NYC Scene Report – Rare DM, Homer, & Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Rare DM looking for some casual fun on “Skater Hits Me Harder,” Homer teaming up with girl named GOLDEN to find magic in a “Wishing Well,” and Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart embracing some “Sins.”

* Rare DM, who’s been a favorite here for a handful of years, recently released a single titled “Skater Hits Me Harder,” and it’s a dark, synth-y gem.

An ode to having some casual fun, “Skater Hits Me Harder” literally sounds like 2AM in the city. The vibe is immaculate, and the thumping beat will get stuck in your head for days.

If this is a precursor to what’s in store from Rare DM in the coming year, I can’t wait to hear more, and I absolutely want to see her live, because the shows are going to be sweaty, and insane in the best of ways.

Hit play on “Skater Hits Me Harder,” and have some fun with Rare DM.

* Going from dark and synth-y, to soulful and jazzy, up next is Homer, and his latest single, “Wishing Well.”

Off his recently released album, Ensatina, for “Wishing Well” the Brooklyn-based soul-funk drummer enlisted girl named GOLDEN to provide vocals (girl named GOLDEN is her performance moniker, that’s not a typo), and the result is something very dope.

“Wishing Well,” and the album in general, stem from Homer getting through an especially difficult time in life.

The year was 2020, and Homer was dealing with his band, Holy Hive, breaking up, and a personal relationship of over two decades falling apart. Discussing that time in a statement, he said, “I was going through these super manic highs, and then very depressive lows. It’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be OK.”

With help, he made it to the other side, and that led to the creation of Ensatina.

Click play on the super trippy animated video for “Wishing Well” that was created by Alex Cascone, and find some magic in Homer’s music.

* NYC-based rock outfit Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart are going to have you embracing some “Sins.” “Sins” being the recently released single from their five song EP, Late Nights.

Discussing the long, winding road to the completion of the blues rock song, Haviland said of “Sins,” “I wrote this song almost ten years ago. Back then it had a very different vibe, and didn’t feel right for Whiskey Heart, but I came back to it when we were making this record. I knew there was something special about it. It’s about being addicted to making music, and the adrenaline rush you can get while performing on stage … It’s the most satisfying feeling in the world.”

Listening to “Sins” is pretty satisfying, as well!

As a bonus, the Late Nights EP is actually the first half of a full-length album titled Late Nights and Early Mornings, which is set to be released in 2025. So get your taste of “Sins,” and be ready for more Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart in the coming months.

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