NYS Music 202​2

Tag: New EP

  • Brooklyn-based Band Stay Inside Release Intense EP Blight

    On June 3, Brooklyn-based emo band, Stay Inside, released their newest work and 5-track EP, Blight, via No Sleep Records.

    Stay inside Blight Album Cover

    Stay Inside consists of Bryn Nieboer (vocals/bass), Chris Johns (guitar/backing vocals), Chris Lawless (guitar/backing vocals), and Vishnu Anantha on drums. Blight is the band’s newest release since their critically acclaimed 2020 album, Viewing.

    Jon Markson of Drug Church and Koyo returns on production for the Blight EP which showcases a more intense side of the emo Brooklyn band. Although only totaling five songs, the lyrics and carefully executed instrumentation put the release on a caliber of its own.

    The opening track, “Eraser,” starts slowly, with an emotional rhythm and vocals to draw you in before an intense build with drums and guitar. “Hollow,” plays with a unique beat and engaging message, with the lyrics “so I just sit there with my arms wide / I think I used up all my good lies / Oh god you started losing everything before you try to tell yourself to stop.” The EP was written while NYC was experiencing intense lockdown, and it fully represents the extreme feelings of the time.

    Other tracks, such as “Fracture” and “Spore” are great additions to the EP, bringing even more depth and experimentation to the work with addictive drums and melodies. Stay Inside is surely growing and expanding with this most recent EP, Blight. 

    This summer, the post-hardcore band perform at the Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn on July 22. Be sure to keep up with the band on Instagram here and Twitter here, and take a listen to some more of their music, available below. 

  • Marina Laurendi Romances On New Single “Gramercy”

    New York City-based singer-songwriter Marina Laurendi has released a new single “Gramercy.”

    A lush five-minute track, it’s the lead single for her debut EP Stay Mine coming this Friday, which will be accompanied by the release of a music video for the song.

    Encloaked in purple lighting, Marina Laurendi sings at The Bitter End in NYC.
    Marina Laurendi performing at The Bitter End in Manhattan. (Photo found on website)

    On “Gramercy,” Laurendi croons about an impassioned romance using New York City imagery. Taking an approach reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, a former Lake Placid native, she muses about kissing on the L Train and compares the euphoria of her bout of love to the heights of skyscrapers.

    Laurendi always returns to the song’s guiding analogy: the connection between her relationship’s vulnerability and the secrecy of Manhattan’s Gramercy Park. “You got the key to me, treat me like I’m Gramercy,” she sings on the infectious hook.

    Her lyrics paint a genuine and intimate picture, and Laurendi’s shaky vocals which never stray from technical peerlessness convey her ideas perfectly.

    The same can be said about the song’s musical arrangement which only moves her message forward. The track’s instrumentation varies across its runtime, featuring light chords on acoustic guitar and bright licks on electric, rich keys, pulsating violins, and a noisy organ in the song’s final seconds. “Gramercy” never overplays itself with all these components however, swelling and falling throughout its pop-oriented song structure in a way that stays true to Laurendi’s sentimental subject matter.

    No piece of “Gramercy” goes to waste, as Laurendi’s knowledge of her hometown and endearing vocals over a well-crafted musical backdrop contribute to a captivating love song and worthy lead single.

  • Bacon Brothers Announce New EP “Erato”, Summer Tour Dates

    The Bacon Brothers have announced bi-coastal tour dates for this summer in support of their new EP Erato, to be released July 8.

    The tour includes three performances in New York, with the band stopping in Rochester for the Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 24, New York City at City Winery on the 25th, and Caroga Lake at Sherman’s Park on July 30.

    Top of the image: Erato. A crude drawing of a nude but covered woman sitting on a rock playing a zither, a harp-like stringed instrument, which is plugged into a Fender amplifier. Bottom: The Bacon Brothers.
    Cover art for Erato by the Bacon Brothers.

