Being asked to play a cool New Year’s Eve party, and getting paid to do so, must be one of the best gigs any can land on December 31st… Being on stage, with everybody watching… everybody drinking… In NYC, not many places are cooler than Brooklyn’s Rough Trade. The Williamsburg records store/venue will host a New Year’s Eve party headlined by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and featuring two promising local openers. Monograms (pictured) plays fast paced indie pop with psychedelic, new wave and garagey overtones. The trio debuted in 2014 with the dreamy "Fader" EP, which was almost entirely performed by singer/guitarist Ian Jacobs); the record offered a sound featuring smooth melodies within a semi-DIY production enamoured with dirt and distortion. This past December new single Downer (streaming) saw the light of day, with the announcement of an upcoming EP scheduled for early 2016.
Surf Rock is Dead – a dream-pop duo with a surf accent that was highlighted already twice here in 2015 – has been getting a lot of attention in blogs lately, finding their way to many year end playlists, and hearts of fans of other surf-dreaming bands like Real Estate and The Drums. Their 2015 EP "SRiD" is charmingly catchiy, appropriately drenched in reverb, and strictly mid-fi. Check out our favorite track Zan A, streaming below.