“We’re tough out here but the love goes crazy!”
If you’ve been waiting for an absolute dance-infused summer banger, this is it. Sextile’s delightful “New York” is a jubilant, joyful love letter to The Big Apple. Singer Mel Scaduto pays homage to the ‘warm steeliness’ of her birthplace with this frenzy of fun. Opening with frosty synth tones, the song soon gives way to a house drum machine groove and distorted, elastic bassline, harnessing the chaotic energy of high-tempo 90s electronica fin-de-siècle bands like The Prodigy, Propellerheads, Basement Jaxx, Chemical Brothers and even a touch of Madonna’s “Ray Of Light,” fused with the grit and DIY charm of hometown heroes the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Sextile’s artistry has consistently hovered around the brooding edges of the dance sphere. However, “New York” infuses the ensemble’s aptitude for rhythmic momentum with a vibrant, neon radiance—imbued with as much energy as the illustrious city lending its name to the track.
It’s accompanied by a boisterous video, directed by Jim Larson, featuring Mel having a lively time while bouncing between classic NYC moments: Times Square; Roosevelt Island; Brooklyn fireworks; the local bodega; ‘showtime’ on the subway; a neighbourhood block party.
Watch below – but warning, it’s a challenge to refrain from jumping up and joining in on the dance.
Since 2015, Sextile – now signed to Sacred Bones – has cemented their place at the intersection of coldwave and post-punk. Today, the Los Angeles trio has announced the new LP PUSH, out September 15th.
The brainchild of Brady Keehn and Melissa Scaduto, the band found its genesis when the duo migrated from New York to LA, birthing their debut album, ‘A Thousand Hands,’ in 2015. The album reverberated with echoes as vast as the Grand Canyon, spectral shrieks, and a dash of post-punk invocations, all preceding their synth-centered 2017 effort, ‘Albeit Living.’
Sextile’s electronic flavor deepened with the pulsating synthesis of EBM and industrial influences in 2018’s ‘3 EP,’ crafted from an analogue collection that boasted their reliable Korg MS-10 and LinnDrum. However, shortly after its release, the band retreated into a hiatus. Tragedy struck with the untimely demise of original member and multi-instrumentalist Eddie Wuebben, who joined Sextile in 2015. Cameron Michel was later reintroduced on guitar and synths. Independently, they shifted their energies to different pursuits. The band reassembled in 2022, introducing their first fresh material in three years through the split singles, “Modern Weekend / Contortion,” and “Crassy Mel.“
Now, they are back, rejuvenated and ready to incite fervor with an album that promises a serotonin surge, a recalibrated group dynamic, accelerated BPMs, and a daring new direction. ‘Push,’ recorded in Yucca Valley, flirts with the extremes of hardcore dance music, with the unmistakable traces of drum & bass, gabber, and trance lighting up the album like glowsticks at a ‘90s Fantazia rave. Both Scaduto and Keehn have been immersing themselves in dance and DJ performances, with this exciting whirlwind of activity fueling the band’s sonic evolution.
We talked about how one of the criteria for these songs is ‘Would I be able to actually dance to it?’ Scaduto muses. “I don’t think we’ve ever set that criteria before. We wanted to have a record that is just full of dance songs.”
Push is out on September 15, 2023, via Sacred Bones.
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