Neu Meet Laundry Day

Boy bands have been having a much-needed rebrand of late. Gone are the frosted tips, double denim and general cringiness that plagued groups back in the day. Now, thanks to BROCKHAMPTON and the like, boy bands are cool. Like, super fucking cool. And New York five-piece LAUNDRY DAY are the coolest newcomers of them all.

Having met in their first year of high school, the now-17-year-olds have been making music together for years. Made up of Jude Ciulla, Sawyer Nunes, Etai Abramovich, Henry Weingartner and Henry Pearl, the quintet already have all the ingredients needed to become huge: emotive lyrics paired with saccharine vocals over banging beats (with the welcome added bonus of jazzy haircuts). But the NYC group are striving for something more than that with their Gen Z bops exploring the highs and lows of growing up in a big city.

“Each album feels like a journal entry for the time we’re making it,” beams Etai over a transatlantic Skype call. “Just being 17, and being in a major city and just going through life, there’s a lot of experience to draw from. Whenever we sit down to write a song, we always start off with ‘How are you feeling today?’, and just get that out on a vocal line or an instrument, and draw it from something really real.”

Inspired by their mutual love for Tyler, The Creator and, of course, Kevin Abstract and pals, the quintet’s main ethos champions being 100% true to yourself and it’s a quality that shines through. Blending elements of pop-punk, R&B, trap and indie, the three records they’ve released via own label Polo and Fomo (2018’s ‘Trumpet Boy and ‘Keep It Bright’, and March’s ‘HOMESICK’) feel undeniably current.

“We’ve got to a point where we’ve become more confident in the really unique things that we’ve done, so we’re trying to tell ourselves to keep that up moving forward,” Jude explains. “As we continue, we’re wanting to just push originality.”

Even within the last 12 months, it’s evident they’re doing just that. On ‘HOMESICK’, the band weave between genres, bringing unexpectedly delightful twists at every turn. From the rock-infused opener of ‘10 SPEED’, to unabashed pop bop ‘Blue’, the LP shows their range of influences, even bringing in BROCKHAMPTON’s own Romil Hemnani to work on jazz-flecked piano ballad ‘FRIENDS’ and nostalgic hip-hop number ‘I Feel Good’.

So, are LAUNDRY DAY challenging their famous pals to the title of best boy band since One Direction? “We’re just trying to be the first LAUNDRY DAY!” they laugh instead. We’re into it.