Long Island indie pop/rock band Persona find their footing in their new single Indie Cowboy.
Released with a corresponding music video, the quartet explore various elements of indie rock, pop, and alternative on the track, while simultaneously sounding rather seasoned and crisp. Recorded at ZIN Records on Long Island, the new track is a strong representation of the band’s upcoming EP, due out at the end of this year or early next year. Although just a single, you get a sense of perseverance from Persona, who collectively as individual members have overcome quite a few trying feats. Taking those unique pains and applying it to Persona’s creative process, the result is an indie mish mosh of triumph. About Indie Cowboy, the band states:
Indie Cowboy has been a long time in the making. The intro guitar riff was written by singer Tom Spartinos nearly ten years ago! It wasn’t till about 4 years ago, where the band actually started to put it together. Musically the song came together after CJ Kostaras joined the band and took the drums to a whole new level. Lyrically, the song was written within the last 6 months by Costas Themistocleous and Tom Spartinos. Check out the new single below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talked about their latest single and more!
So how pumped are you for the release of Indie Cowboy?
This release could not come soon enough! We were expecting to release this song much earlier in the year then we are, but hey, better late than never! We are so pumped to share this single and video with you!
Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows?
Hmmm, maybe I can go a bit off topic and talk about the music video for this single. We started filming this video in January. We did the live shots at this industrial area of Plainview, NY in 20 degree weather. We must have looped the live shots 15-20 times. We couldn’t feel our faces, lol. It was so cold we would go to our cars in between takes just to sit in the heat for a few minutes. It was excruciatingly painful haha.
Also we tried to make the action scenes look as real as possible, without any of us getting too hurt, lol. Unfortunately for CJ, one of the guys in the white mask accidentally knocked CJ out right on the train platform. It was pretty funny, but we all felt pretty bad for him too, haha.
This is the first video and song we are also branding under our new Lion logo.
So can you tell us anything about your upcoming EP?
We are heading back into the studio in November to start production on our 3rd EP. Its going to be 5 brand new songs and will have none of the singles we are releasing before September. We are planning to revisit a song or 2 from previous EPs to release as bonus tracks.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Hands down it would be Blink-182. We are all die hard Blink fans and Blink is the band that brought us into the whole music world. Mark Hoppus has also produced some of my personal favorite records to date. Motion City Soundtrack “My DInosaur Life” and New Found Glory “Not Without a Fight” are prime examples of this.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Costas: The Pop Disaster Tour 2002: Blink-182, Green Day, Saves the Day
Tom: The Pop Disaster Tour 2002: Blink-182, Green Day, Saves the Day
CJ: Weezer and Taking Back Sunday
Sam: The Pop Disaster Tour 2002: Blink-182, Green Day, Saves the Day
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
Tom owns and operates a personal training company called Spartan Home Fitness and enjoys hanging out on the beach, discovering new places and restraunts in our home Long Island, and traveling.
Costas owns and operates a local and nationwide breakdown assistance, towing, & transport company called Imperial Truck Group and enjoys recording music, traveling, reading, and spending time with his best pal Nala the pitbull!
Sam is a nurse practitioner and is currently continuing his education in the medical field. While time might be limited, Sam and enjoys nights out with friends, spending time with his girlfriend, and traveling.
CJ is a full time DJ outside of Persona. He enjoys playing drums, making comedic videos (check them out), playing pranks on his dad, and loves him some Fortnite and Hot Pockets!
Will you be touring at all this year?
We will be doing a North East stretch of dates in the middle of July. We are taking the month of August of for personal traveling and relaxation. We plan on touring as much as possible come September. We are currently in the process of scouting out a booking agent.
What’s the alternative scene like on Long Island, New York at the moment?
Eh, it’s definitely not what it used to be. Don’t get me wrong, the scene on Long Island definitely still has a pulse, but its only a shell of what is used to be. A couple of weeks ago Newsday wrote about the battle between original music and cover bands on Long Island. Unfortunately cover bands have become a bigger, much more trending act to see at our local venues. Its a bit sad in my opinion. Without taking away from the talent of some of these cover bands, there is too much great music, artists and bands not getting the attention, shows and attraction they deserve. But like I said, it is definitely still alive and kicking.