Author: Haylee Farrell

Family Dinner Release Empowering Single “Revenge Dress”

Long Island’s Family Dinner have just served the release their newest single “Revenge Dress,” a empowering/spicy break-up track. The band has also announced a few shows with The Dirty Nil this July and will head out on a short run with Only Sibling this week.

“Revenge Dress” is a total breakup anthem and with lines like “This pretty face is gonna raise some hell tonight,” it’s hard not to get stuck in your head. The song rides from floaty to fierce, with chiming riffs and upbeat drums complementing Natalie O’Keeffe’s cool and collected vocals. Along with this release, the music video for the song encapsulates the mood of the lyrics.

Speaking on the song, Natalie expands by stating, “‘Revenge Dress’, put very simply is a breakup ‘fuck you’ song about realizing your worth and no longer letting yourself get taken for granted. The best revenge is success and nothing gets you over some loser more than looking good and raising hell with your friends.”

Formed in 2017, Family Dinner are friends first and a band second. Living just a few miles apart, the group formed naturally when drummer Nick Amalfitano was jamming out with guitarist Michael O’Keeffe as Natalie hummed melodies while making dinner, and thus the band name came to be.

The members of Family Dinner are almost as carefree as the beach town they reside in. The band has created a unique alternative rock sound that makes you want to dance, paired with lyrics that take a dark twist.

Rounded out by bassist Sam Weiss, Family Dinner began crafting songs, released a few singles, and started playing shows at DIY spots within the tight-knit Long Island music scene. In 2021 the band released the EP, You’re So Cool, four melodic tracks that pull from 90’s alternative rock and punk ethos.

Following the EP, the band knew they had something special on their hands and soon found themselves opening for acts like The Lemonheads, Grouplove, Bayside and Iron Chic. Entering the studio with Brett Romnes and Vinnie Caruana (The Movielife, I Am The Avalanche) last year, Family Dinner is currently putting the finishing touches on their debut full-length.

Tour Dates:

w/ Only Sibling

4/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Kingsland

4/21 – Westfield, MA @ Hutghi’s

4/22 – Providence, RI @ Alchemy

w/ The Dirty Nil

7/12 – Boston, MA @ Sonia

7/13 – Syracuse, NY @ Song and Dance

7/14 – Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room

Listen to “Revenge Dress” by clicking the link here.

For more on Family Dinner, click the link here.

April 26, 2023
Citrus Maxima Releases Energetic Single “I Don’t Wanna Die”

Brooklyn-based alt-band Citrus Maxima has dived headfirst into the indie-rock genre with their newest release “I Don’t Wanna Die,” the first single from their upcoming record. With hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams and years of local gigging experience around New York, the band is looking forward to releasing their upcoming debut album this spring.

The new single “I Don’t Wanna Die” is a song that cuts through the dirge of washed-out, lazy indie rock and instantly jolts the listener with its infectious chorus. The band captures this by combining wailing feedback, crunchy guitars, and driving drums with instantly catchy vocals and heartfelt melodies.

Formed in Albany, but now based in Brooklyn, Citrus Maxima offers up a fresh take on indie rock, anchored by strong songwriting, raw energetic rhythms, and melodic guitars. Citrus Maxima was originally formed in 2014 with Shawn Majeed on drums and Lucas Rinaldi on guitar and vocals. The band added members Wyatt Kirschner on lead guitar in 2018, and Max Gucinski on bass and backup vocals in 2021.

Citrus Maxima has built up a strong online presence with a string of successful releases. In December 2020, the band released “1970”, their most played song with over 250k Spotify streams, and followed up with “Sprouts” a small collection of songs including “Seeds Don’t Bleed”, which incorporates a 90s alternative rock influence.

Their “live session” videos uploaded to YouTube further solidified their online buzz, as their cover of Pavement song “Harness Your Hopes” even grabbed the attention of Pavement member Bob Nastanovich, who praised the cover on social media. Devotees of the DIY ethos, all releases, social media growth, and touring was planned and executed by the band alone without the assistance of a label or management.

Listen to “I Don’t Wanna Die” by clicking the link here.

For more by Citrus Maxima, click the link here.

April 25, 2023
Easy Star All-Stars Release New Bowie-Inspired LP “Ziggy Stardub”

Renowned NYC-based reggae band Easy Star All-Stars have just released their new album Ziggy Stardub, a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Their newest track “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide” features vocals by the iconic multi-award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer Macy Gray. Offering a fresh spin, the band has created a laid-back atmosphere within the song through a bounding drum beat and swaggering horns.

