NYC Scene Report – HEIRSOUND, Bueno, and more

This week's NYC Scene Report features another great single from rising alt-pop-rock duo HEIRSOUND, a city-based project from indie rockers Bueno, a Tron inspired clip from Stone Cold Fox, and head-nod inducing single from hip-hop artist JohnNY U.

* I first wrote about NYC alt-pop-rock duo HEIRSOUND last month, and they're already back with another fantastic single, and video.

Their latest is "Hoods Up," which the band describes, saying, "'Hoods Up' is not about one particular incident, as it is more about describing a particular feeling. The chorus says, 'We've got our hoods up,' and it means just that. That mood where you put on a big sweatshirt, and headphones, and zone out away from everyone. The darkest song on the EP, 'Hoods Up' is lyrically sad, yet melodically beautiful, and we are both very happy with how it turned out."

The aforementioned EP "Hoods Up" is off of is Merge, which is due out August 5th, and the way HEIRSOUND keeps crankin out amazing songs, it could easily end up a column favorite.


* Staten Island indie rockers Bueno have an exceptionally cool concept for their upcoming sophomore album, Illuminate Your Room, which is due out August 19th. Musically representing decades of the NYC rock scene, the album is built around 24 hours in NYC, opening in the early morning hours, and closing late in the night.

The lead single off of Illuminate Your Room is "I Got Your Back." Bueno's Luke Chiaruttini says of the song, "'I Got Your Back' is a song about all the casual disappointments that make up daily life – being disappointed by, and disappointing, the people you love. Living up to expectations, living down to expectations, or disregarding them entirely.”

Check it out. You may find Bueno to be muy bueno.


* When a Brooklyn-based indie rock band releases a video that's loosely inspired by Tron, you know darn well I'm going to feature it here in the NYC Scene Report!

The band in question is column regular Stone Cold Fox, and the video is for their latest single, "Change My Mind." "Change My Mind” is off of Stone Cold Foxes' recently released EP Tunnel Vision, and in an interview with Billboard, the video's director, Joseph Carlin, said of the clip, "The whole concept stemmed off of the album art, this image of a crystallized man in a space. It made my mind jump to pictures of nebulas, and 1980's inspired computer art, like Tron. The end result was a sort of moody, neon colored landscape of three dimensional shapes, and the band interacting with them, and vice versa, in a fun way.”

You clicked play as soon as you read "loosely inspired by Tron" didn't you? It's cool, I would’ve done the same thing.


* A lot of folks like to receive gifts for their birthday, but Brooklyn-based emcee JohnNY U. decided to GIVE a gift in honor of his birthday in the form a free single.

The song is "Andre O'Jay," and it's a head-nodding joint produced by Tunnelno5 that's a worthy addition to anyone's summer soundtrack.

For those unfamiliar with JohnNY U., you may remember him from his previous moniker, E.Y.E.Q., or his crew, O.I.S.D.. He says of his name change, "JohnNY U., which is short for UniteUs, is the bonding of my styles and personalities. JohnNY is the balance between my 'conscious' and care free mind."

Check out that balance on "Andre O'Jay," and if you like the single, download it for free on JohnNY U.'s bandcamp page.


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