With dulcet vocals, minimalist keyboard loops, and soaring choruses, indie pop artist Trella certainly has a firecracker of a song on her hands. "Retreat," the latest release from the Nashville-based artist, was written with her Jacksonville Florida roots in mind, and explores the places that we retreat to and can find respite, both physcially and within our minds. Check out the track streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

Feel like sending a chill through your old, mortal soul? Put on the eponymous, debut EP from The Shacks, which is our new, NYC Record of the month. Shannon Wise’s adorable, whispery voice and her simple but memorable melodies certainly charmed us to the core, but it was Max Shrager’s production, which updates the dream-pop genre in welcome ways, that brought the point home. Catch a cover of Ray Davies’ “Strange Effect,” which – slowed and stripped down – is the haunting opener. The more experimental “Orchids” – for which there is a music video, as shown below, follows lullaby "Left it With Moon," and shows off the musical variety and exploration for which The Shacks strive. More traditional dream-folk track “Tidal Waves” evokes dreams of summer, while the reggae-infused “Hands In Your Pockets” – with joyful bursts of slide guitar and innocent-sounding harmonies – bubbles with repressed youthful angst; a beat holding back a torrent of emotion. Least but not last, the collaborative track ‘Strange Boy (with instrumental NYC band El Michels Affair), offers a glimpse into the ways this band’s sound could evolve in the future with a more produced approach.

The Shacks just announced an early 2017 extensive tour in support of Chicano Batman – Will Sisskind

Since the appearance of Donald Trump on the US political scene, we’ve been receiving several submissions of protests songs, most of them filled with apocalyptic imagery and often also insults. We haven’t published any of them, maybe because… we felt Michelle Obama was right when she said "when they go low, we go high." Single ‘Funeral’ by talented Brooklyn songwriter Sonya Kitchell certainly raises the level of the conversation, analyzing the complicated swirl of emotions brought by the 2016 elections, appropriately compared to the ultimate ritual of loss. Not new to the scene, Sonya earlier this year released her third full length album ‘We Come Apart‘ after a long silence (her previous release is dated 2010), check out the video for single ‘Mexico’ below.

Rising up over an eternally dreamy shoreline comes the latest single “In Between” (streaming below) from Brooklyn’s cleverly named Surf Rock Is Dead.  Over a forward driving quickly-paced beat, layered reverberated guitars create immediate blissful waves.  Those soaring guitar lines fill a number of instrumental passages while shimmering chords create lyrical space.  Vocals hark back to the style of early 90’s MTV stars like The Ocean Blue which conveyed a sentimental nostalgia via a clipped, conversational delivery.  “Go on, go on, back to where you used to be” ultimately emerges as the catchy dual voiced chorus hook, expressing that “in between” feeling of not knowing where you belong.  Having recently wrapped up a 10 date tour supporting Australia’s The Jezabels, the band now prepare to release an EP this Spring. –Dave Cromwell

"We are pissed and we came here to dance."

So reads the last line of the synopsis to Love Without Domination, the newest, largest, and arguably most political release by Los Angeles-based label Zoom Lens. With a title referencing Jenny Zhang’s essay "Against Extinction", Love Without Domination is a 22-track charity compilation from artists across diverse genres of local and international fame, galvanized by recent events and connected by an urgency to create sounds of protest. New songs featured include Meishi Smile‘s post-industrial catharsis "Hate Floods Slow", as well as contributions by Plaster Cast & The Sleep, Thought Tempo, and Magic is Real. New local artist debuts include the noise rock duo Comrade(s) and post-techno producer pleasure promenade.

The release of Love Without Domination comes at a precarious time for artist communities, only one week since the tragic fire in an Oakland DIY space and one month following results of the 2016 presidential election. But in spite of these troubling events, in spite of increased crackdowns on DIY spaces and rising hate crimes, Zoom Lens compels listeners to act against the oppression and injustice of marginalized communities through nuanced self-expression.

