NYC Scene Report – Zoë Moss, Brix, & Sam O.B.

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Zoë Moss getting wrapped up in a “Fantasy,” Brix turning her personal struggle into something beautiful, and Sam O.B. making plans for “This Saturday.”

* Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Zoë Moss is feeling a spark on her latest single, “The Fantasy,” which is the second song off her upcoming debut EP.

“I dubbed it my ‘cynical love song,’” Moss says of “The Fantasy,” “because the story behind it is exactly that. It’s about the feeling you get when you meet someone new and think to yourself, ‘Oh no, you could be trouble for me.’ I wanted to write about how we all try to rationalize and bargain with ourselves emotionally when we fall for someone.”

Moss continued, adding, “Sonically, this is the most R&B tinged record on the project, which parallels that feeling of intrigue when there’s a spark. The lyrics in the chorus are dark and sexual to represent that bargaining of, ‘Let's just keep this simple, physical, casual, because I’ve been hurt before,’ but secretly you’re hoping that this person calls your bluff and proves you wrong.”

I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more from Zoë Moss throughout the rest of 2020, and beyond. Check out “The Fantasy” and hear why.

* Indie pop singer-songwriter Brix hasn’t had the easiest year, and her latest song laments, “Call me naive, but I guess I thought if the world was ending you would call.”

Having to deal with a global pandemic following a break-up would be enough for anyone to attempt to handle, but Brix contracting COVID-19 threw even more on her plate.

“After being exposed to COVID-19, I began my 3-week self-quarantine in my Brooklyn apartment,” she says, “When it all began, I remember seeing this beautiful painting on Facebook by fellow NYC artist Gabriela Lucia that read, ‘Cause the world could be burning and all I’d be thinking is how you are doing,’ and that's exactly how I felt. That same night, I wrote this song. I couldn't believe I was going to have to face this pandemic alone, and even as the world was falling apart around me, why was I still just thinking about that one person?”

Brix continued, adding, “This music video and song is by far the most vulnerable and revealing piece of art I’ve ever put into the world, but this is also what got me out of bed every morning for the past two months. I wanted to share my story so that if even just one person felt a little less alone, then it was worth it. Whether you are struggling with trying to homeschool a 7 year old, losing a job, about to give birth, starting a new relationship, in a broken marriage, nursing a newborn, or nursing a broken heart – it's all hard, and we all can allow the space to grieve, and be mad, and be sad, and also know and recognize that we are lucky to be healthy and alive. It’s okay to feel both.”

With “Call me naive, but I guess I thought if the world was ending you would call,” Brix has turned an incredibly difficult set of circumstances into something beautiful.


* If you’re looking to get a little funky, and a little soulful, you officially have plans “This Saturday” with Sam O.B.

The title track off his recently released EP, “This Saturday” is an irresistible groove that immediately inspires movement. The song, which features additional vocal harmonies by Allison Ponthier, will make you wish every day is Saturday … actually, most of us do that already, but you know what I’m saying.

The trippy video for the song was shot and edited by Sam O.B., with Michelle Ishikawa lending a hand with filming and additional direction.

Check out “This Saturday,” and take a few minutes to feel good. You deserve it.


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