Duunes delivers a Larger-Than-Life Performance in Asbury Park
It’s the Thursday after Memorial Day, and Asbury Park is buzzing with the promise of summer. The boardwalk is alive with tourists, the scent of salt air drifts in from the Atlantic, and music seems to spill from every corner of town. Across the street from Wonderbar, conversations at nearby restaurants are peppered with stories of encounters with local legends like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. This town wears its musical history proudly, and tonight another chapter is set to unfold as New York indie rock band Duunes takes the stage.
Led by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Harrison Cohen, Duunes has steadily built a reputation as one of New York City's most exciting rising alt-rock acts. The project exploded online after a cover of "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" amassed more than 40 million views across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Since then, Duunes has appeared at SXSW, opened for Joe P at Racket NYC, and sold out headline shows in New York and Boston.
About an hour before showtime, I met Cohen at a picnic table overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. With the waves rolling in behind us and fans already beginning to gather in the venue, he reflected on the path that brought him here.
Music, it seems, has always been part of the story. Cohen laughed as he recalled his parents telling him that some of the first words he ever spoke were lyrics to The Beatles' "Hey Jude." His father would sing the song to him every night before bed, unknowingly planting the seeds for what would become a lifelong pursuit. While he spent his childhood playing in bands and participating in theater productions, it wasn't until he was about sixteen that he realized songwriting was more than a hobby.
"That was when I realized that I love songwriting," Cohen said. "This is what I want to do."
Even the name Duunes came from a simple desire to create something memorable. Inspired by the punchy, one-word names of artists he admires—bands like Spoon, The Strokes, and The Killers—he landed on Duunes almost by instinct.
"I thought Duunes was a cool word, cool name," he said. "It's really as simple as that."
That straightforward approach disappears, however, when he talks about songwriting. Cohen describes his creative process as fluid and unpredictable. Sometimes songs arrive fully formed in a burst of inspiration. Other times they reveal themselves piece by piece through collaboration and experimentation.
"I think it's cool not always to have intention with a song," he explained. "Sometimes that'll come to you through doing the work."
One example is his latest single, "La Dive," a breezy, addictive track inspired by New York City's trendy natural wine bar Le Dive. The song captures the excitement and possibility of a first date, the feeling of stepping into the night without knowing where it might lead.
"It's just a fun, easygoing, chill, upbeat song," Cohen said.
As catchy as "La Dive" is, Cohen seemed even more excited discussing the debut album currently in the works. While no release date has been announced, he described it as the most mature collection of music he has created to date.
"I've been putting out singles for a while, and this just feels like there's a lot of intention behind it.," he said. "I've never been more proud about a piece of work."
That confidence extends beyond the studio. When asked about his favorite song to perform live, Cohen immediately pointed to "Wild," a fan favorite that never received the promotional push of some of his singles but has developed a life of its own onstage.
"It's just such a fun song to play," he said. "it's vocally demanding. I think it just really showcases my own strengths, and there's just a lot of swagger in it."
An hour later, standing inside Wonder Bar, those words would prove to be an understatement.
The night began with local four-piece J.Walttz, whose dreamy indie sound blended effortlessly with bursts of upbeat alternative rock. Their set provided a fitting soundtrack as the crowd filtered in from the boardwalk.
Next came Asbury Park native Christian Sparacio and his six-piece band. Their sound carried echoes of Young the Giant and Sam Fender while maintaining a distinctly personal feel. Backed by an impressive ensemble that included a standout cellist and keyboardist, Sparacio balanced thoughtful songwriting with an easy stage presence, taking time between songs to share stories and connect with the audience. The highlight came near the end of the set when the band stepped away from their microphones and invited the crowd to join in a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" accompanied only by Sparacio's guitar. In a room full of strangers, it created one of those rare communal moments that live music does best.
When Duunes finally took the stage, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Launching into "Paralyzer Tranquilizer," the band wasted no time establishing the high-energy tone for the evening. Cohen's voice was immediately commanding, moving effortlessly between rich lower-register passages and soaring falsettos that seemed almost impossible to sustain while maintaining such relentless movement across the stage.
The next song was "Wild," the very track Cohen had told me earlier that evening was his favorite to perform live. Now it was easy to understand why. The song crackled with confidence and urgency, and Cohen delivered it with the swagger he had hinted at during our conversation. Frequently leaning forward toward the crowd, balancing on one knee at the edge of the stage, he commanded the room with the presence of someone performing in an arena rather than an intimate club on the Jersey Shore.
Throughout the set, Duunes debuted a couple of unreleased tracks, including "All or Nothing," which is slated for release on June 12. The new material showcased the growth Cohen had described earlier in the day—more expansive arrangements, bigger hooks, and a level of confidence that suggests the upcoming album could be a major step forward for the project.
Despite the band's growing popularity, the evening never felt distant or overly polished. In fact, it felt more like a gathering of friends than a traditional concert. Audience members sang along, exchanged smiles with the band, and toward the end of the night, a bartender even walked up to the stage carrying shots of bourbon for the musicians to get them through the requested encore. It was the kind of unscripted moment that could only happen in a venue like Wonderbar.
Earlier that afternoon, Harrison Cohen spoke about the pride he feels in the upcoming Duunes album and the growth he sees in the project. A few hours later, those ambitions felt fully justified. The audience may have been modest in number, but the performance itself felt anything but small. From the opening notes of "Paralyzer Tranquilizer" through the end of the set. Duunes projected the confidence, polish, and presence of a band ready for a much bigger spotlight. Sometimes the best live music experiences aren't found in sold-out arenas—they happen in small rooms just before a band is ready to leave them behind.