New York City-based four-piece alternative pop/rock band Kids That Fly have released their newest five-track EP Tracks of the High Line, on December 9. With hopes of recreating their viral 2019 single “Kiss Her You Fool,” the group came up with this nostalgic, genre-blending EP. Along with this, the band has also released a VHS Music video for the song “Talk of the Town,” a catchy pop/alternative hit.
In October, Kids that Fly released the EP’s lead single, “High Line,” along with a vibrant music video to pair. “The synth-y beat and fast drums brought me back…it’s pop with enticing guitar chords and a synth that fits right in…conjures 80’s nostalgia. ‘High Line’ evokes a more technical The 1975, a less sad Backseat Lovers,” said NYS Music contributor Sydney Pollack in October.
Yet their newest “Talk of the Town” showcases the energy of Tracks of the High Line in its entirety, which can be described as a combination of sounds from the early 2000s alt-rock era, 80s synth pop, British alternative, and modern pop/rock.
Nick Smeriglio (vocals/guitar), Blake Henry (guitar/synth), Braden Frandino (bass/vocals) and Ryan Hendry (drums/vocals) make up Kids That Fly. Composed of college comrades, they formed in the fall of 2018 while attending the University of Connecticut. Having all grown up in Connecticut, the crew has had a lot of influence from other Connecticut musicians such as Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and indie/rock duo MGMT.
Tracks of the High Line is the “next logical step in the band’s evolution,” shares Nick. Composed of songs written throughout the heart and tail end of the pandemic. “It’s a reflection of lots of different romantic experiences that the four of us have had,” Nick confides. “On a deeper level though, it deals with the different struggles that came from the pandemic, how the isolation took a toll on people, and the recovery of it all.”
“Throughout the process we’ve been experimenting with different synthesizers and other interesting digital production techniques that give each song a bit of a retro futuristic style,” Braden reflects about the EP’s sounds.
Since the very beginning, the band has always put a focus on their fans, prioritizing the importance of live music. With their electrifying up close and personal performances, Kids That Fly will continue to prove their vast potential. You won’t want to miss out on their newest viral hits on Tracks of the High Line.
Westward expansion. An 80+ year stretch marked by hope, oppression, sorrow, and death. For Ian McCuen, it serves as a provocative metaphor for a life of disappointment and a world of heartbreak on their fifth album, November’s Westward to Nowhere.
It’s not the first record inspired by grief and the idea of travel. Modest Mouse did the same thing twice in the 90s to massive acclaim. What sets the Buffalo indie folk musician’s concept album apart though is its consistent and clear narrative, which progresses towards its natural finish by the end of the project’s behemoth 18-track, 80 minute run.
Cover art for ‘Westward to Nowhere.’
The early going of Westward to Nowhere depicts McCuen’s character as a damaged and traumatized young adult who anticipates and hopes for better things with a change of scene. The lo-fi acoustic opener “Westward” introduces the album’s historical symbolism with the noises of a train and the repeated closing line “westward home, westward home, and I know that I must go,” a phrase which is made a motif via the three interludes found across the record.
Follow-up track “Independence, MO” is a fuzzy but light indie rock song about the “thrill of anticipation” for starting new, coming before lead single “Lonesome Homesteader” (or “Lonesome Dreamer” according to the album listing), a gloomy acoustic ballad spaced out by stretches of organ and banjo. “I walk for miles at a time, daydreaming of a place that’s always mine,” McCuen sings on “Lonesome Dreamer.
This continues onto the waltzy “California Bound,” where McCuen analogizes seasonal change with grief and recovery, hoping that change of scenery will “wash away past trauma.” The same goes for the synth and violin-laden “Beatrice, NE,” where McCuen dreams of traversing the Great Plains and scaling the Rockies. “Goodbye Beatrice, so much world left to see,” they sing on one of several tracks that personally address the pinpointed location on McCuen’s journey.
Musically, Westward to Nowhere is highly consistent and consistently melodic. McCuen’s near whispered falsetto heavily reminisces of Elliott Smith, with their low-key acoustic approach and sentimental subject matter also ringing true of the legendary singer-songwriter. This tonal steadiness doesn’t mean a lack of variety in texture or instrumentation though, with McCuen’s parts on guitar, piano, organ and more being complemented by guest musicians such as Lissa Reed on cello and Sally Schaefer on violin. Reverb-heavy moments of guitar noise add contrast to long stretches of acoustic subtlety on songs such as “American Retreat.” There’s “The Plea,” which closes its six minute runtime with a biting and bluesy guitar solo and hints of trombone. All makes for an experience which sonically conveys McCuen’s sorrow in an affecting and musically accessible fashion.
