NYC Scene Report – Namesake, JW Francis, & Gnarly Karma

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Namesake calling in sick, JW Francis climbing a “Holy Mountain,” and Gnarly Karma going from “Rags to Riches.”

* Brooklyn surf-punk band Namesake (formerly known as Honduras) has a new album on the way, and the lead single is pretty sick.

Titled “I’m Sick,” the song introduces listeners to Redeeming Features, which is due out October 15th (hey, that’s my birthday!) via Get Better Records.

Discussing the song, and album, in a statement, Namesake frontman Patrick Phillips said, “For me, dealing with a lot of panic attacks, a panic disorder, and agoraphobia, it’s almost the sensation of going into the album with a racing heart. The last lyrics in that song were written a week before I started therapy. The confusion I was dealing with this album is just so present. It's interesting to listen back to, and there’s some radical honesty happening. And that’s what the whole album is about.”

Phillips continued, adding, “There’s just something beautiful about attacking really heavy lyrical matter, but at the same time you can tap your foot along to it. You’re able to acknowledge things about yourself, and to be truthful, but you have to tell your story with a smirk, because we all have our own stuff to go through. It can’t be too self-serious!”

Who knew something with such depth could also be such a good time! Click play and go for a ride with Namesake.

* Speaking of good times, NYC-based lo-fi artist JW Francis is sparking lots of them with his latest single, “Holy Mountain.”

Off his upcoming sophomore album, WANDERKID, due out October 1st via Sunday Best Recordings, JW explained the song in a statement, saying it’s about “going out, and doing whatever you want to do right now,” adding, “It’s addressed to a lover you haven’t met yet.”

Click play on this infectious jam, get your boogie on, and turn a stranger into a friend … or maybe more!

* Sometimes fans can influence a band to want to try something new. This was the case for Long Island-based indie alt-rock band Gnarly Karma.

According to Gnarly Karma’s Jarred Beyer, hearing how much fans enjoy seeing the band perform live made the group decide to tackle how to make their studio songs more like their concerts. “We wanted to capture that same energy in the studio that we create when we play live,” Beyer explains, “I suggested to the band that we fly to California and record with Steve Pagano. We spent a week at the studio, and put in hard work, and were happy with the results.”

One of those results is the recently released single, “Rags to Riches,” which you can check out right here. It just might inspire you to see Gnarly Karma live.

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