NYC Alt Rock trio Highly Suspect – ANOTHER band that was listed in our recent Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artist – just got the news that they were selected to play Bonnaroo. The band’s bluesy single "Lydia" (we blogged about it recently here) was released in early 2015 and immediately resonated online with hundred of thousand people around the globe, which obviously helped them land a spot in the line up of the upcoming Tennessee hosted festival. Check out their other single "Lost" from their debut EP.

Must say I didn’t expect to find one of my 2015 summer jams so fast but New York quartet Sly Moth (one of The Deli’s Best NYC Emerging Artists of 2014) is like an early (or late) Santa. Their new self-titled record features playful surf/indie-rock guitar and bass, parading percussive sections, and talk of dizziness, sunshine, and sticky jealousy. The Joy Formidable and Waxahatchee come to mind. These songs are catchy and gladly avoid easy traps like getting stuck in stagnancy or mind numbing choruses. Dani Newman’s vocals fit into dreamy grooves and crackle effortlessly here and there like a cinema actress laughing into a telephone. Did you know the band started forming with a craigslist ad? One of those love stories. – Leora Mandel

Started as a rather psych project entrenched in melody, Brooklyn Fort Lean in the last few years has developed its sound in a decidedly poppier direction (something also reflected in the band’s press shots), although without losing some of the edgy sound of its beginnings. The band has just put the finishing touches to debut album "Quuet Day", which follows their 2011 self titled debut EP and a couple of singles from the following year, and it’s shceuled to be released on June 2. Check out the preview single ‘Cut to the Chase" below.

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

NYC punk lovers should not miss tonight’s show at Baby’s All Right with last year’s Deli Artist of the Year – the post-hardcore madmen Big Ups – and super talented garage poppers Boytoy, a female fronted trio with Australian roots that manages to merge influences as disparate as shoegaze and surf. They will be opening for Nashville’s Turbo Fruits. We actually booked both bands last year at the punk stage of our NYC B.E.A.F. (Best of Emerging Artists Fest), which by the way will be back this year, again during the Northside Festival. Check out a recent single by Big Ups and an older song by Boytoy below.

The original version of Brooklyn synth-pop collective Bowmont’s song “Just Cause You’re Right,” off of their 2014 released EP ‘Hovering,’ had a uniquely warped quality to the pulsating synth sequence. Although very much a pop song through its vocal presentation, a rather unpredictable structure kept the listener engaged. The band now released a stunning remix of this track, moving it closer to the environs inhabited by the likes of Swedish electro masters The Knife. With DJ/Producer Rasmus Vestervig handling the remix under his 99 Blows nom de plume (the guy is also a celebrated guitarist in a number of bands), an intoxicating blend of sparse percussive pulses share open spaces with deep bass synth notes. When Emil Bovbjerg’s vocals ultimately emerge to tell a tale of loss and heartache (“if you ever come back to this street, I’m going to change the locks on the door”) they are propelled forward by bright high-hat cymbal percussion and bubbling synths. In addition to this new release, the band will play a free show at BAMcafé Live on Saturday, April 11th at 9pm. – Dave Cromwell

Brooklyn/Athens based trio Bambara plays that niche genre – unknown to most mortals – called "noise rock." You may have more luck getting a reaction from saying the words "Sonic Youth," the NYC band that pioneered and perfected the genre in the late 80s. In their latest album "Dreamviolence," the trio takes things to darker and sometimes even noisier extremes. We asked them a few questions about how it came together. The guys are lucky enough to have a sound engineer in the band, William Brookshire, who recorded the album and answered our questions. Read the interview on The Deli’s gear blog Delicious Audio.

Only a powerful musical chemistry can explain how two musicians separated by an ocean can decide to form a band. Copenhagen-based Anna Lidell and NYC’s Katy Gunn formed Teenage Love when they met in NYC during Anna’s first trip to the US. The two preview singles from their upcoming debut EP combine quirky vocal harmonies, violin melodies and electronic elements in a way vaguely reminiscent of Dirty Projectors, with a slightly less jazzy/experimental inclination. Check out "Gold," streaming below, and the more recent Teenage Fanclub cover of "Sia – Chandelier."

