This past August, Providence synth-pop trio Triangle Forest shared "Pluto" (streaming below), an aptly-titled song of outer space solitude. Listening to the drum-hopped track, one may hear the forlorn jumpiness of such '80s hits as The Human League's "Don't You Want Me?" but it has an underlying poignancy that still resonates in the 2010s. As the chorus of “Pluto” goes, "All this time,/We've been out in this cold," but the frigidness of the titular planet can be made warm. Triangle Forest plays AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on 12/19. - Zach Weg

A few months ago, Providence-based act Sensitive Hearts released some pleasantly sensual demos. While the song "Who Is He" is an electronica-oriented piece of skipping beats and percussive pings, the punk-inflected track "I'll Hold Your Hand" (streaming below) shows the genteel-voiced artist in an antsier manner, his vocals practically punching their way towards love. Damon Albarn's melancholic solo debut 'Everyday Robots' may be an influence on these songs but, as its name shows, Sensitive Hearts has an deep emotional artfulness that makes it fresh. Sensitive Hearts plays AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday (12/12). - Zach Weg 

Rebellious, whimsical, literary, and elegiac are some of the hopefully accurate words that come to mind when reflecting on Providence band Edgar Clinks' exhilerating September release, 'Keep Jetty Diving.' Featuring the innocent yet relentless vocals of frontman Joe Guadiana, these genre-melding tracks, from the sweet pop-punk of opener "Tree Culture" to the apparently surf rock-rattled closer "weave roll'd into another dream" (streaming below), curl up on the listener like a dog whose pure affection can't be denied. Edgar Clinks plays at The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, MA on 12.2 and at AS220 in Providence, RI on 12.5. - Zach Weg

The title track off Providence trio Roz and the Rice Cakes' June-released EP 'CLOSE ENCOUNTER' steams with affection. Like TV On the Radio's sublime 'Dear Science' closer "Lover's Day," the keys-steeped experimental pop song (streaming below) is an unabashed yet respectful letter to a romantic partner, any reservations flung out the window. The interplay of lead singer Roz Raskin's compassionate vocals and her bassist's steady zaps is so moving, though, that it elevates the song from an ode to affection to that of personal redemption. Roz and the Rice Cakes play at New Urban Arts in Providence, Rhode Island on Friday (11.20). - Zach Weg

Back in April, Providence electronic act Bellerophon shared two elegantly sensual songs, "Face The Sun" and "Cowboy Without A Horse" (both streaming below). While the first track has project mastermind Mauricio Ossa pondering the unreachable over skipping effects, the second one has him elusively singing about possible confusion above ambling guitars. Listening to these songs, one may recall both the plush shoegaze of Big Troubles and the chilled electronica of The xx while eagerly wanting more songs from this undeniably intriguing project. Bellerophon plays at The Middle East-Corner in Cambridge, MA on 11.16 and at Aurora in Providence, RI on 11.17.- Zach Weg