Rock N’ Roll Still Lives in New York City

Long ago, lightning struck New York City and the venous scorch marks of incendiary rock and roll traveled through the burros and landed in back door bars. And it’s still there.

If one is looking for a new indie pop-rock band to consider, try Telescreens. They have not hit the big-time, however, they are on their way to mid-level success in the music industry averaging in the multiple hundred thousand streaming per month on Spotify. They’ve also been on tour regionally in their surrounding area, making a name for themselves at festivals like Governor’s Ball, Austin City Limits and playing their biggest sold-out show at Irving Plaza in New York. 

The New York band rockers, Telescreens are the epitome of Northeastern indie rock. A guitar band in this region undoubtedly occupies the crater the likes of the”Meet Me in the Bathroom” artists’ sound left on music. The Telescreens are reminiscent of the early 2000’s, and this is not a woeful comparison. They’ve been together for about 10 years crafting their dynamic sound.  In 2020, they released their debut album The Return which is an electronic pop album. Following COVID, the end of the world, Telescreens opened for a string of punk bands in New York which led to the rock influence kindled on their most recent records. Now, the guitar holds the torch in Telescreens sound.  After the fall and rise again of society, New York bands exploded, and Telescreens put out two new records back to back in ‘23 and ’24. However, all songs on their ‘23 album, Stare Wide are on their new album, 7, but re-recorded and remastered. 7 hits hard, and it is a pretty lengthy album at one hour and seven minutes.  Sonically, they’re hitting the watermarks of high-tier indie rock bands of the past. 

7, released on October 4 this year, has a few stand-out tracks. The first song on the record, “Times Like These” is one of these stand-out tracks, and it features Jackson’s strong raspy vocals over a fun, catchy beat. Immediately, this song sets the tone for the album; one can expect more shouting, progressive guitar riffs, fast-pitch drumming, and robust baselines. 

“Commotion” is the first instance on the record that starts on a journey and ends at a different location. It begins slow and builds into a fast, energetic track.  Jackson’s vocals come through clear and passionate. 

“Blue-Interlude” is a spoken word track where Jackson’s imaginative lyricism is effectively emphasized. Telescreens’ lyrics are philosophical, deeply metaphorical, and often comment on societal issues. “Johnny” is another example of such lyricism, and it has a folksy, story-telling quality that resembles something Johnny Cash would release.

“Vertigo” is a kaleidoscope of sound and progresses with aggression toward its termination; it is sonically different than the rest of the album. This track twists, cracks, and splits into raw energy radiating like a heat lamp- a total rager with layered vocal harmonies, drum pounding, soaring melody, and screeching guitar. 

 The album, 7 concludes with “Lost Ants”, the slowest song on the album, but has a sweet and melancholic refrain just to show the band’s range. 

 In an interview with Scott on Lipps Service, Ryan Gentles, former Strokes manager, mentions that music cycles every twenty years or so, and Scott says that Telescreens are part of this generation’s “Meet Me in the Bathroom”. Indie rock renaissance is here, and New York City is hosting again. Rock n’ roll lives to see another day.