NY’s American Pinup formed in 2010 out of Westchester County and combine elements from punk rock and power pop, blending catchy pop hooks and melodies with the spirit and energy of the punk ethos. The track “Living the Dream” off The Radio EP is a swift punk song characterized by its infectious drumming and West’s snotty vocals reminiscent of Gwen Stefani. “Start” highlights West’s contrasting vocal styles as she bounces back and forth between her smooth, crooning vocals and a raspy yell. The singer channels Brody Dalle of The Distillers with a little more bite to her vocals, while still remaining catchy enough to be good for radio play. American Pinup will be playing Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ on June 9th, and then The Bowery Electric on June 20th. Stream their track "Radio" below! – John Honan

Some artists aim to make music that make you think, whereas others seek to make you feel, or move. Recent Brassland signee Fusilier somehow manages to play music that does it all. His electronic-funk sound enters through the ears and spreads to the rest of the body like a virus – a virus that only dancing with abandon can cure. Simple drum grooves drive ‘The Moment,’ while his seductive R&B vocals and the track’s shifting arrangements contribute in forging a very personal sound. Bringing it alltogether is Fusiler’s rock pedigree, as his distorted guitar riffs and bass paterns add a pop to really make the music standout.  Fusilier’s sound is fresh, no doubt, and we can hopefully expect an EP from the ex-RIBS member soon. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber – Photo by Chris Oquist

Ladies and Gents,

The Best of NYC 2016 issue is about to hit the streets of NYC, and we are ready to celebrate it with a VERY awesome showcase at new Bushwick drinking hole Sunnyvale, on June 9th!

Mark your (Google) calendars and check out all the seven great NYC artists involved in the bill in this rad compilation! Bigger Poster here!

You have plans for Saturday night now. If you had any already, you have new ones now. Richmond-based Cloak/Dagger will be shredding and thrashing and tearing up the Black Cat’s backstage when they open for Texas bands Bad Sports and headlining Radioactivity. It’s gonna be a hell of night for punk fans with these three fantastic acts. Cloak/Dagger burst right into furious, pounding guitars and roaring, raspy vocals that’ll surely have the crowd headbanging along. They haven’t put out an album in quite some time, it seems, but some signs suggest they’ll be putting out new material for the masses soon. Give them a listen and catch what’s bound to be a frenzy of punk rock this weekend. Doors at 7:30, $12. -Jonathan Goodwin

The low lights, the simultaneously nefarious but comforting red walls and the general atmospheric qualities that Alex’s Bar exude were appropriate for the mind-altering ambient session that took place on Thursday night. Breatherrr took the stage first, delivering a mesmerizing, spacey sequence of songs. The instrumentals tended to lull you into a state of transcendence before bringing you back to reality with the unexpected. I/O’s dreamy, darkly bohemian songs each built up with intriguing layers and their set was truly dynamic, incorporating upbeat, dark, dreamy and aggressive elements.

Litronix closed the show with their interesting blend of psychedelic electronica, which created an enigmatic, energetic atmosphere reminiscent of a cult meeting (in the best way possible). Absorbed, the audience danced along to the beat and enthusiastically participated when the singer came offstage to dance with some and stare penetratingly into the eyes of many in the crowd. When the bright lights came back on, it took some time to adjust to the absence of other-worldliness that ambient music provided, and for a few moments we stood blinking, as if woken from a trance. – Lauren Weiherer

NY native Ernest Ernie doesn’t need to hybridize his favorite retro sounds to current tastes in order to connect. Most do. Nothing wrong with that. He doesn’t need to. The guy can really belt it out and his band—replete with backup singers and horn section—play a fifties-style rhythm & blues that is non-cliché. – Brian Chidester

I’m sure you know a musically clueless person who, when you mentioned the words "Indie Rock," thought you were referring to "Indian Rock"… well, if you were trying to introduce him/her to Brooklyn quartet Humeysha, you could have just said: "That’s EXACTLY what I’m talking about!" – since they play Indie Rock with Indian influences! The band will be performing at The Knitting Factory on June 8th within the Boom Forest June residency Check out also the Q&A with Humeysha about recording on our sister blog Delicious Audio.

Boston indie-pop band Amy and the Engine are going places, though their polish and quality could lead you into thinking they were already there. The band employs all six of its members to full advantage, and the result is a pop sound that is deceptively layered and easiliy listenable. The lead and rhythm guitars interplay freely, producing rich melodies and countermelodies that serve as the driving force behind each song.

