NYC Scene Report – Baby Got Back Talk, Blake Morgan, & Sickpay

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Baby Got Back Talk feeling Existential Shred, Blake Morgan readying the release of his Violent Delights, and Sickpay breaking through and feeling free with Pureocracy.

* NYC-based pop punk band Baby Got Back Talk have signed with Wiretap Records, and will be releasing a new EP titled Existential Shred this summer.

The band’s vocalist/bassist G’Ra Asim discussed both the signing, and upcoming EP, a statement, saying, “As the D-I-why?-because-we-gotta punk party known as Baby Got Back Talk goes, the medium is the message. The four of us think of our project as a Mom and Pop Punk band, which makes linking up with Wiretap Records a whole vibe, since (Wiretap Records owner) Rob (Castellon’s) hustle and social consciousness are a perfect match for our own. Our forthcoming EP, Existential Shred, is a bold new chapter in the band’s story, and we’re stoked to release it on such a rad and forward-thinking label. Shout to queer punx, and punx of color worldwide –this is for you. Only herbs will miss it.”

For a taste of Baby Got Back Talk, check out “Back to Before,” which was off their debut album, Genre Reveal Party.

As an aside, is anyone better at naming things than this foursome?

* Longtime readers already know that NYC-based indie music icon Blake Morgan has been a favorite here for years. What you may not know is this is a special week for Morgan, as his new album, Violent Delights, will be out on Friday!

The latest single from Violent Delights is “Baby I Would Want You,” the video for which – his third collaboration with New York City indie-filmmaker Alice Teeple – was filmed entirely at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn.

Discussing the thought process behind the video, Morgan said, “For this third video together, Alice and I wanted to do something different – a full-band performance video in a timeless and classic venue. Pete’s Candy Store was our first and only choice, and you can see why when you watch the video. There’s no other stage like it.”

Morgan knows a thing or two about great stages, as he’s graced a plethora of them throughout the city, country, and the world, including his current six-year run of sold out shows at NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall.

Check out “Baby I Would Want You,” and hear why Blake Morgan is always a hot ticket wherever he performs.

* Brooklyn-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sickpay released a 5-track, punk fueled EP titled Pureocracy way back in December, but for some reason I just discovered it the other week. Yeah, sometimes even I need a late pass, but I’m glad Pureocracy finally found its way to my ears.

Discussing the project in a statement, Sickpay said, “Pureocracy was born in the darkest days of the pandemic, but is filled with ecstatic anthems for our era. Recorded in a small Brooklyn studio, these five songs feature big choruses, (and are) to-the-point tunes about living through existential oppression. Enjoy the freedom and release that comes from yell singing out of the holler.”

Click play on the EP’s lead track, “Quiet As A Joke,” and get free with Sickpay.

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