It’s not every day that Northeast Regional releases a new single.
In fact, the project began in 2015, carefully composing their debut until this point.
Northeast Regional is led by Jeff Byers (Best Practices, Wow Owls, Light The Fuse & Run) and is a studio project where Byers honed his production and songwriting process over the last several years, joined by friends along the way.
We’re debuting “Amherst” from the soon-to-release album, Brand Managers of the Mid-Atlantic. But wait, there’s more -- a cover song too!
“Amherst” is the second single, and Byers gives us some background about it:
“Amherst” was the last song written for the album. It drew on the slower songs that focused on one riff but upped the tempo and added more layers with the inclusion of more musicians. One riff became three and, little did I know, I laid the foundation for the longest pick slide that 2023 may possibly hear. This song is about being bit by a bat.
The album will release on Jan. 27 via Tor Johnson Records and Magnet Coil Media and is described as music for guitar lovers. Rooted in punk and post-hardcore, its sound is more expansive while capturing that ever-so-important element of honest, real human emotion. It’s heavy, but sometimes surprisingly earnest underneath that tough facade.
The band also covers “Give Me Back My Man,” originally by The B-52’s.
As far as the cover goes, I once saw The B-52s play a show at an after-conference party in Atlanta (where it snowed in March). They may have played this song but I don't really remember. They did play “Rock Lobster” and wore shiny shirts while middle-aged health care executives danced. It was fine for the moment. It wasn't until ten years later I found myself at an amateur wrestling event in California where a cover band played this song in between matches when “Give Me Back My Man” really connected with me. Maybe it was the environment or because it was I who was now middle-aged. Hard to say but it's a great song. If my cursory Google search is correct, the song is about a woman pleading with a shark not to eat her boyfriend.
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The first single, “Heiress” also came paired with a cover song (The Breeders).
Byers plays guitar and sings throughout the record, joined by the following:
- Neil King (drums, Weak Teeth/Sullest)
- James Doubek (guitar, The Sniffs)
- Mike Morris (guitar/vocals, REPS)
- Tyler Worley (bass, Wow Owls, Sharpening)
- Zach Nelson (drums, Missives, REPS)
Steve Roche (Amateur Party), Nate Dominy (Prayer Group), Zach Wish (Large Margin), and Allen Bergendahl (Viking Recording) recorded the various sessions.
The album is mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere) at Dead Air Studios.
