Over the weekend I was walking through Tompkins Square Park, as one is wont to do on a lovely Sunday afternoon. I laid in the grass – er, dirt – for an hour or so and then decided to head home.

As I was making my way out of the park, earbuds in, I heard a faint sound I’d really never heard before. It was music, but far different than any I’d ever listened to. I saw a woman with a flowing dress and a jet black haircut absolutely belting into a microphone and strumming a guitar in front of a crowd that was slowly gathering.

I decided to pop my earbuds out.

At first, I wasn’t totally sure how I felt about the music – but the more I listened, the more it grew on me. Turns out, who I was watching was Claudi. She’s the lead singer of Pinc Louds. They’re a little band that are distinctly New York that was formed in 2015. They mostly play small, seemingly impromptu, performances in front of whatever crowd is around. I really respect that type of art. On top of that, Claudi brought a cotton candy machine with her to the park.

The song I’ve chosen for today’s jam wasn’t played live at this particular concert, but I’ve now listened to it many times since leaving Tompkins Square Park that day.

If you feel so inclined, you really should go check them out on either Apple Music, Spotify or Youtube. They’ve got some real enchanting (and slightly haunting) stuff I think y’all should listen to. Is it everyone’s cup of tea? Surely not, but hey, you may as well give it a shot.

Sometimes it’s important to take your earbuds out and listen to the world around you.