Los Angeles outlets commit a daily sin of overlooking promising bands simply because they exist outside the realm of Downtown LA. At The Deli, we try to make amends every once in a while: over the last several years Ventura's quartet Captions has quietly grown a lush mane in the midst of a burgeoning shoegaze and dreampop scene in Los Angeles. Despite gaining little friction outside the coastal city, their music measures up to the lush grooves of Craft Spells and Wild Nothing, albeit with a minimalist philosophy. 

The band released their first EP "Think Thunk Thought" to staid reception, quavering between crunchy indie rock and dizzying dreampop in songs like "Recording Silence", "Loops", and "A Worst Time". Since then, Captions have made appearances in their hometown and around -- earlier this year they opened for Avid Dancer's Echo residency. Their newest single, the 50's pop slow-burner "Two Step" was released on September 1st, the first of nine songs to their upcoming album. It's a headrush of slow-dancing prom atmospherics, a menagerie of harmonizing vocals and spacious guitar chimes right down Captured Tracks' alley. 

Captions finished recording their as-of-yet-unnamed album with Jacob Summers and Leif Davidsen (both of Avid Dancer) last year — expect an early 2016 release, and more surprises to round out this year. - Ryan Mo

For a high school band that's grown out of its garage roots, Hin Du (fka The Hindu Pirates) have come a long way in their six-year search for a definitive sound. While peeling off the surf-rock tag, the band has opened for Delta Spirit, Froth, Avid Dancer, and The Growlers and played fests from Beach Goth and Burgerama in OC to Noise Pop in SF.

Their newest self-released album When You Come In leads a straight departure from the band's blues-tinged surf-rock Pelican Daze and the rosy-eyed pop of their recent "Hurley" EP. Austin Green's synths and noise manipulation add grandiosity to the band's sonic presence, now focused on towering soundscapes than dirtbox licks. The voice of Austin Ferreira, once barenaked, orates in cavernous reverb as the glassy guitars refract in songs like "December" and "In Hell". Fans of orange-swirl psych pop bands Deep Fields and Cosmonauts might have found themselves a new trip buddy.

Listen to "Wind Song" from the album below. - Ryan Mo

Former US Marine and world class drummer, Jacob Summers, took a break from the glitz and the smog to hide away in the frozen tundra of Alaska. It was there that his ruminations simmered unencumbered into what has become Avid Dancer. Lucky for us, he brought this new project back to LA for our aural pleasure. Last week, SPIN premiered the first single, “Stop Playing with My Heart.” Summers’ haunting vocals have an endearingly heartbreaking quality. Perfectly paired with the vintage-style production that evokes 60’s psych in a lost bedroom tapes kind of way, his time away from the unrelenting sun and sand proved worthwhile. Stream the track below, and catch Avid Dancer live at The Echo on January 21 for Pop Shop West. - Jacqueline Caruso