NYC synthpop couple Wonderful Humans (who recently made our Best of 2015 Emerging NYC Bands list) unleashed a series of single in the last year that gathered interest on Soundcloud. Earlier this year they released "Just What I needed," which evokes East Village era Madonna. Yet, a practical approach to love, in lyrics like, “I wanted more/But I think you got it/Now that I know you’re/Just what I wanted,” is a slightly-cynical reboot worthy of the Girls epoch. More recent single "Don’t You" (streaming), references the ’80s in a darker way, adding playful fake saxophones (an instrument that defined that decade) to an otherwise fully electronic arrangement.

Punkgaze trio Tennis System, who built an empire of sound in the DC and LA scenes, released their newest video for "Ungrown," the third track from their 2014 album Technicolour Blind. Produced by and featuring Erica Terenzi of Italy’s dreampop team Be Forest, the video matches swerving guitars and sun-blistered vocals with nostalgic memories simmered in psychedelic color. This release comes two weeks shy of Tennis System’s long-awaited residency at The Echo. Catch them each Monday night in June with local alternative acts new and old, including United Ghosts, Blood Candy, Teenage Wrist, and THE FLASH HITS.

When interviewed by Free Bike Valet on what to expect for the residency, Tennis System’s Matty T said: “We’re going to be trying out new songs, playing a lot off of our latest release Technicolour Blind, some off of Teenagers, and some really old ones. Each week will be different. I don’t want to give too much away, but I can assure you won’t want to miss one. Each one builds off of the week prior.”

Watch the new video for "Ungrown" below, and check out Tennis System on Facebook for more details on their upcoming Echo residency. – Ryan Mo

As you can gather from her website, electronic artist Kim Boekbinder is a New Yorker full of imagination and ideas, and her music reflects that. She released EP "The Sky Is Calling" in 2013, featuring striking single "Stellar Alchemist." Its video (streaming below) was seen by over 150k people. More recently, to support her next release, she wrote a one-minute song for every hundred dollars she raised, and called it mission accomplished at 169 one-minute songs – all the tracks are gathered here. Legendary British songwriter Momus – who lived in NYC for some time – had a similar idea a few years ago, but approached the concept in a more personal (and pricey) way, writing a full song about each person contributing $1,000.

We blogged about Brooklyn transplants (via Chicago) Nancy about a year ago, after their move to the city, and were thoroughly impressed with their fast paced garage rock. Even though the duo hasn’t released anything new since then, it came to our attention that they are playing a show at The Acheron on June 25. This, in turn, brought to our attention that The Acheron is now an official venue with a rather busy calendar of live shows – and a new website. The Nancy’s show, also featuring hardcore locals Warthog, might be a good opportunity to check out the Bushwick spot, whose calendar looks like a good place to parse for obscure up and coming local acts.

Pehrspace is holding its second ever No Voltage Night to coincide with Young Lovers’ second night of residency. All acts will perform their sets acoustically with only candles to light the venue.

Young Lovers have arranged their dreamy post-rock songs especially for the night, backed by a chamber orchestra with very special guests. Diverse musician Matt Kivel, (of Princeton, ex-Gap Dream) who just finished his newest album Janus, will perform along with back-to-back girl-boy duos: folk-inspired Sacred Destinies and acoustic instrumental rock Littlest Sister. Folk singer-songwriter Sienna Moffitt will make an appearance too; stream and download her recently released demo on Bandcamp!

Come tomorrow, May 18, and enjoy an intimate evening with friends and loved ones. The show is all-ages and completely free! Doors open at 7:30 pm.

The 8th annual non-profit festival Make Music Pasadena is nearly upon us! On June 6th, over 150 acts in alternative, jazz, folk, electronic, and more will be playing in downtown Pasadena from 11am til 11pm. Over 50,000 attendees are expected for this all-ages event located right outside of restaurants, gastropubs, and boutiques. And best of all: entry is 100% free!

