The Groovy Garage Rock Band Komodos

Komodos is a garage rock group based in Brooklyn, New York, that started just last year and consists of Hunter Boivin (guitar), Ben Baumann (bass), Kabir Dugal (drums), and Taran Dugal (vocals and guitar). Like other bands, they are influenced by the dynamism of living in New York City and draw energy from it, as shown in their live performances. I recently caught them at Baby's All Right, and every time I see them, it is a fun, intimate session where everyone is welcome to dance and groove away the set.

Komodos has a calling for making everyone feel welcomed through their audience interaction, bringing them closer to the stage or even saying, "If you buy merch, I’ll buy you a drink". Most bands do not have stage banter, but Komodos makes it clear that they are not like other bands.

Their set emphasizes the structure of their songs, which flow off of catchiness and buildups. Each of their songs starts slow, before reaching a high point towards the middle, and finally slowing back down to rebuild this energy towards the end. Their last song emphasizes this pattern best, with Taran singing and each member coming in slowly until they are increasingly getting louder, with the band being well trained, they understand how to bring this energy down and restart the build-up even louder than before ending with a bang. People after the set were left wanting more, chanting "One more song, one more song", sadly what is difficult about attending a Komodos show is not being able to hear these songs again until the next one. They only have one EP out, K.O., consisting of four songs. They have been working on new material, and hopefully, we do not have to wait too long.

From performance to the music, even the way Komodos record their songs sets them apart from other bands. They record their songs in their apartment with one amp in each room while standing next to the drum kit, giving the impression that they are performing live and authenticating their sound.

They describe themselves as "garage rock to dance to" while bringing other genres in. They have similar sounds to alternative rock and post-punk bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol, and more with their style of drumming. Most songs have a metal drum style, and the guitar riffs add to their heavier sound. Even in their songwriting styles, they have messages that range from political to personal, from the issues of social media to social issues that apply to grunge and punk lyricism.

Komodos, a young band, has grounded every facet of their band so well that, when seeing them live, you assume they have been playing for ages. Go see a Komodos show and dance the night away.

Written by Veronica Anaya

Photography by Audrey Cicerello

Time Flies with Libby Quinn

Have you ever seen a punk band with a piano and saxophone?

Libby Quinn, the five-piece Long Island, New York, punk band, does this, and more in their wonderful attempt at pushing musical limits. The five-member band made up of Josh Boucicaut (vocals and sax), Tyler Baron (guitar), Steve Salerno (drums), Mario Hoi (bass), and Tim Matishek (guitar and piano), display excellent chemistry on stage with one another, executing a zestful and exuberant set.

I had the pleasure of seeing them recently for their Baby's All Right show, and the handful of times I’ve watched them, I'm never prepared for what's to come. Libby Quinn consistently provides the grooviest, thrashiest, headbanging, cathartic punk set, offering something new to the New York punk scene.

Libby Quinn's stage presence adds to their "expect the unexpected" aspect. At their latest show, they came out wearing solar punk outfits, made by a friend of theirs, and frontman Boucicaut wrapped in the American flag with Ice Spice's face on it. This was one of the first times the entire band wore an eccentric outfit to perform, unifying their look while maintaining their uniqueness. These animated outfits are not new to the band, as Boucicaut usually changes into his stage look, from blazers to jumpsuits. One of the first times I saw them, he was holding a book that said "The Book of Mormon", while singing his song prophetically, as all of them simultaneously leaned into a stage look, brilliantly consolidating their image while complimenting their erratic setlists.

Their sets reel viewers into this euphoric trance as each song perfectly blends. There are moments where the audience is made to believe the song has finished, and as each member slows themselves down, you are again engulfed, this time with them playing louder and more hectic than before, making your heartbeat faster and adding on adrenaline. The audience is brought into the dynamic live sets mentally and physically as Boucicaut tends to come into the audience, either joining or starting a mosh pit. Through transitions between songs, Libby Quinn seamlessly hypnotizes the audience into forgetting that time exists.

My favorite songs on the setlist were their two most recently released singles, "Bob" and "Jesus in Tokyo", because you never know whether to headbang, dance, mosh, or watch the spectacle that occurs on stage. From Baron thrashing to Boucicaut jumping around on stage and bumping into the other members, to Hoi and Matishek grooving and moving to the beat, and finally, Salerno shredding the drums.

