The words "twangy" and "punk" rarely appear together in the same sentence, but Brooklyn band Cheena is here to dispel of that prejudice. With spiteful vocals reminiscent of Johnny Rotten and a slide guitar a la’ Ry Cooder drawing curvy lines under the band’s wall of distorted sound, the quintet blends two elements at the antipodes of the musical culture, with intriguing results. They have a (just released) self-titled three song EP under their belt and will be performing at Baby'[s All Right on June 05.

A band with a name like The Boobies either have your strict attention or your quick dismissal. Either way their hashtag game has them poised for imminent internet fame. A fourtet transplanted to Brooklyn by way of several points south, they conjure an engaging mix of southern soul with surf rock elements, equal parts Talking Heads and Everclear. They’ll be rocking Bushwick venue House of Yes on May 4th for the Gathering of the Elements with other locals Hey Anna., Pool Cosby and Bandits on the Run. – BrokeMc

New Jersey’s avant-folk-poppers Stolen Jars must have put a spell on us last fall, when we decided to put them on the cover of the CMJ 2015 issue of The Deli, since, judging from this adorable video of their single ‘Kept,’ they have friends in the magic business. Don’t miss the band at Mercury Lounge on April 30th.

Brooklyn-based musician/producer Rena, set to release her debut EP ‘Rude Chick’ on May 6th, is not somebody you want to mess with: "Rock and roll was always what spoke to me the most,” she explains. "That’s what this record is for me- POWER!, I love the raw energy of the riot grrrl movement and female rock in general." The recently released title track showcases a sound that’s part hip hop and part industrial (the arrangement reminds us of the pervasive ditortion of NIN’s ‘Broken’ EP), whie first single ‘Symptom of Youth’ (streaming below) is a spoken word celebration of partying soon exploding into a chorus that blends shoegazer with noise rock – in the most pop way possible.

‘My Art of Almost’ is a soon to be released record about Ben Talmi‘s personal failures and hopes – told through electrifying beats and dancing synths. Musically ubiquitous, Talmi has engaged in multiple genres, including impressionistic rock through his previous band Art Decade, alternative folk in the solo album named ‘For The Dreamers,’ and a number of string quartets and orchestral arrangements. He will be showcasing his enthralling melodic compositions tonight (April 25th) at The Bowery Electric and on April 27th at Pianos. – Amanda McCall

You may think that the Massachusetts three piece punk band Bugs and Rats is just noise. And you’re right. But it’s great noise. Their tracks usually start with an indiscernible, arhythmic introduction before settling into a more focused, but no less raucous, groove. The vocals often get buried under a tidal wave of furiously jagged electric guitar riffs and stop-and-drop drumming all presented to you in a lo-fi package (whose been crushed and kicked and torn, held together by some duct tape). Honestly, this is probably as close to punk as you can get without actually having lived in the punk era of the 70’s and 80’s. With simple, repetitive chords, a wall of noise so loud that it will knock you off your feet, and a brazen delivery oozing confidence and an attitude fit for Sid Vicious himself, you can expect one heck of a show from these guys. Keep a tab on their Facebook page for future shows.  

Good luck keeping up with Arlene Gould. The Brooklyn artist balances her creative energies between the worlds of Israeli pop (with Afro Hebrew band Milk and Honeys), performing highly danceable Afrobeat under the pseudonym AG, and delivering dating advice via JDate. Gould’s schedule may be intense, but you’ll be able to see her when she plays Rockwood Stage 2 on Saturday, April 30th. Listen to new track ‘Rollin’ (ft. Lucille Crew) below, the raucous lead single off her upcoming LP of the same name.- Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Remember Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell? These legendary ladies of folk have laid down lasting legacies and two accomplished women in the DC area are a product of that influence. Meet Joan & Joni, a duo dedicated to the works of Baez and Mitchell and comprising Allison Shapira and Kipyn Martin. Both performers possess amazing vocals, creating transcendental melodies, and they pluck their guitars in the most elegant ways, crafting an intimate and enveloping sound that you should check out. They display a rich stage presence and a level of talent not to be taken lightly. Catch them tomorrow night, 4/23, at the National Colonial Farm in Accokeek, MD. Doors at 6, $12. -Jonathan Goodwin

We are always curious to see what local bands make it into the yearly NYC Popfest – a festival that deserves credit for scouting talented emerging pop acts and keeping things on a medium to small scale, which is what The Deli is all about. This year’s edition will see three NYC based acts involved, and we are very intrigued in particular by Lake Ruth (pictured), a band that evokes aural specters of early Belle & Sebastian led by Trish Keenan of Broadcast. The trio is really, reall new, but its members have played in established acts like Enon and Holy Fuck, although they sound like a development of NYC’s guitarist Hewson Chen’s psych-pop project The New Lines – with a different singer. They have dropped two digital releases so far, for a total of three tracks, debuting in February 2016 with two stylish and mellow songs in ‘The Inconsolable Jean​-​Claude’ EP, followed just two months later by the more uptempo and summery ‘Through The Lychgates,’ streaming below. Singer Allison Brice’s soprano is honey for the ears, and the band knows how to let it flow.

The other two local acts playing this year’s popfest are garage pop trio Big Quiet, which we booked at one of our latest CMJ shows, and self-defined "freak-pop" band The Hairs, brainchild of Brooklyn songwriter Kevin Alvir, who are about to drop their first release since 2013, a n LP entitled ‘While, I Hated Life, Barbarian.’ Check out preview single ‘Fave Shit 15.’

Led by singer songwriter Oliver Kennan, Kennan Moving Company is a NYC based quartet that plays loungy pop-rock with vintage overtones – we caught them live this past Sunday at a "Feel The Bern" event at Black Bear Bar. Their music is soulful and refined, with Kennan’s crisp and youthful voice juxtaposed to jazzy arrangements, for a modern throwback sound. Released earlier in 2016, their debut EP "New Colors" features tracks like ‘Easy Coast‘ that are relaxing but upbeat, and smooth opening single ‘Charades’ (streaming below) which conjures up images of romantic flicks and their sentimental narratives. – Amanda McCall

Based in Jersey City, Overlake is the moderately shoegaze trio born from the songwriting chemestry of Tom Barrett (guitar, vocals) and Lysa Opfer (bass, backing vocals). We say "moderately" because the band’s sound steers clear of the insanely effected guitar tones that characterize some of the classic of the genre (see My Blood Valentine, who still influenced the band in the melodic department). The mellower sound, which seems to blend in a good amount of clean guitars, suits Barret’s whispered tenor and Opfer ethereal harmonies, resulting in a mix of shoegazer and dream pop. The band released two albums since 2012 and single ‘Travelogue’ (streaming below) in October 2015. You can see them live at The Mercury Lounge on April 23rd.

Here’s our usual, blurb-less recap of new music by not so emerging NYC artists from the last few weeks, enjoy! Pictured, Holly Miranda, who graced the cover of The Deli back in 2006 with her band The Jealous Girlfriends (7th issue of The Deli NYC) – she just landed a residency at Bushwick speak easy Hell Phone.