We’re Coming For You: An Interview With NYC’s Papas Sin Sal
By Staff | March 12, 2026
Emerging from the digital chaos of a Craigslist ad, Papas Sin Sal has rapidly evolved from a chance meeting into a cornerstone of the New York DIY scene. The trio—composed of Brian, Ray, and Nadav—fuses the melodic hooks of power pop with the grit of hardcore and the swing of psychobilly, creating a signature scuzz and screech that feels both nostalgic and vital. While their early rehearsals were marked by the typical nerves of a new project, the chemistry solidified the moment they locked into the bass line for "Vampire’s Kiss." Since then, the band has prioritized a "less is more" philosophy in their arrangements, allowing their raw, three-piece energy to cut through the noise without losing the intricate details of their genre-bending influences.
Meeting on Craigslist can be a gamble, but you three clicked instantly. What was the specific musical moment during those first jams that that made you realize this wasn't just a project, but a band?
Brian: I was unsure during first session if they liked me lol, and felt a bit awkward. But then in the second session, the more we played around with ideas, it started to make sense, I had a feeling like we had some synergy, and we started to realize that we had the same ideas and the same energy. And then when Ray shared the bassline for Vampire’s Kiss, it clicked.
Ray: Me and Nadav had a couple of jams before we met Brian, and Nadav brought some songs that he'd written in the past. When he played me Interspace Rocket, that was the one that got me like, yes I can fuck with this. So that solidified it.
Your sound pulls from power pop, psychobilly, and hardcore. How do you balance those influences without the songs feeling disjointed? Is there a particular sound that keeps everything feeling like Papas Sin Sal?
Brian Almeida, drums: I think that’s the beauty of collaborating, and part of the magic. We come from different music backgrounds and pull from different inspirations. So when we have new ideas and work through them, those influences come out and form our sound.
Ray Makklostkey, bass: It’s all rock and roll and I like it.
With only three instruments, there’s a lot of space to fill. How do you approach your arrangements to ensure the sound stays loud and fast without losing the intricacies of the different genres you touch on?
Brian: We take a lot of time to figure out the tone – it’s an ongoing process. As long as we have the foundation of the rhythm section, the guitar that can be in it or break away. Plus all three of us are coming in with vocals so that fills the sound out.
Ray: I get a nice scuzzy bass tone, but I wanted it to be nice and thick too, especially when it's paired with the kick drum. And then Nadav brings the sonic screech.
Nadav Atik, guitar: We don't usually have a whole wall of sound, so that scuzz and that screech can really cut through, and that leaves room to hear the details. I love it when the bass or guitar drops out for a bit and then we all come back in hard. Less is more, and more is also more, and less makes more even more.
Your live shows are known for being loud, direct and high energy. What's been the biggest challenge in capturing that feeling and intensity on your records?
Nadav: I'm sure a lot of rock bands have this challenge, but we want our records to be big and in your face and distorted and to go as hard as our live shows...but we also want you to hear every note and every detail. That's not easy. This is also the first time me and Ray have done a proper recording project. Thankfully Brian has more experience, a lot of skill, and the patience of a saint, and he helped the rest of us understand what's possible and mapped out the whole process. He did an incredible job with the mixing and we're so stoked about how the singles sound.
Also we recorded the vocals in my closet in my apartment, so it was a challenge to properly belt out my parts without pissing off the neighbors.
Brian: I think the biggest challenge for trying to capture that live, raw energy was getting the guitar and bass tones right and trying to get the drums punchy in the mix. Each of the singles required different colors of tones but it was important that they all had a similar theme and whichever one you listened to, it still had the Papas touch to it.
If you're first singles were an introduction, what statement are you trying to make about your identity with your upcoming EP?
Nadav: We wanna to show our range. Often an artist puts out a record that fits a particular sound and it's really great, but then you only want them to make more music that sounds like that. We don't want to be boxed in, or feel like people expect us to sound a certain way. There will always be common threads to our music and it'll always reflect our particular personalities, but there are so many different directions we might want to go in the future. Like we've got this kinda disco song that we'll finish one day, and at some point I wanna make a record that's punk but builds on rhythms and dynamics of dance music like jungle, reggaeton, UK funky etc.
Ray: I think about that pretty often too.
Brian: Yeah, to echo Nadav, the range was important to introduce who we are as a band and not box ourselves in by doing the same song over and over again. That would certainly open doors down the road if we want to experiment, cover some Bee Gees, because that foundation would be laid out already.
Are there elements on the new record that would have surprised the 2022 version of the band?
Nadav: Well let's just say that there's one song there that's gonna be a big surprise for everyone.
As you finish up your EP, what does a win look like for the band over the next year? Is it about touring, refining your sound or cementing a spot in the NYC punk lineage?
Nadav: that last one might take us a little longer but we will make our mark on New York. 2025 was an amazing year for us in terms of playing shows - we had some really special nights, met loads of really awesome bands, and made people dance. This year is about getting in more people's ears - putting out more music, getting more people listening to it, and finding our audience, all over the world. It sounds obvious but we're trying to make music that people will listen to, as well as be a band people want to see live. We're also planning to play more outside New York. Philly, Boston, New Haven, New Jersey, Baltimore - we're coming for you.
Brian: And Bora Bora
Nadav: What’s Bora Bora?
Anyone you'd like to thank?
Ray and Nadav's girlfriends/partners are amazing and incredibly supportive. They come to all our shows, take photos and videos for us, make our artwork and rescue us when our cars break down way out in the arse end of upstate. Brian's mom is for real our number 1 fan and makes banging cookies. We also wanna shout out Kipp of Parkside Lounge (ig kippelbaum), our homeboy Nelson (ig instanelsonio) and our first fan Jason (mr.effingawesome)!
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