Desensitized came together in the spring of 2010, when Greg McGonagle, Jelani Wilson, and Jhonn Thomassen met during Black N’ Blue Bowl at New York City’s Webster Hall. The three of them quickly hit it off, and they were soon renting practice spaces by the hour, writing songs as a three piece with Greg on vocals, Jelani on drums, and Jhonn on guitar. Before they could even recruit a fourth member, Desensitized recorded their 6-song demo with Glen Lorieo and James Williams at Night Owl Studios in NYC. The demo was recorded, mixed, and mastered in a matter of days, with Jhonn and Greg splitting up the bass parts, many of which were written just a few days before entering the studio.
After releasing their demo in October of that year, Desensitized set their sights on finding a permanent bassist. They found one in Evan Cohen, a college friend of Jhonn and Jelani. Not only did Evan bring experience and talent to the table, but a tour van as well. The four began to play local venues (ABC No Rio and Cake Shop in Manhattan, Party Expo in Brooklyn), and even ventured outside of New York, playing shows in both Boston and Cape Cod.
2011 finds Desensitized well-poised to capitalize on the lack of young, fast, pissed-off NYHC bands who actually call NYC home. Already planning their first Midwest tour, they show no signs of slowing down. Their 2010 demo was released as a limited-run cassetteĀ tape by Section 8 Records (based in Cape Cod), which quickly sold out of the original pressing. A 2nd pressing was commissioned, and shortly thereafter, the band was contacted by Southern California’s Irish Voodoo Records, who agreed to release Desensitized’s first 7-inch record in the fall of 2011.
Currently, you can find the band working on new material in anticipation of their upcoming 7″ on Irish Voodoo, playing NYC and the surrounding areas, and generally having fun doing what they do best: making the music that they themselves would want to hear.