Kicking down the door right away with heavy percussion and cascading guitar work, Ménage À Garage‘s debut EP is a treat, put simply. With vocals ringing like They Might Be Giants’s John Flansburgh and cutting lyrical content, some of the largest classic tropes of punk prevail throughout the record: some storytelling, some angst, and a critical eye for life. You’ll be tapping your foot to the beats before you know and then banging your head with the crescendos along with anyone else listening to this fine group. Ménage À Garage has been very busy, playing show after show at staple DC venues, so look out for announcements for spring and summer gigs! -Jonathan Goodwin

Williamsburg’s favorite iconoclast HEEMS is rocking a late night set tonight (3/25) at Baby’s All Right before doing “some rapping in Ramallah, Haifa, Jaffa-Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv before Beijing.” Whereas hip hop group Das Racist garnered fame through their irreverence for their genre and lot in life, HEEMS rocks harder and stronger through direct assault. Focusing his furor at the ills of a racist society, the dysfunctional government, and the irony inherent in most modern hip hop, HEEMS elevates his art from every angle, often with poppier results (as in the streaming video of 2015’s appropriately titled single ‘Pop Song’). – BrokeMc

Here at The Deli we like to reward unconventinal artists – although unconventionality must be matched by talent – and New Zealand composer/musician/producer Leila Adu definitely belongs to this category. Her new EP "Scary Love Monsters" presents us with six unpredictable tracks (that’s a trendy adjective in these Trumpish days, isn’t it?), fluctuating between pop, weird jazz, dark lyrics and brainy experimentation at times reminiscent of Brian Eno’s early records. Not a music scene novice, Leila has been making records for over ten years now, and showed displayed a remarkably original sound since her 2003 debut full length ‘Dig A Hole.’ She’ll be celebrating the release of the EP tonight (03.25) at Cake Shop.

A few months ago, Brooklyn indie pop artist Lewis Lane (previously known as Lewis) released the refreshingly soulful EP, ‘Take.’ Starting with the drum-thumped title track, which infuses the marital vow of accepting both health and sickness with almost sexual energy, and featuring “Low” (streaming below), an alternately downtrodden and upbeat piano song that boldly depicts raw vulnerability, the five-song effort vividly displays deep pain but allows the listener to bob to the beat. Lewis Lane plays at Mercury Lounge on 4/16. – Zach Weg 

Imagine if you took The Beatles sound and put it through a DIY blender, what would you get out of it? Brooklyn based Def.GRLS, that’s what. The lo-fi garage psych trio takes the battered remnants of a retro style and build it up with a sense of jovial abandon, molding their work into a slightly deformed but very bright and fun creature. The guitars shimmy with an ecstatic electric pulse as Martinson and Brickman’s vocals, slightly garbled as if slipping through a worn out PA system, float above the tracks. This band is all energy and glitter punches, a sonic wave coming at you with full speed and no intention of stopping. Jump on and ride this wave as they take the stage at Palisades on March 27.  – Adriana S Ballester

Kevin Garrett – who will be performing at Mercury Lounge tomorrow (03.25) – has emerged in 2015 as one of NYC’s most prominent young songwriters. Unapologetically moody, soulful at heart, incurably ballad-prone, Kevin’s songs have the aura of old time classics, but their production process is as modern as it gets, centered – as often the case these days – around the artists’ home studio. Our sister blog Delicious Audio asked Garrett a few questions about it and the creative process it triggers – see link below.

Delicious Audio: Interview with Kevin Garrett about Inspiration and Gear

If pop punk with math influences is your thing, you may want to check out Brooklyn’s Manic Pixi at Rough Trade on April 5th. The band just unveiled single "Iron Heart" (streaming below), titletrack of their soon to be released sophomore album. Drummer Emmett Ceglia kinda steals the scene here, with precision and speed that are nothing short of mind blowing, supporting with explosive energy lead singer Kat Hamilton’s in your face vocals and the guitar and bass often intricate arrangements.

Just under a week ago, Rhode Island garage-rock quintet The Naticks shared the steadily mounting “Carry My Body” (streaming below). Telling after-hour longing similar to that of fun.’s “We Are Young” or tracks off The Walkmen’s ‘Bows + Arrows,’ the piano-pulsed song compellingly conveys dazed youthfulness with mature calm, the titular request seen more as a serious plea for emotional warmth than just a literal body to rest on. The Naticks play at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on 4/13. – Zach Weg 

Listening to Brooklyn rock quartet Howth‘s July-released album ‘Trashy Milky Nothing Town,’ one is pleasantly reminded of great bands of old, while exhilarating in its fresh quirkiness. On such guitar-laced songs as "Teenage Mutation" (streaming below), the tight punk of The Ramones comes surging forth while a track such as "You Were My Girl" has fond hints of The Turtles. Lead singer Carl Creighton and his band do, in fact, seem to be aware of rock’s potential for eccentricity and, with this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-referencing work, they entertainingly and compellingly emit their own spunky oddness. Howth plays at The Gutter with Jennifer O’Connor on April 7th. – Zach Weg 

Bringing a technical touch to grunge-tinged garage rock, Brooklyn via Boston trio Slothrust offers a lot that a listener can latch onto. Lead singer, Leah Wellbaum, delivers her lyrics with angst, passion, and subtle sarcasm that permeates each song distinctly. Humor and dark themes coalesce seamlessly as the band’s personality is put on full display in front of spot-on musicianship. While the band has been a slow burn in terms of popularity, their 2013 album ‘Of Course You Do‘ reached many hearts, displaying the talent, charm, and uniqueness of this group. After three years, they are due for a new record. –  Lee Ackerley

Listening to Starchild is like ascending into the deepest pockets of space and sitting in a pool of glimmering stars. With oscillating synths and spacey electronic textures over smooth, deep vocals Starchild takes us on a trip out of this world. Bryndon Cook, the man behind Starchild & the New Romantics, has toured with big indie and R&B acts like Solange, Chairlift, and Blood Orange as a guitarist, and these artists’ influence is evident in his own work. At times dancey and at other pensive, Starchild’s debut album Crucial is music oozing purple, and covers the entire emotional spectrum. Take a listen below and catch him Baby’s All Right on 3.25. – Adriana S Ballester

Greg Gonzales relocated to Brooklyn at the end of 2015, and the move seems to have proved beneficial. Since then, his uber-mellow, twangy, dreamy band Cigarettes After Sex has developed noteworthy buzz, thanks to their beautiful new record ‘Affection,’ and to powerfully intimate live performances. Greg’s voice, magnetic and androgynous, conveys an aura of ambiguity and mystery to his ghostly material, although his thick mustache/beird combo definitely fights the bi-gender appeal. The band can be experienced live at Rough Trade on June 1st.