I think we can all agree about the fact that age is very important in rock’n’roll; we might not like that (we don’t) but we can agree about it, right? Therefore, a good rock song is bound to get some added value when it’s written and performed by four musicians in their (not so late) teens. And then, if you also realize that the band has a solid six track debut EP with no fillers under their belt, things start to get really interesting: records without fillers are rare at any age… The band in question is NYC’s Dolly Spartans; their self titled debut fluctuates between pop punk exuberance (‘We’ll say that for now,’ streaming below, and ‘ ‘Don’t You Know‘) and more tamed melodic moments reminiscent of a dirtier Vampire Weekend (‘Who Are You,’) or even of sacred monsters like The Beatles and their beloved disciples XTC (‘Something on my Mind‘). The band’s sound features the right amount of rawness (think early Pixies), which gets tamed at least in part by songwriter and lead singer’s Michael Eliran tenor, that sounds way more mature than his years. The range of the six tracks, the actual songwriting, and the maturity of the arrangements is truly impressive for such a young band, and make this is one of the most consistently fun NYC made record we heard in a while. Hopefully these guys’ sound won’t get too polished too soon!

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

SOB’s Sol Village is New York City’s longest-running R&B/Soul music showcase, and it’s turning 10 this year (happy anniversary, The Deli is also 10!). The event’s organizers have built a solid reputation for breaking new artists within those genres, booking early gigs for John Legend, Musiq Soulchild, Luke James, Bridget Kelly, Allen Stone, and Emily King among others. The next featured performer at Sol Village is New York (via Ohio) soul-pop singer songwriter Tangina Stone, who released her debut EP The Fall about one year ago. Check out her popular single Suntan, streaming below.

Brooklyn’s Life Size Map, a band that merges 8 bit rock with melodic vocals and shoegazey tendencies, is releasing today their self-titled debut album on Old Flame Records. Check out the two preview singles from the new record ("All Been Spent" and "Parasol Life") streaming below. Life Size Maps will head on a short east coast tour with LA’s Gothic Tropic and then return to Brooklyn to celebrate the record release with a show at Baby’s All Right on May 1st.

It’s rare to find music that’s incredibly intense and creative at once, maybe because musicians interested in intensity tend to stick with traditional genres, while those attracted by originality often settle for "quirky fun," or are too cerebral to let things get emotional. But 21 year old NYC songwriter Elliot Moss is getting a lot of buzz with self-produced songs that are both moody and sonically interesting. His breakout single "Slip," with its bare edginess and vocoded vocals, almost comes across as a soulful, updated version of Laurie Anderson’s "O Superman," while other preview singles from the artist’s upcoming album (due later in the year) showcase busier programmed landscapes, and a soul singer with seriously sulky inclinations. Check out "Best Light" below, and don’t miss Elliot’s upcoming show at Baby’s All Right on 04.29.

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

Seattle’s cool-punk sage Julia Shapiro has put together an awesome mix-tape of some of Seattle’s finest pre-post-garage-fi-no-drone-outside-wavers. Listen closely and you might hear some of Chastity Belt’s subliminal influences shine through; from So Pitted’s grimy ‘Cure’ infection, to TacocaT’s fuzzy cat-call sarcasm. Or maybe don’t think about it too much and just kick out these jams and have a real cool Monday.

Hippy Shit – Pony Time

Hurt (Closer to P edit) – Punishment

Tell Me – S

I want To Believe – Lisa Prank

Hey Girl – TacocaT

Couches – Wimps

Deep Throat – Stickers

The Sickness – So Pitted

Sequins – VATS

Ghoul – Dude York

Seattle Bands from juliamshapiro on 8tracks Radio.