NYC Scene Report – Gemma, Lauren Minear, & Craig Greenberg

This week’s NYC Scene Report features Gemma ready to “Be About It,” Lauren Minear finding the source of her “Anxiety,” and Craig Greenberg getting “First Date Ghosted.”

* On May 1st, NYC-based duo Gemma, which consists of singer/songwriter Felicia Douglass and producer/multi-instrumentalist Erik Gundel, will be releasing their first new album in seven years.

Titled Be About It, the twosome discussed the title track in a statement, saying, “‘Be About It’ is about the kind of love that aches when you’re without it – immediate, intense, but not grounded, or logical. When you’re floating along within it nothing else matters. Deep in the mix is the sound that sparked the initial demo, that of a carousel – the working title was ‘Carnival’ – emphasizing the theme of dizzying, spinning emotions.”

Click play to feel the beautiful dizziness of wonderfully irrational love, and “Be About It” with Gemma.

* Moving to a different type of relationship altogether, when Lauren Minear released the deluxe edition of her 2025 album Boxing Day one of the new inclusions was the pop gem “Anxiety.”

The song, Minear explains, is about a toxic professional relationship involving a creative agency she was working for that she discovered was stealing from her. Once she removed herself from that relationship, she says, “I realized that the anxiety I felt was just my instinct kicking in, and trying to protect me.”

This song represents everything from trusting oneself, to feeling the joy of freedom from those who’ve wronged us. It’s pop with a purpose, and you can feel the confidence coming right of your speakers. Who couldn’t use a little bit of that?

* Modern dating can be a real drag. Apps are highly superficial, and when you do finally match with someone there’s no guarantee you’ll actually meet. You could even set a place, a date, and a time, and as Craig Greenberg’s latest single relates, you could get “First Date Ghosted.”

A piano ballad that was clearly written from personal experience, you can hear the disappointment in his voice as he sings about waiting for a date that never shows up.

As he goes through all the potential excuses his date could’ve used, reasons, real or fabricated, that could’ve eased the blow, and saved him a lot of time and energy, “First Date Ghosted” works as both a lament, and a reminder to have a bit of empathy, and manners, and remember that when we’re swiping right, we shouldn’t be doing anyone wrong.

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