Make Music Pasadena will span 20 city blocks in Pasadena, offering five main stages and over 30 supporting venues from IX-Tapa to the Old Town Pub. To help festival attendees cover so much ground, MMP and DoLA have created an interactive schedule to track the performances. Get from stage to stage more quickly with free rides on the Pasadena ARTS buses all day, and listen to the live sets on board.

If you’ve been itching for an outdoors music event without breaking the bank, then this is your chance to see rising Los Angeles notables like bipolar folk act Kera and the Lesbians, South Central synthwave revivalist Autumn in June, psych-pop team Kid Bloom, art rock outfit The Moth & the Flame, and indie funk jam brothers Jr.! Performances will also include renowned acts like Kishi Bashi, How To Dress Well, Hundred Waters, Lydia Ainsworth, Sir Sly, Hidden Charms, Opus Orange, Caroline Smith, and many more to be announced, with a special set by the Pasadena Symphony/The Pasadena POPs in the evening.

Check out Make Music Pasadena’s website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates and cool giveaways! – Ryan Mo, Photo Credit: Chris Molina 

The Deli has enjoyed following the prolific progression of Gabrille Smith’s sharp and intimate songwriting/arranging project, Eskimeaux. Over the years this songstress has gathered up hearts in butterfly nets with achingly insightful and narrative lyrics set into refreshingly inventive sounds and structures. Her newest record, “O.K.”, is a bit more smoothly produced, hyper, and traditionally written than her previous glo-fi records— fortunately, this transition hasn’t sacrificed the soul of the project. Along with new tunes, she’s brought some older favorites into the new soundscape. It’s great to hear “While you were breaking your neck trying to keep your head up, I was breaking my neck just to stick it out for you” again with some added punch, along with versions of "Everything You Love" and "The Thunder Answered Back". Nostalgia aside, we’re excited to give this record some time in our players and see which tracks will nuzzle their way into the repeat-button this time. Celebrate the release of "O.K." with Eskimeaux, Emily Reo, Free Cake for Every Creature, and other musicians in the lo-fi neighborhood tonight (May 15th) at Shea Stadium! – Leora Mandel

In 2014, Bosco — a recent NYC transplant from Atlanta who recently made our Best of NYC Emerging Artists list — released a series of well-received singles that married breathy, soulful vocals to edgy electronic experimentation. Normally outside soul music’s vocabulary (at least since the late ’80s), these results range from futuristic party tunes (“Names”) to hypnotic, abstract R&B ballads like “Slippin’,” or brand new single "Boy," streaming below, with which she announced the signing to record label Fool’s Gold.

New York singer/songwriter Raye Zaragoza offers a set of shimmering folk with her debut EP Heroine (released last week). Throughout the four-track release, the young musician shows deeply intimate scenes of romance-searching (as in “Sleeplovers”) and innocent love (as in “Crazy Eyes”), continuing a tradition of plaintive guitar-based ballads while distinguishing herself with her voice. Comparisons to Norah Jones are almost inevitable but Zaragoza’s vocals are warmer, finding an intriguing spot between toddler-like dependence and the experience of an adult. While initially recognizable, Raye’s voice—and music, at large—has a unique elusiveness. Raye Zaragoza celebrated the release of her debut EP last Wednesday at Rockwood Music Hall with The Natalie York Band. – Zach Weg

We found Bushwick quartet Warn The Duke in the listings of the July Gigawatts Festival, which packs a slew of emerging NYC artists (we covered most of them in this blog). They play incendiary alt rock with punk and garage overtones, and from their Facebook posts we gather that they are currently working on the follow up to their 2014 debut two track ‘Noreaster EP’ – listen to the EP’s title track below.

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

In early April we issued a NYC buzz alert for Brooklyn soul pop trio Strange Names, and in just over a month the buzz has become something more than that: after unveiling four singles from the upcoming album ‘Use Your Time Wisely’ (to be released on Frenchkiss Records), the boys last week played a sold out show at Irving Plaza supporting Azelia Bank (and then two more in Chicago and Boston). All this is building the ideal conditions for the album release party, which will be celebrated with a show at Baby’s All Right on May 21. Check out single "I Can’t Control Myself," streaming below.