By Zach Collier
2015 was a big year for Festive People. They won BYU’s Battle of the Bands in March, released their debut EP, opened for Journey at Stadium of Fire in July, and closed out the year by winning Velour’s 2015 Winter Battle of the Bands in December. Now, they’re releasing five brand new songs on an EP entitled PARADE.
“Creating this album took everything we had creatively, emotionally, and monetarily,” says lead singer John Lane. “We’re hoping to see it broaden our fanbase and establish us as a force for good in the music industry.”
The band has begun incorporating more prominent and sophisticated synth parts since the last album, which had a strong folk-rock bent. Festive People credits June Audio’s Scott Wiley with helping to bring about that change. “Working with Scott was an incredible experience and really helped us up our game as musicians. We couldn’t be happier with how it’s all turned out,” says Lane.
In addition to an evolved sound, the songs on PARADE also display a wider range of thought when it comes to lyrical content, discussing topics like love, flying the coop, addiction, purpose, and regret. These themes are resonating with listeners. Last month, a surge of pre-orders for the album had Festive People ranked ahead of acts like Taking Back Sunday, Bastille, and All Time Low on the iTunes charts.
“The album starts off with a question: ‘Who knows how long this parade is going to last?'” says Lane. “And that’s the big question. We don’t know how long almost anything will last, so come celebrate life with us now!”
A Provo Music Magazine exclusive, you can listen to the EP in its entirety below. The EP hits all digital distribution outlets tomorrow, August 20th. If you like what you hear, support the album by pre-ordering it on iTunes.
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