NYC Scene Report – Pry, OK Cowgirl, & Julie Hill

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Pry feeling “So Good,” OK Cowgirl hitting the road, and Julie Hill wanting us all to “Be Well.”

* When things are wrapped in plastic they can sometimes be difficult to open, but in the case of Pry’s recently released debut album, Wrapped in Plastic, the effort will be rewarded with something “So Good.”

“So Good” is the latest single from the album, and the indie rock duo of Simeon Beardsley and Amara Bush discussed it in a joint statement, saying, “‘So Good’ is about being reintroduced to yourself after living in a blur. It was lightly inspired by an unfinished poem by Simeon’s grandfather called ‘ten roses,’ and reading into the lines left blank.”

Click play on this indie rock love letter to the person you see in the mirror. It will leave you feeling “So Good.”

* OK Cowgirl recently released a deluxe edition of their debut album, Couldn’t Save Us From My Gut, and today they’ll be hitting the road for an 18-date tour in support of the album.

The tour sees the indie pop band joining Bear Hands, and it kicks off tonight in Baltimore. After weaving through half the country, it will ultimately wrap up on July 1st in West Hartford, CT.

Whether or not OK Cowgirl will be hitting a city near you, you can check out frontwoman Leah Lavigne’s gorgeous vocals on the just released demo version of “Amber.” There’s a beautiful minimalism to “Amber,” and Lavigne sounds a little bit like Nina Persson of The Cardigans (who happens to be one of my personal faves).

* Closing things out this week is something very cool from multi-genre artist Julie Hill. The song is titled “Be Well,” and she describes it saying it’s “for fans of weirdo synth rock.”

What is “weirdo synth rock?” Well, if you ask me, the sound is vaguely reminiscent of a very niche electronic pop / hip-hop / trip-hop scene in the ‘90s that I wish had blown up more. Lyrically, however, kindness is at the heart of “Be Well.”

“‘Be Well’ is about self-growth, and how being kind is being human,” Hill explained in a statement. “The song speaks to the mental/emotional challenges – anxiety, stress from work, or something else – that everyone deals with, and about how being well means grounding yourself from the inside.”

Click play, and stay grounded by getting a little weird with Julie Hill.

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