New York City Queens Drop Brand New Song

New York City Queens. Photo: DO Photography

Back in the Summer of 2024 when Houston’s New York City Queens played the Neptune stage at FPSF, they seemed to really glimmer in the haze of dusk amongst the freeway signage for the I-45 exits.  It only seemed fitting that the band would return to the festival stages of Untapped Fest last year to showcase their reign as one of the best indie rock bands in our city.  And then, during their Untapped set, the band announced that they were calling it quits.  The abrupt announcement without a chance to say goodbye properly really felt like a sting to fans of the band.  As a way to say thank you to the group’s fanbase, singer John Allen Stephens sent over a brand new track, “Coming Up Daisies” for an exclusive debut.  The track found below, really embodies what the band had spent years working up towards as far as an overall and polished sound.

There’s a more focused and straightforward sensation on the track, complete with dual hooks that you can’t really shake.  While they tend to embody a vibe closer to The Strokes on the single, the bridge and the chorus are all their own and stay in line with the endearing NYCQ sound.  In keeping things more candid, the five piece really shows off how far they’ve come as a band and forces the listener to wish for a happier ending to such a storied narrative.  The fuzzy guitar coupled with Stephens’ own vocals atop the instrumentation makes for a track that you’ll want to place on repeat while offering up a pop rock song that you could actually dance to.

While a full on reunion is not off the table, and the fact that all of the members are on board with a proper show to say goodbye to their fans, the band definitely demonstrates that they still have the “it factor” that made them so popular in the first place.  In just under three and a half minutes, “Coming Up Daisies” reminds us all of how strong New York City Queens were while together, and makes us look forward to whatever the band might have in-store for us in the future.

by David Garrick