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

One of most strikingly intense artists to come out of the Brooklyn scene in 2015, Okay Kaya has been releasing a series of mellow singles accompanied by simple but profoundly touching videos. The latest, entitled ‘I’m Stupid (but I Love You)," is streaming below. Okay Kaya is playing the SXSW House of Vans show at Austin’s Mohawk on Friday March 18. 

What goes around comes around is a saying that is just as applicable to music as it is to fashion, karma, and everything in between. With dreamy synths and anguished vocals, The Makeout Club brings forth a song that seems to have crawled out of the dark underbelly of the 80’s neon synth pop scene: “Gabriel” (streaming below) is a modern twist on dark wave reminiscent of The Cure and Depeche Mode circa 1985. Catch them tonight, March 16, at The Gateway in Brooklyn. – Adriana S. Ballester

Over the recent years, electronic infusions have spread through every genre of music, but have found its most compatible companion in pop. Enter New York native Julietta, who with her electro-soul-pop concoctions, takes us on a dreamy escape. Her initial training in musical theater set the foundation for the precise control of her expansive vocal range, which coupled with the airy synths and deep beats (programmed by a team of producers), create a powerfully ethereal sound that flirts with trip hop and the intensely mysterious atmospheres of Lana Del Rey. Catch Julietta sing about love, loss, and everything in between at Baby’s All Right on March 19, when she’ll open for Vallis Alps. – Adriana S. Ballester

From the opening double-stick flam pattern drum figure, heroic guitar notes and vintage sine wave synth pads, Brooklyn’s Syvia lay claim to a classic alterna-pop sound on “Anxious Animal,” the lead track off their newly released 5 song EP “Silent Violence.”  A repeated vocal hook “you will never be enough, you will not amount to much,” suggests singer Ruth Mirky may be speaking of more internal doubts than anything outwardly accusatory. Though some have stated Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a stylistic equivalent (and overall vocal tone and recording techniques do bear this out) the song structure leans closer to early 1980’s “new wave” monster hit “I Melt With You” by one-hit-wonders Modern English.  However the pacing of this track is more deliberate and laden with harsher guitar layers pointing towards early aughts Swedish indie rock band The Sounds, pioneer new wave acts Blondie and Missing Persons as sonic counterparts.  In addition to the EP release, the band recently played dates in Norway, Sweden and Finland as part of The Brooklyn Sound Tour, and play next at Rockwood Music Hall on April 2. – Dave Cromwell

The Zoom Lens family descends on the inside stage of Cheer Up Charlies to mark the beginning of their weeklong stay at SXSW. The eight-artist showcase will include performances from Oh My Muu, Meishi Smile, a live debut of la pumpkin, (Savannah, GA) new songs from Plaster Cast‘s recently released EP "Permanence," and more. Find more info on the Facebook event page and the official SXSW page. Until then, stream the specially curated Zoom Lens mix to whet your appetite. – Ryan Mo