THROES NYC is the work of two people, Michael Bozzo handling production and most of the instrumentation, and Courtney Leo on vocals. The two go back to childhood together, both raised in Queens during a stretch when the borough put them within reach of the city’s legendary underground rooms, CBGB’s, Roseland Ballroom, Irving Plaza, at exactly the moment those spaces were teaching a generation that genres didn’t have to stay separate. That early exposure still shows up in how the project sounds now, and it’s part of why the music carries a lived-in quality that’s hard to manufacture. They’ve got their own tag for what they do, “altriphop,” a name for music that borrows the moodiness of trip-hop, the hooks of alt-pop, and a rock band’s willingness to hit hard when the moment calls for it, without ever picking one lane and staying in it.
The duo introduced themselves with “Fight The Urge” back in February of last year and have moved fast since, stacking up three EPs before this one. Their writing keeps returning to the same territory too, the messy business of two people trying to reach each other. Sometimes that means wanting somebody badly enough that it stops being healthy. Sometimes it means being close to someone and still feeling the distance. They’re less interested in resolving any of that than in sitting inside it honestly.
The Wires Out
Two tracks here, “Something Chemical” and “Always, Baby,” and they’re deliberately pulling in opposite directions. The first handles the tenser half of the equation, wanting someone in a way that doesn’t leave much room for thinking it through. The second is built around a gentler kind of closeness, Leo’s vocal pulled up front and delivered almost like a whisper, though the song keeps enough of the group’s signature moodiness that it never turns into a straightforward love song.
Putting both on a two-song release turns out to be a smart move. Either one on its own would flatten the record into a single mood, and together they cover more emotional ground than two tracks usually manage. The hooks are more front and center than anything else THROES NYC has put out, but the project hasn’t sanded off the moodier, more unsettled instincts that have carried it this far.
The rhythm work is worth paying attention to. Bozzo doesn’t push the beats hard; they hold a pattern and let it sit, which keeps the whole thing from feeling crowded. Leo’s vocal never has to fight the production to be heard, and the smaller flourishes buried in the mix actually register instead of getting steamrolled. It’s a record that works best quiet and late.
Final Thoughts
Two songs is a small canvas, but THROES NYC use it well, and “The Wires Out” makes a strong case for a duo that’s figured out exactly what it sounds like. Stay tuned to MusicOnTheRox.com for all your music news and reviews.
