2016 was a busy year for this Julie Kathryn (aka I Am Snow Angel), who released an EP, four singles, and a short remix set, in particular if you keep in mind that she is her own producer as well as singer/songwriter (and multi-instrumentalist). At the same time, she’s been actively working on an all-female musical collective called Female Frequency, founded in 2015. Her sound is completely digital, though this never undercuts her humanity. Newest single, “Factory,” is a dead ringer for eighties rare bird Jane Siberry. Since it’s not available for embedding, we are streamiing below our favorite track from her most recent repertoire, entitled "Fever." I am Snow Angel will be performing a Sofar Sound Show at a secret location tomorrow, Tuesday 10.25. – Brian Chidester

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

Brooklyn lo-fiers Flower Girl, whose debut album ‘Okie Dokie Howdy Doody‘ was named NYC Record of the Month late last year in this very blog, just unveiled single ‘Wading Online’ (streaming below) from their upcoming LP ‘Tuck In Your Tie-Dye’ scheduled to drop on November 11 on BUFU Records. With this new song the band take us for a ride back to the three chord songs or early Velvet Underground, adapted to the "nu slacking" tendencies adopted by many young Brooklyn musicians. Keep an eye out for a release party date, as of now not announced.

People say 2016 is the year women will decide the American elections. DC Native Ari Lennox has the right frame set for this kind of epochal event: “Sometimes women are put in this box where we’re only supposed to talk about certain things,” the 25-year-old singer-songwriter explains. “I want to be braver and riskier. I think people want to hear that kind of honesty and frankness.” Her brand new debut EP marries this lyrical courage with perfectly produced Nu Soul tracks, dominated by her expressive and pliable alto, with influences ranging from R’nB to Hip Hop, Trip Hop and Jazz. Check out our favorite track ‘Night Drive,’ streaming below. 

Brooklyn-based rockers Twiga bring their jangle-pop sound to Gold Sounds on October 28th to celebrate two things: The sugar-coated cacophonous holiday of Halloween, and their brand new EP. Twiga has kept themselves busy over the last couple of months, having just played a Steely Dan tribute concert at Shea Stadium and a show with Mal Blum & The Blums, Hiccup, and Sat. Night Duets at Sunnyvale. By releasing their new EP, Twiga shows that they’ve got no interest in slowing down for the winter. Head over to Gold Sounds this coming Saturday night to hear what they’re all about. Also, enjoy performances from Queens fuzz-pop trio The Front Doors and Vermont’s very own indie popper Blahvocado. Dress up to get down. – Will Sisskind

Lots and lots of NYC artists we covered abundantly in the past are announcing new releases these days. Quirky NYC Rapper Cake Da Killa is one of them. He is releasing today his debut LP ‘Hedonism,’ via Ruffians / Thirty Tigers. Check out the video for single ‘New Phone,’ which made quite a splash since it was released just over a week ago. Check out the video for ‘Talking Greezy’ here.

Robot Princess (our NYC Record of the Month this past February) is getting ready to celebrate the release of their second full-length album ‘Tentacles.’ If you love gritty guitars, nonsensical poetry, releasing anxieties, and the sensation of endless freedom, stop by at Ridgewood’s Footlight on November 11th and join the celebration! Streaming below the record’s excellent opening track entitled ‘Claudia.’ And if Queens is too far for you, you can catch the band at Mercury Lounge on November 20th. – Ashley Muniz

Few things in the life of this little blog are more satisfying than putting the spotlight on musicians that actually deserve it. Jake Cheriff, Dan Hemerlein, Harry Terrell and Bernardo Ochoa, also known as NYC’s Modern Diet, have put together a cleverly crafted double single—"Karenina // Basement"—off their forthcoming album, ‘Sit Down and Dance.’ Two seconds into "Karenina", a honeyed, wistful vocal sings "leave me alone"—but it’s not that easy to comply, for we’ve already been given good reasons to stay. Shortly afterwards, an energy-driven montage of drums, guitars, and bass surges in and takes the lead. Throughout the song, the energy is strategically interrupted by a downtempo breakdown, which emphasizes the reprise. "Basement" plays this in reverse, interlacing a prominent laidback groove with heaps of energy. If you get tired of clicking the play buttons down below, word on the street is Modern Diet will be performing a secret gig December 3rd in NYC. Join SoFar Sounds to find out where. – Ashley Muniz

We’re exactly a month into Fall and faced with those chilly Autumn nights, it’s really easy to get idealistic about summer–warm sand, boardwalk popsicles, and top-down car rides are starting to feel more and more like functions of the past.  Big Surr, with all their beach-poppy swagger, surf beats, and fuzzy guitar licks, feel like summer but lack those rose-colored glasses we tend to don everytime cold weather rolls around. This is summer, pit stains and all, where the skin that’s not covered by your shorts ends up sticking to your car seat. But this is what we love about Big Surr: there’s a real rawness in the music created by their intersection of jangly guitar voicings and lackadaisical vocals. Baked + Bruised, the band’s 3-track EP, is a good example of this and throughout the album the band manages to create infectiously catchy melodies, all while maintaining their lo-fi allure. You can check out Big Surr playing live at Charlie Bob’s on 10.30, but be sure to stream them below in the meantime.-Olivia Sisinni

We highlighted COTE a few weeks ago in this very blog and we just noticed the Brooklyn based project (brainchild of singer songwriter Taryn Randall) released her second single, entitled ‘Green Light,’ which confirms the good things we heard in the first one, and in particular a beautifully expressive voice. No live events scheduled for her just yet. – photo by Jen Trahan

From the Hard Rock Cafe to the House of Blues, Stone Giant has been unleashing the downtrodden tales of their 2015 debut album. Underlying the harsh, raspy vocals of Sebastian Fernandez is an outcry of a despair, longing, and the strength to move on. Join them as they rock the Mercury Lounge on November 2nd, and check out their single "LDG" down below! – Ashley Muniz 

Following his 2014 R&B album Burn, Steven Mullan has released a new collaborative EP, What You Don’t Need, on October 10th under the name Mackinac. Mackinac’s album title track delivers a multiplex sonic mixture, assembling juicy synth pads, airy vocal harmonies, a rhythmic backdrop that adjusts in energy from section to section, and the crisp, and Steven’s clear vocals. Listen to "What You Don’t Need" down below, as well as the album title track for Burn, and catch Steven live at Acme Feed & Seed on October 21st. –Ashley Muniz

The final appointment with this October 2016 edition of The Hum will be bittersweet indeed, since the venue that’s been hosting it since its 2015 debut, Greenpoint’s Manhattan Inn, recently announced that it will closed before the end of the year. The Deli sponsored event, organized by Hypnocraft, features a curated line-up of NYC-based female musicians in collaborative settings, and on Monday will see some of our favorite NYC artists ever, like super talented Aaron Dyer from Buke and Gase (who graced the cover of our magazine back in 2009), Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive and Yuka C. Honda of Cibo Matto. Here’s the full list of collaborative sets, this show is not to be missed!

Yuka C. Honda (Cibo Matto) + Arone Dyer (Buke and Gase) + Shayna Dunkelman

Rachael Price (Lake Street Dive) + Lynette Williams + Christina Courtin (Pilot Violet)

Eszter Balint + Dayna Kurtz + Sydney Price (Northwood)