Demetra | en

Demetra has struck the balance between fresh and familiar: powerful, garage-y guitar; clean, in-your-face drums; smooth bass; and a strong-voiced female lead vocalist handling unexpected melodic twists with ease.

They’ve got a new wave-meets-punk-meets-garage-meets pop sound, but this is no rehash of Eighties New Wave. Demetra has taken the genre, shaken it out and overlaid its own unique vibe. The result: snap-your-head-around tunes like “Beam Me Up, Scotty” and “Make A Scene” that are going to win new fans everywhere.

Lead singer and songwriter Demetra is joined by guitarist/songwriter Danny Nez; bassist Federico Bortoletto; and drummer Mike Galante. The musicians have achieved that elusive chemistry for which every group strives and; while it’s tempting to compare the band to The Clash and Blondie; you’d be selling this group of Queens and Brooklyn residents short.

The band came together in an unexpected way. Demetra and Danny Nez were bandmates, and when that band broke up, Nez headed to Europe for the World Cup. Meanwhile, Demetra worked on some demo material with Bortoletto. Nez returned, loved the collaborative work and wanted to perform again. The trio recruited Galante, and now the indie music scene has a refreshing new act.

Demetra just released its self-titled debut, also known as “The Red Album,” which was produced by Demetra and Danny Nez, and recorded at Tainted Blue in Manhattan and Monsterland Studios in Brooklyn.

Whether you listen live or on CD, one thing will be obvious: this is a band that “gets” what it means to be attending a live gig or buying a CD. “We want listeners or the audience to feel energized—and like it was money well-spent,” Demetra says. “They should feel like they just saw one of the best live performances ever.”

They’re achieving that goal in dramatic fashion in New York: just ten months after forming, Demetra is already playing sold-out shows and packed rooms—and audience members are expressing amazement after catching the live show.

As passionate as Demetra is about its music, these are not artists who take themselves too seriously. They profess a passion for fashion; science fiction; cowboys; and cowgirls. “Three of us are Italian, one is Greek, and we always argue about who should take the blame for Western civilization,” she said.

While the band is sorting that one out, new fans everywhere are going to discover a band that puts the energy, passion and talent back into the indie scene. .