NYC Scene Report – steve., Shana Falana, & more


This week’s NYC Scene Report features steve. dealing with an “Ankle Biter,” Shana Falana with a plea to “Come and Find Me,” No Swoon getting lost in-between a dream and reality, and WIVES making the request to “Hit Me Up.”

* If you’re looking for a band that’s, in their own words, “pop-punk but not THAT kind,” it’s time to meet steve.

The New Jersey-based foursome just signed with I Surrender Records, which will be releasing the band’s upcoming full length album, You Can Do This, Too, on November 8th.

The lead single from the album is “Ankle Biter,” which steve. vocalist/guitarist Kyle O’Connor explained in a statement, saying, “‘Ankle Biter’ came from feelings of not being a good friend, which evolved into realizing I wasn't the problem. It’s about dealing with a manipulative person, one who takes advantage of a friendship for their own personal gain. Kind of like if you’re a rich kid, and your friends are only your friends to hang out in the basement home movie theater of your parents’ split level, open concept house – they’re not your friends, they just wanna fuck your roommate.”

Check out the wildly creative video for “Ankle Biter,” and get to know steve. … and steve.’s monster (don’t worry, that isn’t a euphemism).


* Veteran singer-songwriter Shana Falana is ready to shine her Darkest Light, which is the title of her upcoming album, due out October 25th via Arrowhawk Records.

Discussing Darkest Light, Falana said in a statement, “I’ve been around a while. I was an addict. I worked on the fringe of the sex industry in New York City for two years. I know that even in the darkest lives, everyone still has their light. People still shine. Darkest Light is an album of mantras.”

The first mantra is the single “Come and Find Me,” which she explained the inspiration for, saying, “This is the only song on the record that is not ‘new.’ I wrote it while still living in BK over a decade ago, and at the time (not yet sober) I thought I was waiting for my love, my prince, my savior to come to me. Since then I’ve realized it was a plea to myself. It took me years to get to a place where I felt I could put this song out, and perform it regularly. It’s from the deepest, quietest part of my heart. When we decided to put this on the record I knew it needed to be the first single … so it could stand on its own for a while.”

Check out the video, and come find Shana Falana.


* Shoegaze and dream pop lovers, be prepared to swoon over Brooklyn-based duo No Swoon.

Consisting of Tasha Abbott and Zack Nestel-Patt, No Swoon will be releasing their self-titled debut album on November 1st, via Substitute Scene Records.

The lead single off the album is “Don’t Wake Up, Wake Up,” and Abbott describes the trippy video for the song, saying, “The music video for ‘Don't Wake Up, Wake Up’ follows two people searching for and finding themselves lost, slipping between a dream and reality,” adding, “this song started from a dream of mine. Usually my dreams are very darkly lit, or at night with muted colors, except there is always one or two objects that are highly saturated in a brighter color.”

Check out “Don’t Wake Up, Wake Up,” and wake up to No Swoon.


* Queens-based indie rockers WIVES released their long-awaited debut album, So Removed, earlier this month via City Slang, along with something else many fans had been waiting for – a video for the song “Hit Me Up.”

The clip was directed by Carson Cox (of Merchandise), who explained his vision, saying, “No matter how big the bad wolf, there is always a weakness. We tried to remind ourselves here in this video – things aren’t always as they seem.”

Check out the clip, and enjoy the musical matrimony of WIVES.


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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