The YeahTones are kind of the perfect soundtrack for when you decide to finally blow off your mom and sneak out of the house with your friends. A Brooklyn based blues garage rock band that just announced an August residency at the Basement, the YeahTones play a brash kind of rock n’ roll that’s equal parts fun and liberating. The band deals exclusively in punk’s don’t-care attitude, but delivers wildly catchy hooks that never feel insincere. Watch and listen to their single "Find My Baby" below and be sure to check them out August 12th at Pianos in support of the Jullian Cubillos Band. – Olivia Sisinni

Noise is not a stranger in NYC, whether you are referring to the city’s ambient sound or its musical counterpart. The latter is – more often than not – generated by distorted guitars, fuzz pedals, and seemingly out of control electric guitarists. Jenny Tuite’s band Dirty Dishes inserts itself in this coltish rock tradition, which gave us unforgettably turbulent recordings by bands like the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth and A Place To Bury Strangers. A skilled guitarist, Jenny is borderline obsessed with stompboxes, and had no problem sharing with our friends at Delicious Audio some effect related tricks she pulls off when making noise with her band.

Check out the Q&A with Dirty Dishes’ Jenny Tuite on Delicious Audio.

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

Sometimes when a band gets experimental, the result has the unfortunate tendency to be too much like a lab experiment. The music is usually definitely still avant and interesting but stuck with feeling of being manufactured, rather than organic. None of this, however, applies to soul outfit Zilla. The Boston group’s latest EP Dream State sounds like a home-cooked meal tastes, with songs seemingly proportioned by what feels right rather than what any cookbook has to say. There’s also a distinctly vintage quality to the project, especially in rhythm section and vocals, but it never feels derivative due to Zilla’s ability to repurpose them in inventive arrangements and mathy tempos. For a fresh take on soul, check out the EP below, and if you still need plans for this evening you can see Zilla live tonight, 7/28, at Middle East.

We found out about Zilla through our submissions page. If you’re an emerging artist and want to get checked out, you can submit some fresh tunes to us here.

 —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

After many years of collaboration, Dre Babinski shines steadily in her own light as Steady Holiday, starting her dream pop foray with debut album Under the Influence. Poignant, personal and touching, Babinski’s lyrics are buried under infectious melodies, but become uncovered after a few listens. Words like, “it’s a lonely world, I don’t want to be hurt” ("Under the Influence") and “We’re not alone/ You and I have our demons we can’t control” ("Overcast Waltz") resonate with a solo artist’s apprehension. Having performed at the prominent Coachella Festival, Steady Holiday performs again for all, free on September 1 at Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series with Unknown Mortal Orchestra. – Kaitlyn Tang

Sometimes a collaboration is all a band needs to to reach the next level, and a prime example of this phenomenon is "Making Plans," Bodies Be Rivers‘ collaboration with mysterious pianist/singer Lacrymosa. On their past work, Bodies Be Rivers mostly relied on their guitar parts to hold down the song’s structure, anchoring their ethereal vocals from floating off into space. With the addition of Lacrymosa’s piano, however, the load is lightened, allowing the guitar to contribute to the song’s overall atmosphere. The result is something far dreamier and uplifting than anything they’ve done in the past. "Making Plans" is the lead single off of a collaborative 7” split between the two artists, and you can check out their release show on 8/29 at Manhattan Inn. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Outskirts is a new hardcore band featuring members of Brain Slug, Fatal Erection (best band name ever?), Death First, and Zombie Dogs. The band is keeping the aggressive and intense nature of the New York Hardcore spirit alive with their six track demo released in March. Tracks like “You Assholes” and “Imposter” put frontwoman Jessy’s passionately hostile vocals on display, while the track “Drown Out” highlights the band’s groovier punk sound. The hardcore scene has been viewed as a boys club for quite some time, but bands like Outskirts, Firewalker, G.L.O.S.S, and Leather Daddy are proving that the female voice can be powerful in this genre, and just as pissed off as its male counterparts. And this is certainly a good day to celebrate powerful ladies! – John Honan

North Hampton psych-fusion experts Mammal Dap will be making a triumphant return to the road tonight (July 27) at the Radio Bean in Burlington, VT, followed by a small set of dates around New England and New York in July and August. If you like the ‘80s, synthesizers, lush chords, thinking about outer space, good vibes, the ‘90s, and seriously nice dudes, this band is for you. Each show they’ve played has delighted the crowd with upbeat grooves, positive vibes, danceable jams, lightly psychedelic melodies, and a sound so tight you may as well assume it’s vinyl. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Dap come this far north, and it should be a real treat to get a FREE concert at the Radio Bean on Wednesday, July 27 at 11:30, as well as in Portsmouth NH at the Birdseye Lounge on July 28. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear what’s been cooking in Western Mass. More tour-dates can be found here. – Dan Rome

We somehow missed this video for single "Outside Your Love," released in June by NYC dark wave (or electro-shoegazer) trio Glass Gang, a band we often covered in the past and also booked at CMJ in 2014. The group today is releasing another single entitled "Wild Light," also streaming, and while they make no mention of an upcoming album that will gather the two songs, the news of the day is about their debut UK show, set to take place at The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington, London on Tuesday 8th November. 

Shaking Through is a Philly based documentary series about the process of recording music as seen through the eyes of today’s most promising independent musicians. Their latest episode features two of our favorite NYC artists, both of whom were rewarded with our NYC Record of the Month, although about ten years apart. Luke Temple of Here We Go Magic produced the Big Thief yet unreleased track ‘Mother’ (streaming below) and… magic was delivered again.

Read our Record of the Month review of Big Thief’s debut LP "Masterpiece."

 As it’s developed over the years, the garage-rock genre, and it’s variations, has grown to include many types of music, and none know this better than Boston by-way-of Providence group The Rare Occasions. Instead of opting to section themselves off into one of the genre’s many corners, the band instead embraces its multi-faceted nature wholeheartedly, and play tunes that fall anywhere on the spectrum between swampy pop all the way to harder, dischordant punk. Because of this it’s hard to know what to expect off of their forth-coming EP Futureproof, due out August 13th, aside from it should be eclectically electric.  The Rare Occasions are going on an east coast tour in support of their new EP available on 8/5, indluding a release show at The Middle East on 8/13. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

On Mākutu’s debut track, "Into the Sun," featuring Annapolis’s Gingerwolf, the Boston-based group introduce themselves with an intriguing gloom-pop sound. The song starts off meekfully and mellow, with a lonesome piano melody that is quickly joined by harmonzied vocals. As the track progresses, however, more components are added in, the dynamics grow bolder, and the song transforms from a elegiac tune to an up-lifting jam, full of redemption. It’s bold, and nuanced song-writing from the fledgling band, and it should be a promising sign for future projects. You can check them out at The Middle East on 7/27. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

 

Alternating between swirling, lawless sea swells of sound and spacey-lounge jazz, Brooklyn-based band Sheen Marina is as unpredictable as a rogue wave. Sounding every bit Mars Volta as lo-fi sunshine-y surf rock, the band’s chill-beach tendencies are punctuated by a looming chaotic (and math-y at once) madness that threatens to take charge at any given moment. Despite this, the band comes off as tight, raw and endlessly interesting – leaving the listener picking up new song elements with every pass. Sheen Marina’s sound was made for summer (with a twist), so check out their recently dropped single, a rather irrecognizable cover of "Gettin’ Hungry" by the Beach Boys, and their first EP, Coda Arms, here. – Olivia Sisinni 

This artist submitted music for coverage here.