NYC’s bedroom grunge scene just got a little louder — and a whole lot weirder (in the best way). Meet Retail Drugs, the gritty tape-recording brainchild of Jake Brooks (you might recognize him from Laveda), who’s officially inked a deal with Angel Tapes, the emerging artist imprint under indie tastemaker Fire Talk Records. If you haven’t already been keeping tabs on Angel Tapes — home to jawdropping projects like Jawdropped, shower curtain, and Sleeper’s Bell — now’s your moment to tune in.
Retail Drugs isn’t just your average lo-fi rock project. It’s a fully immersive experience. Think: fuzzy analog riffs, claustrophobic drum machine beats, and live shows that straddle the line between punk gig and chaotic performance art. After dropping his debut tape ‘i love you so !’ last year, Brooks has been gigging non-stop around NYC, building a cult following and a killer rep for his anything-goes live energy. Notable fans include members of Gorillaz, Horse Vision, and Robber Robber — so yeah, you’re gonna want to pay attention.
To celebrate the new label signing, Retail Drugs just dropped a brand-new single and video titled Person A — and it rips. Raw, charged, and delightfully unhinged, the track captures that universal feeling of wanting to ghost a party… even if you paid the cover. “Wanna make it // wanna break it // try to make it // wanna fake it,” Brooks chants in a lo-fi haze, equal parts lethargic and explosive. The DIY video — co-directed by Brooks and drummer Josiah Martuscello — finds the band tearing through NYC streets like they’re being chased by the ghosts of their own lyrics.
According to Brooks, Person A was born out of a chaotic, day-drunk jam session in LA with friends Joe Taurone and Dan Carr, later reworked while cooking pasta alone in Troy, NY. Yes, really. Other tracks like Dubl Vision also emerged during that same pasta-fueled creative sprint. The original voice memos? Practically unlistenable. The final track? Weirdly addictive.
Retail Drugs is more than just Brooks, though. The full lineup — Ali Genevich (guitar), Aaron Scannell (bass), and Martuscello (drums) — goes way back. We’re talking high school band rooms in Saratoga Springs, NY. This crew came up through Albany’s DIY scene, which is also where Brooks and Genevich kicked off their other band, Laveda. After years of touring across the country with Laveda (and countless late-night drives and roadside epiphanies), Brooks landed in NYC, threw himself headfirst into its DIY underbelly, and started building the noisy, heart-on-sleeve world of Retail Drugs.
Oh, and while Retail Drugs gears up for more releases later this year, Brooks is currently back on the road with Laveda, playing a short run of shows — including some with Sunflower Bean.
So yeah, now’s a pretty good time to get in on the ground floor.
Watch the Person A video now, and keep your eyes peeled — Retail Drugs isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Retail Drugs online: Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
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