NYC Scene Report – PANIK FLOWER, Consumables, & Heaven

This week’s NYC Scene Report features PANIK FLOWER looking in the rearview, Consumables playing Infinite Games, and Heaven getting ready to Dream Aloud.

* Dreamgaze band PANIK FLOWER have a new EP titled rearview due out April 30th, and the opening salvo from it is the big, multi-layered song “alkaline.”

Discussing “alkaline” in a statement, PANIK FLOWER vocalist Sage Leopold said, “We spent a lot of time perfecting the wall of sound at the beginning of this track – we wanted to capture a certain intensity with this part while also having it be fuzzy and warm. The dynamics swiftly shift into a more pared back, sparse instrumental which really plays with this push-pull dualism that a lot of the EP encompasses. You’re then thrust into this super driving chorus. The whole song really has this sense of yearning from instrumentals to lyrics.”

“alkaline” shows PANIK FLOWER in full bloom, so click play, and enjoy.

* Art punk rockers Consumables will be releasing their full-length debut, Infinite Games, on March 7th via We Are Time / Fierce Panda, and the album is led by the single “Great Design.”

“Great Design” has a wonderful old school feel to it, so much so it would’ve been perfectly at home in rotation on 120 Minutes. That said, it’s also still current in regards to today’s indie rock scene.

Discussing the song in a statement, the band’s Miles Fox said, “‘Great Design’ came from being overwhelmed by the social assault of living in NYC.”

Click play, and I promise the only thing you’ll be assaulted by is awesome music, and a great introduction to Consumables.

* Power-popgaze band Heaven will be releasing their third full-length album, Dream Aloud, on April 4th via Little Cloud Records, and with the latest single from it they’re ready to say, “I Need You More Somehow.”

Discussing “I Need You More Somehow” in a statement, the band’s vocalist and guitarist Matt Sumrow said, “Both at home on the beach in California, or a seedy underground nightclub in Glasgow, or Berlin, the song layers two worlds,” adding, “The lyrics are purposefully ambiguous, needing more of someone, and longing for more connection, but also sounding content and blissful with the present situation at the same time.”

The video for the song was shot at Mercury Lounge, and made to resemble old VHS footage in an homage to the band’s influences. After clicking play, you may momentarily think you have to adjust your VCR’s tracking, but those vibes are like Heaven to an entire generation, and if you’re in that generation, you’ll definitely want to check out “I Need You More Somehow.”

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