For the pleasant coming warmth of spring comes a song born from pain: Erin Rae's "Bad Mind" came out last year on her album Putting On Airs, but it gets new life as the music video for the track has just dropped. It shows Rae singing in a field of blossoming branches and flowers, showing growth even as Rae stands in wistful poses and walks with her eyes downcast. The song itself concerns Rae's relationship fears and her coming to terms with what caused them, including memories of an Alabama court ruling her aunt to be an "unfit mother" because she was gay. The video's mixture of pensiveness -- Erin -- and perseverance -- how the flowers bloom every year -- show that through grief, there can be growth. Rae will take her songs on the road this spring and summer; she'll make a hometown stop in Nashville at Musicians Corner on May 25th. Catch her then; for now, watch the video for "Bad Mind" below. - Will Sisskind

2015 may be behind us, but we here at the Deli spent the past year with our ears tuned to the future. Now that the dust from our most recent journey around the sun has settled, we're excited to reveal the results of our Open Submissions poll. We asked local Nashville artists to submit their work, and the list below reflects our editors' rankings of what we received. Next we'll be revealing the results of our local jurors' nominations, followed by one more round of voting by our readers and our writers. Stay tuned and keep it coming in 2016, Nashville.

Step Sisters Score: 7.5/10

10 String Symphony Score: 7.5/10

Cosmic Coast Score: 7.33/10

Birdtalker Score: 7.33/10

Smooth Hound Smith Score: 7/10

Damned Rivers Score: 7/10

Annalise Emerick Score: 7/10

Honorable Mentions:

Erin Rae; Robert Sieben's Sidecar Sazerac; Jack Berry; Oh Grandpa; Ashley Leone; The Drag; The Ignorist; Brave Town; Future Thieves; Gnarly Parkers; Michael McQuaid