Listening to Aüva is like losing yourself in a photograph whose colors have faded under the sun. The brilliance is still there but it’s like walking through a hazy dream. From the sugary sweetness of the three piece harmonies and gum drop plops of the guitar in “Into Place” to the prithy drumming and twangy melancholy of the rhythm section in “Nothing Else,” Aüvas Light Years is an aural technicolor reverie dripped in nostalgic beauty. Losing ourselves in this sunburnt masterpiece was a breeze, and easing out of it left us longing it a little more. Prepare for cool summer nights with Light Years and catch Aüra perform at O’Brien’s Pub on Aprill 11. – Adriana S Ballester

Last night was at the 9:30 club was a beautiful one. Opening the night was Brazilian psych rock group Boogarins. This quartet was fantastic, sounding like an otherworldly mix of CCR and Tame Impala. Capturing a bluesy guitar sound and mixing it with superb drumming, songbird vocals, and a penchant for atmospheric vocals, their show’s an experience worth having. They’re playing Ottobar tonight, 4/5, so get out and see a truly unique act!

Following up to headline was Andrew Bird, established folk pop virtuoso. Supporting his new albm, Are You Serious, he put his multiinstrumental prowess (violin, guitar, and whistling) on full display for a sold-out audience. Engaging, humorous, and packing a serious set of pipes, his music reached into the soul and emitted a warmth reminiscent of innocence and home. Check out his latest video below and I highly encourage listening to the new album. -Jonathan Goodwin

Oy NYC, and NJ based bands and artists!

You can win an online interview with The Deli through Manhattan’s legendary rehearsal studio The Music Building, just sign up here by April 15, 2016.

The Folks at The Deli

Some of you may wonder if we are partial to psychedelia… after an issue like this one, you’ve got your answer! We just stumbled upon single "Maker’s Script" by Brooklyn’s Miracle Sweepstakes, and got the music-triggered equivalent of a "wingboner" (it manifests itself in writing a blog post in under 2 minutes) The trio mixes all kinds of psychedelic references (we hear Sid Barrett, The Beatles, The Dukes of Stratospheres, and Sonic Youth among others) to build multifaceted music that’s as surprising as it is enjoyable. You can see them live tonight (April 6th) at The Gateway.

Back in January, New York folk pop duo Supersmall released its resplendent debut album, ‘Silent Moon.’ Starting with the guitar-sunned “A Better Life,” (streaming) which carries forlorn souls towards the titular destination with intriguingly novelistic lyrics, and featuring the similarly romantic title track, the nine-song effort tackles such serious themes as the passage of time and solitude with a refreshingly warm hand. – Zach Weg 

With reverb laden guitar sections and long instrumental progressions interspersed in their work, the Brooklyn psych rock band Caverns builds a sound reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s prog rock scene. With a dreaminess laced into every song, and guitar riffs that sound like slow bursts and plops of neon bubbles in a lava lamp, EP Tonche. dwells between late Pink Floyd’s placid psychedelia (Ten Feet Tall), atmospheric pop (Ghosts) with interespersed hard rock elements, through sudden energetic bouts. Catch them tonight (April 5th) at Rough Trade with BRIDGES and Manic Pixi. – Adriana S Ballester

All lasting musical projects require some degree of reinvention to keep inspiration and curiosity alive, and NYC’s "ex" orchestral project Cuddle Magic just came out with a new single that displays a sonic transition towards a more electronic sound, without giving up the signature delicate melodies and intimate, sparse atmspheres. Counter intuitively, "Trojan Horse" (streaming below) was written by Benjamin Lazar Davis and Bridget Kearney during their 2014 trip to Africa – well, admittedly, electricity exists in many African countries… The track will be featured in upcoming album "Ashes/Axis."

