NYC Scene Report – Katzin, Peaer, & Don’t Believe In Ghosts

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Katzin taking a trip to “Nantucket,” Peaer worried that it might be the “End of the World,” and Don’t Believe In Ghosts feeling like a “Paper Tiger.”

* Katzin will release his debut LP, Buckaroo, next month via Mexican Summer, and the latest single from the album sees him taking a trip to “Nantucket.”

Discussing the song in a statement, Katzin said, “‘Nantucket’ is about a comedown, sobering up, perhaps washing up on a familiar shore. Several coastlines are implied in the lyrics, both east and west.”

He jokingly added, “It’s also about Meghan Trainor because she’s obviously the only girl who’s really from Nantucket. It’s all about that bass, no treble.”

“Nantucket” has a warm vibe to much if it – it’s no wonder the video features so many beach scenes – and it also has a nicely addictive chorus that will get stuck in your head.

Click play, and head to “Nantucket” with Katzin.

* In a long awaited return, Peaer released doppelgänger, their first new album in nearly seven years, last week via Danger Collective, the latest single off of which is the internet scam inspired “End of the World.”

The band’s frontman, Peter Katz, revealed the very personal nature of the song in a statement, saying, “‘End of The World’ was inspired by a time that I thought I got hacked, and had my identity stolen. I feel as if I am relatively internet and tech-savvy, but this was a pretty convincing email! They said that they had all my data and information and were going to delete it all if I didn’t pay them some amount of bitcoin.”

Thankfully, the story had a happy ending.

“I didn’t end up doing anything about it, and it went away. It’s not like I have many valuable assets that anyone would really want to steal in the first place. Regardless, the feeling of paranoia in the modern age definitely influenced my lyrics on this one.”

The seriousness of the situation is juxtaposed by being set to a bouncy pop tune, as Katz notes, “Sonically, it still feels very bright, while the subject matter remains in a paranoid, unsettled place.”

Click play on the video for “End of the World” … but don’t click on anything in an email from someone you don’t know!

* Don’t Believe In Ghosts once again inspired the heck out of listeners in 2025 with the release of their latest album, But On The Bright Side, and having a number of high energy performances throughout the city. They’re keeping the vibes high in 2026 by kicking off the year with the single “Paper Tiger.”

Taken from But On The Bright Side, “Paper Tiger” combines difficulty with triumph, which has been an overarching theme for Don’t Believe In Ghosts. It’s also a damned good time, which is another one of the band’s overarching themes.

Click play on the video, which features a number of tigers (but not Tarik Skubal, who some of us are still hoping finds his way to Queens).

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