Reviews

Bandits On The Run at the Dumbo Archway/ photo by Noemie Trusty

Bandits on the Run Steal Hearts at Dumbo Archway

July 13, 2023 by David K. Moseder

As part of the Dumbo Improvement District’s current Wednesday evening “Live at the Archway” summer music series, Brooklyn Roads caught an extensive, spirited set from... read article

Matter Album Art courtesy of Kanine Records

Nicole Yun’s “Matter” Matters !

June 10, 2023 by Giulia Arlia

Nicole Yun shares her latest work in an album entitled Matter. Her collection of 90s-inspired rock tackles issues of depression, melancholy, and personal moments in... read article

Annie Keating Release Show / photo by Griffon Sgroi Jacobs

Annie Keating On The Jalopy Theatre Stagr photo by Griffon Sgroi Jacobs

Annie Keating Wows Jalopy Crowd With “Hard Frost” Release Show

May 27, 2023 by David K. Moseder

With her newest album, Hard Frost, due out on June 1, Brooklyn’s own Annie Keating played a release show at Jalopy Theatre on May 18.... read article

Camp Bedford photo by Yekaterina Gyadu

Camp Bedford’s “So Often & So Sweet” Is So Promising

April 17, 2023 by David K. Moseder

Brooklyn-based trio Camp Bedford — Roxanne Quilty and Mariela Flor Olivo, on guitars and lead vocals and Tallen Gabriel on cello – have released their... read article

Bruce Springsteen at Barclays Center In 2016 Photo by Debra L. Rothenberg

Brooklyn’s Live Music Scene Is Blossoming

April 2, 2023 by The Brooklyn Roads Team

Now that spring is upon us and the pandemic is behind us, Brooklyn’s music venues are rushing to make up for lost time. The most... read article

Aiofe O'Donovan Plays Nebraska-album cover

Aoife O'Donovan Plays Nebraska Album Art

Aoife O’Donovan’s “Nebraska” — A Fresh Take on a Classic Album

March 23, 2023 by David K. Moseder

Aoife O’Donovan Plays Nebraska was initially a live-stream event recorded at her Brooklyn home on May 9, 2020, and released digitally in 2021. Now it’s... read article

IVA’S “NOBODY’S WOMAN” SHOULD APPEAL TO EVERYBODY

March 17, 2023 by David K. Moseder

When Brooklyn Roads interviewed singer-songwriter IVA in November of 2022, she told us that she aims to create “thought provoking” music that “gives people mega... read article

Ivan Julian # 2/ photo by Sam Chen/ courtesy of Howlin' Wuelf Media

Ivan Julian photo by Sam Chen

Ivan Julian’s “Swing Your Lanterns” Has Edge and Excitement

February 23, 2023 by Michela Arlia

Ivan Julian is a guitarist, bassist, and founding member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids , who brings layers from his world travels into the... read article

“Drive My Car” Re-Release Makes You Want to Cruise

February 5, 2023 by Michela Arlia

After over 40 years, Left for Dead Reords has re-released Brooklyn-based teen-punk band NastyFacts 1980 hit EP, Drive My Car. While they had more than... read article

Charming Disaster photo by Krys Fox

Charming Disaster Brings Wilderness to the City

February 3, 2023 by Michela Arlia

Brooklyn-based musical duo Charming Disaster will be releasing their fifth studio album Super Natural History this coming March, following the successful release of their previous album,... read article

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Artists on our Radar

Ciao Malz: Music With a Storyteller’s Charm

WFUV NY Slice Session- photo by Gus Philippas for FUV

Brooklyn’s indie scene is home to countless rising talents, and one that stands out is Connecticut-born, Brooklyn-based artist Malia DelaCruz better known as Ciao Malz . A self-taught musician and engineer, Malz has a gift for crafting indie pop songs that are both clever and unpolished in the best way. Her latest release, Safe Than Sorry, a four-track EP released in December 2024, showcases her evolving approach to songwriting and collaboration. Growing up surrounded by classic rock, folk and indie music, Malz was drawn to the art of storytelling. “I like songs that feel lived-in, a little rough around the edges but full of heart,” she tells Brooklyn Roads. The DIY nature of indie music was a revelation that made her realize that imperfections could be part of the sound. That perspective shaped her songwriting process, which she describes as intuitive and sometimes surprising, “It’s hard for me to tell where the songs are going at first, but the choruses are catchy.” After attending college in Queens, Brooklyn quickly became her creative home. “There’s always new and different music playing from cars, coffee shops, even the fish supply store,” she says. Playing alongside the borough’s talented musicians has kept her inspired and motivated. Among Brooklyn’s many venues, Union Pool holds a special place for her, for its intimate performance space. First featured on WFUV’s NY Slice in 2021 and once again on March 20, 2025 with her warm, dreamy single, “Always Be My Maybe,” Malz has played venues like Baby’s All Right, Bowery Electric and Pianos NYC. Her latest EP came together in an unexpected but organic way. While working on other artists’ music, she asked a band to stick around after a session to help flesh out some of her songs. “We were able to turn them into full songs pretty quickly,” she recalls. The experience shifted her perspective on collaboration, as she comments, “in the past, I had done everything myself, but after making that EP, I think of it differently.” Ciao Malz is an artist worth watching. For those looking for music that’s deeply personal and full of heart, she’s one to have on your radar.

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