New York’s emerging indie bands draw inspiration from every corner of rock'n'roll’s rich history. One iconic artist that continues to influence each successive generation is The Cure. Paying tribute to their creative vision, former Deli Magazine Artist of the Month (May 2014) Like Herding Cats is hosting a night in celebration of their music. Although three consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden sold out quickly for the goth giants on their current world tour, those left out now have this option (although we can't promised Robert Smith will be there...). Joining the tribute are Deli favorites Grassfight (pictured), showing how their taut, tightly-wound post-punk style reflects goth's stripped down early beginnings. Also appearing is special guest Skylar Stench (i.e. Skyler Spence, ex St. Pepsi). Each band will play both original music and Cure covers. Between sets Like Herding Cats' front man, Dom P, will DJ Cure Hits, New Wave, Dark wave, Brit Pop and Alternative dance through the night. The appropriately titled event “A Night Like This” goes down on June 9 at Cake Shop. - Dave Cromwell

In their latest singles, “17” and “Party Down the Street,” Brooklyn-based band, What Moon Things blend elements of synth pop, post punk and shoegaze, while maintaining subtle melancholic undertones.  Their lyrics read like nostalgic poetry, accompanied by raw guitar riffs and the even rawer voices of John Morisi and Jake Harms.  “17” and “Party Down the Street” giveus a taste their upcoming full length, “Someone Who Isn’t Me,” set to be released on July 15th, 2016. From the sound of it, it looks like it's going to be a little bit more pop-oriented than their previous releases.  The band is playing several New York shows before the album drops, the soonest one being June 4th at Sunnyvale. - Madeleine Grossman 

The trio of Boy Lawyer celebrates the release of their new EP Decades Don't Matter tonight, as a part of a locally linked lineup at Kung Fu Necktie. Compromised of Enrique Gasparini, Steve Fitzpatrick, and Pat Higgins (all of whom have previous ties to the now defunct Dead Tenors), the new project expands upon instrumentally thematic threads, inviting a fresh open-air sound, with crisp, stretching lines, and the boost of backing vocal harmony feeling near with an eye on the far. This evening, they’ll be joined by the genre-boundless gravitational pull of Colins “Bear’” Regisford, a.k.a. The City & I, while the energetic emotive bursts of Spill and the exposed fragile punk rush of Mumblr, whose new record The Never Ending Get Down is due out June 10 via Fleeting Youth Records, cement this show into place. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $6, 21+ - Michael Colavita

As their name implies, Blasteroid's sound is at times an explosive blast of noise, but can also be calm and composed. Since we covered them last (in October 2015) the Brooklynites released their debut EP Pretty Good, a carefully crafted but edgy sounding record, that channels genres as disparate as pop, noise rock, psychedelia and even prog-rock. Opening track “Artie and the Mountain” establishes this right away by starting off with a swirling ambient introduction that erupts about a minute into a bizarre song that juxtaposes monster math rock distorted riffs with more casual moments reminiscent of Pavement. On “Wet Dog” the verses feature hushed vocals and calm instrumentation that come to a head during the grungy chorus with fuzzy, distorted guitars. The band handles these transitions between soft and loud parts with poise, but its unpretentious, "semi-slacking" attitude prevents it from sounding pompous. 'Heater' strikes the best balance between classic song structure, and tension/release dynamics, with its memorable chorus and exploding bridge - while an out of key guitar solo contributes in making things a little bit more random. Enjoyable and imaginative, powerful and melodic, the Pretty Good EP is definitely more than that. 
Blasteroid will be playing Alphaville on June 3rd in support of Holy Tunics. - John Honan

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