NYC Scene Report - Cold Sweats, Fjer, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features the theatrical punk rock of Cold Sweats, an incredible downtempo soul cover by Fjer, some dope hip-hop from Grizzly Gato and Homeboy Sandman, and a very cool video from electro soul-pop artist Danielle Parente.

* Waking up in a cold sweat is never a good thing, but waking up to the music of Cold Sweats would add quite the jolt to your morning.

Hailing from Brooklyn, and Binghamton, the band officially formed over the summer. Their music blends elements of punk, and surf rock, and even has a theatrical aspect to it, as their debut single, “Waste Of A Day,” features a hard rock Rocky Horror Picture show vibe.

In a statement, Cold Sweat's Brandon Musa said of the song, "I distinctly remember a discussion with Alex [Craver] about the vocals, saying that I could hear Fred Schneider (of the B-52s) style vocals, but if he went completely nuts. The lyrics creep me out a lot."

Those lyrics start with the line, "Call the nurses, page the doctor," and while their debut album, Social Coma, won’t be out until November 6th, you can experience some Cold Sweats right here.


* Fjer is an incredible downtempo soul artist we stole from Denmark. OK, we didn’t exactly steal her, she moved to New York City of her own free will, but it almost feels like we stole her because getting to claim her as one of our own is pretty damned awesome.

Her Beautiful Home EP was one of my favorites of 2014, and just the other week she released a fantastic cover of JoJo’s “Say Love.”

Check out Fjer’s amazing vocals, and very cool vibe, on this unique cover. There’s a good chance you’ll end up liking it even more than the original.


* When you combine the talents of emcee Oddy Gato, and emcee/producer Grizzly Grimace, you get the NY rap duo Grizzly Gato. When you add Queens emcee Homeboy Sandman, you get the ridiculously bangin’ track "Finding a New Balance on a Boogieboard." 

"Finding a New Balance on a Boogieboard" is an introspective song featuring the trio sharing stories of sex, drugs, and alcohol, and it’s the lead single off of the second installment of Grizzly Gato’s The Water Colors EP, which is due out in February of 2016.

If you love great hip-hop, clicking play on this one is highly advised.


* I was just put on to the music of Brooklyn’s Danielle Parente a few weeks ago, and I have to say, although I’m late to the party, I’m glad I finally received my invite.

Parente, whose music is a mixture of pop, electronic, and soul, made her debut in 2011, with The Way I Feel, and she’s followed it up with the just released Dark Eyes, which came out this past Friday.

The first single off of Dark Eyes is “Very Last Breath,” and Parente has a beautifully trippy video to accompany it. The artistic nature of the clip shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as in addition to being a fantastic singer, and songwriter, she was once a student of fine arts.

You definitely want to check this one out.


For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.