NYC Scene Report – The Dream Eaters, Gamblers, & Anya Marina

This week’s NYC Scene Report features The Dream Eaters wearing a “CRUCIFIXXX,” Gamblers feeling “Agita,” and Anya Marina taking a trip into the future with “UR GOOD.”

* I absolutely love when a song takes me by surprise, and demands my full attention because it’s just so damned cool. This was the case the first time I heard the latest version of The Dream Eaters song “CRUCIFIXXX.”

The Dream Eaters are an NYC-based duo consisting of Elizabeth LeBaron, and Jake Zavracky, and they’ve been in the scene since 2015. Zavracky has produced several versions of “CRUCIFIXXX” with various artists over the years, including a version that was on The Dream Eaters’ 2018 album Pagan Love. Never fully satisfied with the song, he continued to rework it, and that’s why we now have a brand new version that’s an indie pop gem.

Discussing “CRUCIFIXXX” in a statement, LeBaron said, “This song makes me feel like I’m at absolute rock bottom. It’s the moment of self-realization – ‘Lookin' around these ruins…’ – and the frustration of having someone ask you how you are, (and) hit on you even when you’re clearly falling apart.”

Ironically, a song about falling apart has finally, after years of being reworked, come together as the best possible version of itself. Click play on “CRUCIFIXXX,” and check it out (flashing lights warning for those who may be sensitive).

* Indie rock trio Gamblers have been one of my favorite discoveries of 2024. I’ve seen them twice this year, and their sophomore album, Pulverizer, made my list of ten must-hear albums of the first half of 2024.

The third single off Pulverizer is “Agita,” and the band recently released a video for it that’s filled with a variety of dramas.

Those dramas stem directly from the lyrics, as “Agita” is about having a loved one who doesn’t care for themselves, and caring about that person so deeply that it fills you with anxiety. This can apply to a family member, friend, or romantic partner – basically anyone you love.

Contrary to the subject matter, musically the song is not a bummer, as it’s another example of how on Pulverizer Gamblers takes difficult topics, and turns them into music that’s a good time.

Click play on the video, and hear what I mean, and for more Gamblers, check out my interview with them from earlier this year at: Gamblers – An Indie Band You Shouldn’t Bet Against.

* Closing things out this week we have Anya Marina taking us to the future with her latest single, “UR GOOD,” which is off her just-released album, Asteroid.

Discussing the synth pop song, and the wild concept for it, in a statement, Marina said, “Like a lot of songs on the album, ‘UR GOOD’ touches on our species, and our planet at this particular moment in time. This is set far in the future, when earthlings appear to be long gone, but our protagonist, a robot or droid, is having some very human feelings and questions as it picks up an old smartphone and reads an old text exchange, or perhaps gets it to interact.”

The video for “UR GOOD” was animated by Billy Polard, and I gotta say if the little robot guy in it doesn’t tug at your heart, there’s something seriously wrong with you.

Click play, and check it out.

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