It’s a pleasure to welcome Montclair, New Jersey’s, Bern & the Brights to the StarBeat roster. I’ve been following the band since back when MySpace was a thing in late 2008 and even saw co-vocalist Bernadette solo in Newark many moons ago (2004). From listening to their music to attending shows to writing reviews to chatting with the band, I’ve gotten to know B&TB on a musical and personal level over the past few years. It was a natural progression to sign them for the release of their new EP Work, an album that highlights both the label’s diversity and hardwork thus far. Musically Work focuses on a brand of rock that weaves together folk, reggae, new wave and pop influences.
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| Bern & the Brights - Work Artwork |
Work will be available in CD format on October 2nd. The release date falls on the second annual College Radio Day, which is cool for me (Star), as a former dj at Seton Hall University's WSOU.
The release of Work will also mark our 1 year anniversary and things couldn’t seem more promising for our little label out of beautiful, Newark, NJ. This is our 4th release and marks a significant turning point for us as a label. We have learned so much in a year and have been blessed to work with some incredible New Jersey artists so far. This is a significant release as we can say we have released music in four mediums: Vinyl, Cassette, Digital and now CD.
Work is a significant album for us to release as two 20-somethings who are trying to make this bedroom music label into a sustainable venture. This album signifies the long trek we all have to take in life’s journey to get where we need to. Songs on the album attest to the theme of working hard to get where you want to be in life - something no one is immune to.
The band’s intention is best explained from this biography excerpt: “Our aim, with every musical noise that we conjure, is to make hearts burst, faces melt, mouths kiss, and bodies move. In short, we are here to bring you an emotional conglomerate including our love, and to win your heart forevermore. And our fans have ours, sincerely. No fake exchanges allowed.”
We’ll have pre-orders available on September 18th and the band will rock out at Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair, NJ, on October 13th for their release show and 1-year anniversary celebration.
They also launched a new website with two new songs streaming, "Irish Boys" and "War & Games" at www.bernandthebrights.com, so check it out.