"Through art, make dialogue and break boundaries. When dealing with an oppressive force who is meant to pacify our feelings, self-expression is rebellion. Utilize your skills, your privileges, and your strengths in all forms. Militarize yourself with unforgiving self-love and radical passion. "

Love Without Domination is free to stream and available to purchase—listeners can name their price, and all proceeds will go to fund the non-profit organizations ACLU, Border Angels, and Planned Parenthood. – Ryan Mo, Album Art by Brian Vu

It’s safe to say that Paul & The Tall Trees‘ new video for ‘Can’t You Wait’ (streaming) won’t change your life inside out, but there’s something to that song that got us intrigued, and the video certainly contributes to the charm. Even though the Staten Island based band’s press release mentions the term "psychedelia," the track’s initial section echoes early Roxy Music, although Paul (Schalda)’s vocals progressively assume a more menacing tone, something that wouldn’t have been tolerated by Roxy’s "crooning-head" vocalist Bryan Ferry. The track’s bouncy rhythm section certainly sparks happiness, but it would be a mistake to think it’s a permanent feature of this group’s sound, since previous single ‘Once in a While‘ is an almost drumless ballad (definitely psychedelic this time). The two tracks, included in the debut album ‘Our Love in The Light,’ and our favorite song ‘Crack of Dawn,’ showcase an artist that takes chances and it’s charmingly quirky, fun and poetic at once. You can see Paul & The Tall Trees live at Baby’s All Right on December 12th.

On the final night of Northside 2016, Brian Wilson—erstwhile songwriter/arranger/production genius behind L.A.’s Beach Boys—performed his entire 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds, at McCarren Park in Brooklyn. The crowd, ranging from very young to elderly, and including patrons from the broadest spectrum of culture and subculture, confirmed what some have known for quite a while now: that surf music—a vernacular style forged in early 1960s Southern California—has far outgrown its local wellspring. – Read the full article on The Deli NYC Issue #47.

Local pop-punk icon Mikey Erg (of NJ’s The Ergs! fame) is back with a solo album entitled ‘Tentative Decisions.’ The man stands out in that loud and melodic scene for a lyrical talent way above the average, and for gladly joining other like-minded bands on tour and on record (his credits include Dirt Bike Annie, The Unlovables, The Dopamines, Star Fucking Hipsters, House Boat, Worriers and Weston). Mikey will spend the winter touring in support of the record, with a NYC date set for February 17 at Brooklyn Bazaar.

By describing their music as "anxiety pop" well before the 2016 elections (may they be damned!), NYC’s indie pop quintet Wet Leather might have tapped into something real before we were even aware of it – maybe their music should be the soundtrack of WNYC’s new weekly program "United States of Anxiety"? Truth be told, the kind of anxiety channeled by these dudes’ tunes is a lot more fun and a lot less stressful thant the one lately delivered by the news (fake ones in particular), so don’t be scared of it, actually… embrace it! It’s channeled through pure, perfectly crafted and rather classy uptempo pop, with an opening single entitled ‘Astral Projection’ (streaming) exhibiting traces of Elvis Costello and Camera Obscura, and Prince references coming through in many other tracks (like for example in single ‘Shame‘).

It took Brian Bonz six years to complete his sophomore full length ‘Misophonia’, released in 2015 after 2009’s well received ‘The Triborough Odyssey.’ Presented under the moniker ‘Brian Bonz and The Major Crimes,’ the record, whose title literally means “hatred of sound”, brings music lovers a thoughtful, multifaceted sonic journey where both texture and power find fertile ground, and mostly electronic arrangements support Brian’s dreamy melodies and emotional vocals. Take a listen to single  ‘The Man from Munich’ below and see Brian Bonz live at Rough Trade on 12/18! – Ashley Muniz 

Now premiering on The Deli: The music video for “Birdwatchers”, a song from Brooklyn’s four-piece art pop sweethearts, Trash Gendar. The song is on the group’s multifaceted second EP Once, Child, which was released this past September. The “Birdwatchers” video shows as much passion through its animation as the music does through its composition. Lively birds, humans, and cityscapes come to life through the animated torn and cut pages of magazines and catalogs. Each frame of this captivating and cinematic stop-motion video was put together by hand by band member Freddie Wyss. Take some time out of your daily chaos to appreciate the beauty and variety of Trash Gendar’s new video, streaming below. – Will Sisskind