Pop has been hurting since the King of Pop’s reign peaked more than a decade ago. Ben Bromley and Ross Simonini of NewVillager are rivaling for the indie ticket to usurp at least as pop princes. “Michael Jackson and The Beatles [are] the two presiding artists of pop mythology who set the great big shining standard that needs to be broken,” says Simonini, when asked who NewVillager sounds like. “We can use the lens of M.J. and The Beatles to see our own music in a broader light.”
Although only a 7-inch has been released for “Rich Doors” and “Genghis On,” the songs exhibit the duo’s adept ability to draw from disparate influences and construct cohesive, memorable songs. Their performance during CMJ revealed that they have a ready arsenal of material filled with huge hooks and beats. The songs jog the collective pop memory while adding an element of surprise and fascination. Not content with just writing and recording music, Bromley and Simonini plan to release different forms of art media to accompany their pop masterpieces. – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here.
