The atmospheric, often ethereal soundscapes of Brooklyn’s Raia Was are perfectly executed exercises in restraint, where a powerful vocal performance sharply navigates the dimly lit labyrinth of downtempo art pop. Her most recent release “Reprise” is a focused, minimalist effort - a song that reads as a lonely internal monologue on a cold, winter night. Was’s vox never explodes or relies on any melodramatic twists and turns, but rather plays counterpoint to the track’s synthy elements, finding strength in its hushed, sometimes breathy qualities; it serves as a preview of more carefully crafted tunes on Raia’s forthcoming debut record, Angel I’m Frightened (Side A/ Side B), which drops this spring.

Raia Was will perform tracks from her upcoming LP at Berlin on March 6th, supported by fellow Brooklynite Harb. Stream “Reprise” below. -Connor Beckett McInerney (@b_ck_tt), Photo by Lissy Laricchia

On February 1st, The Deli will be start sponsoring Le Poisson Rouge's "On The Rise" series, which is focused on outstanding local, emerging artists. We'll be curious to see live again two artists we booked a few years ago and that have had the patience to hone their skill and grow throughout the years (rare thing in the band business): we are referring to hybrid, avant-indie quartet Lip Talk, and psych rock turned psych pop band Dinowalrus. Noteworthy singer songwriter Raia Was will round out a night of great music made in NYC.

Check out each artist's latest single below, and buy tickets here - there will be free magazines for all!

In recent years, West Village venue Le Poisson Rouge has been expanding their booking tentacles to many local venues, and also making an effort (very appreciated by The Deli) to support the most promising local artists with "On the Rise,' a series of shows involving emerging locals. The series' upcoming appointment is on February 1st, with a show involving two acts we've been following for a while in this very blog (Lip Talk and Dinowalrus), and also a very new singer songwriter that's about to release her debut album: she goes under the moniker Raia Was, and she has recently performed at National Sawdust's The Revolution (another series featuring mostly emerging local acts). Single 'Grant it Cause' (streaming below), showcases an intimate sound with ambient electronic elements, and an expressive and soulful voice that strives for sophisticated melodies. Looking forward to the record, expected to be out some time in early 2017. - Photo by Samson Debela.