New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Melodic-Hardcore group Dear Daze released their debut EP, “Unconditional Acceptance”, last week.
This is the work of Colby Quinlan (Bass/Vox), Colleen Kanowsky (Guitar), Daniella Putrino (Guitar/Vox), and Alyanna Wiley (Drums/Vox).
You can catch Dear Daze on November 16th at Lilly’s with Spacewolves, Milhouse, and Dexter Anodyne/Greenhouse Opera.
Few events embody the spirit of independent music in New York City than The Revolution, a performance series that highlights artists continuously pushing thefrontiers of innovative alternative pop.
This week, the series returns to Brooklyn’s National Sawdust on Thursday, November 14th for its 44th volume, featuring sets by local artists RINI, Jill Peacock, and Wayne Tucker. RINI’s strength comes from the outfit’s synergy of Carnatic music (a product of bandleader Harini Raghavan’s formal training at the Berklee College of Music and her own roots in the city of Chennai, India) with electronica, crafting a final output that balances and synthesizes two seemingly disparate genre influences.
Likewise, Canadian keyboardist and singer Jill Peacock crafts nu soul bops that echo trip hop and classic United Kingdom soul, creating grooves that transcend decades and continents; jazz trumpeter, composer, and vocalist Wayne Tucker similarly finds his footing in bridging the genre’s long history, incorporating soundscapes equal parts bebop and contemporary R&B.
Tickets are still available for The Revolution Vol 44—stream each of the artists here before you catch them this Thursday.
When We Was Kids recently announced that their debut EP, “Memoralia”, will be released on November 22nd. This is be the first new music we have received from the Alt Rock group since they release a few demos back in 2016. One of those demos, “Lobo Del Mar”, is included below as we eagerly await this EP.
This is the work of Chris Lamb (Vocals), Bryan Escareno (Guitar), Michael Angelo Roncone (Guitar), Norman Aguilar (Bass), and Mark Serpico (Drums).
You can catch When We Was Kids on December 22nd with Nova Charisma at Beat Kitchen.
Kingston psych-rockers Jimbo are back with a new EP “Where the Vultures Gather”. The first track rips right off the hop. “Mamawawa” has the fuzz cranked all the way up for the opening riff. The verse smooths out with a rolling bassline and laid back vocals. The fuzz can’t be silenced for long though as it fires back up and your head will bang with approval. The solo is an absolute shredder too! “Where the Vultures Gather” is available on their bandcamp page now! Jimbo rocks The Monarch Tavern on Saturday November 16th along with Kiss the Fish and Joe Mcleod. – Kris Gies
Alternative pop artist Halima is currently residing in New York City, after previously living in Lagos and London. Her most popular and recent single is “Ford Cardinal,” a smooth and catchy tune, one that touches on a complicated relationship wherein she wants nothing but to be with someone who appears to have left her behind. Halima repeats that she found loose change in the backseat of her Ford Cardinal, reminding her of a distant memory with a lover. On top of the lyrics, the melody is also catchy, a minimalist groove carrying Halima’s polished vocals. The highlight of the song comes at 2 minutes and 16 seconds, as she begins to lightly rap her feelings and thoughts aimed at the unrepentant lover who doesn’t think they fit together. This powerful bridge is refreshing against the repetitive-yet-heartfelt lyrics. Jam it below. —Karigan Wright
Matthew Schneider (aka Moon Bros.) is back with a collection of experimental Americana tunes called The Easy Way Is Hard Enough. The album was released on November 1st via Western Vinyl and features contributions from Matthew Lux on Bass and Sam Wagster on Pedal Steel.
The album’s rich and moanful lead single is called “Goes” and features backing vocals Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yuex.
Psych Rock group The Tomblands recently released their latest EP, “Gnaw”. The EP’s lead single single is called “Glutton”, and is accompanied by the David Arias and Morgan Paije directed video below.
You can help the band celebrate the release on November 15th at Liar’s Club with Sugarpulp, Whoa Dakota, and The Baby Magic. You can also catch them at Sleeping Village on December 9th and Lincoln Hall on January 22nd.
Photo by Victor Von Goethe
James Swanberg of The Lemons kicked off the month by releasing a new single called “Harder On Me” via his label Tripp Tapes. This is his second single of 2019 following up, “It’s No Wonder”, from back in May.
Instrumental rock quartet American Draft recently released their first album in ten year, The Rescue. The five track album is well worth the wait and closes with the epic and soaring nearly 18 minute title track.
You can catch American Draft on November 22nd at Chop Shop with Sidekick Kato, Canadian Rifle, and The Addisons.
Photo by Jon Beavo
Off-kilter indie connoisseurs Drug Couple lay down a homegrown bop on new single “Be In 2.” A track off the Brooklyn duo’s forthcoming debut EP Little Hits, “Be In 2” finds its pace in the disconcerting give-and-take of modulating, granular synths and an acoustic percussive backbone, occasionally finding space for shimmering guitar riffs and cheerful vocal accents, endowing the final output with a sound somewhere between Animal Collective and Yo La Tengo. This call and response dynamic radiates through the track’s lyrical components as well, with band members Miles and Becca sharing the song’s central melody. Given that Drug Couple’s mythos comes from its two members “falling in love, micro-dosing LSD [together], and considering getting a dog,” it’s clear that the chemistry between its two members isn’t just limited to their joint desire to “find someone special to share the end times with.” Jam it below, and catch them at the Broadway on November 18th for their record release show. -Connor Beckett McInerney, Photo by Ed-Rocha Goncalves
New York-based songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum (of Wilder Maker) describes his debut solo LP Not Alone as “classic American music, suitable for everyday use,” and he’s not wrong. There’s something quotidian about his tunes in the way that he recounts daily adventures and the minutia of the minutes passing between the hours, offset by the easygoing nature of his backing band laying down classic folk rock soundscapes. This isn’t to say there’s anything boring about Not Alone; rather, Gabriel Birnbaum’s ability to craft plainspoken-yet-engaging narratives of everyday life resonates as good, honest work—his view of the world is well-used when accompanied by stuttering roots rock electric guitars and rhythmic, acoustic strumming, providing a contemporary example of the hardworking American musician archetype. Stream the first three tracks of the record below, and catch Birnbaum at Turk’s Inn on December 4th. —Connor Beckett McInerney
