Looking for hot beats? Gaithersburg-based Bakalis pumped out this sick single a few weeks ago and it should be blasting through everyone’s speakers right this moment. He’s been busy the past year, laying out new tracks every couple months. Barely pausing for breath but spilling out lyrics flawlessly, Bakalis has somber backbeats that serve to emphasize the strength of his message and make your head start bopping along. He’s talented and industrious, so keep this guy on your shortlist for quality DC rap. -Jonathan Goodwin

In their debut LP, Adult Moods, Adult Dude manages to take the grunginess of the 90’s and seamlessly work it into their sound, creating some tracks that are at once memorable and sincere sounding. With wall of guitars J. Mascis would be proud of, and hook-filled riffs and gruffy vocals, Adult Dude display noteworthy songwriting chops, while their recording showcase production well above the average. Catch Adult Dude in all their grungy glory at The Gateway on April 8th and don’t forget to give them a listen below. – Adriana S Ballester

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

A few months ago, Boston folk-rock musician Seth Wonkka shared “I Have It All” (streaming below), a sparse guitar track that intrigues with its emotional grandeur. Featuring hearth-like instrumentation reminiscent of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love,” the song has the smooth-voiced Wonkka praising a lover’s sheer presence while kindly asking for the “cool breeze” that will keep him calm amidst the haste and noise. Reportedly at work in the studio recording (having previously released ‘More Than Him’), Wonkka plays at Middle East in Cambridge, Massachussetts on Monday (3/28). – Zach Weg 

Just a few weeks ago we spent some positive words about Indian influenced psychedelic NYC band Humeysha, and it’s great to see them gain some traction – the quartet will play Baby’s All Right twice this week: tomorrow (03.23) at 9pm opening for Monika and on Friday 03.25 supporting HEEMS. It also unveiled a new video for single "For Love, from the Law," streaming below, from their self titled debut LP.

Chris Hess and Adam Winn of the psych-pop duo Swimm, have brought their unique beach breeziness and pensive lyrics from Florida to LA. The recently released, Beverly Hells, is a sun-drenched relaxing ride through a genre-bending soundscape. Lo-fi, surf-infused, indie has never been more emotive. Fluidity and weightlessness pervade their sound but their live performances are also as visceral as it can get, and their SXSW 2016 shows confirmed that.

The Ithaca based trio Alter bring their avant-electro rock compositions to the NYC music circuit with their recent release Three Songs. Weston’s arresting vocals build over glossy electric compositions which unfold into a multi-layered electro-pop masterpieces. Songs on the EP have Weston’s vocals climb over the relaxed drum beats and warm synth textures, accompanied by distortions and followed by the gradual disintegration of the songs culminating in hauntingly beautiful creations. Keep your eyes peeled on their Facebook page for any upcoming shows.

Dancing has long been a form of escapism, not only from the world, but also from the inner machinations and inhibitions of the self. Such are the themes explored in Brooklyn-via-Alaska-via-Moscow composer Olga Bell’s new single, “Randomness,” which dropped this week on One Little Indian. The song is a bleak approach to feeling good on a dance floor, but it works. Cold yet melodic synth oscillate and arpeggiate over the somewhat unexplored territory of 120+ BPM, a speedy force to be reckoned with. Bell’s hushed, effected vocals coat the amalgam of percussive tones, prodding at you with reflective lyrics about the world around us, and our place in it. Uncertainty turns to dubiousness, which then turns to disdain, as Bell eventually bemoans, “there’s nothing left to say, ‘cause it’s all over my face. I guess we’re that.” And if your mind resists the power of the beat’s message, the body surely cannot. -JP Basileo

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

Two guitar electric rock with underground panache is always welcome in NYC. Bushwick-based rockers The Britanys present a quirky mix of those attributes via current single “Basketholder" (streaming). By securing producer Gordon Raphael for this track, the band was obviously looking for a similar sonic clarity found in his work with The Strokes nearly 16 years ago. Defined riffs morph from tandem structured second guitar chord progressions to chugging counter polyrhythms. Vocals are delivered in feel that appear to echo Lou Reed’s street lingo sensibility with Julian Casablancas’ early sonic effects. While lyrics lack cohesive storytelling and are seemingly unrelated ideas strung together, perhaps that’s the intended point. “Well I’ll be your basketholder – if you’ll be my girl” speaks to something more universally relatable than a simple literal statement. Incorporated within the three minute length are a number of catchy hooks that establish urgency through staccato drum patterns and double-time emphasis. The lyric “but I can’t take it much longer, this running around the city all day” leads up to the tracks ultimate structural peak, where music and words come together with emotional force. The band play a headline show at Baby’s All Right on April 20. – Dave Cromwell

This past October, Brooklyn “coffee rock” quintet Chamber Band released their genre-melding sophomore album, ‘Careers.’ Starting with the folk-inflected “Baker’s Boy, and featuring “Love Left” (streaming below), a rock-girded track that boldly depicts intense heartbreak with novelistic calm, the Hunger Games-influenced release (which also features covers by Tom Waits and Jakob Dylan) is both intellectual and free-thinking, controlled and wild and, consequently, is compellingly enigmatic music. Chamber Band plays at Black Bear Bar on 7/15. – Zach Weg

A little over a week ago, Providence folk musician Ian Faria released his unabashedly joyous latest album, ‘Animal Songs.’ Starting with the ambling “Raccoon Song,” halved by the elegant “Cassafrass Blues,” and including “Prayer Song” (streaming below), a ukulele-jumped track that features fellow Providence eccentric Edgar Clinks, the technically masterful fifteen-song effort (which follows Faria’s ‘Covers’ album from last year) exudes real-life gravitas while jubilantly soaking in summer joy. Ian Faria plays AS220 in Providnce, Rhode Island on 3/29. – Zach Weg 

"Punk" and "Dream" are words frequently used to describe the musical output of many current NYC artists. But they are rarely – if ever – used together. Staten Island ‘s self described dream-punk trio Yeti weaves a dreamlike essence into their songs, while still maintaining the edginess of punk through math rock and emo influences. Their songs often contain thick bass rhythms which are accompanied by quiet drum beats and topped with bassist Snyder and singer Simoniello’s harmonizing vocals. Mostly harmonious and mellow, their songs don’t lack tension and are interspersed with energetic instrumental bouts, such as in “Cicada,” which pick up the pace in a rather aurally peaceful album. Keep tabs on Yeti’s Facebook page for any upcoming shows. – Adriana S. Ballester

Even though blues and rock have been mixing for decades, NYC quartet Black Market Merchants refine the delicate dance between the two, all while maintaining a fluid melody. With a sound that relies heavily on guitar riffs – alternating from slow and faint (“Catching Sleep”) to rapid fire energy (“The Kill”), this band has in Savannah Sturgeon’s alternatively soft and powerful vocals an expressive medium for their richly textured songs. Take a listen below and hit up Rockwood Music Hall this Thursday, 3.17, to catch Black Market Merchants live. – Adriana S Ballester