The various moving parts that come together on This Is Just A Place, the latest offering by Brooklyn collective Field Guides, create a verdant mix of folk and dream-pop, creating music that feels both grounded and distant. Single “Guessing at Animals” provides a wide open space for bandleader Benedict Kupstas to experiment, his narrative baritone centerstage, waxing nostalgically, buttressed by layers of interweaving, echoing guitars and the occasional sax line. It is this very synthesis of hazy instrumental backgrounds and Kupstas’ prescient songwriting that provides Field Guides with its greatest strengths, a release that’s drawn from human experience but presented as if viewed by some omniscient narrator, looking down from space — softly recollective tunes for recounting the past through rose-colored glasses. Listen to it below, and catch Field Guides on February 9th at the Mercury Lounge with Onlyness and Rose Blanshei. —Connor Beckett McInerney

It’s impossible to ignore the influence John Darnielle has on songwriter (and erstwhile Deli NYC contributor) Will Sisskind. Similar vocal cadences aside, his music under the Paris Buns moniker charts its own course on Charm (Metromania I), the first in a year-long series of emotively-inspired EPs. Backed by barebones electric drums and minimalistic synth contributions, Sisskind sings about the role charm itself plays in disparate social settings, whetherits inconsequential flirtatious banter (“Sphallolia”) or the inclination to smile in social settings (“The Eccedentestiast”). Verbose, prose-filled odes paired with driving acoustic guitar make for a unique effort that showcases the Paris Buns as a daredevil songwriting act that’s perfect for fans of the Mountain Goats or AJJ — give it a listen below.

Brooklyn post-punk quartet S.C.A.B. firmly establish their laid-back jangle-friendly sound on debut Beauty & Balance. Interweaving, bright guitar arpeggios, rife with treble, create a harmonious backdrop for vocalist and songwriter Sean Camargo’s freeform vocal performance, one that modulates between aggressive sing speak (“Negroni Week”) and sliding slack-jawed melodies (“Beauty”). The synthesis of these two elements keeps the record fresh throughout its eight tracks, an engaging blend of lo-fi, instrumentally-driven pop and new-wave inspired vox. Give it a listen below, and catch the band at Jones Beach Cafe & Bar on March 6th, supporting Plight.

Following her recent signing to Infinite Companion, New York synthpop tour de force Mïrändä returns with a new series of anthemic electronic singles, her latest offering “Stay” a powerfully energetic meditation on desperation and hope, desire and love. The track (and accompanying video) cinematically present the drama inherent to Mïrändä’s craft — amidst rapid, driving percussion and baroque synthetic accents, she writhes in religious dress and extinguishes prayer candles, adding a level of well-curated melodrama to her ovation-worthy vocal performance. The visual’s final scene of the artist, gazing towards the camera, adorned with a ceremonial headdress, hauntingly conveys the mixed feelings that informed the single, her stare an indiscernible mix of long and self-assuredness, a picturesque, Kubrickian conclusion. Watch and listen in our premiere below. Photo by Jonah Lorsung

It’s hard not to feel lonely when listening to Sign of the Good Times, the latest full-length by New York-based songwriter Tim Barr. Even as the backing instrumentation swells to fill the room with his somber blend of indie and folk, Barr’s iconic vocal performance is hushed and reclusive, a product of both his process (the record was self-produced on tape in the artist’s apartment) and of his philosophy in writing the record, which serves as an exercise in “accepting and appreciating the totality of human experience as it is.” It’s this approach that makes Good Times an evenhanded resonant record, with Barr willing to dwell on differing memories — snapshots of playing baseball and kissing in the rain (“I Become Everything”) are presented in tandem with recollections of lost love (“Wolves”). The end result is a deeply human release, a mixed bag of feelings and emotions, presented by an isolated narrator looking outwards, trying to make sense of it all the best that he can; listen to it below when you’re trying to do the same. —Connor Beckett McInerney

Mexico City by-way-of New York quartet Frege return with the spacey “Disentwine,” bringing along vocalist Simon Balthazar (Hieronymous) to provide a light, lounging performance over the outfit’s shuffling progressive pop. Inspired by bouts of “depression and imobilizing apathy,” the transnational band embed sparse, distant synths and meandering bass into their new offering, inducing feelings of dissociation broken only by the odd keyboard tickle and a last minute drive that employs the song’s various disparate components into a short instrumental vamp, all before slowly fading to black. Despite the social isolation present, there’s a palpable warmthin “Disentwine,” due in large part to the group’s preference for analog machines, which paired with its vocal elements creates an interesting dissonance, a feeling of being present but not actually there, per se. Give this sleeper bop a stream below as you mull whether to go out or stay in.

