NYC Scene Report – Lawrence Kim, Tōth, & Baileigh Jane

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Lawrence Kim readying The Hours And The Times, Tōth keeping his head in the clouds, and Baileigh Jane asking “Who Are You.”

* Lawrence Kim – after years of performing in bands such as BMX Bandits, Scam Avenue, and The Amber Smith, and being the touring guitarist for Ryn Weaver – will be releasing his first solo album on May 15th.

Titled The Hours And The Times, the lead single from the album is “Madeleine,” which Kim says is “a song about living in your own world.”

A stripped down singer-songwriter effort, “Madeleine” embodies the spirit of The Hours And The Times, which Kim describes, saying, “It’s an album about being alone – which isn’t necessarily the same thing as being lonely. I didn’t set out to make an album around that, but that’s what I ended up with.”

Kim wasn’t totally alone, however, as he notes, “I decided to rope in as many pals as I could, to lend some variety to the proceedings, and thank God I did, because they give the songs a depth they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Click play on “Madeline,” and explore the depth of Lawrence Kim.

* Tōth just released a new solo album titled And The Voice Said (Egghunt / Northern Spy), and the latest single off of it posits the idea that “Thoughts Are Like Clouds.”

Discussing the song in a statement, Tōth said, “I’m pretty sure I was in a recovery meeting, and a friend of mine shared with the group, in a thick New York accent, ‘Thoughts are like clouds in the sky of your brain, or whatever,’ and it tickled me deeply. Also that description came up in one of my daily meditation readings. You need only to witness and let the clouds pass (… or whatever). The thing about spiritual practice and spirituality for me is – it’s deadly serious, but it only works if I don’t take it, or myself, too seriously. I love how disciplined practices like meditation, and staying sober, help me be the most free, and child-like.”

Keep your mind skyward by clicking play on “Thoughts Are Like Clouds.”

* Brooklyn, by way of Jacksonville, FL, artist Baileigh Jane recently released a song that has one of the most unique harmonies imaginable. It’s Baileigh harmonizing with Baileigh at different stages of a gender transition.

Discussing the alt-R&B song in a statement, Baileigh, who is transmasc nonbinary, said, “One thing I love about a song like this is how much I’ve changed while writing, composing, producing, and performing it. It captures where I started, where I am now, and how I’m choosing to share it.”

Baileigh continued, adding, “I wrote this song like one part ‘Can you trust them?’ and one part ‘Can you trust yourself?’ It might not give you answers, but it will definitely leave you searching for them.”

Do you know what you can trust? That the song sounds awesome, and has a fantastic vibe. Click play, and check it out.

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