Becomes Your Hand) is the sound of a well-oiled machine running full efficiency just moments before it breaks down. Its two instrumental tracks—each clocking in over twenty-minutes—recall the trance-inducing Terry Riley of In C and the eremitic Brian Eno of Ambient 1-4. Of his two cuts, the title-track is the more diverse, featuring a spate of maddening, industrial-sounding tones, which transform midway through into wistfulness and end in hints of melodicism. "Occidental Error," instead, remains the more eerie: its layered patterns of minimal vibraphones pushing the limits of the instrument as a lead voice. In all, there is much anguish to behold here; yet there’s also refuge from it, as Sowydra’s primary inclination seems to be both esoteric and ambiguous. Experience his music-of-the-head in a live setting at Trans Pecos, May 13th, where the LP officially launches. Kindred spirits the Hallowed Bells (Philadelphia) and Ashcab Orchestra (Brooklyn) fill out the show. – Brian Chidester
Twiggy Branches plays the kind of rock ‘n’ roll you thought was dead. With snarling vocals and driving instrumentals, the NY-based artist is making a strong argument that it’s worth reviving. The band’s music straddles the line between garage-punk and old-school glam, but it’s the loose, uncalculating "classic rock" grit that really makes their tracks worthy of multiple plays. Check out Twiggy Branches’ "Never Gonna Be Tall" streaming below, and catch them tonight live at The Gateway alongside Plaid Dracula and Better Head. – Olivia Sisinni
Brooklyn’s Savants is the living proof that it is possible to play a slacking variety of rock’n’roll without sounding like Pavement or Dinosaur Jr. – hurrah! We are particularly fond of the quartet’s recent single ‘Sneak E. Gardner’ (streaming below), part of a split 7" with Californian label mates Tomorrow Tulips. The track’s minimalist approach and rustic production conjure up an atmonsphere that’s at once intense and playful, but always extremely musical. Savant will be celebrating the release of a new 7" tomorrow (April 26th) at Cape House, with other deserving locals Sam Kogon and Toyzanne, and Philadelphia’s Needle Points.
Brooklyn’s own The Boobies are a garage pop four-piece with some instant-earworm songwriting chops, but don’t let that fool you—the group isn’t afraid to get dirty and bare their fangs when they mean it. With the recent release of their single, “Children of the Dark Art” (streaming below) the band agreed to give our sister blog Delicious Audio a peek at what goes into their songwriting process, and what gear they’re currently using to achieve their distinctive sound – check out the feature here, and don’t miss the band live when they play Mercury on May 19th. – Olivia Sisinni
Haunting, gratifying, and very indie, Den-Mate‘s Entropii is a pleasing blend of Icelandic dream rock and the sounds of synthwave/witch-house pioneers Crystal Castles. With an eerie aesthetic that is very much 2010s-dark indie, Den-Mate is making music that is not only very trendy, but also quite high-level. This is quality material, well produced, full of crisp and clean melodies clashing with unsettling backing tracks.
The impressive craftsmanship on display here is a sign of the young Virginia native’s potential, Den-Mate is definitely a band to look out for in the near future.
-Written by Michael Dranove
