Public Assembly will host a showcase night with four emerging NYC bands on May 16th. Ranging from edgy pop songs to all out exploratory sonic jams, the performers present different yet complimentary styles. Although Esque is a band that’s not afraid to reference a HUGE spectrum of influences, the keyboard driven groove on their single “Double Blind” pays proper homage to synth pioneers like Heaven 17 and Ultravox, but with personal touches like the addition of a dixieland band coda. Check out the track "Bones to Be" (streaming below) for another slice of their genre-encompassing, dark and imaginative world music.
Full on psych rockers Our Mountain stomp along thudding lead footed grooves while twisted, pitch-bended and feedback laced guitars dance over top. The tempos change at times to quicker paced, lighter touch rhythms, allowing a Jim Morrison style storytelling to emerge. The guitars are ever present though, providing texture and counterpoint. Epic mescaline-in-the-desert trip "Pink Elephant" evokes multiple touch points, from the quieter passages of "Pink Floyd" to the all out scratch n’ squall of "Sonic Youth."
There’s a distinct "Raveonettes" feel to Bad Girlfriend and their latest track “Feelings.” Emphasizing deep guitar twang, all female vocals playfully set a mood where simply stated lyrics provide a less is more scenario.
Openers The Beach Arabs‘ appropriately titled song “On The Beach” presents an angular approach both in rhythmic structure and guitar melody, while “Drifters” further reinforces these stylistic traits allowing vocal bursts to make the lyrical point. – Dave Cromwell