    Erato, the five song EP, is slated to be the brothers’ 11th studio release. They call their sound “Forosoco – a blend of folk, rock, soul and country influences.” “We’re still exploring the sound we began making 25 years ago; we’ve just gotten a lot better at it,” says Michael Bacon, an Emmy-winning composer whose found success alongside his brother Kevin, an A-list Hollywood actor.

    For the EP’s lead single, “In Memory (Of When I Cared),” the brothers collaborated with Desmond Child, a Songwriters Hall of Fame member whose credits include Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Aerosmith’s “Crazy,” and Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself For Loving You.”

    The Bacon Brothers also found collaboration from Kevin’s son Travis, who produced the track “Karaoke Town.”

    The Bacon Brothers Tourdates

    Jun 24—Rochester, NY—Rochester International Jazz Festival
    Jun 25—New York, NY—City Winery
    Jun 26—Atlantic City, NJ-–Sound Mind Music Festival
    July 14—Minneapolis, MN – Dakota Jazz
    July 30—Caroga Lake, NY – Sherman’s Park
    July 31—Waterville, ME – Waterville Opera House
    Aug 2—-Ocean City, NJ – Ocean City Music Pier
    Aug 5—-Plymouth, NH – The Flying Monkey (Rescheduled)
    Aug 6—-Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center (Rescheduled)
    Aug 7—-Beverly, MA – The Cabot (Rescheduled)
    Aug 24–San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House
    Aug 25–Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
    Aug 26–Agoura Hills, CA – The Canyon
    Aug 27–Napa, CA – Blue Note Napa
    Aug 28–Napa, CA – Blue Note Napa
    Sep 9—-New Braunfels, TX – Gruene Hall
    Sep 10–The Woodlands – Dosey Doe
    Sep 11—Lubbock, TX – Cactus Theater

  • Jake Huffman EP “Adderall & Whiskey” Out April 29th

    Producer and multi-instrumentalist Jake Huffman has announced his newest EP Adderall & Whisky, dropping on April 29th. This EP is inspired by his early 20’s, and lyrically he writes about the story of the rise and fall of love along with experiencing life in a rock band. “Giving it a Try” and “Just a Little More” only preview the intensity of Huffman’s newest project.

    Jake Huffman EP "Adderall & Whiskey" out April 29th
    photo credit: Coley Stevens 

    Since he was young, Jake Huffman began his musical journey traveling up and down the east coast with his rock and roll band, McLovins. With influence from early 2000’s alt-rock, Huffman’s writing flows into an Indie rock/Indie pop mindset combined with deep personal lyrics. In 2010, Rolling Stone described his band as “having the ability to harness the musical ferocity of Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland before being able to legally drive a car.”

    "Adderall & Whiskey" EP
    “Adderall & Whiskey” EP

    Stated in a previous article from NYS Music, Huffman went back to college when COVID-19 hit, getting a Certificate in Music Production from Berkelee School of Music in Boston. During his time being locked down, Huffman dove into his studio work writing about 50 tunes over 2020-21 along with teaching music lessons remotely four days a week.

    Jake told Relix Magazine “Over the last few years, mostly in isolation, I was forced to look inward and found creative inspiration in the process.  I always tell aspiring songwriters that the best songs are honest, simple and specific. “Giving it a Try” is my way of practicing what I preach.”

    Jake releases his first solo song “Giving It A Try,” a preview of his full EP

    I took my own emotional arc of living with so much uncertainty in the world and produced and engineered the song myself from my home studio. The music video is a loose concept of writing, practicing and performing the song.  It’s a crowd favorite when the band and I play it live so I wanted to capture the love and energy for the song. I co-directed and edited the piece with my partner Coley Stevens who shot and colored the video.

    Jake Huffman

    As mentioned in a profile in Relix, Huffman said ““Over the last few years, mostly in isolation, I was forced to look inward and found creative inspiration in the process.  I always tell aspiring songwriters that the best songs are honest, simple and specific. “Giving it a Try” is my way of practicing what I preach.  I took my own emotional arc of living with so much uncertainty in the world and produced and engineered the song myself from my home studio.”

    Get tickets for the Mercury Lounge show on May 20th here, located on the Lower East Side of NYC. 

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