Following his November-released debut EP ‘When the Lights Came,’ New York soul man Troy today premieres his latest heart-tugging single, “Daisy” (streaming below). Progressing with a rugged warmth that is reminiscent of both Kings of Leon and Michael McDonald, the guitar-curled track evokes the titular, perished woman’s inner beauty with a purity that could only be beheld with awe. Listening to this impassioned song, it sounds as if Troy needed to sing it. Troy plays The Rock Shop tomorrow night (6/16). – Zach Weg

Brooklyn’s Big Thief is the exemplification of what can happen to a band in one year when uncommon talent is matched by a great record, hard work and compelling live performances. The group, led by songwriter Adrianne Lenker, in just one year went from playing your usual Brooklyn venues in front of a few fans, to becoming one of the most talked about new indie acts out of NYC. Currently touring the US, Big Thief will be back in NYC on June 23rd for a live performance at the Prospect Park Shell within the Celebrate Brooklyn Fest. Later in September the band is also scheduled to open for Lucius at Central Park’s Summer Stage. If this is not an emerging band with buzz, we don’t know what is!
P.S. We are very proud to have premiered their video for single Masterpiece last year! 

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

Now two years in the making, it seems like Belle Mare‘s debut LP is unhurriedly coming together, single by single – but what would you expect from a band that writes music this gentle? After that 2013 debut that won our hearts, the duo turned five-piece released three singles, the last of which, appropriately titled "How Much Longer," came out last week. In this track Belle Mare weave together arrangements more complex than they got us accustomed to, while still retaining the understated folkiness of their past releases.Vocalist Amelia Bushell’s ghost-like vocals drive the track’s dynamic shifts through one of the band’s loudest chorus to date. The debut LP is scheduled to be released later this summer.

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

Stringer’s members are no stranger to the NYC DIY music scene. The Brooklyn-based four piece features several ex-members of Heeney (Max Kagan, Mark Fletcher, and John Spencer) and J Boxer of The Gradients and Bluffing – all acts that got their fair share of coverage in this very blog. Debut EP Dead Ass, released in December 2015, combines elements of grunge and punk, conjuring up a sound reminiscent of early post-hardcore acts like Rites of Spring and Embrace. The EP’s opener “Fear of Death” (streaming below) highlights the band’s fascination with grunge, while following tune “Just Like You” is a brief track characterized by swift, pounding drums and a snotty punk vocal delivery. These two songs exemplify the range within Boxer, Fletcher, and Kagan operate when sharing songwriting and vocal duties, layering their unique personalities and voices with Spencer’s precise drumming. The band will be playing Shea Stadium on June 21st in support of Washer. – John Honan

Changes are often friends of inspiration: new experiences, new instruments, new influences, new collaborations, or even just a new creative approach, are all things that have the power to unleash renewed curiosity and creativity. The story of Kristin Kontrol‘s debut record X-Communicate can be seen (and heard) from this angle: after a great six year run with her drone pop band Dum Dum Girls, whose songs were inspired by legendary electric psych bands of the ’90s like Jesus and Mary Chain and Mazzy Star, Dee Dee (aka Kristin Welchez) decided it was time to mix things up a little, and start anew. The Kristin Kontrol debut album was devised through a new collaboration with Ice Choir programmer/producer Kurt Feldman, and veers decidedly towards the synth-pop sound of the ’80s. You can see KK live at Baby’s All Right on June 22.

Check out this Q&A with Kristin Kontrol in our Delicious Audio blog.

If the word "bueno" reminds you of something yummy you eat during that awesome South American vacation, well, that memory has nothing to do with what this post is about.  Bueno is a Staten Island band that plays a modern brand of post punk with noisy and slacking tendencies.  These influences can be heard in their most recent album cassette release, Guilt, whose songs are blunt and simply relatable – a fragment of their lyrics that stayed with us proclaims: “there used to be a Burger King there, now there’s not.”  Part of the band’s charm lies in its ability to discuss ordinary subjects in a way that is also evocative, but keeping a dead pan attitude.  Make sure to see them at Market Hotel on June 25th with The So So Glos and watch out for their soon to be announced upcoming LP. – Madeleine Grossman

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this entry do not necessarily reflect those of the Site’s or any other contributor.

Venues in Riverside crowded with musicians and music lovers alike during the annual Saturation Fest, an event showcasing the rich diversity of talented artists living in Southern California, especially from the Inland Empire. A few days before the festival, LA Weekly published an article applauding the efforts of a few individuals involved with the festival. The author-outsider looked into the Riverside community as an idyllic refuge, away from the competition and high cost of living in Los Angeles. But having lived in Riverside since my tender alterna-tween years, I see things a little differently.

