With an appreciation for the jubilance of pop music and the willingness to explore new sounds that NYC is known for, in 2014 the city’s electronic musicians created music that could soundtrack all-night dance parties or pensive nights alone. Beshken captured that contrast best on For Time Is The Longest Distance Between Two People. The album migrates between spacious, simmering instrumental sections and buoyant, pulsing rave-ups. Overcoats played more heavily on thumping, dance-floor anthems with their debut album YOUNG, but lyrically the duo looked further than the party scene. Overcoats’ portrait of inner emotional struggles rivals the tact of many veteran pop songwriters. The electronic genre also took influence from the indie rock world. Guerilla Toss, featured on our cover this past fall, released GT Ultra, a mish-mash of post-punk, psychedelia, and electronica that’s near impossible to accurately categorize. Covering stuttering electronica in a dream pop-inspired haze, Blood Cultures’ Happy Birthday balanced the danceable with the moody. Perhaps not quite fitting into the electronic realm, Sneaks made a post-punky sophomore album using almost only a drum machine, bass guitar, and vocals to craft the expertly concise and individual It’s a Myth. To be fair, that album came out before Sneak’s Eva Moolchan moved to NYC, but since the band’s relocation we’ve proudly embraced them as our own. Belonging to the Electronic realm are also two NYC records we recently blogged about: Torres' dark and mysterious Three Futures and Standing on the Corner's avant-hip hop masterpiece, and recent Deli NYC Record of the Month, Red Burns. - Cameron Carr

Torres' musical path could be used as an ideal example of what should happen to a musician who dares to move from Nashville to NYC - something she did in 2015, soon after releasing her sophomore album Sprinter. Her 2017 follow up, Three Futures, reveals a more daring artist with an uber-edgy sound that makes abundant use of synths and guitar pedals. The tracks share a claustrophobic atmosphere that seems like an unavoidable by-product of the transition from the big spaces of Music City to the "coziness" of the Big Apple. The labels took notice (the album was out on legendary 4AD), the critics applauded (Three Futures is one of the top-ranked albums on Metacritic.com with a score of 79) and the fans multiplied. And more recently, the UK newspaper The Guardian included the video for Skin (streaming below) in its Best of 2017 list. Since the release, Torres has been gigging non-stop in the US, Canada and Europe.

Catchy magazine headlines and conversations overheard on the train might lead you to suspect a mass exodus out of NYC, but recently Brooklyn snagged Mackenzie Scott of the songwriting project Torres away from Nashville. For many artists, nostalgia is an easy route, but Torres’ songs rarely allow that kind of distance — there is something dangerous and she’s touching it now, she has a fresh cut and she’s washing it now. Scott will sing a statement with grace and tolerance but repeat the line until it drives her mad enough to shriek it. Torres primarily utilizes guitar and drums with influences of folk, country, and punk, but Scott’s voice is the power capital. In the past Torres has toured with Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, worked with Sharon Van Etten and War on Drugs, released two albums. She recently headlined at Brooklyn Night Bazaar and Bowery Ballroom. This May she will embark on a U.S. and European tour. - Leora Mandel

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

Photo by Bekah Cope

A recent high school graduate travels up the road from Macon, Georgia to our beloved Nashville to attend Belmont University with songwriting aspirations. This is a fairly common tale in Music City. You've probably heard it before, interchanging cities and towns of origin. In this version, the protagonist is played by Mackenzie Scott whose given name is less recurrent than this common storyline. Lately though, you probably have heard some heavy buzz surrounding Scott's musical monicker, Torres.

Since releasing her self-titled debut in late January of this year, Torres (which is Scott's grandfather's last name) has seen her pseudonym take shape in the public eye with warm reception. The 22-year-old wrote and recorded her debut while enrolled at Belmont, pulling double duty as college student and recording artist; neither effort suffered as a result of the other. Scott graduated from Belmont, and Torres put out a gripping record filled with 10 songs showcasing maturity and depth not often found among debut releases.

With a background in writing (poetry and short stories), Scott taught herself to play the guitar at the age of 16. She began performing in Nashville in 2009 in acoustic settings (read: Americana, folk, coffeehouse, granola). Unlike many songwriters in Nashville, she broke out of the writers rounds and developed a sound she describes as having the "teeth" she couldn't achieve in the acoustic format. The dynamics and production of Torres are notable in that they display a specific mood and atmosphere without acting as bells and whistles. Torres' vocal performance is emotive without feeling forced. She pulls listeners along her journey instead of pushing listeners into emotional submission. If you're pressed for time, give a listen to "Chains" and "Jealousy and I." When you get some more time, have a go at the whole record.

Torres is representing Nashville and supporting her record with a run of performances at SXSW. She'll be playing The Deli's Hangover Hideout on March 13th at 4 pm. –Jonathan Parrish

If you're all dressed up with no place to go this weekend, we've got some suggestions for you...

Friday...

Tonight, the Exit/In is hosting a sweaty roots rock show, highlighting two local acts and one out-of-towner. The Blackfoot Gypsies kick things off with a solid dose of rock swagger and are followed up by fellow Nashvillian, Joshua Black Wilkins and his gritty brand of whiskey folk. Headliner American Aquarium is set to take the stage around 11 pm. You can find the details for this one here.

If you'd like your Friday night activities to be a little more laid-back and bank account-friendly, the free show at the Basement is your jam. Further exemplifying that Nashville is a goldmine of musical talent, TORRES will be hosting her record release show. Sharing the stage with her is the erotically-named, immensely-talented BF/GF Sex and former Floridian, surf rock band Catfish. Get all the info on this show over this way.

Saturday...

Keeping the album release theme going, Sol Cat are heading to the Stone Fox to unveil their self-titled debut. After what felt like an eternity of teases and video premieres, the band are finally unveiling their LP. Joining them for the event are The Weeks and Junior Astronomers. Getcher tickets here.

If you plan to head to the Mercy Lounge on Saturday night, act fast. The venue is sure to fill up with Kopecky Family Band, RayLand Baxter, and indie rock Texans, The Eastern Sea, taking the stage together. All three acts spent 2012 catching a decent amount of heat and hype, so get your tickets early and expect an explosive and fun show.

Sunday...

Typically a quiet day for venues, Butterfly Boucher keeps the party going for one more night over at 3rd & Lindsley. Joe Pug joins her on the bill and, according to the Facebook event, the show will air live on Lightning 100.