Tiny Gun’s debut EP No Worries If Not sounds a whole lot like the post-punk scene local to the band’s hometown of New York City in the 1980s, and again in the 2000s, and, increasingly, again in the 2020s. Yet there’s more than just a unique balance of passionate musicianship and apathetic vocal delivery setting this apart from The Strokes or Modern Lovers—for one thing, their slacker-rock vocalist Kareem Rahma has achieved a very contemporary form of celebrity (i.e. an individual you instantly recognize from videos fed to you on social media), with the distinct character of his NYC-centric “SubwayTakes” series bleeding into the “bits-into-bangers” approach the band took to songwriting.
For another, Rahma isn’t a native New Yorker, but rather an expat of the Midwest (hence the EP title; curious to know whether “Oop, Just Let Me Scoot Right Past Ya” was also being considered). And it’s clear that amongst his bandmates, all five members of Tiny Gun—drummer Dale Eisinger, guitarist Joe Tirabassi, bassist Matt Morello, and producer Tyler McCauley—bring a unique set of influences culled from their everyday lives into the project, as well, with tedious daily tasks like feeding the baby breakfast, or accidentally considering the existential weight behind the concept of boredom, ultimately helping to shape the direction No Worries If Not took. As the cliché goes, even the city itself plays a major role in the production.
With the EP out now via Symphonic Records, check out all five band members’ non-musical influence picks below. You can also stream the EP here.
KAREEM
Growing up in the midwest
I feel like growing up in the Midwest and then leaving for a big city when you’re of-age does something cool to your brain. I think it creates a sort of fish-out-of-water feeling that never goes away, which leads to some wonderful contradictions that can be explored through music. I’ve lived in New York City for nearly 13 years now, and sometimes I still think, “Dang, I can’t believe I live in New York City.” Will that feeling ever go away? Probably not, because I’m genuinely excited to be here. This also creates a subtle undercurrent of tension, because at least a few times a year, I also think, “Maybe I should move back.” Of course, I never will, but Minnesota will always hold a special place in my heart.
TYLER
Making scrambled eggs for a one-year-old over and over again
Sheer rote repetition of a non-recipe to feed my wife and kid made me rethink how I thought about music. Have you tried making breakfast for a one-year-old? Technique simplifies, the audience becomes more demanding, you’re delivering something simple again and again. You begin to find peace in a correctly heated pan, a well-salted egg batter. The kid doesn’t care about how it got there, and it still might go on the floor regardless. The repetition is humbling; the lessons are universal.
JOE
Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn
I spend a decent amount of time at this park in Bed-Stuy that’s just packed to the brim with all manner of people, activities, sounds, smells, and so on. It’s totally egalitarian, the way a city park should be. Everyone’s out doing their own thing. There’s, like, four DJs blaring competing music on different sides of the park, theater groups putting on not-very-organized shows, youth baseball games, dogs woofing at each other, jacked dudes working out next to kids’ birthday parties, barbecues fired up—it’s New York in a nutshell. And all the wild, intrinsically personal styles and fashions on view are amazing from a people-watching perspective, but it also gives me hope that people are out here just being themselves and trying shit.
DALE
The ever-creeping silence of the ultimate
Decades ago I read a quote by some asshole that was like: “What is boredom but the realization of the hopelessness of life?” Like I said, that guy was an asshole, but it had a deep effect on me. That dumb philosophical parasite has infected the motivation behind all of the choices I’ve made since then. What if I quit playing music? What if I just stopped everything? You can’t ever quit. Then you’d be just another guy who quit. I refuse that.
MATT
The ever-creeping silence of the ultimate
As a bass player, most of my job is to listen to the drummer, so I’m going to have to go with Dale on this one.
