NYC Scene Report – Shower Curtain, Pom Pom Squad, & Sarah Bernstein

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Shower Curtain seeking out the ‘benadryl man,’ Pom Pom Squad squaring up as a “Street Fighter,” and Sarah Bernstein wanting everyone to embrace being a “Part-Time Pop Star.”

* NYC-based indie rockers Shower Curtain will be releasing their debut album, words from a wishing well, this Friday via Angel Tapes/Fire Talk Records, and it includes the standout single “benadryl man.”

For the band’s frontwoman, Victoria Winter, “benadryl man” is an especially personal song. Explaining the inspiration for it in a statement, she said, “‘benadryl man’ tells the story of my issues with sleeping, and anxiety. I see a figure sitting on my couch, and it prevents me from entering a stage of peace, moreover not feeling safe in my home. The instrumentals are a little sinister and creepy, and I always envisioned having strings on this.”

I think it would take a lot of Benadryl for me to get to sleep if I was seeing a random person in the room. On the flip side of that, Shower Curtain’s “benadryl” will keep you up in the best of ways. Give it a spin.

* Pom Pom Squad will be releasing their next album, Mirror Starts Moving Without Me, on October 25th via City Slang, but first, frontwoman Mia Berrin is ready for a fight.

The fight in question is the recently released single “Street Fighter,” a bouncy, fun indie pop rock gem.

Discussing the song in a statement, Berrin said, “When (co-producer) Cody (Fitzgerald) and I were messing around with this one we came across a synth patch that sounded like something straight out of (the video game) Street Fighter! Reconnecting with core-self / inner child is a through-line of the album, and guided a lot of the writing process. Street Fighter II was one of my favorite games as a kid, so it felt like a fun direction to take the song in. I finished the lyrics and vocals on the same night at like 4am. I was delirious from being exhausted, which resulted in some silly, goofy, lyrics. In general, my writing leans a bit more moody, and serious, so it’s a different side of me for sure!”

Pom Pom Squad will be taking their fight on the road in 2025 for a headlining North American tour that will begin February 26th, and run through April 4th, culminating in a hometown show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Until then, kick some ass with “Street Fighter.”

* Sarah Bernstein wants everyone to know it’s OK to be a “Part-Time Pop Star.”

An indie-pop song with a great message, “Part-Time Pop Star” is all about how even if your creative side doesn’t pay the bills, to never stop embracing that creative side, and to allow yourself to feel the dream.

In the second half of the chorus, she sings

How you make a living
Doesn’t make it who you are
Just as long as in your heart
You’re a part-time pop star 

Wise words to live by.

Bernstein will be a pop star this Friday, taking the stage at NYC’s famed The Bitter End. Click play on “Part-Time Pop Star,” and hear why you should be at the show.

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