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.

Chazmere is a producer, teacher, and master MC.  This isn’t entirely surprising for someone affiliated with Talib Kweli’s Colours of Culture Collective.  Raised in the Bronx, he reflects the roots of Hip Hop.  The cameos in the music video are all artists that Chaz knows from the electric experience of the New York Hustle.  He’s about artistry and integrity, and his frustration with the commercial status quo is reflected in his rhymes: “I wonder how many licks does it take til the slave murder the master? I’m drowning in passion, hittin’ that glass ceiling but can’t get it crackin.”  His eponymous debut album is due out June 10 – proof that Chazmere is on ten all the time. – BrokeMC

New York’s emerging indie bands draw inspiration from every corner of rock’n’roll’s rich history. One iconic artist that continues to influence each successive generation is The Cure. Paying tribute to their creative vision, former Deli Magazine Artist of the Month (May 2014) Like Herding Cats is hosting a night in celebration of their music. Although three consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden sold out quickly for the goth giants on their current world tour, those left out now have this option (although we can’t promised Robert Smith will be there…). Joining the tribute are Deli favorites Grassfight (pictured), showing how their taut, tightly-wound post-punk style reflects goth’s stripped down early beginnings. Also appearing is special guest Skylar Stench (i.e. Skyler Spence, ex St. Pepsi). Each band will play both original music and Cure covers. Between sets Like Herding Cats’ front man, Dom P, will DJ Cure Hits, New Wave, Dark wave, Brit Pop and Alternative dance through the night. The appropriately titled event “A Night Like This” goes down on June 9 at Cake Shop. – Dave Cromwell

In their latest singles, “17” and “Party Down the Street,” Brooklyn-based band, What Moon Things blend elements of synth pop, post punk and shoegaze, while maintaining subtle melancholic undertones.  Their lyrics read like nostalgic poetry, accompanied by raw guitar riffs and the even rawer voices of John Morisi and Jake Harms.  “17” and “Party Down the Street” giveus a taste their upcoming full length, “Someone Who Isn’t Me,” set to be released on July 15th, 2016. From the sound of it, it looks like it’s going to be a little bit more pop-oriented than their previous releases.  The band is playing several New York shows before the album drops, the soonest one being June 4th at Sunnyvale. – Madeleine Grossman 

As their name implies, Blasteroid‘s sound is at times an explosive blast of noise, but can also be calm and composed. Since we covered them last (in October 2015) the Brooklynites released their debut EP Pretty Good, a carefully crafted but edgy sounding record, that channels genres as disparate as pop, noise rock, psychedelia and even prog-rock. Opening track “Artie and the Mountain” establishes this right away by starting off with a swirling ambient introduction that erupts about a minute into a bizarre song that juxtaposes monster math rock distorted riffs with more casual moments reminiscent of Pavement. On “Wet Dog” the verses feature hushed vocals and calm instrumentation that come to a head during the grungy chorus with fuzzy, distorted guitars. The band handles these transitions between soft and loud parts with poise, but its unpretentious, "semi-slacking" attitude prevents it from sounding pompous. ‘Heater‘ strikes the best balance between classic song structure, and tension/release dynamics, with its memorable chorus and exploding bridge – while an out of key guitar solo contributes in making things a little bit more random. Enjoyable and imaginative, powerful and melodic, the Pretty Good EP is definitely more than that. 
Blasteroid will be playing Alphaville on June 3rd in support of Holy Tunics. – John Honan

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

Last Thursday night saw voodoo surf thrashers Sunshine Mind, the proggy serotonin fueled semi-locals Deep Fields, and an angsty Matryoshka doll of chaos and boozy guitars called Secret Garden bring their own very different sounds and concoctions of influences out to Harvard and Stone. From opener Sunshine Mind’s sprinkling of screamed vocals that irreverently tear apart any false assumptions of conventional SoCal surf band tropes to Secret Garden’s swampy, somber quietness giving way—rather violently—to nervous, sinewy guitar improvisations. And that’s to say nothing of Deep Field’s brilliant ‘70s inspired Rhodes piano odyssey that set the whole of Harvard and Stone on fire three-quarters into their set. Sunshine Mind ripped through groovy and pummeling (yet still very surfy) tunes with gusto. Think Misfits if they traded in corpse paint for plaid and California "good vibrations". Singer Henry Lopez peppered in energetic screaming vocals to break up melodic "ooh-ahh" lines that never let you get too comfortable in your expectations. A menacing undertone permeates their more-aggressive-than-your-average surf pop songs, torn apart and reassembled with ‘60s voodoo menace.

Next up were the brilliant Deep Fields hailing from Orange County. Their lush songwriting and layered piano accompaniments is a shot of serotonin to the proverbial arm of Harvard and Stone. Kaleidoscopic, Rush-reminiscent arrangements and a genuinely fun energy pulses alongside ‘70s Rhodes piano lines that are at once elegant and yet bursting like rays of light shining down on grooving flower beds of vocal and guitar melody. If 12-string electric guitar and Rhodes piano don’t make the most pleasant sounding musical combination, I don’t know what does. Secret Garden finished out the night with a set of swampy, troubled, mercurial jams laced with a "fuck-it-all" ethos. Singer Dani Evans was full to bursting with gravitas as she commanded a strong stage presence both fearless and fierce, going from skate punk ferocity to genuinely somber moments of singer-songwriter affectation. Ultimately, they got cut off early (and not entirely without reason) but this band—and Evans especially—has some serious heart. – Andrew Mendoza