On their second single, “The Passers-Bye,” New Jersey rock band The Modbeats turns the ordinary into extraordinary in their latest single. Grounded in the everyday and sharpened with its bladed poetics, the song serves as an enticing preview of their upcoming full-length, “Ballad of A Starving Artist,” due out this summer via Mayleen Records.
Written by the songwriters J. Vincent Vassallo and Philip Dunn, “The Passers-Bye” is like a floating daydream on a packed city sidewalk where every face has a story, even if we don’t hear it. The band calls the track a set of musings and observations of daily life in the modern world, an intent that comes through both lyrical introspection and the individual pieces of warm, layered instrumentation.
The track “The Passers-Bye” is a homage to the golden age of English rock. They pass vintage inspiration through a decidedly modern filter, yielding a familiar and fresh sound. Dunn’s vocals hover vulnerably, held by Scott Matison’s steady basslines and Fizz’s dynamic boom. The guitar textures of Joe Mandia give emotional context, slicking an oily sheen of reflection and expression over the moments of quiet and undulation that punctuate the songs.
Recorded at the storied Lake House Studio in Asbury Park, New Jersey, with the able help of handlers including bassist Sam Cohen and engineer Yoshi Sodeoka, the production is tight and polished enough to shine, raw enough to resonate. This song has a tactile sense of place as if the studio walls soaked up the spirit of the town’s musical legacy.
“The Passers-Bye” so resonant is its ask to pause and see people not just look past them. It’s a quiet reassurance that every pair of passing legs belongs to a life in motion, a story unfolding. It’s music that raises its voice only to be heard but remains. In this release, The Modbeats prove they’re recording not just songs but capturing moments. If “The Passers-Bye” is any harbinger of what will come on “Ballad of A Starving Artist,” we are in for something truly special.
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