A gentle sweetness emerges within the deeply resonant female vocals on “Abalone,” the preview track (streaming below) from Brooklyn-based Softspot’s forthcoming album “Clearing.”  While open guitar chords provide counter-melody and the simple bass line drives its rhythmic center, a churning percussive track underneath parallels the same mysterious wonderment of penultimate Kate Bush/Hounds Of Love track “Running Up That Hill.”  Harmony vocals appear at crucial points within the emotional arc, dreamily elongating end of line words. At over five minutes in length, there is plenty of room for extended instrumental passages featuring bright guitar figures, deeper bass only transactions and swelling synths.  An extended outro features an angular time signature that ultimately gives way to a beat-less ambience. This is an outstanding track from a full album set for a February release on Arrowhawk Records.  The band will appear live at Union Pool on 1/22 as part of the (le) poisson rouge presents series with Alpenglow and Norwegian Arms. - Dave Cromwell

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

Returning for it's third night, Deli NYC sponsored event, The Hum will be back at the Manhattan Inn with another killer line up. The three set event will feature artists like Emmy the Great, Allison Miller, and Shannon Lee to name a few. These are super talented musicians and it's going to be interesting to see what kind of music will be produced through these collaborations. This is part of the month-long residency - presented by Hypnocraft and sponsored by The Deli, that is aimed at spotlighting female musicians across a wide variety of genres. Check out the full line up below, and catch the event happening every Monday in October. - Olivia Sisinni

Monday, October 17 | 8PM | Artist Line Up:

Emmy The Great + Jo Lampert (tune-yards) + Margot //

Allison Miller (BOOM TIC BOOM) + Domenica Fossati (Underground System) + Kendra Morris //

Melodie Stancato (Swoon Lake) + Sarah Kinlaw (SOFTSPOT) + Shannon Lee (Teen Body) //

Here's streaming content for the NYC based artists in the list:

Whoever said Queens isn’t cool (hey! it's the new Brooklyn!) surely must not have heard of the Out In The Streets Festival coming to the Onderdonk House in Ridgewood for its fourth year on July 16-17.  Filled with some of our favorite local artists, such as The So So Glos and Frankie Rose, the festival is primarily a rock'n'roll fest. Bands will be playing with a backdrop of art, food and the Ridgewood market.  We’ve prepared a playlist to give a taste of the artists playing this weekend, but be sure to head over to the Out In The Streets festival to hear them for yourself. - Madeleine Grossman

On the weekend of November 22nd, Cameo Gallery, one of the last beloved venues still kicking in Williamsburg post its DIY heyday, gave us a last hurrah. Since 2009 the multi-floored venue and bar has been host to numerous favorite dance parties, indie rock and electronic bands, DJs, make outs, comedy shows — they even fit a few modest demon dimensions in those restrooms. Its stages were notable in the beginning narratives of bands such as Neon Indian, Beach Fossils, Sharon Van Etten, and The War On Drugs. This writer was glad to catch the penultimate show last Friday with a lineup including many local talents: Monograms, Little Racer and SoftSpot opening for Eternal Summers, and a later set by The Juan MacLean. The experience was as dancy, sweaty, and boozy as one could expect. All the acts made for a fantastic show, but in my personal account, Brooklyn’s quartet SoftSpot stole the night.

It wasn’t merely about enjoying the sound, or even getting fixed on lyrics as fabrics fix on burs—It is an intimate thing to watch a woman cast spells, and lead singer Sarah Kinlaw does this in front of everyone gathered. This is most stirring to witness in person, as the power might start in her voice but is controlled as if attached to strings on her expressive hands. SoftSpot is a synthesis of eerie dream-rock with modern dance, and just played one of the most refreshing live sets I’ve seen in a while. A performer caught in a spell of that sort encourages those in the audience itself to follow and ease their steps as into a body of water. Those who desire to, become places for lightening to travel.

At the end of the night, the bright, multicolored display dangling on the ceiling over all of us suddenly seemed in its small way iconic, like the clouds attached to every memory of Glasslands. We wish you adieu Cameo, thanks for all the good times! - Leora Mandel

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

Like sailing through an indigo sky, surrounded by deep darkness that you have the power to penetrate, SoftSpot's sophomore record 'MASS' and its lead single 'You / Yours' (out April 8th) is full of the dramatic intensity. Architecturally transient, it swoops acrobatically through seductive guitar work and sometimes sinister drums, in a sort of dreamy but certainly never sleepy fashion, the instruments cavorting with Kinlaw's sometimes Bjork-esque vocals. Two minutes into 'You / Yours' there's a blistering culmination of all its assets, swooping grandly together to a drum dalliance before filtering down into gentle tings. Glorious. Other album highlights include the punctuated chimes of 'Black Room Blues,' the dual layered vocals on 'Gathering,' (an initially slow moving song that builds and blisters with its looping lyrics) and the garage rush of 'Pick Up Lines,' its ominous delicately picked bass line and Keller's vocals adding a tense dark counterpoint to proceedings. The Bushwick trio, joined by recently permenent member Blaze Bateh play the Shea Stadium on Feb 28th and Piano's on March 11th. - Francesca Baker