NYC Scene Report – Quicksand, Namesake, & Mike Etten

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Quicksand hitting the road, Namesake no longer wanting to be a “Sleepwalker,” and Mike Etten going for a “Drive.”

* Post-hardcore band Quicksand released their fourth studio album, Distant Populations, digitally last month, and on September 24th the vinyl edition will be available (both via Epitaph Records). In support of the album, the NYC-based band will be hitting the road for a headlining tour that will begin September 28th in Boston, and wrap up on October 31st in Philadelphia (Halloween in Philly? That could get interesting!).

Wondering what the band sounds like live? You’re in luck, because Quicksand recently released a video of a live version of their song “Colossus.”

Filmed at Vinegar Hill Sound in Brooklyn, the clip features “Colossus” at its most huge, as heavy guitars provide a driving force for the song.

Click play, rock out, and then check to see if Quicksand will be playing at a city near you.

* You might remember Brooklyn-based surf-punk band Namesake from when they were featured here last month. Why are they back again so quickly? Because they’ve released another single, titled “Sleepwalker,” and just like their previous single, “I’m Sick,” it’s a winner.

Namesake frontman Patrick Phillips discussed the inspiration for “Sleepwalker” in a statement, saying, “I’ve lost many nights drinking to the point of blacking out. Alcohol was a way to keep secrets safely hidden, a numbing escape from past traumas, a quieting of fears. From nights passed out on the train, to regretfully not remembering early times with my now fiancé, living your life this way takes a toll, chipping away at your core. I saw alcohol’s hold on my father, (and) my grandfather, drinking up their souls and potential. I fell into a similar trap throughout my 20s, sleepwalking my way past 4AM, past the point of comprehension.”

“Sleepwalker” is off Namesake’s upcoming sophomore album, Redeeming Features, which is due out October 15th via Get Better Records.

Being that this is the second time I’ve featured Namesake in as many months, this is an album I’m excited to hear (bonus – it comes out on my birthday!). Click play on “Sleepwalker,” and I think your interested will be piqued, as well.

* NYC-based singer, songwriter, musician, and composer Mike Etten (of PC Worship, and Dougie Poole Band) would like to take you on a “Drive.” “Drive” being one of the songs off his upcoming debut solo album, Love Wash, which is due out October 1st via Dull Tools.

Speaking about the song in a statement, Etten said, “‘Drive’ was inspired by a late night trip down a country back road, touching dark memories of that ride, and wrong turns made in the past.”

He added that the song features a dichotomy of emotions, saying, “‘Drive’ feels full of confusion and hope at the same time, with me trying to move towards a more peaceful station, a more loving vision, and accepting that chaos can always be around the next corner.”

Click play, and let Etten take the wheel with “Drive.”

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