Michael Goldwasser, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist of Easy Star says, “The main key was finding an emotive and groundbreaking vocalist, and we did just that with Macy Gray, who is truly inimitable in every song that she sings, including this one.” The track is paired with a stop motion video, taking viewers through the journey of two cats during an evening in a paper town.

After a run of sonically mesmerizing singles, the band releases their highly anticipated album Ziggy Stardub on the 21^st.The project is a reggae reimagining of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and features guest performances by Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, Fishbone, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), The Skints, Mortimer, The Expanders, Samory I, and many others.

Blending musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies, and a premier rhythm section, Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts on the scene for over two decades. The band will also be performing at the Sea.Hear.Now music festival in New Jersey this September.

To watch the video for “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,” click the link here.

To listen to Ziggy Stardub, click the link here.

For more by Easy Star All-Stars, click the link here.

April 22, 2023
Sorry Mom Releases Punk-rock Single + Upcoming Album

NYC based band Sorry Mom has just liberated the punk-rock single “Shaving My Legs” in preparation for the release of their debut album babyface on May 12^th. Following the album release, Sorry Mom will be hitting the road for a short northeast run that concludes with a set at Boston Calling Music Festival.

Sorry Mom is an NYC-based femme punk band whose music chronicles queer experiences and suburban despair through a nostalgic punk sound. Their music boasts the lyrical playfulness of Green Day and blink-182, but sonically has a more hardcore edge.

What began as a group of college friends playing music together quickly evolved into something bigger upon the release of Sorry Mom’s debut EP “Juno Goes to the Big House” in April 2021. As of July 2022, the band has garnered 10M+ streams across platforms and 50k+ followers across socials. In Fall 2021 and Spring 2022, Sorry Mom embarked on tours of the Northeast, playing 30 unique venues across the region.

The first single “Hiccup” shows the side of Sorry Mom that is incredibly hardcore punk. By using their artform to their advantage, they show how unique they are with powerful lyrics and punk melodies. Overall, “Hiccup” makes you want to jump straight into a mosh pit.

The second single “Shaving My Legs,” released on April 14^th, provides a fast-paced intro to the overall album. While tackling feelings of being trapped, promising again and again to start making changes tomorrow, the band shows us that tomorrow never comes.

Sorry Mom is also going on tour for the release of babyface, stopping in Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar. For more information and to purchase tickets, click the link here.

To listen to “Shaving My Legs,” click the link here.

To listen to “Hiccup,” click the link here.

For more by Sorry Mom, click the link here.

April 21, 2023
The Parlor Announce 4th Dream-Pop LP “You Are Love And I Am You”

Upstate NY’s The Parlor have just announced their newest LP You Are Love And I Am You, a psychedelic dream-pop record about ecstatic realizations associated with what some call the mystical experience, unitive consciousness, or loving presence.

In celebration to the release on May 19th, they will also be hosting an album release show May 20th at Indian Ladder Cidery & Brewery’s Upper Biergarten.

You Are Love And I Am You is like a dream-pop relief compared to their more recent release in 2018 titled Kiku which chronicled the experience of grief and loss. It is meant to be listened to as an album, front to back. There were many that influenced the making of this album, such as The Mamas and the Papas, Tame Impala, Broadcast, Warpaint, Mazzy Star, George Harrison, Velvet Underground, Khruangbin, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Len, Cults, and Fleetwood Mac.

As a neo-psychedelic dream-pop project made by husband and wife Eric Krans and Jen O’Connor, The Parlor was named after a room in the 19th century farmhouse where they live, farm, and create. The multi-instrumentalist, producer-composers express some of the most powerful aspects of the human experience. Immersive sound scaping and aural synesthetic composition is the vessel through which they share their existence.

The song that has been released as a tease for the album, “Underneath the Universe,” is an absolute hit. It is very reminiscent of Tame Impala, with pretty indie visuals in the video to accommodate the dreamy-like melodies in the song itself.

The band stated, “Things got gloomy for us while touring on the Kiku record. Playing songs about trauma on a nightly basis, and the grueling nature of touring just sort of wore us down. (Jenn Pelly wrote an incredible piece for Pitchfork that relays a lot of what we experienced). Together these experiences ushered us deeper down a dark tapering claustrophobic tunnel with only a pinhole exit. We squeezed through somehow, thanks to meditative practice and sharing our deepest vulnerabilities with each other.”