New York trio the Ehems carefully thread the needle between indie and garage on “Eh Eh Hem,” gleefully demonstrating their love of fuzz and Kodak film in the track’s visual component. Beginning on a gainful riff and concluding with a vague, repeating mantra that continues throughout the song’s two and a half minute runtime, the three person outfit drive and groove, leaving room for muted, overdriven instrumental segues. No bells and whistles to be found, their focus on creating energetic rock highlights the band’s desire to embody the city’s history of fervent, guitar-centric music, as evidenced by their recently released VHS live-show compilation. Give it a spin below, and head out to Berlin on February 6th for their first show of the new decade.

Noah Chenfeld further cements his status as New York’s brutally honest troubadour with new offering “Late.” Expanding beyond the upbeat cynicism of last year’s “I Love Being Tired,” his latest track is a dark lamentation on the eggs broken to make an omelette; brooding organ riffs accent Chenfeld’s crooned aphorisms, bitter statements on unsavory choices and necessary evils. Amidst these dejected declaratives is Chenfeld’s brand of vintage-inspired indie — driving guitars and gain-heavy vox embed “Late” with a classic sound, further driving home the timeless nature of the song’s themes, the adversity inherent to modern living. Drink it in with our premiere below.

There’s no rest for antifolk folk hero Talulah Paisley, who over the last three months has made a consistent habit of releasing engaging-yet-muted singles on Bandcamp, manifesting a mood board of introverted, off-the-cuff observations that showcase her prowess as an insightful songwriter. “Call” is the latest entry to this sonic scrapbook, a soft slow jam marked by a careening vocal performance against a steady acoustic accompaniment. Present are the somber similes we’ve come to expect from Paisely’s uniquely folksy craft (“squish me like your third grade putty”) amongst impressionistic observations of heartbreak — paired together, they create a grounded recollection of love and loss that makes a seemingly intangible sadness feel painfully real. Stream it below ahead of her February 10th performance at Mercury Lounge alongside Razor Braids and Dolphin Pal. —Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Julie Orlick

A pleasant springlike sound permeates Jeremy Gustin’s electronica offerings on Mere Husk, the latest LP he’s recorded under The Ah moniker. Perhaps its the tactile percussive elements on tracks like “The Factory Girl” and “Watermelon Tears” that feel like a more grounded Animal Collective b-side, or the pleasant twang accompanying keys on “Just Relief” that resonate as charming and homegrown, the type of soundtrack for a weekend bike ride around Greenpoint or a walk in Prospect Park. Regardless of which specific instrumental accents endow the record with its bouncing, verdant energy, the summation of Gustin’s varied synthetic process makes for a colorful release, one that showcases a keen ear for abstraction, creative melodies, and off-kilter sounds. Give it a listen below before the rest of the album drops this Friday (on NNA Tapes), or attend the album listening party at Step Bone Cut on February 1st.

The wicked, envious crooner is an old character in the book of rhythm and blues, and Sean Carroll is the latest performer to don the costume. New aptly titled single “Jealousy” embodies a lasting R&B tradition, made more contemporary by Carroll’s inclination towards confrontational guitar work, yet with distinct classic influences — still present are a roaming organ groove and a sauntering percussive beat. Fans of more recent R&B outfits like the Black Keys and Jack White will find “Jealousy” accommodatingly vintage and chock full of soul — give it a listen below (preferably with cigarette and whiskey in hand).

Memories have a way of shifting and transfiguring the past, creating picture shows in the mind that, while fictionalized, are still “based on a true story.” Such mental Kodaks inform the track “Sideways” by NYC-based the Gloomies, a collection of acid-bathed footnotes, rife with recollections of black lights and clear perfumes. It’s a fitting tune given the Gloomies’ recent relocation to Brooklyn from Southern California that the first single from the project’s forthcoming LP Romance would be a psych-pop yarn from their last summer; crunchy vox and meandering guitars abound on this track, placing it squarely between the sounds of artists like Ariel Pink and the thematic overtones of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice. Listen to this tastefully far-out track below. —Connor Beckett McInerney