NYC Scene Report – Hayes Warner, Emily Gabriele, & The Wilful Boys

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Hayes Warner getting “Messy,” Emily Gabriele paying “No Mind,” and The Wilful Boys feeling “Better.”

* We first met indie alt-pop artist Hayes Warner earlier this year when she burst onto the scene with her debut single, “Like You’re In Mine.” With her second single, things are getting “Messy” for the NYC native.

Discussing both the lyrics, and video for “Messy,” Warner said, “If you know you’re going to see your ex in most social settings, at a certain point, you have to give in to the situation and find the humor in the awkwardness. I wanted to bring that energy into the video, along with the eye-rolling and frustration.”

Click play on “Messy,” and I think you’ll agree when I say – mission accomplished!

* NYC-based singer-songwriter Emily Gabriele, aka EG, is looking to make some changes with her latest single, “No Mind.”

“The song is about the idea of making minor adjustments to our lives,” she explains, “There are habits we can change that might be obvious to others, but not as obvious to ourselves, as we go through the motion of living. The seemingly ‘small’ actions and habits in our lives compound over time. If we don’t take inventory of how we act, those compounded actions can build up into something massive, for better or for worse.”

“No Mind” is off Gabriele’s upcoming album, Omega Man, which is due out May 27th, and was written in honor of her late father, who was called Omega Man by his friends for his ability to mediate all disputes among them.

One thing there’s no disputing is how great “No Mind” sounds. Click play, and check it out.

* Sounding like they would’ve had a blast performing at CBGB, indie punk rockers The Wilful Boys actually met at totally different now defunct venue – Cake Shop.

The Brooklyn-based band has a full-length album, World Ward Word Sword (I KNOW you can’t say that title five times fast!), due out this Friday via Big Neck Records, the lead single off of which is the hard driving “Better.”

Within the first 20 seconds of “Better” you’ll find yourself nodding your head to the killer guitar riff, and by the time the chorus kicks in you’ll be ready to start a one person riot wherever you may be (so, like, don’t be in a 7-11, or something … but if you are, make sure someone gets the whole thing on video).

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go clean up the mess I just made in here.

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