While primarily personal, Westward to Nowhere has its political moments too, “The Plea” being explicitly so. “Can’t you hear the chanting, ‘no justice no peace,’ how much fucking longer we gonna let Kansas bleed,” McCuen asks on the final verse’s closing line.
There’s also the on-the-nose “Running Still (Worker’s Hymn),” a mostly acapella anthem where they sing in the first person about working class strife with exploitation, and the heartful late-placement ballad “American Retreat” which addresses Native American genocide, abandonment of military veterans, and general lies from “the lofty speak of what an infinite frontier provides.”
Such cynicism defines the rather hopeless back half of Westward to Nowhere. There’s “Letter,” on which Ian McCuen pens letters to a sister, an old friend, and a former lover, detailing fun reminiscence, regret, but most of all, agonizing over the distance created from these loved ones. “I can hardly recognize where I’m heading or from where I came,” they observe over the light drumming of the song’s chorus. “On my shoulders lays the blame.”
McCuen’s journey away from misery has made life even more hopeless, something fully emphasized in the album’s final three tracks. There’s the upbeat organ/violin-driven “Lonesome Drunkard” with its alcoholism play-by-play, followed by the overpowering gloom of nine-minute “Deadwood, SD,” which takes their sadness to suicidal levels.
McCuen forecasts themselves as “face first in the dirt with a bullet in the brain” and “just another number in the morgue,” and reminds of the album’s historical symbolism by alluding to “repeated failed attempts at finally striking gold. In the last few minutes, over a subtly building assembly of piano, guitar, , McCuen echoes frustration with a disgustingly wrong promise, singing “I’m so fucking sick and tired of hearing ‘Westward Home,’ after all this time I still don’t know where the hell I belong.”
No point is more bleak though than the closing track “Nowhere.” The train from the end of “Westward” returns, not to take McCuen on a life changing journey, but to take them out. “My brain and my body have given out on me, so I’m giving in to let these tracks take me,” they sing after two minutes of desolated acoustic guitar playing. McCuen’s echoey vocals and the track’s eerily sparse musical framing make this a haunting self-eulogy, as they talk about an eradicated sense of youthful optimism, reflect on a life of unfulfilled self, and envision a memorial not consisting of any heartfelt tributes, but “just regret for my days.”
Westward to Nowhere begins with a clear point and ends on a resounding personal message: the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere. Change of scene and change of personal direction don’t always lead away from misery. It may lead nowhere, and it might make life more isolating than ever imaginable. Originally aiming for California, McCuen never got farther west than Montana, a testament to the fleeting nature of personally prophesied destinations.
The album bears similarities to 1984 hardcore classic Zen Arcade by Husker Dü, a concept record about a boy who leaves a troubled home to find a world of nothing but. Ian McCuen never comes close to being as loud as Husker Dü, but the emotional ideas and big picture thinking are all there.
This is a long record that doesn’t do anything musically shocking, but within the album’s historical approach, it’s all fitting. Continental travel is long, consistent, and miserable, often like life. On Westward to Nowhere though, Ian McCuen conveys this in a way that ends up being pretty enjoyable to listen to.
From Paris to New York City, Lizzy Young emerged to the scene in 2020 with her debut CooCoo Banana, a visual album of 10 tracks confronting mortality. In celebration of the upcoming release of her song Not that Bad, Lizzy has just unveiled a new video for the track “Everything is Beautiful.”
Lizzy explains, “Everything is Beautiful reflects the intangible in life, the little things we overlook and the big things we take for granted.”
Lizzy’s second album is centered around the experiences of women; “This album is my love letter to everyone who identifies as a woman. I find it complicated to be a woman, even in 2022, and I need to talk about what I know best.”
Not That Bad is not only an empowering tribute to women, it is also an album that at times captures the heady pulse of a night out; “something that people would want to play in a sweaty club,” she says. “A little different from what I’ve been hearing the last couple of years. Something that fits the times: dark, groovy, slightly funny, and a little apocalyptic.”
