NYC Band Blended Punk, R&B, & Guitar into 2 Great Albums
“Rock and Roll Bye Bye,” a 2016 single later turned into the title track for their sophomore album, probably does better than any blog could to encapsulate the band know as SKATERS (often stylized as SKATERS NYC to differentiate between a couple similarly named bands; in fact Spotify will just play you random ass songs from completely unrelated bands called “skaters” or some variation).
Why does this song tell their story so well? For one, the lyrics of the song describe forming a band to become the target of jealousy from their 9-to-5 friends; the composition boasts elements of the band’s signature sound, a blend of guitar based melody (lead guitar from former Paddingtons guitarist Josh Hubbard), with a funky, almost reggae beat, and the pragmatic singing of vocalist Michael Ian Cummings; its title now seems reflective of a band that since the release of this album in 2017 seemingly have fallen off the face of planet earth.
Bands do come and go. Some of the most influential bands in history only put out one or two albums. The Sex Pistols, Joy Division, and The La’s to name a few in the alternative scene. But personally, losing out a potential future with this band definitely hurts. Their combination of punk attitude, guitar-driven alt rock stylings, and unique paint-brushing of reggae and noise rock made for a discography full of excellent and diverse tracks.
Standouts from their early days include “Miss Teen Massachusetts,” “Schemers” and “Symptomatic” all from their 2014 debut album Manhattan, and a personal favorite non-album single “Save Her Something Special.” Their follow-up album finishes with the 12th and final track, and my favorite song from the band (dare I say one of my all-time favorite songs) “In Your Head.”
With the backing of the Warner Bros. label, successful U.S. touring, and a solid radio and internet following in the alternative scene, it seems strange that the group has taken a hiatus. There’s no official information on what these fellas are up to these days, but a dead silent presence for over 3 years does not bode well for their fans. All I can say is at least they were around long enough to give us some great music. I wouldn’t even know what I was missing if they decided to make their last album only 11 tracks.
Give SKATERS NYC a listen and comment below if you have any info on where these guys are at. We can abduct them and force them to make new music for us, sound fun? [sarcasm]
Best Song:
“In Your Head” From Rock and Roll Bye Bye
Honorable Mentions:
“Miss Teen Massachusetts” From Manhattan
“Symptomatic” From Manhattan
“Schemers” From Manhattan
Best Lyric:
“Cause I always say tomorrow, cause everything’s too hard to fix right now, but you couldn’t wait that long, I missed you” – From “In Your Head”