NYC Scene Report – Cool Company, Good Looking Friends, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features something cool from R&B duo Cool Company, an indie rock gem from Good Looking Friends, a laid back ode to “Sex In Space” from indie pop outfit Passive Aggressives Anonymous, and a garage-psych rock treat from BOYTOY.

* Brooklyn-based R&B duo Cool Company have been making a name for themselves over the past few years, and for good reason, they’re … well … cool. How cool are they? Check out how cool they play it on their latest single, “Be More Mad.”

Cool Company’s Cool Yan explains the inspiration for the song, saying “I wrote this song about all the terrible shit that’s been happening in the world, and I feel like I should be more mad about it. I feel like I should be more riled up, and pissed off than I actually am.”

The other half of Cool Company, Fat Matt, directed the music video for “Be More Mad,” which the duo breaks down, saying, “It shows our characters in our own world, insulated from (the) outside by extra thick skin, and how that mentality can unravel over time when people get fed up with your disregard.”

“Be More Mad” is the first single off of Cool Company’s upcoming EP, The Dose Pt. 1, set for release this year, and you can check out the video right here.



* Who doesn’t love enjoying some good indie rock with their friends, especially their Good Looking Friends?

No, I’m not judging people based on their looks. Good Looking Friends is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band whose debut album, Settle In, Decay, was release last month via For It! Records.

With healthy dose of pop punk, a dash of cello, and a hint of jazz, the sound of Good Looking Friends is something they’ve been honing over the past four years, playing shows in and around their Brooklyn stomping grounds.

Check out the single “Front Porch,” and get to know these Good Looking Friends.


* Some questions can be more difficult to handle than others, like when you’re asked to have sex in space. That’s the question NY-based band Passive Aggressives Anonymous wrap their collective head around on their new single, “Sex In Space.”

An incredibly strange song that’s one part indie pop, one part Flight of the Conchords, “Sex In Space” is off of the band’s 2018 effort The Mauve Album. If one were to only give the song a casual listen, they might think it’s simply a laid back pop tune, the kind that could calm you down during a hectic day, but anyone who listens to the lyrics will quickly realize it’s no ordinary laid back tune.

Check out the video, and enjoy some “Sex In Space” with Passive Aggressives Anonymous.


* Brooklyn garage-psych rock foursome BOYTOY have created a sound that’s a unique mix of ‘90s alt-rock (that vibe!), 60’s psych-rock (that organ!), and even a little bit of surf rock (that guitar work!), and you can hear that sound on their just released sophomore album, Night Leaf.

The band will be hitting the road this month for a European/UK tour in support of the album, but before leaving our shores they released the single “Static Age” to hold us over until they return.

Check out “Static Age,” and have a retro-rock good time with BOYTOY.


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