Meet WHATMORE, the Best Friend Band Soundtracking New York’s New Era
How five friends from New York turned their shared history into forward motion, building a band that moves as fast as the city that raised them.
Photography via WHATMORE and Colors Studios on Instagram
It’s the final hours of 2025, and New York-born and raised band WHATMORE has just played their first headline show at Baby’s All Right. They sold out the iconic venue in less than a day, wrapping up a year many dream of. The best friend boyband released their new album, went on tour with Laundry Day, hit one million streams on their hit song “go!,” and announced that they will be in the 2026 Coachella and Governor’s Ball lineup. All very casual things for a band that has just hit the scene. So who exactly is WHATMORE? Trust me, you want to know.
The band met in High School at New York’s star-making LaGuardia High School. Members Jackson August, Yoshi T., Sebastiano, Cisco Swank, and Elijah Judah all quickly became best friends. Since then, they’ve all remained a tight-knit group while pursuing their own music careers. Jackson flourished in the indie scene; Cisco Swank became a well-known name in the jazz world; Yoshi T. and Sebastiano made New York proud with their raps; and Elijah produced for some of the industry's top stars. While they collaborated individually over the years, they didn’t collaborate until Cisco pushed to make music together (though they all joked they received a CoStar notification at the same time). Even with their boyish humor, something about them feels written in the stars.
Their sound can’t be pigeonholed into one genre, which is why they have garnered so many fans since their album dropped. Like all Gen Zers, they refuse to be boxed into one sound, choosing instead to evolve, incorporating the movement of the city that raised them into music that speaks to those across the country. It’s fun, it’s reckless, and at times, incredibly sentimental. It’s a sonic exploration of what it means to pursue your biggest dreams with your best friends and refuse to stop.
Photography by Joana Meurkens
Although they’ve known each other since they were kids, their sound has matured through the years. The band’s soft-spoken Elijah said, “Our sound has matured with our friendship. We all find the music we love, and we bring the things we love about it into the creation. That’s how the cool stuff is made. I think we all like the same things about the different types of music that we make.”
Their introduction to the world was nothing short of brilliant. Each time they released a new single, they held a corresponding pop-up show at unsuspecting New York locations such as a chicken shop and a famous diner. The shows were packed with energy, making audiences feel like they were part of something special.
By the time the album was released, fans already felt they knew the band, thanks to the beautifully cinematic, intimate introduction videos they had made for each of them. Filmed by their close collaborator and another rising star on the scene, Patrick Linehan (who also shot all their music videos), each member told their individual city kid story, and audiences got to feel like they were a part of the crew, and in typical boyband fashion, pick their favorite.
When asked to assign each other their “boyband personas,” they broke into laughter, then immediately locked in; they knew this was the moment of truth. Elijah is the “mysterious one,” Yoshi is the “crazy one,” Jackson is the “passionate one,” Sebastiano is the “hot one,” and Cisco is the “vibe police.”
Photography by Joana Meurkens
They represent something in everyone while being completely authentic to themselves. Whether you’re like Cisco, who grew up playing music in his father’s church, or Jackson, who was planning out his dreams while bartending until 4 a.m., they spark something in everyone. And most importantly, they make you feel like you could be their friends. Their in-person energy is magnetic. Although they have the cool-kid cosign from Aime Leon Dore and a hit Colors video, they make everyone who comes across them feel comfortable and included.
Each show has an entourage of lifelong friends who are there to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. It’s good to know that even though they have blown up, they’re still riding with those who helped them get there. When asked what New York feelings they aim to convey in their music, they all agreed they want to capture the feeling of riding the train or biking in the city on a hot night. “We want to get that feeling like you’re going to keep moving on the train and hit every borough on your way.” That is exactly what they are doing: moving forward, and nothing is stopping them. They are hungry for greatness and won’t stop until they get there.
So what’s in store for WHATMORE? They already achieved so much this past year, and you could see their eyes light up as they discussed each accomplishment they achieved together. One thing’s for certain, their intention for this year is to keep winning. As Yoshi put it, “If you lose, it’s okay, just try and win again.” They all agreed that they’re trying to be the greatest band ever, and if they stay true to who they are, I believe they’re already on their way there.
