By Maria Gotay
Tiny Victories have won our hearts in the past, and are back at it again with their recent EP release party at Public Assembly. One half of the electronic duo hails from Bushwick and they’ve made waves throughout the borough for their intelligent sound, strong fan base, and always fun live shows. They are a local band that strikes the perfect balance in a sound as catchy as it is complex.
Last week they performed in a typically stellar BirdDog showcase with other New Yorkers NewVillager and Bushwick-ees Slam Donahue. But Tiny Victories, known endearingly as Tiny Vix, stole the show, playing a loud, intricate, and interactive set that included many opportunities for fans and friends in the audience to collaborate with Tiny Victories’ Greg and Cason, who passed the mic around for random vocal samples. The duo then built elaborate compositions overtop these (sometimes hilarious) sound scraps, transforming them into beats for their various songs. Their sound is so dramatic and so lyrically personal it’s hard to see it translating into such a fun experience, but these guys have the best stage presence ever. The crowd almost lost it jumping hysterically to the arena-poppy yet terrific beats and best-night-of-your-life arena chanting in “Get Lost.”
Let’s not forget this isn’t Tiny Vix’s first time around the block, although Those of Us Still Alive is their first official LP. They were picked on NPR as a “next favorite band” and their single, “Lost Weekend” was even featured on MTV. Lost Weekend is laden with buzzing baselines, shimmering synths, helicopter-wing beats, and a matter-of-fact rhythmic choral line that gives you no chance but to get sucked into the song. Download it below.
What makes Tiny Victories so special? Is it the gentle calm somehow found among layer upon layer of white noise, electronic scribbles, and echoing vid-kid beats? Is it Greg’s incredible voice (better than ever live) droning beautifully like an opera-quality, angelic-y Interpol? Or is it the intense smatterings of percussion? You’ll just have to go figure out for yourself. Download “Lost Weekend” below, listen to the rest of their album on bandcamp, and go see them May 3rd at Glasslands people!
Tiny Victories- Lost Weekend [right-click!]