There’s something very haunting about debut single "Bulletproof" by Me Not You, a mysterious Brooklyn band that doesn’t seem to exist beyond their Soundcloud and Twitter profiles. The single, which reached #10 on Hype Machine’s Popular Charts, sports a 90s alt-pop vibe reminiscent of uber-melodic, not so raw female fronted bands like Garbage or Sneaker Pimps. It shares with those bands’ repertoire a vague moodiness, expressed through its edgy synth textures that drone on and, later in the track, melt with a wall of distorted guitars flirting with shoegaze. Amidst this atmosphere is the lustrous bright female voice that breaks through the darkness with her angelic tone and reletable lyrics about humanity’s strength. Listen below and hope for a live show in the near future. -Ashley Muniz

This week, Brooklyn’s girlwave trio THICK take their sandpapery brand of surf rock to support two fellow bands’ album releases. On Friday 12/9, they will join Baby Acid at The Footlight in Ridgewood as the latter release their new LP Don’t Blush When I Rip You Open. "Trash jazz" rockers Parlor Walls and female-fronted five-piece Ex-Girlfriends will round up the bill. Then on Wednesday 12/14, THICK will perform with shoegaze group Lazyeyes and punk funk troupe Toyzanne in order to support post-punk quartet Journalism, who will release their brand-new single. THICK themselves have played a number of shows over the last few weeks in support of their new EP It’s Always Something (which you can stream below.) They have major plans going into 2017, but you can still catch them before the year’s up. Don’t miss out. – Will Sisskind

A true NYC scene sleeper, avant-orchestral collective Cuddle Magic has been being impressive for a long time now, and our little top ten ‘NYC buzz" chart of this same page just reminded us of it – that’s what’s there for! The Deli booked them for a CMJ show back in 2012 (holy cow, that was an EPIC CMJ year for us!), and their live show left us in awe. 2012 was also the year of their latest release, LP ‘Info Nympho.’ But true musicians never quit, and we are glad to see the group back on their feet with a new record – and a new label, the experimental-minded, Brooklyn based Northern Spy. The new mateiral is at once edgier and angular in the production and more mellow and ethereal in the vocal department. Check out ‘Slow Rider’ below, the second single from upcoming LP ‘Ashes/Axis,’ scheduled for a January 27th release. Don’t miss the band’s upcoming show at Trans Pecos on December 15.

When Von Sell released "Ivan" back in 2015 at the request of some friends, the electro-pop artist developed a following seemingly out of nowhere. A few releases later and the Brooklyn-based artist decided to return to his debut single, giving it the finishing treatment that could only come from 2 years of experience and reflection. With cascading synthy layers, a strong pop sensibility and driving, gritty basslines, "Ivan (Revisted)" is a gem of a pop hit, and our favorite new earworm. Check out the new single from Von Sell streaming below. – Olivia Sisinni

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

Good Looking Friends is a three-piece indie emo, post rock influenced band hailing from Brooklyn, NY. Regardless of what their name may suggest, their music portrays people who feel like they just don’t quite belong, struggling with the anxiety to fit in in this gigantic, upside down world. Their lyrical complexity is paired with their ability to create energetic, yet atmospheric, almost ambient instrumentals that draw people in and just make them want to think. In June 2016, they released the EP, “You Won’t Die,” a collection of songs that delve into the life in New York City. The follow-up “You Won” was released in Novemember 2016 and shows a harder side to this band, with harsher and more emotional vocals. Elaborating on the themes from “You Won’t Die,” the last two tracks, “End of the World” and “Fallowfield” (streaming) lead into each other and immerse the listener in what really is a perfect soundtrack to the end of the world. Led by the intensity of vocalist/guitarist Zachary Fischer’s powerful lyrics and voice, the four minutes of ambient noise then bursts, full of color, in a dynamic finale. After touring and releasing two EPs in the span of six months, the band will be playing live in Brooklyn January 3rd at Bushwick Public House and January 21 st at Muchmore’s. – Kali Keish

