Brooklyn’s Small Black is on their Fall US tour promoting their third full-length release, Best Blues, an album whose… blue aura is likely to resonate with us in our toughest days in the city. The lyrics “loss of wonder,” “A sea of pasts,” and “pictures of youth / picturing you” from the track “Boy’s Life” express these feelings linguistically, while the tight-knit electronic soundscape recreate them musically, supported by a rhythm section that doesn’t renounce a dancy, upbeat tempo. The lyrics are embedded within layers of spacious synths, warm piano embellishments, guitars lingering behind, and the graceful ambience of Kolenik’s vocals. Small Black will be back in New York on November 14 for their performance at Warsaw Concert. In the meantime, listen to “Boy’s Life” down below. – Ashley Muniz

Brooklyn-based, instrumental electro trio Forma released their third full-length album Physicalist on September 23rd, and are now ready to bring their new, hypnotic sound to the stage. The album contains astonishing soundscapes, mostly carved from synchronized arpeggiators and atmospheric pad sounds.The title track (streaming below) id founded on a loose rhythmic foundation created by drum machines and swelling arpeggiated synths. But it is the organic breath of flute that carries the piece and creates an expansive sonic dimension. Experience Forma live at The Good Room on November 2nd (the show was moved from Market Hotel). – Ashley Muniz

Uber obscure NYC artist Fritz Cook croons cool, doo-woop-flavored acid dreams that will lull his listeners down the blithe headspace of Alice’s rabbit hole. The Brooklyn-based artist, aka Michael Busse, has a set of pipes so buttery that you could just melt into them, and they’re paired with instrumentals that feel both familiar and strange–maybe like a ’45 that’s been left out in the sun too long. Check out b-side "Tundra Rye" off of the newly released Sings streaming below. You can see Fritz live at Sunnyvale this Saturday October 22, supporting Miniature Tigers. – Olivia Sisinni

Baltimore’s premier dance rock outfit The Milestones and one of the South’s hottest rock bands, Seratones, are teaming up for what’s sure to be a stellar night at DC9 this Thursday, 10/20. If you’re familiar, Seratones are a fourpiece coming all the way up from Shreveport, LA, to bring their R&B-infused soulful rock to the nation’s capital. Frontlady A.J. Haynes has pipes for crooning and belting out verses that surely reach the heavens. Kicking the night off for Seratones are some of Baltimore’s favorite sons, The Milestones. They’ve been on a tear, playing a ton of shows since the start of the summer and spreading their standout indie-dance vibe for all to enjoy. Show at 8:30, $15 at door. -Jonathan Goodwin

The Yeahtones’ debut album is 9 tracks of snarling, garagey blues rock that hit the listener with fuzzy, sledgehammer riffs right out of the gate. The LP, titled Eviction Notice, promises lots of bluesy licks and sweeping visceral payouts, all while managing catchy, melodic leads. Though the album is called Eviction Notice, I think it’s safe to say that the Yeahtones won’t be getting kicked to the curb anytime soon. Listen to the premiere of Eviction Notice streaming below, and catch the Yeahtones at their album release party at Rockwood’s Stage 2 on November 6th. – Olivia Sisinni

There’s only one thing that can make a great song even better, and that’s a visually stunning video, and that’s what the collective called SWIMMERS pulled off for NYC’s orchestral pop quartet Pavo Pavo’s single "Ran Ran Run," a single we alrady raved about when it came out more than one year ago. The video comes with some news we were waiting for: Pavo Pavo is about to release their debut album on November 11 under Bella Union Records – it will be entitled ‘Young Narrator In The Breakers.’ This is a group of young but extremely competent musicians who worked closely with indie and classical heavyweights such as Here We Go Magic, John Zorn, Dave Longstreth, Porches, Olga Bell, Lucius, Roomful of Teeth, and San Fermin. The record was co-produced by Danny Molad (Lucius) and Sam Cohen (Yellowbirds, Apollo Sunshine), so expectations should be high. Check out also the other single available for streaming, ‘Wiserway,’ also streaming Below. The band will be performing at Manhattan Inn on 10.19.

