New York electronic duo Local Dialect excel in creating understated techno, crafting tactile soundscapes that would feel just as appropriate underground as they would in open air. Their recent drop “Poseidon [REALM]” is a perfect example of this two-pronged production mentality, with its deep, brooding bass underscoring energetic, almost tropical percussive accents. The pairing of these two subsets of electronic music—the mixing of both dark and light elements—makes Local Dialect’s music recommended listening for summer nights and July pool parties alike (or perhaps both, if you’re dancing long enough). Stream it below, and catch them at Elsewhere on July 13th, alongside Willaris.K. -Connor Beckett Mcinerney

Brooklyn-based songwriter Iyves has maintained a relatively low profile since her breakout EP Chromatic dropped last year, a release lauded by many outlets for its urbane alternative R&B sound. With newly arrived single “Gold,” Iyves reemerges on the scene after a year-long hiatus, laying down a sleek, dramatic foray into the New York night. As a track, “Gold” finds strength in its cinematic delivery—its vocals grows from muted to explosive over the song’s three minutes, playing opposite to grandiose electronic bass hits, in a performance that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Bond film’s opening credits. It’s an exciting, theatric ride, one that promises more sultry jams from Iyves throughout the second half of 2019. Stream it below.

Dreamworld, the new LP from Brooklyn-based artist Simon Garrett, spills out onto the canvas like a knocked over can of paint, incorporating smatterings of electronica, breakbeat, and alternative rock throughout the course of its nine distinct tracks. It’s a record that’s hard to pin down, and Garrett seems to like it that way, directly confronting the listener by means of off-kilter percussive segues (“Expalina”), power-pop anthems (“Whole New Shaky”), and bare-bones lofi folk performances (“Last Sunday”). While by no means a thematically cohesive work, Garrett’s penchant for weird, disconcerting sonic textures and drive for experimentation ultimately delivers an album that’s satisfyingly strange, offering an idiosyncratic take on numerous genres from a radically new perspective. Listen below, and catch Simon Garrett on July 16th at Sunnyvale, supporting Racket Man, Tidal Gloom, and Phil and the Osophers. -Connor Beckett McInerney

New York-based polymath KYOSi describes the process of crafting her new extended play in terms of resonant beauty. “The question I ask myself is ‘did I make something I believe to be beautiful?’ and if the answer is yes, then I’ve reached success,” she says. As such, the recently released Negative Space contains a smattering of diverse genre influences—equal parts jazz, EDM, and pop— all congealing to create something as aesthetically pleasing as it is avant-garde. The EP’s title track is a standout example of this mellifluously-focused philosophy, with KYOSi’s vocals drifting in over reverb-laden seventh chords, all driven forward by house-inspired percussive breaks. It’s an iconoclastic release that on paper shouldn’t work, but with each separate piece in its right place, guided by KYOSi’s acute ear, it delivers a lush, experimental listening experience. Stream it below. -Connor Beckett McInerney

What America needs on July 4th—or at the very least, what it deserves in our current political climate of intense partisan divide— is honest-to-God punk music that will shake us from the collective drunken stupor of holiday shenanigans. Dryclean is here to deliver this necessary intervention on their just-released Tired & Wired EP. Delivering mid-paced melodic grooves reminiscent of ’90s California garage rock, the New York trio’s performance gets to the core of many collective frustrations, be it our relationship with technology on “Technodrome,” or the general listlessness of existence on “I Don’t Know.” While not an overtly confrontational EP, it’s a sharp reminder of the dehumanizing effects inherent to the 9-5 grind, and as such, an energetic act of resistance against the powers that be. Rip it below, and catch them at Sunnyvale on July 10th, supporting I Am The Polish Army. –Connor Beckett McInerney

Visionary music producer David Sisko is releasing a summer mixtape ("#1 Summer") to launch his NYC-based independent record label, Arena 01. Sisko has made quite the name for himself with his production approach to blur genre lines in favor of balancing creative expression with technical innovation. His credits include small and big artists like Lykke Li, Passion Pit, Gwen Stefani, and Sandflower, to name a few.  #1 Summer will be out on July 5th on all digital platforms worldwide. – Susan Moon

