NYC Scene Report – Say She She, Laveda, & Homeboy Sandman

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Say She She feeling the need to “Cut & Rewind,” Laveda finding a little piece of “Heaven,” and Homeboy Sandman teaming up with Sonnyjim for something with “Sound & Fury.”

* The women of Say She She have had a truly manic couple of years – from releasing an album, to touring, to appearances, to recording a new album – and living that life is what inspired their latest single, “Cut & Rewind.”

With ‘80s pop-rock, and funk influences, “Cut & Rewind” is the perfect introduction to the trio’s upcoming full-length project of the same name, which is due out October 3rd via drink sum wtr.

Discussing the song in a joint statement, Say She She said, “‘Cut & Rewind’ is a snapshot of our lives over the past few years, inspired by the rugged reality of being on the road, and running back into the studio to cut a record as soon as we were off. Then repeat! It’s like our ode to the boss ladies out there for plowing through, and staying true to what they are trying to do. We hope to offer it up like a homophonic cocktail that’s served up strong, no frills. It’s peppered with some hints of our musical muses with a slice of life mantra on the side. We’re here to remind you as much as ourselves to ‘Hire the guy who's gonna look you in the eye.’”

Click play on “Cut & Rewind,” and I bet you’ll want to rewind it, and put it on repeat.

* Shoegaze / noise rock band Laveda made the move from Albany to Queens back in 2023, and in the borough they now call home they’ve found a little slice of “Heaven.”

“Heaven” is the latest single from the band, and it comes on the heels of signing with Bar/None Records, which will be releasing Laveda’s third album, Love, Darla, on September 12th.

The video for “Heaven” is a party … literally. Laveda frontwoman Ali Genevich explains, “Shooting the video for this was probably one of my favorite parts of creating Love, Darla, because we just threw a party, and filmed it.”

As for the album, she says, “Our sound has grown slightly angular, and much more experimental. I think everyone individually has grown a lot as artists. For me, moving to NYC naturally opened my mind to cultivate something new.”

Click play on “Heaven,” and join Laveda’s party.

* Closing things out this week is Homeboy Sandman, who I swear is one of the hardest working artists in hip-hop. Actually, he may be one of the hardest working artists in all of music. Every time I hear from him he either has a new project coming out, a new set of tour dates, or a new music video.

This time around it’s both a new project, and a new music video.

The project is a collaborative album with producer Sonnyjim titled Soli Deo Gloria, which will be released digitally on July 24th, and physically, including a version with a bunch of bonus goodies, the following day.

The video is for the song “Sound and Fury,” which has a wonderful jazzy backbone, and Homeboy Sandman’s trademark deeply contemplative lyrics.

Click play on it, and I guarantee you won’t feel any fury about Homeboy Sandman and Sonnyjim’s fantastic sound.

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