By: Liz Coffey
Hailing from Lexington, KY, Trending Now is truly a band to keep your eye on. Not only do they deliver great tunes, they are also four of the most genuine guys you’ll ever meet. The combination of awesome music, well-written lyrics, and integrity are the core reasons I believe they are one of the best up-and-coming bands of this year. They’re one of those great bands who are really in music for the right reasons, as they’ve described to me over the last couple of weeks, and they also gave me their own thoughts on their debut EP, Prologue.
“We recorded Prologue from May 26th-29th, 2014. Although we had been writing music since high school, up until that point we had never released anything. We were at a point last year when we finally found a great singer, and Knox was graduating college and was going to be in Lexington full time again for the first time in 4 years, so by default if we wanted the band to have any future, we had to hit the studio and put something out. We booked the days, had zero rehearsal time and laid down the 4 songs we knew how to play best, and taught Ryan how to sing them on the spot. When we finished recording it I was never truly satisfied. Looking back on it I realize it is because we hadn’t discovered our identity as a band yet. What releasing Prologue has made me realize in retrospect is what art is truly about, it is a time capsule of human emotion that brings people together and makes them realize that they are not alone. I will forever be satisfied with Prologue because it is a musical freeze frame of where we were in our lives and as a band and, like Miller said, it laid the foundation of where we are now, it made us address all of the tough questions a band faces when trying to take the next steps, who are we? What do we stand for? Why are we even doing this? The answer is simple: we want our band to inspire people to make the world a better place… not in a fluffy fairytale way, in an honest down to earth way. In the words of the great Billie Joe Armstrong “our passion is our strength” and Trending Now’s passion is making good music that makes people want to be good, too.” – Colin Michael
“I think there's definitely something to be said for a band's first recorded work, and that something depends on how listeners react. We've shown prologue to lots of friends and family, people that mean something to us, people that shaped us, and a majority of them have enjoyed what they heard both aesthetically and lyrically. I think it's important to have some tangible evidence that the first music you show to the world can really have an impact on it, and that's what prologue gave us. We want to be the muses of our generation.” – Knox McConnell
"Prologue for me was the first time we could finally let people get a glimpse about what we can do with our music. It's a great foundation which we aim to build on" – Miller Owens
"The prologue really just solidified my confidence in us as a band and in myself. I was the new guy, and I was still unsure of myself up until that point. The prologue set the stage for a good career by showing us what we could do. But it was written before I had joined so I had minimal influence on those tracks. Our newer stuff has my own touch added so it makes a difference in my performance." – Ryan Greenwell
As they prepare for an eventful summer I took the time to reflect on Prologue, which was released in the fall of 2014. Colin gave me an idea of what this EP was all about, saying that it was really the “prologue” to them as a band. Their story is about to really start, and this release was just the beginning. Trending Now is all about changing social norms, they want to make being a good person a cool thing again, which they talk about in their previous interview with Shuffle Beat. Their songs are a genuine representation of their lives, and they aim to be relatable.
No Regrets-- This song is really catchy, with a summer feel to it that makes it danceable in addition to being uplifting. The lyrics for the chorus are the best part in my opinion.
Best Lyrics: “Yesterday’s behind you, tomorrow’s nothing yet. Don’t make mistakes today that you might soon regret. Let’s leave the past behind us, let’s make tomorrow best. Let’s remember why we came here and forget all the rest.”
4813-- This one is a little heavier musically than No Regrets, but it’s still awesome to rock out to. It’s about a relationship that went south, and the song calls out the girl for playing people. Since hearing it for the first time, I find myself humming it more often than not, so prepare to have it stuck in your head.
Best Lyrics: “You think boys are all the same, just small pieces in your game. Confidence has paid the price, you’re still held fast by your vice.”
Conclusions-- With awesome riffs and a sound reminiscent of All Time Low, this one is probably the most solid song on the album, and definitely my favorite. This song has nailed the balance between well-written music AND lyrics, which is a tough thing to do for many artists.
Best Lyrics: “Let’s all say what we’re thinking, in spite of what we lack. Each moment of hesitation, is one you won’t get back.”
Wishful Thinking-- The unique melody that the lyrics are set to is what drew me to this song. The music is definitely a little heavier than the rest of the songs, but the contrast between that and lighter, more “poppy” lyrics is what makes the track.
Best Lyrics: “But if all that we have is the choices we make, then isn't it luck that's deciding the stakes? What I'm trying to say is that I've been falling out, because for me the horizon is stormy and dark.”
So what are they looking forward to?
“I am most looking forward to recording a great album, and taking the steps to reach as many people as we possibly can with our vision and music” – Colin
“Releasing a CD on a notable label; that represents an achievement for us and I just enjoy the art of music and spreading our imagination to others” – Miller
“I'm looking forward to touring around and playing shows other than Lexington, because I'm ready to start spreading our music to other places and gaining a larger following” - Knox
Also-just as a little tease-I've heard the demos for their next album, and trust me when I say the Prologue EP definitely WAS only the beginning!
QUICK LINKS
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Stream the EP -- Spotify
Download the EP -- Bandcamp
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