Work on this album began back in 2020, but then Young ended up at a friend’s farm for 6 months. “I barely took anything with me and wasn’t able to record until getting back to Brooklyn,” she says. “I wanted this album to be a Brooklyn baby and after finishing the demos I looked for someone local to work with to make it spicier.”
The opener “Cigarettes are good for Pain,” Young marries wonky pop with a charging techno beat, while the following “Shit Never Stops” takes a turn with snapping trap beats and merges them with subtle melodies. Young’s inimitable vocals are slow, considered, breathy.
To Listen to “Everything Is Beautiful,” click the link here.
After twenty-five years of anticipation, NYC indie-cult fan favorites the Van Pelt return with a new album titled “Artisans & Merchants” in 2023. The Van Pelt has returned to explore what was left behind with a new collection of hit songs, including the latest track, “Grid.”
For lovers of The Van Pelt, listening to “Artisans & Merchants” is like hearing the voice of a dear friend you haven’t seen in years. This is a stand-alone album, incredible vital songwriting regardless of the long history this band has. Pitchfork even stated that, “The lines between post-hardcore, indie rock, and emo blurred on the two mid-’90s full-lengths from the Van Pelt.”
The Van Pelt is an American indie rock band from New York City that were active from 1993 to 1997, but have reformed briefly several times since then including now. The band formed around 1993 at New York University, with Chris Leo on vocals and guitar, David Baum on guitar, Barry London on bass, and Neil O’Brien on drums. In a reunion show, soundchecks revealed that the band has a voice that was prematurely muted by their inability to see clearly in the thick of their rise.
“New York City’s The Van Pelt are an influential, but too often overlooked indie rock band — cult favorites for many an emo-inclined crate digger.”
– Consequence
The Van Pelt’s newer album can be viewed as “a friend you used to share countless beers with over banter that went nowhere other than delivering a solid night. Your friend is older, they’ve changed. In some ways you’re worried for them, looks like they might be teetering on the brink of something. In other ways it’s the same old them, a nugget of a soul too unique to ever be altered.”
The chores of the single “Image of Health” describes the beautiful desperation of the album best, “And you never felt more alive / Than when the priest came to read you your rites!”
Stream The Van Pelt and their newest album coming in Spring 2023 by clicking the link here.
Listen to the latest track from The Van Pelt, “Grid,” below.
A Boogie wit da Hoodie is back with his fourth studio album, Me vs. Myself. The Bronx native’s newest project comes almost two-years after his last studio album, the platinum selling Artist 2.0, and nearly a year to the day of his 2021 EP, B4 AVA.
Correspondingly, Me vs. Myself arrives after being pushed back from its original November 4 release date to avoid competing for sales with Drake and 21 Savages, Her Loss.
In an instagram story post, A Boogie announced the album’s delay. Posting, “Sorry but Album dropping in December now, Drake was dropping same day and I’m not with that #HOODIESZN,” he wrote with a series of laughing emojis.
The 21-track project features heavy hitters from the hip hop and r&b world. Having recruited the likes of Lil Durk, Tory Lanez, G-Herbo, Roddy Ricch and Don Q. Additionally, the previously released single “Playa” with H.E.R. is included as a bonus track. In the same fashion, his Kodak Black collab “Water (Drowning Pt.2)” was released as a single. A sequel to his 2017 smash hit “Drowning,” A Boogie will look to replicate the success of the record which spent nearly 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and went 7X platinum.
Me vs. Myself is an important project for A Boogie’s current status in the game. While he remains one of the most streamed artists in the world, his reputation for delivering good albums has waned. With the emergence of the drill scene, A Boogie must remind fans that he remains a heavy hitter.
In an interview with Hip Hop Dx, the “Still Think About You” rapper revealed his goals for his upcoming drops.
“I’m definitely one of those top guys now,” A Boogie assured.
I’m not where I want to be yet, but you already know what I’m going for. Number one, and we’re not settling for anything less. I used to settle for less because I never had that goal to look all the way up there, but now that we looking up there, it’s looking scary for a lot of people.
Brooklyn Americana artist Ryan Luce has just released his newest illuminating record titled “Country House.” Ryan Luce explores the subtle nuance of everyday life and studies the inner dramas of fathers, sons, and daughters.
