Vagabon is the indie rock project of New York’s Laetitia Tamko, whose emotionally charged electric folk songs often focus on moving or wandering from place to place in search of a purpose and loved ones. The trio released their debut EP Persian Garden in November of 2014, which features six lush tracks that are brimming with honesty and delicate instrumentation. The album’s opener “Cold Apartment Floors” is a ballad characterized by shifts between soft, quiet sections and guitar charged climaxes. Following track “Shadows” (streaming) speeds up with folkier elements and lyrics that center around following a loved one wherever they may go – even when the feelings aren’t mutual. Vagabon will be playing the Silent Barn on July 28th in support of Fear of Men. – John Honan

Boston band PowerSlut have never played by anyone’s rules but their own, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. The lead single off their second LP "Girl Crush," is as evocative, or even moreso, than the ironic alt-rockers have ever been, telling the story of a girl the singer has a "girl crush" on.  The lyrics are hilarious, espcially the chorus where Linnea Herzog repeats "Girl crush, girl crush, no homo," bringing back a phrase that most people probably asummed had died alongwith other unfortunate high-school sayings. PowerSlut have always demonstrated a real talent in creating music that messes with the listener’s expectations and pokes fun at society while still satisfying sonically as well.  PowerSlut are set to release their second album titled The Second Coming on 8/5 alongwith a release party at Out of the Blue Arts Gallery and More. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Brooklyn-based soul crooner Peter Wise offers a "back-to-basics" approach that’s experiencing a resurgence in today’s RnB. Like for his contemporary Gallant, the pillars of his sound are his range-y voice, and simple but impactful instrumental arrangements that let the vocals take center stage. His latest release, "Sweet Solitude," illustrates this perfectly, as Wise implores, then begs a partner with his gripping alto (and impressive falsetto at times) not to leave him in "sweet solitude". His voice is acompanied by Wise’s own seemingly Santana-inspired guitar part that reinforces the track’s vintage quality and adds in nostalgia of its own as well.  "Sweet Solitude" is a promising single from an EP due in September, and you can check him out on August 6th at C’mon Everybody, a new Brooklyn venue between Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy that’s booking quality artists. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber, Photo Credit: Toby Seifinger

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

Frankie Cosmos was rewarded with a NYC Record of the Month at the time of ‘Zentropy‘ (2014), and graced the cover of the 2015 issue of The Deli as a member of the band Porches, but her latest LP ‘Next Thing‘ is certainly the height of her career as a songwriter – a consistent record full of memorable songs and heart-felt words. The project’s mastermind Greta Kline and her band are about to embark on another round of US tour dates including a homecoming sold out show at Bowery Ballroom on August 6th, and more world tour dates have been announced today. A new video Sinister" was also unveiled today, one of the best singles from her latest album – check it out below.

Scully formed after the breakup of California-based garage rock group The Splinters, when three of its core members reunited in Brooklyn. Their perfectly self-described brand of “California sunshine, Brooklyn grime” features easy going pop melodies blended with heavy psych influences, along with the scuzzy and lo-fi nature of garage rock. Last year the band released a split with La Luz that featured their track “Don’t Want That”. Scully’s latest single “Wave” puts the band’s poppy psych sound on display with shimmering guitar tones and hazy vocals. “Wave” is the first single off the four-pieces upcoming EP No Sense, which will be released on August 19th through Fire Talk. Scully will be playing Union Pool on July 28th in support of fellow psych-garage rockers Honey. – John Honan

Teen Body‘s debut LP Get Home Safe flows between wispy, delicate sections and more agitated moments filled with with tension. The four-piece recently released a music video for single “Bored Window” that also plays along this dichotomy, opening with lighthearted and playful scenes of band comradery, at least until they start killing each other – in all likelihood because of creative disagreements and ego conflicts related to the band! The group’s placid dream pop acts as a surreal commentary to the final, bloody scenes, in a way remoiniscent of Spike Lee’s use of loungy jazz over violent sequences. Teen Body will be playing live July 27th at Shea Stadium. – John Honan

Two months have passed since bedroom mystic Jamie Leroux quietly dropped the phantasmagoric three-year successor Visual Underground as Future Holograms. That trillwave release recalled a cathartic time for Detroit-native Leroux, who admits,"The constant change actually influenced the Future Holograms project, due to the longing of all the people I’ve kept close and how the distance effected me." Moving to San Diego nearly five years ago, the producer spends his first summer back in the Motor City, and has released another album’s worth of material, Fog of War, under a new name and a new aura.