They ended their set with an unreleased song, "Fracture", starting slower and more cathartic, shifting away from their usual sound. Each member came in slowly and increasingly got louder until it ended with an absolute bang, leaving everyone stunned and wishing it did not end.

Listening to their discography, you can hear the evolution in their music from their first single, "Split," and EP, Bite Me, employing a traditional punk rock sound with a quickening pace. In 2020, they started releasing more songs, such as "Truest Gift," that left the punk sound and implemented similar beats to create an indie rock sound. In recent singles, "Bob" and "Jesus in Tokyo," they have left those indie rock sounds and added in components of noise rock and punk sound with the use of synth sounds from the saxophone and piano and through the use of electronic noises. The balance between their works encompasses the diversity in their sound throughout the years.

Libby Quinn has impressively found their image and sound, not limiting themselves to the title of a punk band and being almost unidentifiable, pushing and reframing what “punk” looks and sounds like, enforcing the definition of punk even more, and being unapologetic about it.

Written by Veronica Anaya

Photography by Jill Boyatsis

The Breaks Inc: A Modern Old Rock Band

The Breaks Inc., a six-piece rock NYC-based band from Queens, NY, consisting of Danny Marra (Vox and Acoustic), Adrian Cardenas (Rhythm Guitar), Michael Massiah (Lead Guitar), Gilberto Simmons (Bass), Jason Ruiz (Drums), and Katie Marra (Harmony Vox), have impressively grounded their sound, image, and stage presence early in their musical career. They have released two EPs, Low Places and You All Know Who You Are, and a couple of singles, with an album in progress called Hotel Earth.

You can catch the band playing monthly residency shows at The Bitter End, where beloved artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, and many more renowned musicians sculpted their careers. I recently had the chance to see them execute a keenly warm-spirited nineteen-song setlist that had people grooving both in their seats and on their feet.

The setlist for their shows enticingly balances older work with their newer, unreleased songs, switching back and forth between their earlier, Beatle-esque pop-rock sound to more of a heavier and darker sound that exemplifies their new material, reminiscent of works like Ok Computer by Radiohead. And by sneaking in a memorable cover of Viva La Vida, their Coldplay influence particularly shines through.

The band members' performances reflect excellent musical chemistry. They perform as a unified collective that finds comfort and joy in making music and being on stage together, with a captivating presence that can only be described as effortlessly cool. Right before the set began, blues and jazzy sounds were heard as the band prepped, setting the mood, having no idea what was about to come. Every song provides a moment for each member to showcase their talents. Cardenas and Massiah, both guitarists, have incredible riffs, building the complex rock sound.

In contrast, Ruiz, the drummer, had great moments that reminded me of Dave Grohl's drumming, bringing back those nostalgic, quintessential mid-to-late 90s rock sounds. On top of that, Danny bounced from singing to the tambourine to the acoustic guitar to the piano, bringing eccentric energy to the stage while emulating his strong John Lennon and Paul McCartney influences. What's great about this band is that each player brings in diverse influences while blending them well into a new version of rock that brings pieces of rock history to a new generation.

Listening through their discography, they play around with different eras of rock from all decades. Songs like Player Piano have more of a late 90s alternative rock and post-grunge sound, explicitly exemplified in the drums calling back to the beat of Nirvana's Nevermind or Taylor Hawkins' drumming with the Foo Fighters. The lyrical styling and emphasis on instrumental sections in their older songs have more of a baroque pop sound, reminiscent of The Beatles and the Beach Boys as well as more modern bands like The Lemon Twigs, creating classical sounds heard in Waltz #7 and For Someone Who's Gone (Demo). Elements of progressive and psychedelic rock are heard in songs like Low Places and Unkind, which bring in components from albums like Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. It doesn't stop there; songs like Pinocchio have an early 2000s indie rock influence similar to The Strokes' earlier albums.

Overall, The Breaks Inc. are versatile in their sound, drawing from different eras of rock spanning from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Most importantly, they are willing to play and experiment without limiting themselves. Each of their songs sounds completely distinct and unique, and the composition of each song is impressively technical, reminding me of great composers like Brian Wilson. The Breaks Inc. are an underrated band passionate about not only the music they are producing and performing but about music as a whole.

Written and Photography by Veronica Anaya