NYC Scene Report – Rebel Kicks, Night Palace, & Blonder

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Rebel Kicks looking to go missing, something magical from Night Palace, and Blonder falling for an “Ice Cream Girl.”

* When I first listened to NYC-based duo Rebel Kicks’ latest single, “We Should Go Missing,” I couldn’t exactly place why I loved the vibe so much, and then it hit me – it reminded me of The Summer Set (who are one of my favorite bands)!

A pop-rock song that, according to the band is “a metaphor for daydreaming of escape,” and “finding that inner tranquility we all seek, freeing your mind from the daily stresses and anxieties that we all deal with,” “We Should Go Missing” is one part reality, one part relatable fantasy, and 100% great.

After giving the song repeated plays I can’t wait to hear more from Rebel Kicks. Give it a spin, and hear why.

* When you click play on ethereal indie pop band Night Palace’s lyric video for their song “Nightshade” you may end up wondering, “Am I the only one seeing this?” And the answer is yes, you’re tripping balls in the middle of the day, the rest of us are just seeing a regular old live performance video.

Of course, I'm kidding. The trippy clip for the song, which is off Night Palace’s upcoming debut album, Diving Rings, due out February 11th via Park The Van, is the work of animator Diana Lynn VanderMeulen, who created the surreal virtual environment to match the concept behind the song.

The band’s frontwoman, Avery Draut, explained that concept, saying, “My grandma first told me the magic that if you plant pennies under hydrangeas that the flowers will change colors. She was full of this type of factlet, and I find myself echoing her magic all the time.”

Check out the video, and get lost in the magic, and the beautiful sounds of Night Palace.

* For many of us, the thought of an ice cream girl immediately brings up memories of a Wu-Tang classic. Returning to the present, Long Island native Blonder has his own “Ice Cream Girl,” and it’s a wild, electronic, distorted, alt-rock gem that makes mention of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

“Ice Cream Girl” is off Blonder’s upcoming full length debut, Knoxville House, which is due out February 11th via Cool World Records, and if the rest of the album is anything like the single, it’s gonna be a heck of an LP.

Click play, and crank the up volume on this one, because “Ice Cream Girl” is a song that should be played loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

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