It’s about time! New Atlantic is a band that swoons you and makes you dance (or sway) at the same time. So they aren’t exactly local, but they’re close enough. They play plenty of shows in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas so we’re going to dub them an honorary local band.

It’s rare for us these days to get into a band before seeing them play live, but not in this case. For a band that just recently signed with Eyeball Records after two long years, their demos were excellent and that’s what got us hooked. This band won us over with their soothing combination of strings, percussions and the soulful voice of their lead singer.

Jake Kalb, drummer and youngest member, was nice enough to come out and meet with us even though he was suffering from an illness. What a trooper. We were either late or he was early, but he was already sitting in the corner waiting for us sipping on his ice water. If the rest of the band members are anything like him, then we can see why this band is “BFFL” with a lot of bands. Jake was very polite and very “cool” for someone his age and in his position, apologizing for his slacker-like attitude with not keeping up and replying to messages and emails.

So how did this amazing group of boys get together? Hailing from New Jersey, Giovanni Gianni (vocals) and Christopher (guitar) met in college originally playing acoustic together. Later came Dave (bass) and another guitarist Matt. They lost their original drummer and after meeting Jake from his previous band he joined and created the permanent line up. Now, what better way to get your band off the ground then hooking up with a well known local guitarist as your manager? Matt Watts of The Starting Line caught a listen of New Atlantic’s demo and grabbed onto them while they were still fresh. With Matt’s help, connections and full support, New Atlantic and TSL toured together and then NA toured with other big name bands.

With their music careers on the way to the big time, they finally have a chance to concentrate on their music. They left the Philadelphia area for a few weeks to record their highly anticipated debut album, which comes out April 10 titled The Streets, The Sounds, and the Love. Their first single is called “Wire and Stone” with the guest vocals of William Pugh of Cartel, who they are currently on tour with. Look for the video too. One of their favorite songs on the album is called “What it’s like to feel small”, which reflects the way they feel about being away from home, being on the road and doing their thing. “Anyone can relate to this song,” says Jake.

They’ve written and recorded brand new songs, which Jake claims to be a collective process. The songs are well rounded where each member can set a personal aspect into the music or lyrics. Their goal is definitely to set a vibe. They surely have a distinct, more mature sound that sets them apart from the other bands they play with, but they are still influenced by bands like Cartel and Nada Surf.

So what is their greatest accomplishment thus far? Shooting their very first music video of course! They all felt so lucky to be working with a professional crew and being involved with the video treatment and finally seeing the band go somewhere.

Catch them at their next show in the area on June 15 at the First Unitarian Church with All Time Low, The Audition and The Graduate.