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Looking for something fun to do this 4th of July weekend? Do you love you some great mountains majesty, music of all shapes and genres, and food? Beverages? Trees? Camping? We recommend the High Sierra Music Festival for some good ol’ fashioned American purity. From Dispatch to Jim James, Del & Dawg to The New Mastersounds, the festival has something for most musical tastes. It’s like Burning Man but peaceful. Local favorites include Midnight North, Royal Jelly Live, Rainbow Girls, More Fatter and Eric Long. The festival runs from July 4th thru 7th in the lovely Quincy, Ca. We hope to see you there and tell us post-fest: which acts were your highlights? Land of the free, home of some killer music. May music bless America! – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

 

On July 20th the Temescal Block Party is back with some killer Oakland and Bay Area-based bands. The punk rock Paper Dolls will be bustin a move, alongside rock n roll group Destroy Boys and dream pop duo Billie Gale. Come out to this (free!) festival. – Lucille Faulker

 

Animistic metaphors play center stage on “Olive Mountain,” the new single by Brooklyn psych-rock veterans Futurist. Interspersed among syncopated sunny guitar lines and trance inducing background vox, frontman Curtis Peel waxes on about “fountainhead’s through the noose,” “diamond science,” and “separating blood from a stone.” Futurist’s lyrics wouldn’t be out of place in a tarot deck, but they’re not entirely detached from reality; at the core of “Olive Mountain” is a clear yearning for closure, likely of a romantic nature. As such, the band’s ability to bridge the gap between the tangible and the transcendental endows their music with a unique magical realism, and promises more esoteric imagery on their forthcoming sophomore effort, Omens, out September 27th. Dig it below. -Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Shervin Lainez

So Sensitive — the dark-pop outfit born from the ashes of experimental duo Muscle & Marrow — will release their debut album Bedroom Drama on August 2nd. They’ve just released second single "My Heart Is Open," after setting the tone with "What’s A Girl To Do?". The new track continues the lightening of So Sensitive’s sound from their earlier days; the indie pop of Kira Clark and Keith McGraw seems accessible compared to the rumbling rawness of Muscle & Marrow. Despite that, "My Heart Is Open" remains full of emotion and grit as an homage to Clark’s songwriting hero Courtney Love. The single channels Bedroom Drama‘s themes of sexual identity, obsession, and sacrifice, showing that though the duo’s music is lighter, the subject matter certainly isn’t. Take a listen to "My Heart Is Open" below. – Will Sisskind

Queens-based songwriter Kolb stepped not-so-quietly onto the scene last year with debut release Making Moves, an audaciously experimental effort that blends Bowie-esque vocal delivery with delightfully eclectic (and occasionally campy) instrumentation. With no shortage of out-of-tune toy instruments, unexpected cello lines, and bird calls, Kolb basks in the unexpected and outrageous, his voice endowed by a musical theater quality that, when situated among acoustic guitars and shifting time signatures, creates a vivacious, incredibly fun energy. While Kolb has yet to release a follow-up, the project’s glam-folk vision is unique in the New York scene; stream it below, and catch him at Mercury Lounge on July 6th, supporting Flying Fish Cove. -Connor Beckett McInerney

Brooklyn-based Anna Egge will drop her newest album Is It This Kiss on September 6th; to preview the record, she’s released the music video for a single from the record called "Cocaine Cowboys". The sparse country-tinged track nods to legends such as Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams, weaving little more than Egge’s voice layered in harmony, a strummed acoustic guitar, and tiny touches of strings and wind instruments to create a beautiful and simple song. The video echoes this minimalistic approach: a pair of hands crafts the visuals to the lyrics, using paper cutouts and props such as cereal marshmallows, cotton balls, paper cutouts of the country stars to whom Egge pays homage, and a 45 of "Cocaine Cowboys" itself. Take a look for yourself at the video below. – Will Sisskind