If you have ever wandered how The Feelies would have sounded if they played their instruments like Fugazi (you obviously haven’t, have you?) you’ll find the answer in ‘Pre-Campaign,’ a pretty darn tense post punk gem by Brooklyn’s Language. The track opens their latest EP ‘Junket,‘ which proceeds along post-punk/post-hardcore coordinates, showcasing an invetive attitude sprinkled with math tendencies. Check out second track ‘Lex’ below, and – if you are in the mood for some sublime, loud noise, don’t miss them live at either Pine Box Rock Shop on December 17th or at Alphaville on the 22nd.

Ladies and germs,

Issue #49 of The Deli NYC is out, and wonderful indie folkers Big Thief (check out their recent video ‘Humans’ below) are on its cover. The issue features also a Q&A with NJ’s indie pop group Forth Wanderers (video also streaming) and an article about the Best 2016 Records by Emerging NYC artists!

Our friends at Gearphoria bring you guitar pedal related content in the second half of the magazine.

Enjoy!

The Deli’s Staff

Our Best Emerging of NYC band or 2015, psych garage trio Acid Dad will be headlining Baby’s All Right on Saturday 12.17 with two other gritty vintage sounding local bands, Gymshorts and Rips. Enjoy their tunes below, but if you want to experience their true brute sonic power (and irresistible sensual antics), don’t miss them live!

On their Soundcloud profile, The Upperclass Men describe themselves as a mix between The Roots, The Beastie Boys and recent Trump confidant Kanye West. Self-written or PR-written band descriptions are often bogus, but this one, despite its apparent haughtiness, really does offer some insight into The Upperclass Men’s abrasive hip-hop sound. On their latest release, "Recipe," the emcees of the band trade jabbing lyrics about partying, reminiscent of the early Beasties. The instrumental has crisp ?uestlovian drums, and tumultuous horn-like synths that wouldn’t be out of place on Yeezy’s latest album. It’s rare for a group to be able to wear such prominent influences on their sleeves without getting weighed down, but The Upperclass Men do so and even manage to soar. You can see them live at SOB’s on 12/28. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Hailing from Brooklyn, Phresher has quickly become one of his borough’s brightest emerging emcees. Rooted firmly in the trap sub-genre, he delivers crisp lyrics in a distinct, raspy voice and with energy always dialed up to 11. On tracks like his most recent "Wait A Minute," Phresher simply doesn’t quit, delivering perfectly cadenced bars, over a synthy, almost sinister beat. The song showcases his unique ability to evoke and convey electrifying images and emotions: Listen to "Wait A Minute" and you may feel like you can run through a brick wall, or at least make it through to holiday break. Phresher is the type of artist that sounds even better live, catch him at SOB’s on 12/20. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Miniature Tigers first release since 2014, I Dreamt I Was A Cowboy is a short departure from the group’s previous releases–often unpolished, organic, and lovingly displaying the dirt and hiccups that come from recording via couch surfing. Charlie Brand, the band’s vocalist, guitarist, and one of the main forces spearheading the recording of the album, was kind enough to talk to our sister blog Delicious Audio about the making of the record, his inspiration, and some of the gear that gives the band their distinctive feel – check out the link to the interview below!

Miniature Tigers talk about gear and the creative process behind ‘I Dreamt I Was A Cowboy.’

Our friends at OhMyRockness know a thing or two about what band plays where in NYC, and every year in December they publish the list of the local artists that played the most shows in the past 12 month: it’s the ‘NYC’s Hardest Working Bands of 2016’ list. It must be noted that, since OMR’s deals with "Indie Rock" live listings, you won’t find any songwriters or DJs or funk bands in this list. It seems like all bands are guitar based too for some reason. Since we were in the mood, we created a Soundcloud playlist of these ten artists, check it out below!

On Zula‘s new single "F*ck This," from their new 8 track mini-album ‘Grasshopper,’ at second 22, after a plodding intro, a misleadingly incoherent drum pattern triggers the thought that "this band actually wants to f*ck with us" – a thought to be read in the somewhat platonic acception most commonly used in the sentence "don’t f*ck with me!". Here at The Deli, though, we never say that because we absolutely love to be f*cked with in any possible way, but in particular when the f*cking ‘agent’ is music. Often we actually go through long periods of sadness due to the fact that we don’t find any bands interested in f*cking with us, dammit! So let’s enjoy Zula’s new single and video together, from a band that already gave us a NYC Record of the Month back in 2014. Like Italians, Zula do it better – don’t miss their upcoming live show at Trans-Pecos on January 6th.

Did you think that New Wave was totally dead? Well, allow Baltimore-based PLRLS to prove you wrong. The 5-piece band has an uncanny knack for creating angular melodies that are as bizarre in scope as they are outright danceable. This one is definitely for all the nostalgia chasers out there. Check out the band streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

The struggle is real. When Prince Harvey’s computer broke down a couple years back, he recorded all the vocals for his album at the Apple Store Soho. His perseverance shines through in his work. In the video for “Sometimes,” he Bob Dylans his way through the subway system dropping placards of his lyrics like “pay bills during the day, dream at night.” He’s an everyman rapper keeping to the tenets of Sex, Drugs, and That Life. With a predominant ’90s vibe recalling acts like The Pharcyde and Digable Planets, he’s an easy addition to your headphone arsenal. If Hip Hop is about making it with what you got no matter the cost, then this dude is as Hip Hop as it gets. – BrokeMC

Veve & Tha Rebels have a penchant for casting entrancing music that manages to be both soft and strong-willed. The self-branded gangsta-folk band blends traditional folk with elements of afro-beat, R&B and hip hop; crafting a sound that pays homage to roots rock but feels decidedly fresh and original. The instrumentals are paired with singer/guitarist VeVe Marley’s soulful and hypnotic vocals to produce a potent concotion that’s sure to reel you in. Check out "Sistars" off the band’s appropriately titled The EP streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

Tessa Violet, the Nashville-based YouTube vlogger turned electro-pop artist, is known for crafting danceable, quirky songs with piercing lyricism and her latest EP, Halloway, is no different. Featuring 5 tracks worth of certifiable bangers, Halloway explores love, loss and the difficulty of navigating the spaces in between. In conjunction with the release, Tessa Violet also returned to her familar medium to produce several music videos that accompany the EP, and are just as stunning visually. Check out her lyric video for the song "Haze" below.-Olivia Sisinni