NYC Scene Report – Quiet Luke, Sunflower Bean, & more


This week’s NYC Scene Report features a joyful video from soul-pop artist Quiet Luke, the return of indie pop-rockers Sunflower Bean, some pure rock n roll from Native Sun, and the column debut of hip-hop artist P. Cruz.

* NYC-based soul-pop artist Quiet Luke released his latest EP, Your Happy Place earlier this month, and judging by the video for the single “I Wanna Go,” he’s looking to live up to the name of the EP.

Your Happy Place was released in conjunction with a collection of clothing from the YHP brand, which is a creative partnership between Quiet Luke and Santangelo that is “seeking to bring joy and blissful distraction to peoples lives.”

The video for “I Wanna Go” features the YHP brand, and dogs … frolicking. I was gonna lead with the whole dogs frolicking thing, but I figured you’d just stop reading and click play. OK, now click play.


* Back in August of 2016 I wrote about an indie pop-rock band named Sunflower Bean, and their album Human Ceremony. Over a year later the trio is back – having signed with Mom + Pop Records – and they have a brand new single titled “I Was A Fool.”

Imagine if Fleetwood Mac was a modern day indie rock band in NYC, and you’d start to have an idea of the feel of the song.

Sunflower Bean’s Nick Kivlen says of the single, “‘I Was A Fool’ is one of those songs that seemingly crept up from nowhere and into our practice space. It was a special moment between the three of us. Julia and I both improvised the lyrics.”

He added, “I think this song is a good example of how we've grown as a band, while still staying true to the band that first played together back in high school.”

Sunflower Bean will be touring both nationally, and internationally, throughout the fall and winter, and you can hear “I Was A Fool” right here.


* The last time we checked in with NYC rockers Native Sun they were singing about drag queens, and sounding absolutely amazing doing it, with their single “Sister.”

The Brooklyn-based band released their debut EP, Songs Born From Love and Hate, earlier this month via PaperCup Music and Buen Dia Records, and if the aforementioned “Sister,” and new single, “I Don’t Mind,” are any indicator, it’s five tracks of the kind of rock n roll that purists are going to love.

Check out “I Don’t Mind,” and crank it up to 11.


* As many of you know, I spent a significant amount of time in NYC’s indie hip-hop scene during the first dozen years of the 2000s, and even though I’m not as connected to that scene as I once was, I’m still always hyped to hear a fresh new voice in that scene.

Queens-based Filipino-American emcee and producer P. Cruz is the latest fresh voice to catch my attention.

His debut EP, Letter to Miss Ives, was released in October via Newlywed Records, and the single “Gobstop” is one part hip-hop, one part ’80 synth rock.

Basically, if Depeche Mode and Aesop Rock had a musical baby it would be “Gobstop.” Sound wild? It is. Click play to hear what I mean.


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

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