NYC Scene Report – Lenii, tha Joint, & Brix

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Lenii causing us to “SLIP,” “tha intro” to tha Joint’s latest project, and Brix giving us “Permission to Celebrate.”

* Over the past year, NYC by way of Ireland alt-pop artist Lenii has become a column favorite around here, and I’m hyped that she’s closing out 2020 with one more amazing song.

Titled “SLIP,” the video for the song features a reptile costar, and a wildly incorrect way to pour tea.

Seriously, though, Lenii is fantastic, and I can’t wait to hear more from her in 2021.

* tha Joint duo of Joey Golden and Jonathan UniteUs have been featured on this site since the initial days of their O.I.S.D. crew tearin’ up stages in indie hip-hop venues throughout NYC. Their latest project is an EP titled #LiveFromThe…Chi, and they’ve released a visualizer for the first track, which is appropriately titled “tha intro.”

#LiveFromThe…Chi came together when tha Joint, along with fellow O.I.S.D. member Khid.jpg, traveled to Chicago in February of 2019 “to catch a show and create with friends from the Gold Standard Collective.” After two days of recording, the EP was born. The project wasn’t the only thing they left Chicago with, however, as they also chronicled the entire trip for their #LiveFromThe… vlog series.

You can watch the vlog on YouTube, and you can check out “tha intro” to #LiveFromThe…Chi right here.

* For the vast majority of folks it’s been an incredibly difficult year. NYC-based indie pop singer-songwriter Brix is here to let everyone know that despite everything that’s gone on, we still have “Permission to Celebrate.”

Discussing the song in a statement, Brix said, “Every year I write some sort of holiday song, and this year I sat down to write and was like WTF just happened in 2020. Looking back at the year we’ve all had, I felt silly trying to write something cheerful. Then I realized no matter what, we’re still allowed to celebrate. I hope this song can bring some joy to those who can’t be with the ones they love, who’ve lost someone they love, or who just need a little holiday cheer.”

Normally I’m not a holiday music guy, but I gotta say, I really like “Permission to Celebrate.” It’s a joyous pop tune, and exactly the kind of song we need right now.

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