New York State, USA-based singer songwriter Alex Cherney first came to our attention in the 2021 thanks to his single release Dream Life.

By Graeme Smith

We followed that up the following summer with a share of his track Sleeping, but it’s been a fair while since we’ve had him on our pages. Thankfully, that’s all now changed with his new EP, released with soul-funk duo The Brothers Nylon. The twin brothers Mike and Nick Rufalo first met Alex collaborating while growing up on Long Island.

As a trio, they certainly have a lot of chemistry. Their new EP Thieves is only two tracks long but they manage to pack plenty into it, bringing together anthemic retro soul and some dynamic disco.

Sleep Your Life Away opens things up with a laidback yet wistful arrangement. A chilled intro sets the mood before Alex’s distinctive, falsetto vocals come in. Through all the vibrancy of its instrumental, it’s a strikingly vulnerable story, rich with relatable detail and soul-searching moments.

Things segue seamlessly into Take My Heart Away, a bouncy disco number that will have you instantly nodding along. It’s disco as it should be, full of genuine, heartfelt emotion and a sense of cathartic movement. A surprise strings twist is the icing on the cake.

Together, both tracks show a powerful range over slightly more than eight minutes.

I’m so glad to have Alex back on the blog, and the work he’s doing with Mike and Nick is sublime. I’m certainly looking forward to hearing more of it. This two track EP feels like just a taste of what they’re capable of, and they’ve got a sound that will go places, finding fans of the old school and the modern in equal measure.

Thieves was recorded in analogue at The Brothers Nylon’s studio in Melbourne Beach, Florida using a Otari MX5050. You can give it a listen below.