Henry Hall is one of those singer-songwriters that successfully dodges any attempt to pin a genre on him. His discography to date, notably album-less, is filled with tracks that range from light indie pop-rock to harder stuff reminiscent of grunge, but some of his tracks eschew that spectrum (and instrumention) altogether and enlist producers to allow Hall to enter the world of James Blake-esque electronic R&B. Hall’s vocals, though, are always at the forefront of each track, and he demonstrates impressive range that serves as the lynchpin of the diverse melodies present in his music. Hall and his endlessly malleable voice will grace the Mercury Lounge’s stage on June 1st. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber

The New Apollos is a new project from Neil MacCallum who has collaborated and performed with a number of acts including Wesley Shultz of The Lumineers and Nick Bockrath of Cage the Elephant. In the winter of 2016, he enlisted the help of Karen Walker (piano/vocals), Gregoy Morgan (drums), and Isobel Ward (bass). Their music blends the sounds of 90’s alternative acts with a 60’s Rock & Roll flair. Two singles are currently available for streaming from their debut EP: “In The Shade” is a psychedelic mid-tempo that integrates plodding, funky based pop tunes (reminiscent of early Beck) with psychedelic openings inspired to the ’60s, while “Echo Echo” (streaming below) is as a more intimate number that gradually picks up pace, characterized by a flirtacious mood set by soulful, harmonizing male/female vocals. The New Apollos will be celebrating the release of their debut EP the Mercury Lounge on May 30th. 

Sometimes you want some straight New York raps on some straight New York beats. You could head down to Times Square and try your luck with the rabble of CD-R hawkers or you could check out Eff Yoo. His Sophomore album The Eff Word explores his battered psyche over a smattering of classic hard-hitting boom bap. In the video for the most recent single, “God Hates Me,” Eff portrays a Priest seeking to reconnect with his faith. His first lines lay it all out, “I’m an abortion survivor. C-Section saved me, Section 8 raised me; Food stamps daily.” He captures the struggle with a gritty tangibility that you’ll be scraping off your skin days after listening. – BrokeMc

New York’s B Boys will not be breakdancing when you see them live – as their name might suggest. Instead, they will be bobbing their heads to their frenzied, punk inspired songs that bears resemblance to early Devo and the slacking post punk of their buddies Parquet Courts. The track “Get A Grip” off their latest EP, No Worry No Mind (out on Captured Tracks), demonstrates the feverish nature of the trio’s music, and is complete with gang vocals and vibrant guitar lines referencing the ’80s. It’s dense, fast and anxiety inducing music, also because of the sudden introduction of odd tempos in the song’s chorus, without mentioning lyrics like “Oh no, I can’t get a grip!” sung with the urgency of mad men. The trio just finished playing a string of shows with Parquet Courts, including a sold out one at Webster Hall on May 20th, and will be performing next at Alphaville on May 27th. Stream their track “Get A Grip” below! – John Honan

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

With obvious nods to psych rock and krautrock evident in their latest EP, ‘Gathering Rust,’ to call Honduras simply a punk (or post-punk band) would be reductive. The quartet manages to combine the reckless attitude of punk, youthful abandon of garage rock, and the polished melodic tendencies of indie to forge a sound that encapsulates the past and present of NYC (and NJ too, since we growingly hear an early Feelies influence). The band placed third in our recent Best of NYC 2015 Poll for Emerging Artists, and is about to embark on a three week East Coast tour.

Check out this little Delicious Audio feature with Honduras’ lead guitarist Tyson Moore iand his favorite guitar pedal.

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

Featuring vocals and production as smooth as they are stirring, New York R&B outlet Lowhency Pierre has the potential to go places.  Named after its vocalist and with a sole EP to their name, the R&B group demonstrates a musical and lyrical maturity rare for a group as young as they are. On each track the vocalist plays singer and poet alike, crooning profound messages about his experience as well as the human experience in general. Backing him up is impressive R&B production that pulls from a variety of influences including hip-hop, funk and neo-soul.  Not afraid to flex this diversity, the band often switches up the beat multiple times within songs seamlessly.  You can catch them at Pianos on 7/9. – Henry Solotaroff-Webber

