It’s officially almost-summer, and Brooklyn-based duo Bathe have provided a lush soundtrack in their I’ll Miss You EP, a short and sweet alternative R&B effort that’s perfect poolside-listening. The entirety of the extended play is marked by a lurid nostalgia permeating each of the release’s seven tracks, conveyed through ’80s inspired downtempo swinging on songs like “Kimmi,” and jazzy Strat noodling on title track “I’ll Miss You.” By channeling vintage inspiration into thoroughly modern rhythm and blues, Bathe also creates a record with a double meaning: there’s a longing for people and places past in the lyrics, but the music couldn’t feel more of-the-moment. Stream it as you sunbathe at Rockaway Beach during the coming warmer months, pining wistfully over last year’s summer fling, and catch Bathe at Brooklyn Bazaar on May 30th alongside Myles Cameron and Moise. –Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Danielle Caño-Garraway

It’s hard not to be bitter in this right wing, late capitalist hellscape that we call waking life. Folks with what is deemed “nonessential employment” (including this beleaguered writer) worry about automation, and the crushing weight of political inertia makes it difficult to take action against the seemingly insurmountable challenges of our time. No one understands that better than Brooklyn garage duo Groupie, who, on their newest EP Validated find a way to contextualize our malaise-ridden zeitgeist over the course of four, fast and loose, fuzzed out tracks. From screaming into the void about an uncertain future on the sinister “5 Year Plan,” to embracing a devil-may-care, burn-it-all-down perspective on closer “Cannibal Wave,” Groupie’s punk-tinged rock is very much of the times, expressing anger not just at the powers that be, but at a society-wide fatigue of resisting a political machine that has rigged the game in its favor. Regardless of the frustration, Validated remains as an authentic discordant representation of a post-2016 mindset, reminding the listener that there is power in anger, that you are not alone in your nihilism, and that rage can be a unifying force in questioning (and hopefully changing) the world we live in.

Groupie will deliver their subversive sound to Elsewhere’s Zone One on Jun 17th, alongside Miss June and THICK. In the meanwhile, you can stream Validated from the comfort of you own home. –Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Jeanette D. Moses

Post-punk pop rock cuatro Same Girls just came out with their new single, “Wait” and it’s a perfect blend of their varied interested and influences. You can hear The Clash and The Strokes and some 80’s energy almost reminiscent of the B-52’s. Lead vocalist Taifa Nia’s is energetic and fun. Nia says the new single, "describe the loneliness and the heartbreak endemic in our esthetically obsessed clout culture." Listen here! – Lucille Faulkner

Mars Motel blends vibrant indie-rock guitar riffs with the ambient atmospheres of dream pop to create a sound that is both edgy and emotional, light and heavy, dangerously infectious, and ultimately fun. The choruses of the group’s latest single “Coming Up For Air” are super-charged with energy and show off the band’s late ‘90s and early ‘00s influences. The poise and intensity of the group’s music feels like a crossover between The Verve and Young the Giant, classy and perfectly suited for festivals. The band will be releasing its debut album Passenger X later this year and has a scheduled performance at Pianos on May 30th. Check out the single is streaming below. – Rene Cobar

By the time you hear the vocals of Obil frontman Miguel Martinez in the band’s debut single “Your Name” (streaming), you have already been engulfed by the track’s sonic atmosphere. Faint electric guitar notes flutter around in a whirlwind of synth parts, all to the rhythm of an exquisitely groovy drum beat. The bass on the track seems to melt in the ears of the listener as the song progresses. Martinez’s smooth vocals resemble those of Kings of Convenience lead singer Erlend Øye, both sharing an alluring composure. The group has released the single just in time for the summer, a catchy song that signals good things to come from the band. – Rene Cobar

The music of New Jersey’s Fence is the sonic equivalent to a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak: it is seasoned enough to have an intense flavor to it and raw enough to feel tender. The soft plucking of guitar strings that open up their track “Quidditch” (streaming, from their 2018 split EP with Aqui) doesn’t prepare you for the punk beat-driven feast of screaming solos and vocals that dominate the song. Still, the surprises are welcome, and the feeling of comradery in the harmonies and well-arranged instrumentation underscore the passion that seeps through the band’s music. Fence has been covering the music of Neutral Milk Hotel as of late, and their take on it in their new EP is worth a listen for fans of the psych-folk group. Check out "Quidditch" below. – Rene Cobar