During the pandemic, additional darkness ensued, but there was only one way out and it was through. We found a deepened sense of presence that felt sacred. By accepting the seemingly unacceptable we were paradoxically filled with awe and wonder. Living was imbued again with light, love and gratitude. That’s the experience this album captures. Us finding ourselves again. The heart of this album is the enigmatic realization that we are and always have been the universe experiencing itself. We exist as manifestations of the universe just as everything else. And when we allow ourselves to be whole and unique, we express the universe in hi-fidelity authenticity. Something about holding that in imagination produces a sense of reverence and a desire to sing and share.

“We got into Carl Jung, archetypal symbolism, alchemy, medieval Christian mysticism, Taoism, Sufism and found hundreds of esoteric philosophical characters that seem to be sharing similar mystical experiences of their own. This album is for them. Our new long dead friends. And everyone we ever met or wished upon. You shaped us. And to anyone out there who has had, or who hopes to have, a mystical experience in their lives that orients them toward abiding presence, awe and wonder, and gratitude for all existence. We celebrate you as us. Everything and nothing is one shining-forth ineffable non-dual eminence. Like dust in the light // Both the dark and bright.”

To pre-order You Are Love And I Am You, click the link here.

For more by The Parlor, click the link here.

April 19, 2023
Olivia Reid Drops Introspective Single “Wounds (Healing)”

NYC indie-pop artist Olivia Reid is getting ready to release her newest single “Wounds (Healing)” on Friday, April 14th. The track is an introspective, ethereal reflection that sees the budding singer-songwriter questioning the layered, complex healing process.

Olivia Reid stated about the single, “I recognized how much I had to heal from, but simultaneously feared that truly healing it would leave an absence or a blankness in me. When I’m in fight or flight mode long enough, wounds in the form of anxiety or sadness can mistakenly feel like a crucial part of who I am. The wounds feel familiar, so starting the healing process made me feel so much weaker at first.”

Based in NYC, Olivia Reid’s production style blends indie acoustics with exploratory electronic pop soundscapes, landing listeners in a visceral sonic world. Reid’s interests are diversified, exploring areas such as screenwriting, neuroscience, digesting current events, advocating for nature.

Currently, Olivia is involved with Brian Eno’s charity EarthPercent, and listening to podcasts, she formerly hosted Spotify For Artists and Notable’s Song Start podcast where she interviewed artists like Sam Smith, Victoria Monet, Hayley Williams of Paramore.

As a self-proclaimed “chronic collaborator,” Reid has connected with audiences around the world via collaborations such as “Time is Mine” with Kidswaste, “What You Came Here For” with Jae Luna, and “Above the Clouds” with SŸDE.

As stated in a previous article by NYS Music, Reid’s music serves as a self-reflection and dedication to her path to success, above all of the challenges. Olivia Reid’s debut EP Earth Water hit streaming platforms in 2021, with new songs on the way in 2023. Fueled by deeply personal lyrics and boundary-pushing production, the new project conceptually details an artist’s slow descent into madness.

https://soundcloud.com/oliviareidmusic/02-wounds-healing/s-uLiqVENWlEY

To listen to “Wounds (Healing)” click the link here and for more by Olivia Reid, click the link here.

April 14, 2023
Fake Dad Releases 80’s New Wave Single “FASHION GIRL”

NYC’s Alt-pop duo Fake Dad has released their newest single titled “Fashion Girl,” today, April 14^th. The alt-pop duo is delivering their second project of 2023 that perfectly captures an electrifying, cathartic, throwback 90’s grunge sound that is a departure from their usual discography, demonstrating their versatility as both songwriters and performers.

The single “FASHION GIRL” is angsty and nostalgic sounding, paying homage to groundbreaking throwback styles like 80’s new wave and 90’s female led riot grrrl punk. In the song, Fake Dad tells the story of a personal best friend breakup while offering commentary on a variety of topics like beauty standards, body and gender dysmorphia, daddy issues, insecurity, and female rage.

At first glance, “FASHION GIRL” is a fun, energetic track that calls upon listeners to let-lose with contagiously danceable reverb-soaked Oberheim drum machine patterns, messy driving distorted guitar, heavy bass, and surf-rock style riffs. With a deeper look into the single, Fake Dad speaks to an untapped, silent pain that so many people carry around with them about constantly being made to feel like they will never look good enough, be pretty or hot in the right way, and the unacknowledged frustration, and rage, that they live in a world that assigns so much of their worth to people’s ability to live up to superficial ideals.

