NYC Scene Report – Lost Leaders, Dark Tea, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Lost Leaders attempting to avoid becoming “Extra-Ordinary,” Dark Tea “Rolling Back The Dial,” Pavo Pavo deciding to “Check The Weather,” and J Hacha De Zola embracing “Anarchy.”

* Lost Leaders duo Peter Cole and Byron Isaacs each call NYC, and the suburbs outside of NYC, home, and with their latest single, “Extra-Ordinary,” they’re taking a look at the unique – or more precisely, not-so-unique – lifestyle that entails.

Cole explained the pop-rock song in a statement, saying, “‘Extra-Ordinary’ (is) about living in the suburbs, and fighting the urge to sink into mediocrity and become ‘like everybody.’ All we can do is fight the good fight … and then mow the lawn.”

“Extra-Ordinary” is off Lost Leaders’ upcoming album, Promises Promises which is due out March 1st, and you can see lyric video right here.


* Gary Canino’s latest project is one we can assume he took a while to put together – how else do you get Dark Tea, except with patience, and time?

Over the years, Canino has played with a veritable who’s who of songwriters, making his way up and down the East Coast. With Dark Tea, however, he’s front and center, and if the indie folk-pop single, “Rolling Back The Dial,” which features Hand Habits, and is capped off by a beautiful outro, is any indication – the time is right for the spotlight to shine on Canino.

“Rolling Back The Dial” is off Dark Tea’s upcoming self-titled debut album, which is due out March 22nd. Check out the video for the song, and get a taste of Dark Tea.


* NYC duo Pavo Pavo recently released their sophomore album, Mystery Hour, and they’ve created a wild video for the latest single, “Check The Weather.”

Pavo Pavo explained the inspiration for the clip in a statement, saying, “The video was directed by Charlotte/Charles Ercoli. We fell in love with her video for Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood’s ‘Tears of Fire,’ and wanted something for this track that similarly treads that line of touching and bizarre. She found this internet phenomenon of prosthetic dolphin masks, and had the idea to tell a classic plot-driven love story between two dolphins.”

The duo continued, adding, “Ideally we want it to look like some crap we found in a corner of the internet and sync’ed up with our song, but then when we make a cameo at the end it becomes clear that we made it. (We’re) hoping the response is, ‘Huh, that’s weird that they made this.’”

It’s certainly weird that they made this, but I’m glad they did. Check out the clip, and I think you’ll be glad, too … or at the very least you’ll have some weird dreams for the next few nights.


* J Hacha De Zola will be releasing his fourth full-length album, Icaro Nouveau, on March 8th, and one thing listeners can expect is “Anarchy.”

Not only does J Hacha De Zola’s musical style, for which he’s coined the term “urban junkyard,” embrace a special kind of anarchy – think Frank Zappa meets modern indie rock – the latest single off Icaro Nouveau is titled “Anarchy.”

With a mixture of brass instruments – some setting the pace, others playing solos that may, or may not, be improvised – the music is wild, and J Hacha De Zola’s vocals are as intense as ever.

Check out “Anarchy,” and roam around in J Hacha De Zola’s urban junkyard.


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