So maybe you gave up on wearing your sister’s jeans, but your heart was never were able to fully give up on your middle-school-era emo music phase. Free Throw may be just the band for you. The Nashville natives serve up songs busting with visceral punches, and primed to cut right through your gut and leave you screaming the lyrics along to your car radio. The band’s currenly revving up for a national tour (dates here) but in the meantime, stream them below.-Olivia Sisinni

We’ve always been fan of NYC’s songstress Niia, whose sensuous song "Last Night in Los Feliz" was recently chosen by Kylie Jenner & Tyga as soundtrack for a risque` video unveiled on Christmas day. Needless to say, this got Niia a fair amount of exposure, and her name popped up in our Best of NYC Top 10 for emerging artists on this same page…

Having spent 3 years working inside a corporate music store, I can personally attest that the sounds you hear all day are not exactly the most musical. It’s pretty common to be asked by wide eyed customers how you can possibly deal with all the noise while kids who have never touched a drum set before wail on the heads with reckless abandon. Honestly though, after a couple of months of working against all the clamor, the constant set of squeals, squawks and crashes tends to bleed into the background, and answering a hush-toned phone call takes no real effort. 

But this is why I was instantly interested in Glassine’s (aka Danny Greenwald) latest release. No Stairway is made up solely of manipulated field recordings from the artist’s local Guitar Center, and before you write it off as a weirdo, novelty album take a listen–the LP is a bona fide avant-ambient record that stands even without its premise. With 7 tracks of vaporwave vibes that feel warm, hazy and exceptionally human, Glassine forces the take-for-granted din of music retail into the forfront of his work. How he’s managed to transform the cacophony of middle aged men stumbling through three chord songs on thousand dollar guitars into emotive ambiance is beyond me, but it’s a creative tour de force that will have you questioning the line that lies between music and noise. Check out No Stairway streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

Literary rockers Modern Diet, our fresh artist of the month, have released an imaginative animated video for their latest track “Red Eye” (streaming below).  Visual artist Jaron Lionel depicts dreamlike scenarios based on lyrics which juxtapose relationship struggles against a doomed airline flight.  Initially sparse and moody, the track develops on top of a dynamic bass guitar phrase, while sustained guitar atmospherics hold steady over softer shuffling percussion.  Reaching the central hook, lyrics detail being “on a nonstop with nowhere to go” as they’re “asleep in the eye of the storm,” leaving little doubt this is a troubled ride. The slow burn builds to a majestic coda of reverberated “ooooh wah” vocals, forceful guitar chord accents and jazz-styled drum fills. “Wake up in a cold sweat, Not coming back to bed, Plane crash and a wet dream, 747 under fitted sheets, Where she’s waiting for me, I will not go to sleep.”  It’s a powerful track and video that incorporates the grand storytelling of Arcade Fire with the jazzy touches of Steely Dan. – Dave Cromwell

Heartbreak is often the gateway to creativity. This might certainly be the case for Bushwick based, slack rockers Holy Tunics. Their single “Forget Your Love” (streaming), off their their 2016 EP “Hot to Trot” is a dreamy, upbeat track that speaks about heartbreak and the painful following efforts to move on. Happily, we can report that, based on the title of the first two tracks on the record ("Hot to Trot" and "Good Sex"), that misery might have been overcome, at least for a hot minute or two. But we are speculating: whatever the truth behind these songs is, these guys should thank the person who inspired “Forget Your Love,” because – like the Greeks say – "pain is the seed of knowledge and beauty." (And, besides, positivity is the only way back to an old flame). So, whether you want to forget your love or hope to get lucky with him/her/them, Shea Stadium is the place to be on January 14th, to see Holy Tunics live. – Jocelyn Huggler

Hideout, the solo project of Manhattan-based singer-songwriter Gabriel Rodriguez, will perform at Berlin in good old ex-Alphabet City on the first four Tuesdays in January, starting Tuesday the 3rd. This residency is one of many things Rodriguez has coming up in early 2017. For one, his sophomore album under the HIDEOUT name, titled ‘So Many Hoops/So Little Time,’ comes out on February 3rd. The first single, "I Got Your Message", is a melodious piece of indie pop with a tragic backstory. It’s already received words of praise from Billboard, so fans of Rodriguez’s music or his work with Cults have good reason to get excited. The band will also play Baby’s All Right on Sunday January 15th, for those who can’t make it out on a Tuesday night. – Will Sisskind

