(The Verge) – Seasons’ latest EP, “Ways to Fight”, has actually been in constant rotation on my iTunes since its March release. The electronic rock band currently has the 5 song EP up on bandcamp under the Name Your Price option (it can be free or you can give what you’d like).
They’re a fun bunch of boys from Monroe, New Jersey, and lead singer Bryan Haring is entering his senior year at Monmouth. While the boys are friendly, the album is a bit angrier.
“It wasn’t one event that inspired the EP in particular, but if I had to guess I’d say causing conflict and doing what you want to do regardless of what anyone else thinks… those are common threads on the record,” Haring said.
The EP begins with “Riot,” a song that starts off with “Drag the boys out of bed and make a ruckus/’Cause it’s time to make an example.” It’s a great introduction to the album because it tells the listener right away that this is not a sit-back-and-chill album. Haring referred to the album as “aggressive.”
The electronic element sets Seasons apart from a lot of the other rock EPs out there. They don’t just have thrashing guitars with a cool hook (though they are there, and guitarists Dylan Sorkin and Kyle Rinfret are amazing), but the electronic sounds just make it different. (Those parts tend to be from Haring on a keyboard or synthesizer). It makes the sound unmistakably their own.
Particularly awesome is the piano interlude on “All the Sleepy Suburbs.” The way the song winds down into and builds up out of it makes it one of my favorite tracks. It was one of the earliest tracks for the band, written shortly after they formed in September 2011.
The EP’s title comes from the chorus of “Burn the Books” (which immediately reminds me of Fahrenheit 451): “We burned all the books, but the words can’t be erased/The basic core emotions, are the worlds that we embraced/We sold all the guns, but we still found ways to fight.” Lyrically, the song is my favorite because of that chorus. Sometimes you have to get creative to do what you want, which is one of the themes found throughout “Ways to Fight.” Seasons is telling people to take initiative.
“Come and Get Me” also follows that theme. The track calls on an ex to put in the effort and fix their relationship if she wants him back. “Do you admit you had the chance/To be one, to be whole, to be one/To reconstruct a broken love.” It brings the album to more of an emotional place, especially when paired with the following track, “Love is Never Free.”
Lyrics are mostly written by Haring, but he considers it a very collaborative process. “We write our songs in varying ways. Each song is introduced to the whole band by the member that began writing (what we call the ‘mastermind’), and once it is out in the open, it is refined and reworked until it becomes a song that truly sounds like Seasons,” Haring said.
So why are they releasing such good music for free? Haring didn’t want to keep their music from anyone. The music industry student said, “We want people to fall in love with our music the way we have, and we’d rather be broke than have fewer people listen to our record. This way the generous folks can support us by buying it, and the people who are not into buying music can get it for free.”
In addition to awesome music and sweet lyrics, the boys are also really good live. I’ve seen them a few times, and trust me, they can rock out. They recorded the EP at Lakehouse Studios in Asbury Park, and they are returning to play a show in town next week. They’ll be playing The Stone Pony on Tuesday July 9 with The Trevor Smith Band and Archis Emerge at 6 pm.
Get their album on their bandcamp page and check out their Facebook page for details on upcoming shows.
