Downtown Boys are an American punk rock band formed in 2011 in Providence,

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, United States. They have received press coverage in ''

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'', ''

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'' and '' Spin''.

History

Downtown Boys formed after What Cheer? Brigade tubaist Joey La Neve DeFrancesco met vocalist Victoria Ruiz while working at the Renaissance Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. DeFrancesco famously quit the hotel by handing in his letter of resignation accompanied by his What Cheer? bandmates. The footage of the resignation went viral. In 2014, the band released a 7" single on Washington D.C.-based Sister Polygon Records to wide acclaim. Downtown Boys released second LP, '' Full Communism'', on

Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. History Don Giovanni Records was fo ...

on May 5, 2015. The album's lead single, "Monstro", drew critical attention from

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, Stereogum, and the broader music press. Rachel Brodsky of '' Spin'' wrote of the single: "Bravely combating, as their press release reads, 'the prison-industrial complex, racism, queerphobia, capitalism, fascism, boredom, and all things people use to try to close our minds, eyes and hearts,' Downtown Boys do what their finest punk-rock forefathers did before them: challenge long-held ideas." The group performed on news show ''

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'' and was interviewed by host

Amy Goodman Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupation ...

. ''

'' featured the group and dubbed them "America's Most Exciting Punk Band". ''

'' described the group's live performances, noting that " e tracks speed by with hardcore kineticism, but Ruiz's lyrics squeeze your hand through the pit: she's lucid and blunt, celebrating cops, traders, and any other impediment to justice that she can spot. There's something distinctly post-punk about the Boys, ... could be the saxophone, but it's probably the spirit." In 2015, Ruiz and DeFrancesco launched the online magazine
Spark Mag
' in collaboration with grassroots advocacy grou
Demand Progress
The site aims to feature underground and radical artists and connect fans to organizing work. In 2017, the band played the Coachella Music and Arts festival. They later released an open letter denouncing the festival's business practices and claimed that they would donate "a portion of the money" paid to them by Coachella to unspecified LGBTQ organizations. The amount donated and the recipients have not been made public. Later that year, the band released their third LP ''

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'' on

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. The band composed the original music for the biographical film '' Miss Marx'' (2020) by Italian director Susanna Nicchiarelli. Their soundtrack won the David di Donatello award for Best Music, and the Venice Film Festival Soundtrack Stars Award.

Discography

*''Downtown Boys'' (cass/cd/dl), 2012 *''Downtown Boys'' EP (ltd 7"/dl) Sister Polygon Records, 2014 *'' Full Communism'' (cd/lp/dl)

, 2015 *''

, 2017

References

External links

Don Giovanni Records official websiteSister Polygon Records official websiteDowntown Boys bandcampDowntown Boys on Sub Pop
{{Authority control American punk rock groups Musical groups from Providence, Rhode Island Musical groups established in 2011 Don Giovanni Records artists 2011 establishments in Rhode Island