NYC Scene Report – Samia, The Next Great American Novelist, & Slight Of


This week’s NYC Scene Report features Samia discussing body image, The Next Great American Novelist getting existential about living in NYC, and Slight Of talking about “Other People.”

* Samia has something important to say about body image, which is the theme of her latest single, “Fit N Full.”

Discussing the song in a statement, Samia said, “For some reason the words ‘fit’ and ‘full’ have always felt mutually exclusive to me. I wrote this while I was living in the East Village, so overwhelmed by the magic and culture around me, and literally only capable of thinking about my fucking body. I tried to write this from the perspective of the person I wanted to be, instead of the person who stares at her reflection in the window of Veselka.”

“Fit N Full” is off Samia’s upcoming debut album, The Baby, due out August 28th via Grand Jury Music. After checking out the song, I think there’s a pretty good chance you’ll want your playlist full of her music.


* Sometimes living in NYC will make you contemplate your place in the world, or at the very least, your place in the city. This is the inspiration behind Brooklyn-based indie rock band The Next Great American Novelist’s latest single, “Drag.”

In a statement, songwriter Sean Cahill discussed the song, saying, “I love New York City, though some days it feels like a dysfunctional landscape of ill-routine. Living here, you realize you’re functionally necessary, but of small significance or importance within the larger enterprise. I’m immersed in a series of habits – standing in line, getting on a train, heading to work, buying coffee, buying booze … are these choices I want to make, or am I just keeping the machine going?"

“Drag” is off The Next Great American Novelist’s upcoming sophomore album, Careless Moon, due out October 2nd, and you can check out the video for the song right here.


* Slight Of is Brooklyn-based musician Jim Hill’s ever evolving collective, and right now they’re talking about “Other People.”

“Other People” is the title track off Slight Of’s upcoming album, due out August 28th.

Hill explained the inspiration for the song in a statement, saying, “‘Other People’ was the spark that gave way to the rest of the album. I was at a New Years party in my hometown swapping stories with an old friend about the people we used to know. At a certain point, I realized we hadn’t said a word about ourselves. I think we all do this to a certain extent – we avoid vulnerability by talking about the latest show we watched, gossiping about people we work with, celebrities, or politicians. We’re obsessed with the lives of others. We find meaning in them when we can’t in our own. I thought this would be an interesting way to approach my songwriting. I felt I might be able to access something new by imagining the world through different perspectives.”

Click play on “Other People,” as Slight Of gives us something to think about.


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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