White China’s first output is as much a virtuous revision to the past incarnations Yokan Pop, Icosagon, Sun Metal, and more as it is a retrospective nod to hypnagogic auteurs like Gold Panda, XXYYXX, and Clams Casino—caught at a time when dad aesthetics, Drake lyrics, and pastel colors equally conjure sardonic chuckles and nostalgic sighs. 2011 didn’t seem that long ago.

Listen to "Let’s Fuck Ourselves Over" from White China’s debut album Fog of War below and download it for free on Leroux’s netlabel/collective Silver Throne Records.

Influenced by indie rock and post-hardcore, Brooklyn’s Haybaby‘s sound also ventures into the noisy worlds of thrash and sludge metal. Whether lead singer/guitarist Leslie Hong is utilizing her hushed whispers or loud screams, she’s always able to maintain a commanding presence and controlled delivery. Their recent EP Blood Harvest, released this past srping, starts off with three tense songs that put Hong’s quietly mesmerizing vocals on display. The final two tracks almost sound like a completely different band, but in a way that still fits in with the rest of the EP. “What It Is” features frantic drumming and abrasive, drowned out yelling, while the final track “Pig” relies on a slow, droning, and sludgy pace to forge one of the band’s most experimental moments. Haybaby will be playing Shea Stadium tonight (7/22)! – John Honan

Today, Brooklyn alt rockers Slothrust debuted "Horseshoe Crab," the first single off their third LP "Everyone Else." The band also announced a fall tour together with Highly Suspect, another NYC alt rock trio that has gathered  a considerable amount of buzz in the last year, and who delivered its best single yet at the beginning of 2016 with "Bloodfeathre" (streaming). The local date will be at Rough Trade on November 1.

A sputtering drum rhythm with a blazing guitar riff shimmies open “Disconnect,” a bright, spunky track layered with warm, raspy vocals and jovial abandon on Hello Dharma’s EP Disconnectionism (streaming below). The Virginia-based band cites Rooney, Arctic Monkeys, and 90’s grunge as influence and it is clearly evident in their EP, whose tracks shift from the bubbling alt rock (“Disconnect”) to a more chaotic and broody grunge-centric number (“Vitamin” and “Anabelle Leaves”). Whether melodic and effervescent or gloomy and aggressively in your face, Hello Dharma doesn’t shy away from going full throttle in each and every song, giving you no choice but to jump and sing along every step of the way. Catch Hello Dharma shake things up at Velvet Lounge on August 30 and listen to them below. – Adriana S. Ballester

Have you ever wondered what would happen if all the toys in a kids playchest came to life? Plastic trains chugging along faithfully in a circle, lights twinkling, and robots beeping into existence– what little mayhem would they cook up? Music, that’s what, and it would sound exactly like The Galaxy Electric. True to their name, Galaxy Electric sounds much like the universe in a child’s room woke up, some light switch magically flipped on. The electric tinkling and spacey synths can almost call to mind brilliant hues of neon blues and magentas blinking on and off, coaxing us to fall down their temporal rabbit hole and diving into the electronic dreams sonically curated by some warped fusion of The Doors and Broadcast–the psychedelic textures of the former melded with the gentle vocal touch and space age pop sensibilities of the latter. A truly trippy experience to listen to make sure you catch their live performance at U Street Music Hall tonight and at DC Nine on August 2. – Adriana S. Ballester

We booked Brooklyn ambient-pop duo Girlyboi for our latest Northside Fest show (on the day of their anniversary!) after they became our artist of the month a few week earlier. The item has been working hard on their upcoming album, which in all likelihood will gather the various singles they have been releasing since 2015. Here’s a brand new one they just released, entitled popular songs, and slightly more upbeat than what they got us used to.