We are not sure if traces of Puerto Rico and Columbia can be found in Balancer's music (that's where the band's members hail from). There's a certain "chill factor" in their music one wouldn't instinctively associate with hustling NYC, hadn't the Big Apple produced a recent musical phenomenon called "chill wave" and an invasion of mellow dream pop acts led by Real Estate - a scene the band squarely belongs to. But there is a certain romantic quality in their melodies and lyrics that is exquisitely Latin, and that contributes to making their songs so charming and appealing. The trio was one of the best live acts we saw (and booked) at this year's CMJ Music Marathon, thanks to a performance oozing with flair and instrumental confidence (we were particularly impressed with drummer Gabriela Jimeno). We are proud to premiere their newest single "Clarity" (streaming below), recorded in Seattle at the end of 2014 with long time collaborator Garrett Reynolds, during a session that also produced their previous single "Waves Remain."

In August we asked our readers in bands to submit through our system to be considered to play The Deli's four official CMJ Music Marathon shows, promising at least three slots. From the nearly 800 submissions we ended up picking twice as many bands as promised, here they are:

The City and Horses - Dream Pop stage (The Living Room, Saturday 10.17)

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Journalism - DIY Stage (Muchmore's, Thursday 10.15) 

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Zuli - Dream Pop stage (The Living Room, Saturday 10.17)

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Balancer - Dream Pop stage (The Living Room, Saturday 10.17)

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Pop & Obachan - Dream Pop stage (The Living Room, Saturday 10.17)

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Aimee DeBeer: Dream Pop stage (The Living Room, Saturday 10.17)

Now in its 6th year, Out In the Streets Festival is back in action to bring your favorite indie bands to Queens for a weekend of art, food, fun, and music. Hosted at the historic Onderdonk House in Ridgewood, the outdoor fest is the smaller, DIY version of all the big summer music festivals that have competed for your attention and presence in the past few months. Since it began on a street corner in Bushwick in 2009, Out In the Streets has kept itself homegrown and independent but continues to grow every year, celebrating local artists and eateries in this two-day multimedia festival. The lineup includes bands like Mr Twin Sister, Total Slacker, The Love Supreme, Wild Yaks, Salt Cathedral and many more. The bands performing this weekend are all mostly NYC-based, and the lineup on Sunday is featuring local bands from Bushwick and Ridgewood. Full weekend passes are still available for only $35, with one day tickets going for $20, on sale here. Check out a Spotify compilation of all the performing bands here, or streaming below. - Sam O'Hara

Between Donald Trump's gross statements about Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rico's financial default, these days Hispanics living in the US are in the news for all the wrong reasons. In the meantime, here in the NYC scene, bands such as Empress of, Salt Cathedral and Buscabulla, led by talented musicians born in Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other wonderful Spanish speaking regions, are making music the old Trump should probably listen to - at least to correct on the notion that the Spanish speaking countries "don't send their best people to the US." With members hailing from Colombia and Puerto Rico, Balancer is a rather recent addition to this platoon of Hispanic NYC based artists. Quite interestingly, all of the bands we mentioned here play music that's imaginatively melodic and... well, yes: dreamy. Whether the dream that inspired them is the American Dream, the musicians' dream of "making it," the "DREAMers" dream, or a simple musical influence, it's hard to deny that that very concept seems to be central to the experience of immigrants and artists alike - no wonder it becomes crucial for these immigrant-artists. The new Balancer video we are premiering here for beautiful single 'Re Minder' re... minds us that the cacophony outside our heads is truly irrelevant, and happiness is a place we can learn to access at any time. An antidote to the Trump style ubris and ugliness can be found in the ability to open our minds to the therapeutic power of imagination, something children and artists naturally possess. This song and video are about the freedom nobody can take away from us, something the Trumps of the world likely lost for good, and something that doesn't need guns to be protected. Don't miss Balancer's upcoming show at Cameo Gallery on July 9th.

If you feel like closing your eyes and escaping this never-ending cold, Brooklyn-via Colombia/Puerto Rico trio Balancer have got you covered, with their new single, titled “Waves Remain,” off their forthcoming EP. The track contains enough island dreaminess in the guitar reverb (and occasional tasteful tremolo) and moveable bop in the drums that it acts as a listening vacation. With its alternatively progressing and regressing rhythm, seamlessly flowing from a relatively weighty chorus into an upbeat pop-interlude, this track is not without its complexities, the vocal paving over the fluttering instrumentals with grounding power. While relatively somber in lyrics and how they are sung (with an opening line like “you know I cannot, cannot see the fun…”), however, the track is a beautifully fun getaway from, if anything, the norms of the Brooklyn indie scene. – JP Basileo