NYC based singer songwriter Beccs may hail from Boston, but she sure strikes a very Manhattan chord with her first official video for single ‘Therapy" (streaming below). Dripping with orchestral and even operaic character, this is a soulful song about the damage created by the duplicity of human impulses, written after a long period of healing, which – unsurprisingly – ended up bringing Beccs a period of intense artistic inspiration. ‘Therapy’ will be featured in the artist’s upcoming album Unfound Beauty (out on September 21st), whose release will be celebrated at the Mercury Lounge on September 25th..

The Deli NYC is delighted to premiere this deliciously lo-fi and bizarrely sci-fi video of ‘Sprout,’ a recent single by our current Artist of the Month Color Tongue. The colorful, heavily tactile sequence of images perfectly matches the song’s organic sound, based on a vivid amalgamation of Devo-esque synths, crunchy guitars, and vocals that straddle the line between ’60s pop and avant-psych a la’ Animal Collective. This is music in which fun, imagination and catchiness go hand in hand (in hand) – what else can you ask for? Oh right… a great live show! You’ll have that on October 10th at The Knit!

What we want to see in an emerging band (and rarey notice) is constant improvement. And if somebody thinks constant improvement shouldn’t be something that hard to achieve (don’t we all constantly improve, after alll, at least for a while, if we keep at it?) well, that somebody is dead wrong. Yes, because making music (and art in general) means embracing a lifestyle of up and downs that often leaves the artist devoid of inspiration and creative energy: this happens because these days the products of creativity are nearly impossible to sell, and that’s utterly depressing. Therefore to keep improving, as an artist, you’ve gotta be strong inside, have a separate job, keep a your art, believe in the dream when all evedence seems to point to doubt. 
That’s why Pop & Obachan deserve huge praise: after releasing a great EP in 2015 (which was named NYC record of the month by this very blog), they recently dropped two beautifl new singles accompanied by self produced videos (we are streaming ‘I Bet High" below, you can check out ‘Bad Way’ here) that show further progress, without losing any of their charmingly fresh and honest pop sound, which draws influence from Fleetwood Mac, Broadcast, Harry Nilsson and Camera Obscura. On October 7 they’ll release their debut album Misc. Excellence, and celebrate at Our Wicked Lady with a live show on October 13. If you dig this song, go out to support them – that’s what keeps the creative vibe going!

In his three tracks so far, emerging NYC RnB artist Lamont Sincere has demonstrated an ability to write songs that have the non entirely vicious ability to get stuck in heads. His debut single "Above and Beyond," released last year, introduces his soaring vocals alongside a glittering synth-heavy production. His most recent song, "Huge Flirt" (streaming) keeps the electronic flavor, but is a little grimier, featuring more percussion and referencing classic Usher tacks. Sincere also has a knack for striking lyrics about romantic situations that most people can relate to. Lamont played SOB on August 30th, keep an eye on his Facebook profile for upcoming gigs. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Ww just stumbled upon this very pretty video (directed by Miranda Javid) by the Baltimore based duo, Peals, comprised by William Cashion (Future Islands) and Bruce Willen (Post Typography/Double Dagger). "Become Younger" is the first single from the new album "Honey," the bands’ sophomore album dropping today. The band will celebrate with a release party at the Compound, do not miss!

We called Brooklyn’s Uni Ika Ai (pronounced: oo-knee ee-kuh eye) "dream pop’ in July, but their new single ‘Soft in Ice,’ whose video we are streaming below, paints a more complex picture, one of a band not afraid to experiment with not so popular BPMs (the plodding "mid tempo") and harmonic content (dissonance, noise, and an initial melody that’s not exactly a ray of sunshine), but still able to resolve these dark tensions through a chorus that delivers a big "prog-chestral" melodic opening, leading to a dissonant distorted sax solo that David Bowie would have loved to hear. The black and white (but mostly black) visuals beautifully underline the existential content of the lyrics. This would definitely be a candidate to be our video of the month if we only had such a thing!

With a name bound to trigger confusion (not only with a similarly named bands from the ’60s… check out this Spotify profile!), Brooklyn’s Birds channel a sound more than slightly influenced by the imaginative ’90s psych rock of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, bands that for truly incomprehensible reasons have been left behind in the recent ’90s rock revival (for the unaware, at the time The Flaming Lips were a different band than they are now). The crooked distorted sliding guitars and bizarre vocal melodies of tracks like Fade (streaming) or Behind You immediately brought smiles to our faces, sending us on a mental journey back to our vynil filled early twenties. If it’s true that all new music is a re-elaboration of music of the past (and true it is) Birds can enjoy the advantage of a sound influenced by great records not many other current emerging bands seem fond of. And that’s one reason why we are so excited about them. Check them out live at Union Pool on October 9th.

