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) 

Halycine is the stage name of NYC rock songwriter Chloe Raynes, who used to be the lead singer in bluesy grunge band Blue & Gold. Her solo material, crystalized in debut EP ‘In The Salt‘ showcases a more developed artistic identity and also undeniable improvement in the production department. The video for single ‘One More Try’ adds visual, disturbing power to the most intriguing song on the record, check it out below.

Alpenglow has stripped technology down to its dark essence with their new video for "Flicker Flutter," a song included in their debut full length, Callisto. The song/video combo tackles the fascinating topic of reality vs. perception, in a way that’s at least in part reminiscent of classic sci-fi movies like The Matrix and Strange Days, whose central question is: would our lives be happy and fulfilling if we simply perceived them that way, thanks to some kind of device that messes up with our brain? Both the video and the song seem to accept that possibility, stressing though the utter disconnect that kind of happiness would inevitably create between human beings.

Lily Cato’s Parlour Tricks are back with a new single from an upcoming EP ‘Bodies’ scheduled to be released later in October. Check out preview single ‘Need Somebody,’ streaming below.

There’s a loose, easy going vibe in the ramshackle rock of Montclair, New Jersey quintet Forth Wanderers two track, EP “Slop.” A twangy two guitar groove on the opening title track sets an unhurried pace evoking Neil Young’s finer electric-country moments. Vocalist Ava Trilling shifts the focus with the lines “I know I’m slow – I’ve been told – things change, I’m still young” and “I’ll breathe through your lungs.” As the track evolves into a straight ahead chugger, Trillings oddly poetic lyrics and vocal delivery fluctuate between resignation and hope. “Know Better” moves at a quicker pace, enhanced by clicking stick percussion and Americana Folk vocal stylings. “I hope one day you’ll see, just what you done to me” leaves little doubt someone has been wronged. “I can’t be this naïve anymore” becomes the self-help mantra over double-time snare drum hits and coiling guitar figures. “I need to grow up, I need to be tough” is the ultimate realization as driving bass guitar accelerates to the end. The band play their EP release show Friday November 11 @ Shea Stadium. – Dave Cromwell

After finishing up a tour across the states with Ages and Ages, promoting their debut album Excuses, Nashville’s uplifting folk-pop five-piece band Cereus Bright found their rehearsal room and home burnt down and destroyed. In the midst of this dreadfully dark circumstance, Cereus Bright filmed a video performing the track Silver Lining in their once beautiful space, thanking everyone for their support and showing us what hope, modesty, and courage really looks like. Listening to "Silver Lining", one can’t help but feel an overwhelming strength in the group’s sweet, soothing vocals, as well as a passionate perserverence in each delicate pluck of a string. Watch the heartfelt video down below and get a dose of inspiration. – Ashley Muniz