Goth, Indie-Sleaze, Club Music, and Grungy Rock – 2023 in NYC
Words by Willa Rudolph
Happy New Year, folks!! Better late than never! Here, I present to you my favorite releases of 2023 from NYC-based bands and artists. No two sound the same, and every artist reminds me that among all the industry-standard noise, there’s still really dope, interesting stuff being made in little corners of the music scene, that I’m not the only one that appreciates old stuff, and that there’s more than enough room here for all of us.
Thank you, NYC, for allowing so much music to exist within you, and for facilitating all these sick artists to create their own worlds and their own sounds.
From D.A. Crimson’s melodic mixture of indie rock and indie pop with “Big Dog”, to CLIP’s intermixing of masculine and feminine, rap and trap in “yeahh(L’s)” and “can u feel meh”– from Gun’s feral 1990s-inspired nu metal in “Chemical Fear” to Thoom’s euro hot-girl club track with “London Honda Nasty Taxi”– from Model/Actriz’ goth “Donkey Show,” that reminds me of Nine Inch Nails, the 1980’s, and dance-punk, to girl band Hello Mary’s catchy and sweet “Special Treat,” 2023 was a fabulous year for the New York City music scene, and I’m so proud of everyone’s good work. Keep it up in 2024!
Enjoy the playlist below!!