Can’t say goodbye to the warm summer breeze and cool ocean waves? Just put on those headphones and turn up Run Koko, Hey Anna’s sunny, nostalgic indie-pop album from 2015. In just a few seconds, a reverb-drenched guitar will open up the sky, spacey synths will sparkle like sun on waves, drums and bass will paint the horizon with a delicate, eclectic groove, and dreamy mezzo vocals will flux and flow like the sea – and if you need help visualizing that look no further than the video for opening track "Island." We are streaming below their darker one (and set in a more familiar city environment) for shoegazy single ‘Anaphaze.". Get a taste of the band’s soothing soundscape on September 24 at the Mercury Lounge, before they sail off on a three week, fall US tour with The Boxer Rebellion.

Some of the most imaginative music is created when musical instruments are treated like toys, rather than serious objects that require a lot of practicing to be mastered, implying that conventional instrumental technique might actually harness creativity. If that’s the philosophical premise of punk and post punk, since the late ’90s the DIY movement has been slowly extending its influence to other musical genres. NYC songwriter and programmer Emily Reo seem to share this approach, crafting whimsical pop songs based on simple but carefully chosen programmed sounds and drum beats, and featuring melodic vocals that, more often than not, are filtered through electronic harmonizers. The result is rather peculiar: her music is playful and ethereal to the point of sounding almost abstract – so much so that we are tempted to label it "Rainbow Pop."
Even though Reo hasn’t released any new material in three years, she’ll have a rather prestigious show at Baby’s All Right on October 6th. Check out the video for aptly named single ‘Rainbow Road.’

The newest bare-knuckled single/video combo from Brooklyn-based duo Crushed Out, "Love Howl," delivers blaring, bluesy garage rock reminiscent of powerful bands like Jack White’s side project Dead Weather. The track lives up to its name, with vocals yelping their way through fuzzy guitars, and a primal drumbeat. The video is DIY-ish but drips with animal magnetism, pairing the tune with images of mystical, half-human creatures losing themselves to their mating calls. (Why humans don’t do mating calls by the way? Let’s bring them back, NYC!) Be sure to catch Crushed Out at their Le Poisson Rogue album release show on September 28 with High Waisted, Caged Animals, and Prima. –Olivia Sisinni

On her Soundcloud profile, NYC RnB artist Miranda Inzunza says she "lowkey, wants to be the female Drake" and, although she still has a loooong way to go, she might be on the right path. Her output to date bears some sonic but mostly thematic (the lady doesn’t rap) resemblances to the music of the self described "God of Toronto." Floating on gracefully produced atmospheric tracks flirting with trip hop and ambient, her vocals have the perfect weight to them, allowing her lyrics, often about the pitfalls of relationships, to feel completely genuine, rather than sappy or overwrought. On her latest "Take (feat. JAHS)" she sings over airy, electronic and slightly trappy production about a partner that only "takes, takes, takes;" the beat perfectly emphasizes the vocals/lyrics and vice versa. Our favorit track ‘The Beginning’ (streaming below) is a dreamy electronic track expressing the love for the initial stages of relationships. Miranda Inanunza is one to watch, and if you happen to be in NYC, you can do so live at SOB’s on 9/26. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

I was at Otis Mountain Get Down this weekend in Elizabethtown, NY, and the band Khruangbin headlined Saturday night and provided me with one of the best musical experiences of my entire life. Aside from the fact that Otis is my favorite music festival, this was just the most amazing psych-rock band to see late at night. They’re a trio from Houston, Texas, and they draw inspiration from the late-’60s psychedelic funk stylings of Thailand. They had an amazing vibe, and incredibly subtle-yet-tight drummer (think Bernard Purdie), and the flyest guitar sounds. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Otis is an incredible music festival. The curator, Quillan George, lives in Oregon now but went to college in Burlington and was/is a big part of the music curation scene there. The whole lineup was stellar. The band Lewis Del Mar (on the cover of The Deli’s 2016 SXSW issue) was also really amazing. – Dan Rome