NYC Scene Report – Russell Jamie Johnson, Whisper Doll, & ALANI
* There’s no good way to learn your significant other is cheating on you, but the way Russell Jamie Johnson found out may rank as one of the worst.
“I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me through Venmo,” he says, “which felt as impersonal as it gets.”
This was part of the inspiration for Johnson’s latest single, “Gabrielle,” but the NYC, by way of Indiana, singer-songwriter notes, “I didn’t write the song until about a year later, when I realized I was still holding onto feelings I thought I’d already moved past. That was the part I couldn’t ignore – how something that ended so badly could still linger. The song lives somewhere between storytelling and confession. It’s me trying to make sense of how someone who meant everything to you doesn’t just disappear overnight, even when maybe they should. It’s about that space where heartbreak turns into memory, and you’re left figuring out why it still matters.”
“Gabrielle” is off Johnson’s upcoming self-titled album, which is due out May 15th, and you can check out the fantastic blues infused single right here.
* Whisper Doll are back after a two year absence, and they’ve returned with a single that’s especially sharp.
Titled “Am I a Knife," frontwoman Fiona Tagami explained the concept for the song in a statement, saying, “This song is my reaction to seeing men get indoctrinated into an ideology that tells them lust is sin, and seeing the blame get placed on women. This makes me feel like a knife because I am in the body of a woman, and can inspire feelings of desire separate from my own soul.”
The release of “Am I a Knife” not only announces Whisper Doll’s return, it also marks their signing to Brooklyn-based indie label Take Care Records.
Click play on the video, and get ready for a big second half of 2026 for Whisper Doll.
* The calendar says we’re in the middle of May, but NYC, by way of London, singer-songwriter ALANI is still feeling some “April Showers.”
Her latest single, “April Showers” is a stripped down piano ballad that features ALANI’s big, bold vocals front and center.
Explaining the inspiration for the song in a statement, she said, “This song perfectly encapsulates the story of one of my toughest relationships in early adulthood … the highs and lows that come with opening your heart up to people, something that I believe is a crucial turning point in one’s life.”
Open your heart, but even more importantly your ears, to ALANI, by clicking play on “April Showers.” No umbrella necessary!
For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.
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