In 2006, you were introduced to Envy On The Coast, the upstart Long Island quintet with the swiss-army rock aesthetics, boundless ambitions, and hearts big enough to fit each of their growing swell of fans. After issuing a self-titled debut EP to widespread acclaim in August 2006, Envy On The Coast – vocalist Ryan Hunter, guitarists Brian Byrne and Sal Bossio, bassist Jeremy Velardi and drummer Dan Gluszak – set out on national tours with arena-filling artists like 30 Seconds To Mars and Angels & Airwaves and were named one Alternative Press’ 100 Band You Need To Know in 2007. Following subsequent tours alongside peers as disparate as Circa Survive and Cute Is What We Aim For, Envy On The Coast have cut their teeth in front of thousands of fans, earning their own impassioned following in the process. No question, their earliest experiences together have been unforgettable and certainly their entrance has been grand. But through it all, they knew it would mean little without a suitable second act. With that mandate in mind, and winter approaching, Envy On The Coast descended upon two cabins in the isolated outpost of Windham, New York, to begin writing their full-length debut. After weeks of painstaking collaboration between the cabins and their own Long Island homes, the band had meticulously deliberated over, consolidated and, eventually, perfected the material that would comprise the album that would at once confirm their precocious musical prowess while further legitimizing their considerable accomplishments. And, frankly, the results aren’t just inspired. They’re downright disarming. Produced by Bryan Russell at Red Wire Audio in Brooklyn, Lucy Gray refines the band’s strengths – showcasing huge leaps in technical proficiency and further honing their impressive melodic underpinnings, among them – while simultaneously capturing the growth Envy On The Coast experienced during the past twelve months on the road. In short, it’s the rare album that not only traces a band’s evolution, but also transcends their many accomplishments through a truly definitive artistic statement. This, ladies and gentlemen, is today’s Envy On The Coast. Not so different from yesterday that they’re unrecognizable. Just leaner, fiercer and infinitely more focused on becoming the best band they can be. “We can write a song that’s aggressive and has a really heavy bridge in it that’s almost like a breakdown,” says Byrne. “But then we can have songs with really big choruses, soaring leads and lots of harmonies and not be afraid of it. It’s funny; we go around the room sometimes and ask, ‘What’s your favorite song?’ and everyone’s got a different answer.” Inspired by the personal events and musical experiences that have filled their lives over the past year, Lucy Gray is an unrelenting exploration of the inner-workings, attitudes and creative chemistries shared by their creators. And though its conception wasn’t always easy, it is unquestionably authentic. “We were all in a van together, experiencing the same things and talking about the same things,” says Hunter. “That’s what I wrote about, because everyone was feeling it as much as I was. That made it that much more real.” “For me personally these songs are very much about faith,” adds Byrne. “Not necessarily in a religious sense, but about believing in something enough to take a chance on it. I think people who liked our EP will like the record and people who dismissed us will give us a second chance. We’ve matured a lot. We’re not some flash-in-the-pan.” Hunter, in particular, was determined to prove that point, often testing his own ideas of faith, unity and hope deep into the night. The result is an album of achingly personal accounts of the personal triumphs, tribulations and near-tragedies that, for better and worse, have shaped him and, by extension, Envy On The Coast. “A lot of the songs on this record explore the concept of life and death,” the singer explains. “I wrote about everyone’s experiences with it – and what comes after. I’m at a point right now where I have faith in a lot of things and a lot of questions about tons of other things. I’ve had stuff like this in my notebooks for years, but I’d never had the courage to put it into songs until I realized there’s no reason why I shouldn’t talk about the things that I want to talk about. I’m not going to hold back because I’m afraid.” Indeed, what’s perhaps most striking about Lucy Gray is that while it certainly traces Envy On The Coast’s evolution from Long Island youngbloods to emotionally and musically powerful forces who’ve realized their vast potential, it’s also a rallying cry against the adversities life has dealt them. “I’m so proud of everyone in this band,” intimates Byrne. “They’ve come so far in the past two years and I’m sure they say the same thing about me. There are really no other people I’d ever want to make music with. It’s not always easy to ride with the same dudes for weeks and months at a time, but it’s a bond we’d never want to give up.” In other words, Envy On The Coast are going to be here a while. You’ve been properly introduced. Now it’s time you really got to know each other.
http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/66561.html
