The hottest thing in NYC music is these subway buskers

As the Union Square subway station fills with commuters Monday afternoon, a woman stops at one of the busking bands, pulls out a $10 bill in exchange for the group’s CD, then runs to catch a Q train.

Except the band hasn’t played a single song yet. Before they even finish unpacking their instruments, a small crowd begins to form.

“Are you guys playing soon?” asks passer-by Weston Hatfield, a 26-year-old commodities trader who lives on the Upper East Side. After a band member nods, Hatfield says: “I’ll be back later to watch.”

Meet Too Many Zooz, a local band whose vibrant, heart-pounding tunes and impressive dance moves have turned them into the city’s newest musical phenomenon, thanks in part to a YouTube video of their performance that went viral on Reddit, accumulating more than 700,000 views to date.

So, who are these guys?

Leo P. (from left), Matt Doe and David “King of Sludge” Parks make up the band Too Many Zooz, a subterranean sensation that draws crowds at the Union Square subway station and has racked up fans online.Brian Zak

Trumpet player Matt Doe, baritone saxophonist Leo P. and drummer David “King of Sludge” Parks have been rocking the subways since August. Doe, 21, and Leo P., 22, first became friends while attending the Manhattan School of Music, while Leo P. and Parks played together in another busking band, the Drumadics. They all came together with a simple goal: to make some extra cash.

“I remember the first day that we played, I thought, ‘Wow, there’s something here,’ ” recalls Pittsburgh-born Leo P., who declines to give his full name.

“If we had a recording of that first day, it would be so different. It’s taken so long to evolve into what it’s like now.”

With no vocals or supporting effects, their acoustic instrumentals are a breath of fresh air in a world ruled by One Direction and Miley Cyrus. Their influences include rock, jazz, EDM and African drumming — all of which they’ve combined into a unique genre they’ve dubbed “brass house.”

Their performances draw crowds up to 400 people deep.

“There’s really no one out there who’s not using electronics,” notes Doe, a Foxborough, Mass., transplant who first took up the trumpet when he was 10 years old.

Passers-by seem especially drawn to sax player Leo P., whose pompadour and Michael Jackson-esque dance moves make him stand out.

“The saxophone player, he has a lot of style,” says Daniela Marquez, a 25-year-old Venezuelan who purchased the group’s CD halfway through their first song. “He looks like a rock star.”

While the members won’t share how much money they make in tips (due to both safety reasons and fear of alienating fellow subway performers), they’ve sold more than 5,000 digital albums since its January release.

Parks, originally from Portland, Ore., spent years living in East Harlem before recently relocating to The Bronx. Shortly after the move, his former residence exploded in the March 12 gas leak that killed eight people.

That same week, Too Many Zooz’s YouTube video went viral.

Parks says busking saved his life, as he paid for his new digs primarily with tips from the subway.

“That was one of the impetuses for me going down [to the subway] and having to play every day, to move,” says a thankful Parks.

But their unique sound didn’t leave them with many other options, as clubs hesitate to book bands that don’t conform to the clichéd pop-music formula.

Leo P. draws a crowd during a recent performance.Brian Zak

“It speaks to the changing New York club scene,” explains Parks. “Roseland Ballroom and other famous clubs are closing. Club owners aren’t trying to facilitate any new kind of music.”

Instead, Too Many Zooz has built a strong community with commuters and fellow buskers.

“I donate every time I see them, and I stay until they’re done,” boasts Serena Alleyne, a 15-year-old who passes through Union Square daily while shuffling between school and her Flatbush home. “I could see them being on MTV!”

With the world seemingly at their fingertips, Too Many Zooz is taking their time with big decisions.

“Instead of us having to look for publicists or managers, people are coming to us, and that comes from being in the subway,” Doe says.

And since all three members play in other bands, for now they’re content with keeping it in the subway, where they can connect with fans.

“We have a test market: the people standing right in front of us. They like it or they don’t. They stop or they don’t,” says Parks.

“We have the largest nightclub in the world.”

Can’t make it to Union Square? No problem! Download Too Many Zooz’s debut album “F Note” at toomanyzooz.bandcamp.com.