This Americana record was written throughout the pandemic where Ryan found love, lost his backing back, and honed his songwriting abilities. “I had to get back to writing, to what I know is the only thing I’m good at. Those songs became Country House,” stated Luce.
“Offers a blend of country-western Americana and Pacific Rock à la Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to paint energetic narratives with lasting visual effect.”
-Rhythm & Boots NYC
Country House is a ten-song collection filled with heartbreaking lyrics and timeless melodies; Luce certainly pulled from classic country to modern day Americana throughout these releases.
“Before the pandemic I was pigeonholing myself in the themes I wrote about. I think I used songwriting as a projection on my own feelings of longing and escape and that limited my abilities,” says Luce. “Writing these songs allowed me to throw away the old ghosts and achieve a caliber of songwriting and production I’d been searching for.”
Unlike Luce’s 2019 debut EP California Gold, a loose collection of songs from hustling the New York scene, Country House is rather an artifact from his life frozen in time. “I always dreamed of making a record where the songs are from a distinct period, as a time capsule, I could dig up in 20 years and look back on someday.”
The world had taken a toll throughout the time of the pandemic, but lots of musicians found a muse throughout being stuck inside. “I think a collective forcefield was blocking artists from creating during the early days of the pandemic including myself.” His band had scattered to the wind as the pandemic began and now, stuck in his apartment, recording plans scrapped, he fought off Covid.
The album came together out of the motivation that Luce hadn’t written anything in months. “Something switched on, I had to get back on the horse and start writing songs again. I started playing in different keys and the first song I wrote was the title track.”
Listen to more of Country House and to check out more of Ryan Luce, click here.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) and Live Nation announced that Grammy Award winning rap legend, Nas, will perform at Madison Square Garden on Friday, February 24, 2023, marking the icon’s first headline show at The World’s Most Famous Arena.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. Chase cardholders will have advance access to tickets from Tuesday, November 15 through Thursday, November 17. Tickets will also be available in person beginning on Saturday, November 19 at the Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre box offices.
Fresh off the success of the NY State of Mind Tour, with Wu-Tang Clan and special guest Busta Rhymes, Nas will once again hit the road on the heels of his latest release, King’s Disease III. The first two-installments of the series both earned him grammy nominations, with the former earning Nas his first-ever win. As such, the fabled rapper has once again recruited Hit-boy to complete the trilogy. The duo has worked together extensively the past few years, producing three King’s Disease albums and their Christmas EP, Magic.
A headlining performance at MSG will culminate the career of one of New York Cities most devoted sons. Nas’ career was made off of his incredible storytelling in which he depicted inner-city New York living. One of his more renowned records “NY State of Mind” has become a hip hop staple, with Nas becoming an embodiment of the city. Having influenced so many, Nas will finally get to take his rightful place as an MSG headliner.
Nas’ Other Ventures
Recently, Nas executive produced the limited three-part SHOWTIME docuseries, Supreme Team with Peter J. Scalettar. The documentary recalled the notorious New York drug syndicate and its long-standing cultural influence. Moreover, the film made its debut at this year’s Tribeca Festival this past summer. Furthermore, Nas also narrated and executive produced The Invaders documentary, following the rise and fall of a militant black power group based in Memphis, Tennessee in the late 1960’s.
Fans can access exclusive King’s Disease III content, merchandise, and experiences here, while a limited deluxe version of the vinyl is exclusively available on Mass Appeal’s website.
Hip hop legend Busta Rhymes will be adding another chapter to his illustrious discography. The “Touch It” rapper took to Instagram to announce his latest EP, The Fuse is Lit, to be released on Friday, November 18.
Originally set to hit airwaves this Friday, the EP has been pushed back in light of the death of Takeoff. The popular rapper and 1/3 of the Migos was fatally shot at a bowling alley in Houston, Texas on November, 1. The Slain rapper’s funeral and celebration of life takes place this Friday, November 11, on The Fuse is Lit‘s original release date.
As such, Busta Rhymes took to Instagram to share his condolences to Takeoff’s family and announce a new release date.
