NYC Scene Report – Cillë, CARRTOONS, & Daisy the Great

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Cillë with a killer power ballad, CARRTOONS teaming up with a longtime column fave, and Daisy The Great taking another ride in their time machine.

* I have a t-shirt that says “I Brake For Power Ballads,” and the latest single by Cillë, titled “Half a Heart,” is yet another reason for me to wear it.

Discussing her modern day power ballad in a statement, Cillë said, “I had this idea for a big hard rock chorus, ending on a quite sad lyric. I liked it, but I just couldn’t make peace with it as a sad love song. I felt like there was something more to it.”

She continued, “I’m a life-long sufferer of vivid nightmares, and as I reflected on the meaning of the words ‘half a heart’ the whole storyline revealed itself to me in the nights that followed – ‘half a heart’ was to be taken literally.”

Click play on “Half a Heart,” and crank it up to eleven!

* Multi-instrumentalist and producer CARRTOONS just released a collaborative album titled Saturday Night, via Wichita Recordings, and its guest list represents over a decade of time spent in the scene developing both working relationships, and friendships with fellow artists.

The latest single from Saturday Night is the ultra soulful “Put Me On,” which features vocals from Reuben James, and longtime column favorite Joanna Teters (of SunDub fame).

The vibe of “Put Me On” is supremely sultry, so while he may go by the name CARRTOONS, this song is adult animation. Click play on the video, and set the mood with its bedroom vibe.

* Longtime readers of the site know that with my Pop Shots column I occasionally like to jump into my time machine. For this edition of the NYC Scene Report, however, we’re going to jump into the time machine of indie pop duo Daisy the Great with their latest single “Time Machine 2,” which features illuminati hotties.

The final song on their recently released Tough Kid EP, Daisy the Great discussed “Time Machine 2” in a statement, saying, “‘Time Machine 2’ is the evil twin sequel to our song ‘Time Machine’ from our 2022 record All You Need Is Time. We’ve always had a dream to make a grittier, faster version of the song, so when we got the opportunity to collaborate with indie punk legend Sarah Tudzin of illuminati hotties, we knew it would be the perfect moment to realize that vision.”

Tudzin added, “This band is rethinking their music in a way that exists completely outside of your everyday remix. They’re asking the age-old producer-brained question – ‘…but what if it goes like THIS?’ and the results have been fascinating, and fun, and so, so special.”

Hear some of those impressive results by clicking play on “Time Machine 2.”

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