Niagara Falls-based alt rockers James Blonde encapsulate the restorative magic and magnetic appeal of the nightlife with their new single “Back To Life”. Because no matter how dull and lackluster – or depressed and lifeless – one might temporarily feel, everyone knows that the best cure is a well-timed night out. Check it out on YouTube here:
Kicking off with pulsing waves of electronic sound, “Back To Life” is a stomping, guitar-heavy groove that’s bound to energize pretty much anyone as the song describes a life-giving scene in a bar with a live band. It’s pop and dance-y, but also jagged and edgy, and James Blonde are here to ease you in the atmosphere:
You may have come just for the beer
But you're staying alive now the gangs all here
So get in close; feel what you hear
And tell your friends there's no one you'd rather cheer
They know that
The chorus is the simple earworm of “You bring me back to life,” and we begin to understand that the song is not only about going out and hearing some life-giving music, but also basking in the company of the one you love – “We may have had a messy year/ You brought me be back from what I once feared/ But now we're back, we're in the clear/ Let's make tonight the one that won't disappear.”
“Back to Life” is merely one single (the first!) from a forthcoming LP due out this winter. It’s the latest project in a flurry of activity for the band, who over the last two years released five new singles they recorded with JUNO-winning producer Gus Van Go while writing the album.
Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/artist/4JFUF9h1Mo98JJ1AnsLyJT?si=7yWgYL0URhmOlaGAkXeoWQ
“So, which one of you is James Blonde?” is the question the band gets all the time. The answer is quite simple: ALL THREE of them – Phil, Steph, and Neil – who comprise the entity that is James Blonde. Making their grand entrance onto the music scene in their hometown of Niagara Falls on NYE 2017, their first concert as James Blonde entailed opening for Sam Roberts Band and Serena Ryder. Following their full-length, self-titled release in 2017, the lead single “Heartbreak” was picked up by major Spotify playlists and Starbucks, which added the song to its in-store radio across the globe. “Sh!tshow”, the band’s follow-up single in 2019, reached #96 on the US Top 40 chart.
Taking influence from bands such as Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Billy Talent, and MGMT, James Blonde does a perfect job at taking their listeners on an emotional journey through the subtle weaving of confessional songwriting, high-octane rock guitar, electric pop groove, and funky bass, as well as some old-fashioned soul with insanely precise musicianship.
