SONG PREMIERE: Scranton pop punk band Anytime Soon reaches ‘End of an Era’ with new music
Like many musicians around the world right now, singer/songwriter Mitch Evans had to put any springtime plans on hold because of the coronavirus. In the meantime, his band Anytime Soon is moving forward with the release of the first single from their upcoming EP of “unadulterated Pennsylvania pop punk.”
Premiering today exclusively on NEPA Scene before it’s available on all major streaming services this Friday, March 27, “End of an Era” may sound like a pessimistic end times anthem based on the title and today’s crazy quarantined world, but recording began last year as Evans looked back on his own life before everyone’s lives turned upside down.
“‘End of an Era’ was an idea I took to the studio unfinished. Although it wasn’t intended to be a single, it came out awesome, so I felt compelled to put it out first. It’s about a lot of the things I had going on at the time – friends moving away for adult obligations, moving out of my old apartment, members leaving the band, not going out and partying as much, playing on bills with artists I had looked up to, stuff like that. It’s not supposed to be a sad song but melancholy, and maybe nostalgic,” he told NEPA Scene.
Evans formed the Scranton-based group with guitarist Adam Martin in 2016 and has been the only constant member through various lineup changes, putting him on both guitar and bass at different times while handling lead vocals and songwriting “inspired by pop punk, emo, easycore, and Warped Tour scene culture.” They started as a cover band, playing popular songs by bands like New Found Glory, Blink-182, and Good Charlotte and gradually gaining a following in local bars.
After releasing their first EP of original music, “Pandora Songs,” in 2018 with a sound that’s been compared to New Found Glory, Hawthorne Heights, and A Day to Remember, they garnered the attention of blogs, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, radio, and online publications while touring the Northeast and sharing stages with notable acts like Metro Station, Tigers Jaw, Lifer, Makeout, Story Untold, Handguns, and With Friends Like These.
“After some member changes had set back some progress, I took some time off to think and decide what I had wanted to do with the project. All in all, I decided I still love writing and playing, and ATS has been my baby, so I had to keep trucking along,” Evans said.
That pushed him to begin recording at Good Beer Productions in Archbald with Matt Jenkins last fall. While they’re still working, Evans has narrowed all the songs he has written down to five tracks for an EP they hope to release this summer, tentatively titled “Variables.”
“I’ve been friends with Matt for years, and he’s become a great audio engineer and producer. It felt right working with him. I had talked to many studios and a couple big name producers. It’s tough to find someone that has your best interests in mind and not trying to price gouge you,” he explained.
“I had originally wanted to do a full-length LP, but in today’s musical climate, it just doesn’t make sense. With streaming services, people want content, content, and more content. It makes more sense to trickle music out steadily than release an album every two years,” he continued.
“In regards to our first EP, we were super pressured to get out our own music. We were in an awkward stage where we were getting put on bills with really talented original artists but still didn’t have enough original material to complete a set and didn’t have any original music to show anyone online. This time around, we had more time to really explore the production process and experiment with different recording tools. In comparison, this EP might be a bit more polished – and more adventurous.”
Anytime Soon hopes to venture out on some “weekend warrior” tours once the world returns to normal and is currently creating some “fun and fresh” album artwork and merch after debuting a new band logo in January.
“I’ve made friends with a bunch of good bands, we were working on some show trades before the virus hit. Landing a spot at a festival would be cool too,” Evans noted.
“Fortunately, we didn’t have a whole lot booked because of the recording process, but the few shows we did have this spring are canceled. Booking is a large part of managing a band, so I’m trying to focus that time elsewhere for the time being because the future is murky. The spring is pretty shot, but hopefully we can still have some good shows for the summer.”
At least everyone can enjoy some previously recorded music in the meantime and dream about a less socially distant summer.
“A lot of our friends rely on the income from performing or the venue owners where we play at. It’s awful to see everyone struggling. I have a day job that is still operating because it is an essential business; I’m thankful to still have a job at this time,” he added.
“My weekends normally consist of playing shows or going to support my friends’ bands at other shows, so I’ve been kind of lost. I’ve been doing a bunch of projects around the house, doing my best to not go out unless I absolutely have to.”
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Anytime Soon performing at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre last year here.
Photo by Scott Kucharski Photography/NEPA Scene