The message embedded in Samia’s music video for her freshly minted single “Ode to Artifice” is the perfect accompaniment to the indie-pop song. The shy girl in the video (Samia) struggles with her identity at prom and is upstaged by her own more confident reflection. The fragmented duality in the video is not only relatable to anyone who has ever felt like they are not self-assured enough, but also offers an intimate look at the artist’s struggles. The person you are and the person others see don’t always line up, Samia seems to recognize this and send a powerful message of self-appreciation and authenticity through this video. The songwriter will be headlining Rough Trade on June 7 before yet another headlining show at Los Angeles’ Bootleg Theatre June 26. Check out the video for the song below (there is a cameo by Mary-Louise Parker in it that gets a thumbs up from us). – Rene Cobar

Shadow Year‘s latest single "PDA" (streaming) is smooth, thorny, and drips with something dank—the artwork for the single is right on the money. Led by its warm sounding bassline and sharp guitar riffs that contort without notice, the composition moves along with steadfast loyalty to indie rock. The group fits in perfectly into the post-punk inspired indie that young groups like Priests and The Coathangers are driving forward: they keep it interesting with messages that ask you to open up your mind. "People so addicted to the water underneath/Drip by drip/Covering," is repeated several times in the song, evoking the single’s artwork once again. What the water signifies is wholly left to the imagination; it could be politics, toxic relationships, or drugs, to name a few things – the band seems happy to let you fill in the blanks. Shadow is preparing for a fourteen-stop tour of the country that will start 06.01 in Washington D.C. – Rene Cobar

Forget your easy-listening diet; your ears gotta get a load of TOP nachos! The Queens, NY band’s 2018 record Dank Side of the Moon is stuffed with eruptive garage-rock tracks that never let up. The entire LP shows off the duo’s ability to create a zesty sonic experience: relentless drum beats, crunchy guitar riffs, and catchy choruses leave a feel-good aftertaste track after track. Yes, the choruses of songs like “Punk Vacation” (streaming) may seem overly simple at first but boy do they stick with you. The band’s upbeat approach to the hefty fuzz-rock that groups like Truckfighters have championed is what makes them a standout. If you are hungry for a good time, TOP nachos will showcase their delicious sonic dish June 1st at the Bushwick Public House. – Rene Cobar

Baseball Gregg is always keeping us on our toes. Just when we’re divining into some sweet n jazzy cabana beats, they switch gears and take us to a poppier place with funky baseline magic. Check out their newest single, “The Movies,” and in case you’re ready for summer, please enjoy their weird and solid music video for “Welcome the Night.” Love us some Wes Andersonian touches like that. They’re playing Milk Bar with Video Age and Max Gardener this Friday May 24. Thanks, Throwin’ Bo’s, for another tasty lineup. – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

S. Holden Jaffe has released solo indie folk music as Del Water Gap for the better part of the decade, and just last month that project continued with the release of the new EP Don’t Get Dark. Again inspired by romantic encounters in dim rooms, the EP contains six tracks that capture the more pining side of love. Songs like "Theory of Emotion" and "Laid Down My Arms" feature Jaffe’s vulnerable lyric-writing skill and a more matured look at three-dimension love, showing not just the romance but the many facets of it, from the pleasure to the pain. Take a listen to the first track from the record, "Don’t Say Nothing", below. – Will Sisskind

Nationally acclaimed post-punkers Priests take their sound to unfamiliar territory on their latest release: The Seduction of Kansas. After making several album of the year lists with their 2017 release, Nothing Feels Natural, Priests work hard on Kansas to not only dive deeper into their aesthetics, but also to push their sound in a new direction.

Eschewing the comparitively subdued sound found on Natural’s title track, The Seduction of Kansas heightens the group’s punk aesthetics while also utilizing the band’s proclivity for unique instrumentation. Moving from a straight-up snarling punk opener on “Jesus’ Son”, the album enters somewhat experimental territory on its title track. Vaguely politically charged, the track oscillates between discordant verses and a synth infused, harmonious repitition of the line, “I’m the one who loves you.” The result is at once attention grabbing and musically impactful.

Heavy throughout the release are explorations of political subjects with a depth that only DC residents would get into. Perhaps the best example is the track “Good Time Charlie”. Inspired by the 2007 drama Charlie Wilson’s War, which used 1980’s US foreign policy in Afghanistan as its subject matter, the track contains lyrical nuggets like:

Like all great pornography, this story is touching
It’s somethin’ that I wanna see
(Black and gold tile, champagne flute)
Good time Charlie
(Sauna water dirtying the birthday suits)

After “Charlie” comes an an energetic semi-spoken word track “68 Screen”, and a bass heavy Riot Grrrl number “Control Freak”, as the group careens gracefully towards the album’s conclusion.

Making a follow up album to a widely acclaimed debut release is always difficult, and fans and critics tend to expect the band to explore new territory while also staying true to their original sound. On this score, and many others, Priests succeeds with flying colors.

-Mike Dranove