The Secret Things – Selfie (Spotify)
“The vocals are truly incredible, beautifully rich & melodic, slutty, sleazy & oh so easy to fall in love with. A commentary on how difficult it is to say the right thing on social media in these difficult times & the lengths people will go to for an extreme selfie photo. ‘The Secret Things’ are a trio that sounds so much bigger & ‘Selfie’ is an impressive song by a great band. ”
-Nagamag.com
Originally developed as a simple commentary about the lengths people will go to take "extreme selfie photos," the song evolved into a discussion about how difficult it can be to say the "right" things on social media - during incredible times politically and during a global pandemic - in turn, actually saying nothing and in the case of this story, putting up a selfie instead.
The Secret Things was formed out of friendship, a common love for playing loud, trashy rock’n roll music, and a pure meeting-of-the-minds wavelength the band has been thriving on since their inception in early 2016.
Influenced by artists like PJ Harvey and Nirvana, their songs and sound came together organically during those early jam sessions. Their debut EP, Shock Diary, was released on October 27th, 2016 via olivoiL records. The single & video “Down By The Water” released last September, accrued 119 thousand views on FaceBook & 35 thousand streams on Spotify respectively. (View it HERE). The band held a video party and benefit for the Trans Community in Los Angeles at The Hotel Cafe. Shepard Fairey donated two prints to the cause for auction, and the near-sold-out benefit distributed donation monies to their chosen non-profits, It Gets Better Project, TeenLine, The Van Ness Recovery House and TransLatina Coalition. After this hugely successful event, the band flew to Toronto to film a segment with Canadian favorite son and radio personality, George Stroumbouopoulos. The Secret Things segment for “The Strombo Show” was aired earlier this year, nationwide in Canada.
On July 6th, the trio will release their newest single “Bully” via iTunes and Spotify. Taking a turn toward material with strong political content and commentary, this track has an anti-Trump message. “Si Se Puede” the ironic hook and backbone of the Bully chorus has a timely irony that points its finger toward the unfair treatment of Mexican immigrants, the un-safe passage into the US, and newly established practices that separate children from their parents.
A satirical lyric video, directed by Sue Ann Pien, will be released soon!
The trio’s hypnotic vocals are courtesy of Cynthia Catania, a veteran singer-songwriter who has played to crowds of 100,000 with her former project Saucy Monky. She has shared festival stages with Wilco, Metric, PJ Harvey, Pink, and other contemporaries. An invitation to play with the TST rhythm section came the same week Cynthia’s partner in Saucy Monky left the United States to move abroad.
It was during the Saucy Monky era that Steve Giles, joined Cynthia as SM’s bassist, coming out of a record deal and radio hit with ‘The Lemming Song’ by 3 Penny Needle. The common denominator, Steve, also shared success with Dream Life Misery drummer Dan Nelles, who signed with powerhouse Morey Management Group (Janet Jackson, Miley Cyrus, etc.). Both Steve and Dan went on to tour New Zealand, opening for The Bangles with Canadian artist Amy Hef.
The mastermind behind TST is drummer Dan Nelles. His secret vision to rally Cynthia and Steve into a band (since 2011) finally came true in late 2016, and the three bandmates have been enjoying a spark of universal flow ever since. Their first gig in Temecula, CA, took place on a festival stage with Jimmy Eat World & Neon Trees, after winning an iHeart radio contest for the coveted slot!
Reviewed by Nagamag on May 13, 2021