Claiming to have been “writing music that makes all the moms cry since ’96,” singer/songwriter Theo Kandel writes straight from the heart. In his single, “Jumping Ship” he has a strong command of voice, knowing when to belt and when to soften up a bit to create a truly genuine song.  Inspired by the likes of The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers, and Bob Dylan, his poetic lyrics are seamlessly accompanied by the soft strumming of a guitar.  Having recently played a show at Rockwood Music Hall, Theo Kandel is working on new music aimed at make you think, and possibly, cry. – Madeleine Grossman 

With that good… boy look that’s front and center in all of his press pictures, (Michael) Goodman builds the right expectation for the track we are premiering here, included in his upcoming album "The Vicissitudes," out on Invertebrate Records in February. The young Brooklyn based songwriter can certainly get things rocking if he wants to, but ‘Strangehold’ is a classic sounding pop ballad that requires crooning and a more subtle delivery, since it will, in all likelihood, throw you back in the arms of your teenage crush, on that very special night when he or she ended up slow-dancing with you, and triggering what Goodman refers to in the song as a "strangehold," his word for a love spell. Straddling the line between John Lennon’s more mellow post-Beatles moments, and Blur’s early ballads, this is as Brit pop as it gets, at least here in the Big Apple. Goodman has a remarkably large repertoire on his Soundcloud profile, and will be performing at Sunnyvale on 10.17.

It’s somewhat ironic that one of the hottest and most provocatively stylish NYC bands of this decade is hailing from that strip of land New Yorkers often (always?) look down on: Long Island. The D’Addario Brothers, aka The Lemon Twigs, look and sound like something your average Brooklyn hipster might frown upon, but their predecessors from fifty years ago would have certainly disagreed with that stance. At a time when the majority of local rockers find inspiration in the noisy and boring looking ’90s (by the way, was there a NYC grunge band in the ’90s?), the duo, similarly to what Foxygen did five or so years ago, responds with a visually and sonically striking revival of the art pop of the ’70s, with glamorous references to David Bowie’s androginous look – which, by the way, was born after the frequentation of the promiscuous lifestyle surrounding Andy Wharol’s NYC factory. But, of course, none of this would matter if their songs weren’t powerful and memorable, which they are. Check out the video for single ‘As Long As We’re Together’ (which took them to the Top 10 of our NYC charts for emerging artists on this same page) and the one for previous single ‘These Words.’

Those who enjoy soft, evocative music that lets their minds wander to other places should take a close listen to nu-soul New York based songwriter Warren Wolfe. With its James Blake influences, soft synths and clean guitar arpeggios, his songs can act as a refuge for our melancholia.  In his break out single “Thought’” Wolfe layers a slight falsetto upon slow electronic beats in a way that is comforting and heartbreaking at the same time.  His most recent release “Take The Fall” (streaming) shows the same sensibilities and leaves us with the promise of a soon to come, heart breaking EP. – Madeleine Grossman, photo by André Wheeler 

Returning for it’s third night, Deli NYC sponsored event, The Hum will be back at the Manhattan Inn with another killer line up. The three set event will feature artists like Emmy the Great, Allison Miller, and Shannon Lee to name a few. These are super talented musicians and it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of music will be produced through these collaborations. This is part of the month-long residency – presented by Hypnocraft and sponsored by The Deli, that is aimed at spotlighting female musicians across a wide variety of genres. Check out the full line up below, and catch the event happening every Monday in October. – Olivia Sisinni

Monday, October 17 | 8PM | Artist Line Up:

Emmy The Great + Jo Lampert (tune-yards) + Margot //

Allison Miller (BOOM TIC BOOM) + Domenica Fossati (Underground System) + Kendra Morris //

Melodie Stancato (Swoon Lake) + Sarah Kinlaw (SOFTSPOT) + Shannon Lee (Teen Body) //

Here’s streaming content for the NYC based artists in the list:

Brooklyn by way of Bogota artist, Ela Minus, crafts intricate electronic melodies that feel avant but strangely absorbing. Her instrumentals, which are strong but subtle, are paired with a quirky, gossamer vocal performance, and the combination of the two–especially on standout track "Volcán"–creates an unexpectedly bright track that might make your day. Ela Minus has a new record scheduled for a November release. Catch her live at Sunnyvale 10/22 with Miniature Tigers, and in the meantime stream her below. – Olivia Sisinni