Based on the mix of influences, nothing about Home Blitz’s Foremost and Fair should work—except it does, and quite beautifully. At its core, this 2015 record is an emo pop-punk album with heavy slacker overtones – and a good one at that – but its the unique bells and whistles of the project that make it really intriguing. As the castle on the cover suggests, the record is filled with musical sequences that you would expect to find in a historical drama or a fantasy RPG, but definitely not a punk inspired LP.  This makes for a ton of enjoyable WTF moments across the full length, none better than single "I’m That Key," boasting baroque keyboard parts reminiscent of The Stranglers, or opener "Seven Thirty," where a flute part subtly integrates the track’s catchy guitars. On "Betton Hill," and "Tell me There" these throwbacks get pushed to the forefront as oddly catchy, courtly piano sequences that make up a good chunk of the tracks’ melodies, along with the singer’s never too whiny vocals. Foremost and Fair then bows out with "Cutting the Cross," a catchy finale, where twangy guitars and upbeat keys mingle to send the album out on a very high-note, while still retaining the overall (extremely) vintage feel. Seamlessly integrating these archaic elements into a punk record seems like something that would require nothing short of magic, but Home Blitz pulled it off, and in the process innovated a genre that some may think had reached its limits. Don’t miss their live show at Union Pool on 05.24. – Henry Solotaroff Webber

We added "I’m That Key" song to The Deli’s playlist of Best punky songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

While the term “singer/songwriter” may connote such masters as Sufjan Stevens, Brooklyn-via-Ohio’s Tangina Stone radiates the troubadour spirit in her girl-group poetry. Favorite quip: “Your love so bright you’re giving me a suntan.” Her EP The Fall highlights both the singer’s colloquial talent as well as her pipes, while her latest remix of single ‘Don’t’ (video streaming below) interestingly steers towards soulful, electronic hip hop.  The Brooklyn-based singer will play for the first time music from her new album "Elevate" coming this summer on Monster/Empire. – Brian Chidester

Queens, NY-based trio Dead Waves are set to release their post-psych-noise sophomore record “Living Inside” on May 27. If you are a fan of wild, loose, jammy drumming, distant guitar drone and angst-filled screaming vocals, you’ve found your band here. Calling their music "transcendental post-punk," the direct lineage to early works of Sonic Youth, John Zorn, and Swans are readily detected. Having Martin Bisi produce (who worked with those three artists) solidifies that connection. Some of the albums six tracks introduce a heavier guitar sound in places, while quieter moments evoke the vocal style of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. There are also moments where spoken word segments are introduced a la’ Jim Morrison or Henry Rollins. The band will play Shea Stadium on May 26 along with PC Worship, Martin Bisi, Parlor Walls, Prima, and Ritual Humor. – Dave Cromwell

The sound of Queens natives Special Guest’s is a hard one to nail down  – which is always a good sign. They blend together elements from indie rock, shoegazer, psychedelia, and post-punk to create a uniquely layered, complex musical style. Their self-titled debut album was released in the winter of 2015, and features 12 tracks, each one standing out in its own way. “Quatro” and “Bouncy” rely heavily on psychedelic flourishes and evolving synths, while “Trace” and “Ghost Rocket” feature a more straight indie rock sound. We are diggin’ in particular shoegaze/noise number ‘UNO’ (streaming below) and mathy instrumental "Five-Four." The band recently played a Sofar Sound show and will be performing next at Shea Stadium in support of Banned Books on June 28th.

There’s nothing like some good ol’ nostalgia — even if most of us weren’t around for the music that largely inspires NYC area bands Fletcher C. Johnson and Hector’s Pets (pictured). the former takes cues from rock-pop bands of yesteryear, inundating listeners with prominent, simple guitars and airy vocals to match. Hector’s Pets, too, carry a vintage sound, albeit one that is faster and harsher.  Quick guitar riffs, driving drums and hard lead vocals supplanted with cooing back ups will be sure to get feet tapping. See them both at Union Pool tomorrow night (05.21).

NYC’s mad programmer Sporting Life’s samples are unconventional. They mix hip-hop and techno beats that work for dancing. The rest, however, is a warped mindfuck. Tons of repeated bleeps and blops, vocal effects, frantic percussion—no space left empty. Impossible to ignore. The listener is left with no choice but to reckon with it. The man just released new clangy single ‘Move’ (streaming), which seems inspired by guns and videogames. He is playing a sold out show at Trans Pecos tonight (05.20), with Actress. – JP Basileo