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.

Anyone living in New York City can attest to the fact that it’s a bit of a mess, wonderful and cacophonous but also slightly terrifying and frustrating. Brooklyn based post punk quartet Journalism manages to encapsulate the nervous energy of trying to make it in this city with their new album ‘Faces.’ Bouts of energetic anxiousness permeate the songs, exacerbated by feverous guitar riffs and accentuated by the mild tension in frontman Zema’s vocals. The reverb drenched guitars pluck away tenderly in songs like “Watching and Waiting” and “Everywhere I Look” before erupting into a string of mesmerizingly fast paced chords, climaxing with “Naked.” Journalism questions if what we’re doing in the end amounts to anything, but the inherent uncertainty of it is what makes it thrilling in the first place. Catch Journalism live at Trans-Pecos in Queen on May 21 and give their album a listen.

At first you think that this band sounds like most indie rock bands: melodious guitar riffs, a fat bass chord, steady drums, and a captivating voice. But Julius Earthling quickly dispel this notion with their EP NFL Bliss, which erupts into a raucous rhythm that starts heading one way before completely changing up the tempo and heading down another path, then switching up again. It’s quirky, spastic, catchy and unpredictable which makes for one heck of a fun album. They play tonight at O’Brien’s pub so head on down for a night of great music. If you miss them make sure to keep tabs on their Facebook page for upcoming concerts.  

We’ve been big fans of Brooklyn based Norvwegian songwriter Okay Kaya since we saw her first video for single ‘Damn Gravity,’ released in the spring of 2015. We’ve been missing her live a couple of times (she cancelled a CMJ show on us in 2015, and we didn’t cath her at SXSW in 2016, so we won’t miss the oportunity to see her at The Deli’s sponsored appointment with The Hum, this Sunday April 24th at Greeinpoint’s Manhattan Inn, when she will be playing a semi-improvisational set with Aerial East and Kelsey Lu. We are also happy to report that she has released some new material earlier this year, which showcases a welcome orchestral development of her uber-sparse style – check out single Keep On Pushin’, streaming below.

Kelsey Lu (pictured) is a NYC based artist we’ve never covered before that is also worthy of attention. Born in Charlotte, NC, this classically trained cellist plays with Solange among others, although her own music flirts with ambient and experimental tendencies.

At The Hum this Sunday you’ll also be able to see  Joan Wasser of Joan As Police Woman (who needs no presentation) in a set with drummer Jordyn Blakely (of Stove) and Noga Shefi of Zula, who will also share the stage with Taiwanese vibraphonist Yuhan Su in a separate set. 

This is the last appointment with The Hum, a series The Deli has been sponsoring for the second year in a row – you can read about past showcase previews here.

We are not sure if the concept of "sulking while danicing" existed before the introduction of goth music, but we certainly find the paradox amusing. Were you in the mood for it, we recommend you to watch this video, practice at home, get dressed appropriately, and then go showcase to the public your new moves and attire at Baby’s All Right on April 23rd, during Zebulon Gone‘s live performance. This is a very new, local, one man act that blends goth with industrial (which is an electronic version of goth) without venturing in the latter genre’s overly clangy tendencies. Check out single ‘Get Out, streaming below.

Brooklyn dreampop rockers Beverly are preparing to drop their second album “The Blue Swell” on May 6 through Kanine records. To celebrate that release they have scheduled a few live appearences: a full fledged live show at Baby’s All Right on May 5 with EZTV, Painted Zeroes and Tall Juan, and a free, in the store show at Rough Trade Records at 2 pm on May 7th. In our 2014 interview with the band singer and songwriter Drew Citron confirmed how “harmonies are the most important thing to me,” and how they can “set one moment of the song apart from the other.” That process is clearly on display on recent single “Victoria”  The simplicity of the songs intro seems to exist for this very “set apart” reason. But it’s the gorgeous chorus that pulls it all together. “Why do you need them to adore you?” With a sound like this, it’s hard not to. Newly release song and video for “South Collins” takes those incredible harmonies and bathes them in a haze that marries Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” with The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Some Candy Talking.” The noir film video that accompanies adds a darker edge to its sonic haze. – Dave Cromwell