NYC Scene Report – The Shacks, Bambara, & more

This week’s NYC Scene Report features dream pop outfit The Shacks developing quite a following, indie rockers Bambara singing the story of a man named Jose, a rock tune from Typhoid Rosie that draws inspiration from a Greek epic poem, and hip-hop artist Khary dealing with the idea of feeling “Cursed.”

* As some of you may already know, I have a thing for great dream pop that features breathy vocals. This is why I’m always happy when something new from The Shacks shows up in my inbox. Most recently, the band’s latest single, “Follow Me,” made such an appearance, and while the song’s release has been nearly two years in the making, it was well worth the wait.

“Follow Me,” which was produced by Leon Michels (of El Michels Affair), was one of the first songs The Shacks recorded for their upcoming album, Haze, which is due out March 30th on Big Crown Records.

Shannon Wise’s ethereal vocals have a magical quality to them – some folks may recognize her from last year’s iPhone 8 commercial – and her croons to follow her have a Pied Piper-like effect, as resistance to her musical charms seems futile … and why would you want to resist anyway?

Click play on “Follow Me,” and follow The Shacks.


* Sometimes a singular line in a song sticks with you. Such was the case for me the first time I heard Bambara’s “Jose Tries To Leave,” which features the line, “He’s kind of strange she thinks / Yeah but so is love.”

It felt incredibly poetic, and almost like something you’d read/hear from the Beat Generation. Plus, have truer words ever been spoken?

The song, which vividly tells the story of a man named Jose, is off of the NYC, via Georgia, indie rock trio’s upcoming album, Shadow on Everything, due out April 6th on Wharf Cat Records.

Give the song a spin. I guarantee you won’t try to leave.


* How can you not immediately like a band named Typhoid Rosie? You have to at least be curious about them, right?

Here’s the good news, the Brooklyn-based indie rock band is just as great as their name.

Their latest single is “Sailing On," which is off of their upcoming album, This Is Now. Frontwoman Rosie Rebel explains the song’s origins, saying, “It was inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus is faced with every obstacle, and temptation, but fights as hard as he can to get home. Life is like that – sometimes we have to endure incredible turbulence and storms. I thought about how poor Odysseus had to endure the anger of Poseidon, and all he could do was hold on to a rock while he was being pounded by the waves. He had no shelter to weather the storm, but his memories somehow carried him through those dark times. So when I wrote this song I thought about life, and all the things in it that are worth fighting for. But more than that, the song is about ‘us’ and how we should fight for it together. When we work together, there's nothing humanity can’t accomplish.”

Click play on “Sailing On,” and get inspired by Typhoid Rosie.


* NYC, by way of Rhode Island, hip-hop artist Khary is “Cursed." Don’t worry, he’s not literally cursed, that’s just the title of one of his two new singles, as he released “Cursed” alongside “Wifi” in anticipation of his upcoming project, titled Captain, due out this Spring.

Khary described “Cursed” in a statement, saying, “Sometimes we deny the help that we so desperately need, and find comfort in being alone or in a dark place. ‘Cursed’ is about (how) the fear of vulnerability can make us desire solitude even if we know that’s not what we ultimately want. It’s almost as if we are under a curse of our own creation. This is the first point at which the Captain character that I explore on the project shows weakness. ‘Cursed’ is one of the project’s heavier tracks.”

It’s heavy, and it's really dope. Give “Cursed” a spin, and break through the darkness.


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