“I just want to start this off by saying, let us all collectively send love and light to our brothers. Takeoff, sending love and light to his beautiful family. Sending love and light to our brothers Quavo and Offset. the quality control family, P and Coach K. Family and friends affected directly and indirectly by this tragedy. In light of supporting this beautiful sending off of our beautiful bother, I have decided to push back the release date of my EP, The Fuse is Lit to November 18. Let us all send our love and beautiful energy to our bothers, the Migos and quality control and their beautiful families. Salute.”
The Fuse is Lit
Despite the delay, the five-track EP will feature a number of “whose who” in hip hop lore. The Fuse is Lit has guest appearances/ production from Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl, Swizz Beatz. Additionally, The EP’s promotional single and music video “slap” sees Busta align with Big Daddy Kane and Conway The Machine. The song and music video alike are an ode to hip hop and New York City’s golden age. The production is reminiscent of the culture’s golden era, while the three emcees present themselves as powerful Don’s. Moreover, The Fuse is Lit can be another reminder that hip hop’s golden age is ever present.
Following his collaborative album with the legendary Eric B. & Rakim, Jonathan Hay and company have decided to tackle another iconic artist from the golden era of New York hip-hop and reimagine it as jazz. This time around, the billboard charting Hay and co. will look to channel hip hop’s first superstar, LL Cool J, into a 14-track jazz album of quintessential LL songs. Slated for a January 13-14 release (LL’s birthday), LL Cool Jazz, will look to repeat the success of Follow the Leader (Reimagined As Jazz), which spent 11-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Jazz charts.
LL Cool Jazz will reimagine hip hop’s first superstar
Ladies Love Cool Jazz
Jazz music and hip hop have long been distant cousins, with both genres rooted in similar strife. Despite the generational gap, rap music’s edginess was built on the back of Jazz’s more controlled chaos. In light, hip hop’s rhythms could not exist without the Jazz Symphonies to inspire it.
Similarly, Jazz runs deep in LL Cool J’s blood. His grandfather was a saxophonist and helped jumpstart a young LL. “They embraced me, they built me up. They made me believe in myself,” LL said of his grandparents, with his trademark bravado leading him all the way to a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Like all of our music, when Rakim and I first sat down to write and record Follow the Leader, we took inspiration from our Jazz icons in creating its signature sound,
– Eric B revealed in promotion for their collaboration with Hay.
Moreover, LL is no stranger to hip hop and jazz working synonymously. The Rick Rubin produced single “Going Back to Cali” — released over 34 years ago on Def Jam Records — showed the versatility of a young LL. The song opens with a memorable jazz and horn intro, along with a saxophone solo, something completely different for hip-hop at the time.
Recording sessions for LL Cool Jazz will take place in Brooklyn, with some of the final step mixing at Quad Studios in Manhattan. Additionally, the album will be distributed through Fat Beats Records.
LL Cool J is a true pioneer who changed the sound of modern music as we know it. I can’t wait for the world to hear LL Cool Jazz. Now that the pandemic is in our rearview, our team is back on the road with its aggressive mission of bringing back jazz music to pop cultural relevance. What I’ve learned so far on this journey is that ladies love cool jazz, so it’s appropriate that we are reimagiing hip-hop’s first sex symbol.
Ali McGuirk delivered a pared-down but powerful performance at The Linda Performing Arts Studio in Albany on Oct 1. The theater was pleasantly packed and ready for a throaty earful from McGuirk.
Ali McGuirk performed solo with only a couple of guitars as “friends.” Her partner in performance couldn’t make it. Even so, McGuirk is a compelling and entertaining presence on stage with just guitars accompanying her! Her soulful voice and a jazzy and sparse guitar playing style connect well with her audience.
McGuirk’s set was filled with songs off her recently released a full-length album entitled Til It’s Gone. The album was recorded in Los Angeles with a gaggle of studio musicians, including Little Feat guitarist Fred Tackett. Highlights included “Ex-Boyfriends”and the title track “Til It’s Gone.” The audience was rapt and appreciative of the solo performance McGuirk delivered.
Upstate NY’ers can catch Ali McGuirk in neighboring VT at South Burlington’s Higher Ground on October 14. Her new album Til It’s Gone is available on all streaming platforms.
Setlist: All Back, Leave Me, Milk, Evelyn, Empty Vase, Work, Let It Be You, When I see You / Til It’s Gone, Exorcist, Anti Love Song, Ex-Boyfriends