Following recent releases “maybe next year” and “New Machines,” the duo delivers their second project of 202. They perfectly capture an electrifying, cathartic, throwback 90’s grunge sound that is a departure from their usual discography, demonstrating their versatility as both songwriters and performers.

Birthed from Fake Dad’s deep dive into Russian Dark Wave (and post-punk bands) and a tragic falling out with a fashion major (childhood) best friend who hailed from a wealthy UES Manhattan type family, this song is about the insecurity and sadness hidden behind the eyes of so many of the people the fashion industry swallows up with the promise of beauty and power. It at once exalts, criticizes, and empathizes with them, aiming to hand the fashion girls back their power and grant them an opportunity to reconcile with the ephemeral love and power that masquerades as the ideal, golden shell of a life.

When listening to the single, fans can hear a reminiscent of 80s New Wave (New Order, Joy Division, The Cure, Talking Heads) for a non-male-led era. In other words, all the female-fronted, angsty energy of 90s riot grrrl/bikini kill punk along with its slightly more pop-leaning, bratty (yet still unequivocally angry) early 2000s sound reminiscent of bands like No Doubt, The Cardigans, Alanis Morissette, Paramore, and P!nk.

Fake Dad wants listeners to experience a sense of catharsis from this track, “whether it’s someone who dedicates their life to changing themselves into something that looks good enough, or someone who wishes they could opt out of the value system entirely, there is an anger that needs to be released.”

“Fashion Girl” premiers on all platforms April 14^th.

For more music by Fake Dad, click the link here.

April 14, 2023
Setting Sun Announces LP + Shares Single “Feelings Cure”

Hudson Valley based indie rock-folk band Setting Sun has just announced their sixth full-length studio album in ten years, The Feelings Cure due out on May 19^th.

Alongside the announcement, the band shares a brand-new hit single “Feelings Cure,” along with an accompanying music video. Setting Sun will also be playing live in Woodstock for their official album release show the day before the album drops.

The single “Feelings Cure” aims to resist feelings of pain and sadness through music. Levitt says the track is about “denial and playing music and finding a cure for sadness or pain.” Written three months into the start of the pandemic, Levitt was forced to confront the reality of diving back into music, only this time, in quarantine with his wife and toddler which presented new challenges.

“Setting Sun create an Arcade Fire urgency, creating sweeping orchestrations, driving rhythms”
–Pop Matters

Levitt adds, “It took a while to be able to turn on the creativity at will according to the clock, but I found it was actually possible. The limitations made me more productive. This song was one of the first I recorded for the new record and maybe it helped get out some of that frustration from being forced into a new life and future not made by my choice.”

The band Setting Sun, led by songwriter Gary Levitt, began in San Francisco where the band’s first release, holed up, was recorded in 2003. From there, Levitt moved to Los Angeles, then to Brooklyn and now resides in the Hudson Valley.

With their newest, and most comprehensive body of work yet, Setting Sun is ready to re-introduce themselves to society. In the band’s current state, joining Levitt are long-time collaborators Lawrence Roper (keyboards, vocals), Jonathan Hambright (drums) and John Burdick(bass/vocals).

The Feelings Cure was recorded like no other Setting Sun record, diligently. Explaining the creative process and creating the album while now being a father, Levitt says, “I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get in the creative zone with set times of having to turn creativity on and off like a switch. I used to write and record in creative blasts when I felt it come on like a wave or virus. Having kids forced me to write, record, and mix in the gaps of being a father and the maturity shows on this record.”

Over 10 rich tracks, Levitt turns inward to blend genres and juxtapose upbeat instrumentals and production with melancholic lyrics. Unafraid to take risks and allowing himself to create without reserve, the album chronicles Levitt further discovering himself and his artistry, culminating in the band’s most realized work to date.

While producing the album, Levitt learned to listen to himself and how he was feeling to best use his time and play to his strengths. “I produced this record myself in my studio and enlisted friends to lay down some tracks like drums, harmonies, violins, etc. One trick I learned is to be aware of my mood. If I wasn’t feeling a creative wave, I’d then do some mixing. If I was in the creative zone, I’d sit and write and record a part to one of the songs.”

