NYC Scene Report – Luck Chops, HEIRSOUND, & more

This week's NYC Scene Report features an upbeat tune from brass band Lucky Chops, some alt-pop-rock goodness from HEIRSOUND, an infectious pop-rock song from Typhoid Rosie, and the well-aged indie rock of Retail Space, who are enjoying "Getting Older."

* Lucky Chops have taken their funky, jazzy, upbeat, brass band stylings from the underground of NYC, where they were busking in subway stations, to a worldwide audience, as they recently completed a European tour where they sold out nearly every date.

Now back in America, Lucky Chops will be touring the States through November, and in celebration of this, they've released a new original song, titled "Best Things." The band's Josh Holcomb says of inspiration behind "Best Things," "One night I had plans to go out to a fancy place. When I arrived I decided that it wasn't my vibe at all, and that I really didn't need to spend money to have fun, so I turned around and walked back home, by myself, for two hours, whistling this happy melody and feeling quite content.”

Holcomb continued, adding, "In NYC it's easy to get caught up in the Wall Street money driven mindset. This song is about the simple pleasures of life and it reminds us that the best things in life are indeed free.”

Click play on this fantastic reminder that fun is an emotion, not a price point.


* Do you like alt-pop-rock? Do you also like aquariums? If so, you're a lot like me, and should respond to my online dating profile. You're also probably going to really like NYC duo HEIRSOUND's video for their latest single, "My Own," which features great alt-pop-rock, and fish filled scenery.

Comprised of Alexa San Román and Dane Petersen (formerly of Love, Robot), HEIRSOUND has a sound that's one part Paramore, one part PVRIS, one part pop. In a statement, they said of their upcoming EP, Merge which is due out August 5th, and features "My Own," "This EP represents to us both the collaboration of two artists from different hometowns, as well as a metaphorical bridge from both of our older bands' previous sounds to what HEIRSOUND is now. As our old bands were more heavily rock-influenced, this EP has both elements of that, as well as more electronic sounds, letting long-time fans ease into this new sound."

Dive into "My Own" right here.


* Certain bands can interest you just by name alone. This was the case for me when I saw Typhoid Rosie in my inbox. A combination of a play on Typhoid Mary, who was the first person in the US identified as a carrier of typhoid fever, and the name of the band's lead singer, Rosie Rebel, Typhoid Rosie's creativity doesn't stop at just their name. Their latest single, "Shut Your Mouth," is 1:55 of indie pop-rock goodness.

"Shut Your Mouth" is off the band's new album, Hearts Bleed Goodbye, which is an especially personal project for Rosie Rebel. The album is a tribute to her late mother, who passed away suddenly after having an aneurysm while driving home from her own mother's wake.

It was a double dose of tragedy for Rebel, losing both her grandmother, and her mother, but while tragedy is the backdrop for Hearts Bleed Goodbye, "Shut Your Mouth" illustrates it's not a depressing album.

Click play, and let Typhoid Rosie infect you with their sound.


* Some people associate getting older with falling apart. Others will tell you things get better with age. My thinking falls decidedly into the latter category, and if you're listening to Brooklyn-based indie rockers Retail Space, you'll think "Getting Older" is pretty great, too. This is because "Getting Older" is the name of the duo's latest single from their debut album, In The Lotia.

The story of Retail Space started back when Isabelle Burnet and Jacob Rosse met during their first year at Purchase College, but the band didn't technically come into existence until 2014, when the twosome were working as accountants in Brooklyn, and realized they had complimentary vocal styles, and a similar approach to writing music.

Pooling their money, Burnet and Rosse pieced together an all-analog recording studio in a small practice room, and Retail Space was born. Check out how they're "Getting Older."


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