With 2016 reaching its end, it is only right to look back on the past year to see what fresh tunes and artists escaped our searches through New York’s hectic music scene. One such gem is Lady Moon & The Eclipse, a dynamic multi-genre roots and world band that released their EP, Believe, back in February. As their astrological bandname might suggest, every track on the record is steeped in some kind of cosmic spirituality, but that mood is manifested in distinct ways throughout the project. Each tune has an instrumental that takes influence from different genres, such as the soulful slow-jam "Rollercoaster" (video below), or upbeat, funky "Travel the World." These differences create striking contrasts, while the lone staple on each track is Ngonda Badila’s cool vocals and clairvoyant lyrics. This band is one to look out for in the new year, and you can see them live on 1/30 at the Brooklyn Bowl. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Notwithstanding their name, the guys in Best Behavior don’t come across as exemplar human beings – not at all for that matter! First of all, they are said to partake in rambunctious parties during which they play electrical musical instrument, dance incontrollably, and sweat while wearing leather cloths – disgraceful behavior! Some decadent New Yorkers seem to enjoy that, may they find the Lord’s true path. Secondly, they use sexually disturbing images on the cover of their records… we are speechless!! As if that wasn’t enough, take their song ‘Bad Habits‘ for instance (streaming below); it’s a track inspired to sinful music of the ’50s that discusses how bad habits are impossible to destroy… how self indulgent!!! Their 2015 album “Good Luck Bad Karma” includes other hummable songs such as “Magic” and “Buried on the Mountain,” which would be our favorite if we weren’t so turned off by the band’s moral terribleness!

(We are flirting with the idea of catching them live on January, 11th at Brooklyn Bazaar.)

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best punk/garage songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out! (if you hear nothing, turn the widget’s volume up!)

In recent years, West Village venue Le Poisson Rouge has been expanding their booking tentacles to many local venues, and also making an effort (very appreciated by The Deli) to support the most promising local artists with "On the Rise,’ a series of shows involving emerging locals. The series’ upcoming appointment is on February 1st, with a show involving two acts we’ve been following for a while in this very blog (Lip Talk and Dinowalrus), and also a very new singer songwriter that’s about to release her debut album: she goes under the moniker Raia Was, and she has recently performed at National Sawdust’s The Revolution (another series featuring mostly emerging local acts). Single ‘Grant it Cause’ (streaming below), showcases an intimate sound with ambient electronic elements, and an expressive and soulful voice that strives for sophisticated melodies. Looking forward to the record, expected to be out some time in early 2017. – Photo by Samson Debela.

If the election of Trump put you in an apocalyptic mood (anybody?), you owe it to yourself to check out NYC’s drone rock trio VBA and their debut EP ‘Will It Still Be There.’ Brooding tracks like Aisles (hear it below) are inspired by the early post-punk days, and provide the perfect amount of gloom and unresolved tension to inspire your next political (Facebook) fight – or maybe be its live soundtrack! The band toured with Kurt Vile & The Violators in 2013 and hasn’t been very active since the release of the EP in August 2016.

NYC indie rockers Loose Buttons play moody and sophisticated indie pop reminiscent of a hybrid of The Strokes and Prefab Sprout – interesting combination indeed! Their brand new single ‘Milk & Roses’ (streaming) is the most consistently driven track they’ve released in a while, but somehow they still manage to make it sound mellow, which is a pretty cool skill to have. The quartet just announced a new EP entitled "Sundays," scheduled for a Febrtuary release, look out for an EP release party that month.

If you find it strangely uplifting to listen to melancholic tunes during the holiday season, this is precisely the time for you to check out NYC Stello‘s latest single ‘Dog on the Run’ (streaming below); like a Christmas movie, it will take you for an emotional ride towards an upbeat, cathartic finale. But if this song can certainly stir up emotion, it doesn’t do so at the expense of style. The band has a one year old, rather upbeat "pop’n’roll" EP  under their belt (entitled ‘Five Nite‘), but in their two recent singles (Pretty Thing is the other one) the group finds its comfort zone in slower tempos and moodier atmospheres, which allow the lead vocalist – whose name is conceiled online – to showcase his character, presence and versatility. ‘Dog on the Run’ is a rather impressive track, check it out below and don’t miss Stello live at Mercury on January 9th.

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