There is something beautifully sinister and dangerous lurking underneath the surface of Casey Desmond’s latest release, Three Licks, under the moniker CMB. The Boston based electronica artist brightens up the reverb drenched scene of her city with oscillating synths and throbbing bass, oozing globs of neon with every beat. However, there is the scintillating threat of something more biting at our heels because the EP is more than just another glossy electronic composition. Bouncing between the glitchy dark ambiance of tracks like "Fade Into Nothing" and the bubbling magnetism of "I Don’t Know," Three Licks is an experimental project replete with raw emotions texturized by Desmond’s  electronic production and vocal talents. Delve deeper into Desmond’s rabbit hole and catch her performing at Great Scott on April 25. – Adriana S Ballester

Back in 2014, we shared the enjoyably gritty music from New York-based Americana songwriter Kate Vargas. Today, the New Mexico-hailing, Berklee College of Music graduate premieres on this very blog her latest single, “Second Skin” (streaming below). Featuring The Reckless Daughters and ambling to a guitar-lined looseness reminiscent of Tom Waits’ swampy gem “Clap Hands,” the bluesy track is as ruggedly resilient as its title suggests, climbing back up from down-home hardache. Don’t miss Kate at The Bowery Electric on 4/16. – Zach Weg Photograph by: Wick Beavers

A little over a month ago, new Brooklyn indie-pop act Yoke Lore made a humbly audacious introduction with the soaring song “Heavy Love” off its forthcoming debut EP ‘Far Shore.’ Now, project creator Adrian Galvin conveys the song’s helplessly twitching heart with a disturbingly compelling, accompanying music video (streaming below). Showing a still-faced young man alternately standing in and dancing through a bare white room, images of him and his past lover cutting through his mind, the clip is as hauntingly vital a portrait of post-romance ennui as can be expected from the warmly cerebral Galvin. While Yoke Lore doesn’t seem to have forthcoming shows listed, keep posted on the project’s Facebook page. – Zach Weg

Recent Deli NYC Artist of the month Silverbird and Crystal Stilts’ keyboardist Kyle Forester (pictured) will be sharing Berlin’s stage on April 6th, for a free show belonging to the PURSUIT series, also featuring a DJ set from Erika Spring of Au Revoir Simone. Both bands offer quality songwriting with dreamy overtones, with Kyle Forester opting for a mellower and at times folkier sound. His full length record is scheduled for a May release.

Asbury Park’s fertile music scene has had a long history of influence on the NY metro area and beyond. Local psych rock revival quartet gods is a recent offshoot of The Parlor Mob, releasing their debut EP “Endless Stunner” in early 2015. Leadoff track “New Future” builds off a forward driving snare and bass drum beat with tambourine-jingle enhancements, as guitar chord structures playfully invert The Beatles’ “Ticket To Ride.” Vocals begin as the drums drop out, creating a harmony-induced dreamlike sequence before the beat kicks back in. The lyrics “I have been waiting it seems until eternity brings me the light” underscore a chorus enphasized by riff heavy guitars. “Creatures” rises out of an electronic bass pulse center, allowing space and sonic textures to float around it. With individual percussive elements emphasized through heightened studio effects, an overall sinister feel in rhythm emerges. One could imagine this as film score music behind a pivotal travel scene. The pure pop’n’roll single “Puttin’ Me On” (streaming) seems as if molded from prime era “Electric Warrior” T-Rex combined with joyous groove of 70’s psych-pop bands like Mungo Jerry. Bolan-esque vibrato infused verses are followed by the handclap punctuated hook “B-B-Baby, don’t you know you drive me crazy, you do!” As catchy a pop rocker you’re likely to hear, the best elements lock together bass, lead and rhythm guitars. Clocking in under two-minutes, “dream, dream, dream” moves things further back in time with its mid-60’s British blues feel. The vibe is early Yardbirds, Eric Burden’s Animals and the Van Morrison fronted Them. Title track “Endless Stunner” serves as the EP’s big time rave up grand finale. Epic guitar hooks share sonic space with raucous vocal screams, abruptly staggered drums and dreamlike plateaus, bringing together the best of hard rock and prog. gods will be performing at the Good Room in Greenpoint on May 11, while The Parlor Mob play on April 8 at House of Independents during the Asbury Park Music In Film Festival. – Dave Cromwell