NYC Scene Report – Amanda Daviner, Moon Walker, & Rachel Grae

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Amanda Daviner getting primal with “Scorpio,” Moon Walker going full dystopia on “Monkey See, Monkey Do,” and Rachel Grae hitting the road in December.

* When I’m going through songs, or albums, I love it when something makes me stop everything, and pay attention, and that’s exactly what happened when I first heard Brooklyn-based artist Amanda Daviner’s new single “Scorpio.”

An indie pop gem with a haunting vibe, Daviner explained the concept behind “Scorpio” in a statement, saying, “‘Scorpio’ is a song about primal desires, and how they will ultimately lead to your downfall. It is a story of passion, lust, vulnerability, and ultimately, heartache. The song explores the pain, and loneliness felt from suffering a betrayal from someone you thought you knew.” 

“Scorpio” is off Daviner’s upcoming debut EP, Catharsis, and you can feel the song’s fantastic sting right here.

* If you like your beverages with a side of dystopian fantasy – and who freakin’ doesn’t??? – you’re gonna love the video for Moon Walker’s latest single, “Monkey See, Monkey Do.”

The song is off the Brooklyn-based rocker’s latest LP, Apocalypticism, which has a focus on apocalyptic imagery, and society’s inclination to be part of a hive mind. “These are two themes that are usually at the core of most dystopian sci-fi stories,” Walker said in a statement, “but I think that with the sudden rise of AI, and the pandemic, people are starting to get the feeling that they’re closer to reality.”

In the clip for “Monkey See, Monkey Do” Walker can be found serving up drinks that include a little extra something (not like Bill Cosby, though), and the results are something to see.

So belly up to Walker’s bar by clicking play on “Monkey See, Monkey Do” … just keep a close eye on your beverage.

* Indie pop songstress Rachel Grae is going to be hitting the road for six dates in December, but before that run of shows she released a new single titled “Love Me Like The First Time.”

A pop song with a singer-songwriter vibe, and a beautifully subtle build, like many of Grae’s songs, “Love Me Like The First Time” is a Top 40 radio ready tune. Actually, it’s better than the vast majority of what’s on Top 40 radio, and I have a feeling she may not be indie for too much longer, unless it’s of her choosing.

Check out “Love Me Like The First Time,” and hear why Rachel Grae is a name we’ll be talking about a lot in the years to come.

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