Alongside this understated complexity is the diverse set of influences the band posseses, as they flirt with genres like country, hard rock, funk and even a little R&B at times. Their ability to do this owes largely to lead singer Amy Allen who can seemingly do it all with her impressively enormous range. You may not be able to catch this band for much longer before they fuly hit the mainstream, and you can do just that outdoors on June 9 at City Hall Plaza. —Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Artistic freedom is an exhilarating but daunting mission: it requires discipline, competence, broad-mindedness, constant self-reinvention, and can only be pursued in depth through the acceptance of very modest financial rewards – although that’s true for any artistic endeavor. Brooklyn sextet Cloud Becomes Your Hand (already a NYC Record of the Month in this very blog in 2014) is obviously fully dedicated to this cause, within the coordinates of the psychedelic and progressive rock genre (or, as we call it, here at The Deli, ‘Avant-Indie"). As cliche` as this may sound, their new album ‘Rest In Fleas’ truly sounds like kaleidoscope of ideas and sounds. The sonic palette is incredibly diverse, ranging from effected keyboards of all kinds, to detuned electric guitars and unexpected orchestral interruptions. But the record is not a scattered conglomeration of ideas; on the contrary, it sounds more organic than its predecessor, with song structure often prevailing over the band’s quirky "digressing impulses." This contributes to making in one of those records that rewards multiple listens. Those who love this kind of stuff shouldn’t miss the band’s record release party at Secret Project Robot on 06.18, nor the video for ‘Hermit’ streaming below.

It was 2011 when, browsing through the submissions we received for our Best of NYC 2010 Year End Poll, we stumbled upon a track by Xenia Rubinos and couldn’t help but write immediately about it. Two years later, Pitchfork said this about her debut album. Sadly, as you can see from the link to our old post, that track is not available for streaming anymore, but we can console ourselves with Xenia’s new video for ‘Lonely Lover,’ which once again shows us an artist that defies categorizations within the traditional pop song structure, which isn’t something easy to do.  Xenia will celebrate the release of her new album ‘Black Terry Cat’ with a show at Baby’s All Right tomorrow, June 4th – do not miss!

 In 2015 Gretchen Shae joined U2 on stage to play guitar on the song “All I Want Is You”, but that wasn’t her first time taking the stage. Shae is the vocalist and guitarist of the self-proclaimed Boston-based glam punk band The Knock Ups. Joined by Cat Verlicco on bass and Daniel McCarthy on Drums, the band brings blends energetic instrumentation with politically charged lyrics reminiscent of the riot grrrl movement of the 90’s, and borrow from the movements key players such as Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney. “Shut Up (and put on your dress)” off their self-titled EP is characterized by it’s brevity, and the band’s fast paced riffs and pounding drumming that never drowns out Shae’s vocals. The track “1969” is a slower track that features compelling melodies and a catchy chorus that begs the listener to sing a long, however it doesn’t lose any of the band’s signature punk energy. The band will be playing tonight (6.03) at Club Bohemia in Cambridge. Check out their single “Dionysius” below! – John Honan

New York has a long and rich history for heavy music. Many metal and punk acts have gotten their start coming through the five boroughs, and 2016 has proven that the heavy scene is still thriving in the city, where "black" venues like Greenpoint’s St.Vitus do a great job to book the loudest artist around – locals included. We found three NYC artists in that venue’s calendar that are worth covering:

Primitive Weapons (pictured) is a Brooklyn-based noise/metalcore outfit that just released their sophomore album The Future of Death on April 15th. Their brand of metallic hardcore is reminiscent of unforgettable metalcore acts like Botch, Converge, and Cursed, while also taking influence from post-hardcore acts such as Refused. Their track “Ashes or Paradise” highlights the band’s metallic crunch and aggressive style, but also puts their more melodic moments on display. Primitive Weapons will be playing St. Vitus on June 4th in support of Wax Idols & King Woman.

Also from Brooklyn, River Cult is a new heavy psych rock band who just started playing shows in April. Their self-titled EP was released in February, and it features three lengthy songs that use their runtime to create evolving layers of music. The track “Shadow Out of Time” starts off with squealing guitars and slow, looping drums until the tempo shifts and the band explodes into a fuzzy rock sound reminiscent of 90’s stoner metal act Sleep. River Cult will be playing St. Vitus on June 13th. Check out “Shadow Out of Time” below!

Sick With Bloom is the latest album from the black metal outfit Yellow Eyes. Released at the end of 2015, Sick With Bloom is a suffocating record characterized by an atmospheric nature and frenetic layers. The title track (streaming below) lulls the listener into a brief state of tranquility before erupting into a fury of shrieking vocals and relentless carpet of in that sets the pace for the rest of the record. They will be playing St. Vitus on June 9th.