It’s important to note that the Inland Empire extends far beyond Riverside, where Saturation Fest is hosted. Many folks tend to gloss over the fact that it includes less whitebread areas like Fontana, Hemet, Murrieta, Temecula, or (God forbid!) Moreno Valley, all of which continue to witness a variety of DIY events more bizarre and outlandish than your average Weiner Records lover could fathom. A close examination of the festival’s lineup reveals just how many musical factions have populated the area over the last few years—there is no single genre uniting them, just a handful of familiar area codes.

And so, despite the article’s best efforts to convey a scene of diversity and exceptionalism, there was no mention of the labels that have been operating in the area for years on end, labels like Popgun, Family Time, Not Punk, Juniper Tree Songs, or Bridgetown. No mention of the all-ages DIY venues that have come and gone, and left their marks on us—The Dial in Temecula, Black Flame in San Bernardino, and the Blood Orange in Riverside all closed their doors within six months of one another. Of course, these were definitely too underground for an LA Weekly music journalist to sniff out.

Saturation Fest’s (lack of) coverage until now is just proof of how little the outside world (read: Los Angeles) knows or cares about what happens here, unless the outside world wants to relish a bit of self-hate for the clicks and comments. If you live here and you’re looking for the true freaks, the people that really don’t give a fuck about “making it” in the world of college rock journalists and out-of-touch music editors, you don’t need to look far at all. But they do. – Graeme Crane & Ryan Mo, photo by Goyo Paguaga

Brooklyn-based band Tiergarten marries the power rock guitar sound of the 90’s (think Failure and Screaming Trees) with the lush melodicism and harmonic complexity of shoegaze. Their latest single “Paradigm” (streaming) is characterized by tonal and dynamic shifts reminiscent of the loud/quiet/loud days of grunge. Second single “Aerons (Infinity Glow),” on the other hand, veers towards shoegaze with droney guitar parts and Alex Von Klemperer’s drawn-out vocals. The band’s debut EP ‘Magnificent Desolation’ is set to be self-released on June 17th, and release celebrations are scheduled for June 15th at Union Pool. – John Honan

Based off the lead single "Irrelevant" (streaming) it would appear that Boston band Lady Pills is transitioning to a more aggressive rock sound for their upcoming debut album Despite, scheduled for a July release. The deviating guitar patterns, refined percussion, heavy vocals and everything else that made their past releases enjoyable are still there, but on their newest release everything is kicked up a notch. The dynamic shifts are bolder, the rhythm section more prominent and the lyrics more intense. Regardless of whether this transformation will be seen throughout the LP or just on this track, it is encouraging to see the three-piece girl band experiment with their sound in convincing ways. You can check out Lady Pills’ new music at O’Brien’s Pub on 6/14. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Tonight great show at Irving Plaza, where you can catch a NYC Hip Hop triple feature of ferocious linguistic swashbuckling presented by Pigeons and Planes. Hometown heroes Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman, and Creature (of Rebelmatic) comprise three courses of boom-bap beatification. Bring Aderol and a Thesaurus, and check out Homeboy’s new video "Eyes. – BrokeMC

In the past two years, North Jersey band Forth Wanderers has had quite the run. They received a shout-out from Lorde, landed in our own picks for best NYC artists of 2015, and just finished a North American tour with Adult Mom. Not bad for a bunch of kids still in college! Those unfamliar, though, might think they’re older, given that their 2014 debut LP Tough Love is a solid blend of indie pop, rock and folk. The band’s sound is centered around the two electric guitars, which provide a layered quality without stepping on each other’s toes, and the voice of Ava Trilling, whose adorable alto conveys emotional weight to each song with a fatalistic tone that prevents her from indulging in overly dramatic antics. Forth Wanderers will play Mercury Lounge on June 20 and announced a yet to be released EP back in December – we are looking forward to both! — Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Kami Maltz has one of those voices that dances through the air like a hummingbird flitting from flower to flower.  In the video for “Rain” from 2014’s Kami Maltz EP, Kami stands more or less motionless as images of nature fade and meld over her, a relentless dream, a treacherous magnificence.  “It was your dream and I followed through, this is where we’ve come.  The story’s still undone,” she sings with a knowing smirk – you can hear it live at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg on June 18th. – BrokeMC