Laterby GIFT

New sophomore album from NY-based band, GIFT! Frontman TJ Freda assembled New York rock quintet GIFT by cherry-picking members of some of his favorite other bands, crossing his fingers and hoping for the best. Having assembled on a lark in the Big Apple from roots as diverse as Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Brazil and Boston, the musicians leaned on their collective deep experiences in numerous non-performing aspects of the biz as part of settling on a bold new sound – a dizzying blend of early shoegaze, classic ‘90s alternative rock and even modern pop. www.gift-music.com Album Credits: Written and recorded by TJ Freda at home in Brooklyn, NY between April - October 2023 (Mixed by Ricky Berotti) (Mastered by Dave Cooley)

GIFT vocalist/guitarist TJ Freda, multi-instrumentalists Jessica Gurewitz, and Justin Hrabovsky, drummer Gabe Camarano and bassist Kallan Campbell – are firmly enmeshed in the New York scene as talent buyers, photographers, DJs, audio engineers, art directors and, in the case of Campbell, an owner of the beloved Brooklyn DIY venue Alphaville. "We had a lot more confidence going in," Freda says. "The main goal was to take a big swing, embrace the pop sounds we love and clear the mist and clouds surrounding the last record to make it a lot punchier." "I don't want to feel sad when I'm listening to music. That's never been the goal for GIFT," he says. "It was always meant to be this escapist yet freeing euphoria that anyone could go out and dance to and feel amazing. But I also wanted to talk about some real feelings. There's this duality between darker lyrics underneath a joyous pop structure." tinyurl.com

New music from New York psych-pop combo GIFT. Check out more music from them here: giftbandnyc.bandcamp.com