The creative process became casual, free-flowing and unforced. Levitt says, “Most of the sounds you hear on this record were written and recorded simultaneously, so you’re getting the raw thing, not a reenactment of the moment it was written, this is the moment.”

Setting Sun will celebrate the release of their first album in ten years with a show at Colony in Woodstock on May 18^th. The following month, the band will perform at Riverside Concerts in Germantown on June 15^th.

Tickets for the release show are on sale, to purchase click the link here.

To pre-order The Feelings Cure, click the link here.

For more music by Setting Sun, click the link here.

April 13, 2023
Robin Eaton Releases Classic Rock Single “Wishing Well”

Lower East Side legend and classic rock musician Robin Eaton is excited to announce the release of “Wishing Well.” The latest single from Eaton’s upcoming album, Memories of A Misspent Youth, due for release on May 1st.

The single “Wishing Well” combines cinematic Western music with classic rock instrumentals. Using sensibilities reminiscent of Eric Clapton, Robin Eaton evokes memories of days gone by with his haunting vocals.

On the single release, there are many layers of folk, Americana, and classic rock sounds infused with cosmic synths and reminiscent of the Lower East Side in the 1970s. Thus, where Eaton earned his stripes on the local music scene. The latest single, alongside “Drugs R 4 Kids” and “Tell Me Your Dream,” helps Robin Eaton continue to pave a sonic lane for himself.

As a prolific songwriter and producer, Robin Eaton is reintroducing himself as a performing artist in 2023. In addition to his background as a songwriter and artist, he was also in the original Broadway production of Hair.

In the 80s, Robin moved to Nashville and built the studios Alex The Great Recordings and Club Roar Recordings, where Memories of A Misspent Youth was recorded. Eaton is also a combination of a producer, recording engineer, and mixer with an instrumentalist able to fill in wherever there is a hole, be it a guitar gnat, bass bump, even a sitar squiggle.

There should be no shock in naming the latter instrument prior to mentioning Eaton’s status in Nashville, where he moved from his native Pennsylvania to follow the musical muse. The country & western capital, after all, is where the sitar was utilized on a whole series of hits at the height of pop music’s raga rage in the ’60s and ’70s.

Aside from his personal music, Robin Eaton is also a respected composer. Robin’s recent score credits include the film Mountain Rest and, written with collaborator Roger Moutenot, the Narcissa podcast (which was one of last year’s top dramatic podcasts). Both works were directed and written by Robin’s daughter, Alex O Eaton.

Listen to “Wishing Well” from Robin Eaton by clicking the link here.

Memories of A Misspent Youth is due for release on May 1st.

For more music by Robin Eaton, click the link here.

April 8, 2023
The Sleeping Announce First Album in 13 years, “I Feel Like I’m Becoming A Ghost”

Long Island’s The Sleeping has just announced the upcoming release of I Feel Like I’m Becoming A Ghost, out July 28th. After coming down from the high of two sold out reunion shows in Brooklyn and on Long Island, the post-punk outfit band has announced their first new album in nearly 13 years featuring their original lineup that hasn’t written together in over 16 years.

“Now that this is the original lineup, it feels like a massive evolution,” says vocalist Douglas Robinson. “I would describe this new record as a band that stayed true to who they are while completely reshaping the approach to their sound. This record feels way more focused from every angle, but it’s us at its core. We were never a band who copied our influences. Everything that we put out is influenced by our love for music as a whole, and not just particular bands or artists.”

On I Feel Like I’m Becoming A Ghost, The Sleeping dials in their eccentric and erratic blend of ambient indie rock, post-punk, and melodic hardcore. The abum overall shines a light on mental instability. It was written, recorded, and produced at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, NY with the infamous production duo Mike Birnbaum and Chris Bittner (Coheed and Cambria, Bad Brains, Weerd Science, Team Sleep) with insight from the band.

The Sleeping formed in 2003 in Long Island, founded by Cameron Keym, Sal Mignano, and Joe Zizzo. After auditioning twenty-two potential vocalists, they came across Douglas Robinson, former singer/guitarist of the band Stillwelle.

Their live performances are known for their emotive, high-energy and tight-knit sound. They’ve toured with infamous bands like Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, Bayside and ALEXISONFIRE. Their music has been featured in video games including Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, Madden NFL 07, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage.

I Feel Like I’m Becoming A Ghost is due out on July 28th and is now available for preorder on here. Along with this, there will be items and limited-edition bundles available as well.

For more on The Sleeping, click the link here.

April 5, 2023