A few years ago, I lived in Hoboken, NJ. Despite the high rents (which was the main reason I moved), it was a nice place to live. It’s pretty quiet, as far as cities go, and mid-town Manhattan was only a short PATH ride away. The city also boasts the the legendary music venue Maxwell’s, where Hoboken natives Yo La Tengo have played many shows. Frank Sinatra and Yo La Tengo provided plenty of musical history for the city, but I never really got into Hoboken’s local music scene when I lived there. I was never really sure if there was one, especially with the bustling NYC/Brooklyn scene nearby.
If I had known about Hoboken-based dream-pop group Netorare Fan Club when I lived there, I would’ve tried to catch some of their shows, for sure. Their new track, “Go to Sleep”, is a glistening success that combines reverbed guitars with sleepy vocals and synth-pop tinges. It’s an easy comparison to make, but the group sounds fairly similar to Yo La Tengo circa And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, their phenomenal 2000 release. Specifically, the track “Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House” comes to mind. Netorare Fan Club achieve an engrossing sound with a relatively similar hybrid of indie-rock and dream-pop. Sure, I have a soft spot for artists based where I used to live, but these guys are solid regardless. The fleeter, bouncier “In the Mirror” is below:
Hey – where would I catch these guys in Hoboken? Looked for show info, but couldn’t find any.