“Schlitz” is just the type of feel-good story we need for the weekend ahead: the song is over six minutes of summer-scented alternative rock recorded by Boston’s New Threads in three different parts of Massachusetts. Jacob Keplinger (guitar, vocals, keys), Justin Siegel (drums, vocals), James Siegel (bass, vocals) did not allow the pandemic to disrupt the connection they share nor the creativity that propels the group, and we all get to reap the rewards of that. “Schlitz” has a jam feel to it as it switches rhythms and flashes distinctive guitar riffs that feel refreshing and have a slight acidity to them—the song is a cool summer beverage. Sprinkling mint-cool elements of jazz and psych, New Threads offers a funky track you will want to take in slowly; recorded a la 2020 and perspiring a better tomorrow, “Schlitz” is streaming below. - Rene Cobar

Digging up some tunes today, we stumbled across “The Bar Fly,” the short and sweet instrumental by New Hampshire’s Adam Reczek; the song accompanies a movie of the same name, written and directed by artists from northern New Hampshire and Vermont. The instrumental is a cool meltdown with electric guitars that languidly ring out, a bass that crawls beautifully, and snaps that add a relaxed rhythm. There is not much more you can ask of the song, nor would you want to, but it does add curiosity for the movie it is attached to; stream “The Bar Fly” below for a respite from the world. - Rene Cobar, photo by Empire Imaging

Something dreamy, something sad—that is the glow that radiates from “18,” the new indie-folk single from Providence’s Dogs on Shady Lane. The acoustic guitar strums that softly thread about during the track begin to brighten as dreamy electric guitar accents pile up, and the reverbed vocals of project leader Tori Hall gently reflect on life and its sweet and sour melodies. Refrains such as “thick as brick but stick stone, hurt/me less than silence and warn/but burning hands mend me like wool, so feel me up/I’m too old to be crying so much” hint at strength and vulnerability, at the physical and its memory. The new track by Dogs on Shady Lane has in it all the charm of the indie-folk genre: escapist sounds you can drift away to and lyrics that ground you to a reality you help to shape; if you need a moment away from your busy Monday, we have it for you streaming below. - Rene Cobar, photo by Kannetha Brown

Sending us to a much-needed weekend, Boston’s Bees Deluxe jams something sweet in the group’s new single “Nitro” featuring the chops of drummer, producer, composer Poogie Bell who keeps a delicious groove going. “Nitro” features bluesy guitar licks and smooth vocals that soothe and mesmerize, something like sparkly spilled honey. The track has a fun Southern feel to it: a relaxed summer single that whisks us away to a place of comfort, maybe somewhere where we can dance alone. Is the world a better place with music in it? When you listen to “Nitro,” it sure seems that way; stream the new single below for a better weekend. - Rene Cobar

To say 2020 feels like a glitch in the system would not be a stretch of the imagination: it has all the qualities of disruption indeed. Golden Rose Boy, a chiptune artist from Manchester, NH, gets the tone just right in his May release Floppy Disk which takes the synth-arcade sounds we recognize and morphs them into something sinister and entertaining at once. Tracks like “Lofi Music To Die To - Rest” have a cold ambiance to them, robotic, yes, but also very much grounded in a dark type of biological-sounding atmosphere. “A Summoning - The Inevitable” feels like the anthem to the marching parade of your nightmares, it swells and growls in a manner that excites the imagination. Overall the short entry is something bizarre and welcomed, all at once, it fits the mood of the year; Stream “Golden Rose Boy - Victory Lap” below for something outside your comfort zone. - Rene Cobar