If hooks could kill Sinclair would have us all in serious trouble. With soaring choruses, beats built for the dancefloor, and upbeat lyricism, you can bank of getting any of the tracks off of the artist’s latest EP, CLRBLND, stuck in your brain. It’s feel good music with some serious heart (and some serious grooves). Check Sinclair out for yourself and listen to title track "CLR BLND" streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

With winding, spacey instrumentals, ethereal, guitar-driven melodies, and a fair helping of chugging grit, MD’s Time Columns serves up progressive rock with a decidedly post-rock feel. The band’s latest single,"Body of Ash", is a much darker departure from the Chon-like, bouyant melodies of their previous releases, but the track hits hard in all the right places, and still manages to marry all of the elements that give the band their distincitve sound. Check out Time Columns streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

 

This past summer, three-piece band Museyroom released a psychedelic video for the song “Ranges” off the LP ‘Pearly Whites’. The track’s edgy arrangement, with its quirky elements and droney ambience, lays out the groundwork for this video’s striking imagery: a woman strolls through a forest in winter time, immersed in a vivid musical journey that intertwines faded naturalistic scenes with color-bursting animation and visual effects that ebb, flow, and transform. Check it out down below and catch Museyroom live at the Mercury Lounge on December 9. –Ashley Muniz 

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

Young Brooklyn-based rockers Active Bird Community capture the wearily resigned conversational style of early aughts pioneers The Strokes on recent single “QB Sneak” (streaming below).  The title’s casual football reference serves as metaphor on needing to break out from “two weeks of bad dreams,” and “feeling stuck behind the scenes.”  Avoiding heavy-handed studio enhancements, producer/engineer Christopher Daly allows the band to shine through in a Steve Albini less-is-more approach.  Channeling Julian Casablancas’ phrasing and tone the chugging rhythm and hooky riff guitar interplay wraps up in a tidy under two and a half minutes. Recorded at Salvation Recording in New Paltz with mastering by Jamal Ruhe at Newburgh’s West West Side Music, the full length album titled ‘Stick Around’ is set for release on 1/26.  You can catch them live this Tuesday 12/6 at Berlin NYC with Cosmonaut and Your Dog! and 1/26 at Shea Stadium with Bueno, Fits and PETITE LEAGUE for their record release show. – Dave Cromwell

The punk forces behind Fat Heaven celebrated the release of their new album Tough Luck last night at Moffat Heaven, a new Bushwick venue. The band (recently winner of our NYC Artist of the Month poll) plays high-octane rock’n’roll evocative of early-90s pop punk that so many of us still love love and crave, blended with a very NYC garagey roughness.

The release party for Tough Luck also featured performances from SCARBORO (which includes two members from Fat Heaven), girlwave trio THICK, Olde Tigers from York, PA, and Deli NYC favorite Hiccup. – Will Sisskind

Based off the latest single, "Ride Off," off her upcoming debut LP ELEVATE, Tangina Stone is adding additional musical and emotional layers to her already rich RnB sound. While "Wasn’t Love Cafe" offered much of the same catchy, guitar-driven goodness found on much of her The Fall EP, "Ride Off," shows a different side of Stone and her music. Written in response to the passing of a loved one, Stone’s vocals cast a sad shadow over the listener with long-held notes and echoing backing vocals. The instrumental, crafted by CJ The Great, provides the perfect paltform with its haunting synths and sparse guitar licks. An assist from emcee Crystal Caines brings the track to close with a different perspective about a different person. ELEVATE is a record to watch out for, and you can catch Stone live at The National Sawdust on 12/10. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

"Love is Love/Alien and Strange" croons Baltimore-based Natural Velvet on their latest single, and though the band’s sound may be a bit alien and strange itself, we’re certainly in love. A post-punk act with a serious dash of psych and noise vibes, Natural Velvet invites listeners down a fuzzy, swirling, spacey, rabit-hole freak out with its thick instrumentals and dark vocals. Check them out for yourself, and stream Natural Velvet’s "Love is Love" below. – Olivia Sisinni