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!

Active since the beginning of the current decade (calling it the "10s" sounds still kinda weird), Brooklyn songwriter Julie Byrne writes and performs meditative and sparse songs, always accompanied by her acoustic guitar and a fair amount of reverb on her delicately sensuous vocals. Her 2014 album ‘Rooms with Walls and Windows’ did remarkably well, becoming a testament to the power of the song in its most naked format. Julie recently announced a new LP, entitled ‘Not Even Happiness,’ scheduled to drop on January 2017, with a release party at Rough Trade on the 27th. Check out preview single ‘Natural Blue,’ streaming below.

With canned, am-radio vocals, surf-y female harmonies, and interesting, angular beats, Psymon Spine‘s latest release manages to be both haunting and strangely dance-able. The four tracks that make up the self-titled EP utilize a combination of fat synths and energetic drum machine grooves as the backdrop for ethereal vocals that float at the top of the mix. Check them out for yourselves at the Mercury Lounge 1/09 with The Roofers Union, but in the meantime stream them below. – Olivia Sisinni

Sometimes you just need some home-cooked Americana music, and Darrin Bradbury serves up just that. On Elmwood Park, the Nashville artist’s latest release, Bradbury forges strong narratives, and crafts meaningful stories behind each song. It’s music-as-vingettes, and though his sound is simple, and his voice is perhaps rough around the edges, his music reads like soul food. Check out Darrin Bradbury streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

Aaron Abernathy could be the future of R&B. With soulful vocals, angular synths and soaring guitar leads that could have been snatched straight from a Prince album, the DC-based artist’s latest album, Monologues, is a a funky R&B album that you don’t want to skip over. The DC-based artist sets his compelling instrumentals against poignant, smart lyricism, yeilding songs that seem to honor past R&B sounds, but have their eyes set to the future. Check out Aaron Abernathy streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni 

Like an unpredictable sonic time machine, NYC’s collective NO ICE manages to channel several decades of music within one record: Jesus and Mary Chain, The Ramones, Tom Waits and the Beach Boys are only some of the influences that come to mind when listening to the band’s debut album ‘Come On Feel The NO ICE,’ released earlier in 2016. From the doo-wop backing vocals of “We Get High Together” to the droney post-punkness of opening track “The Cemetery” (streaming) NO ICE conquers an exceptionally diverse vibe, covering a wide range of sounds and emotions, also thanks to lyrics that tackle topics such as getting high and/or drunk, breakups, love, and the other highs and lows of life. You can catch NO ICE live on January 6th at Shea Stadium, where they’ll be celebrating the physical release of ‘Come On Feel The NO ICE.’ – Jocelyn Hoggler