By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Tuesday, January 30, 2018
For fans of: Sorority Noise, Weezer, Osker
Last month Asbury Park’s own, Idle Wave, dropped their first official single, on December 15th. Despite boasting over one thousand likes on their Facebook page, the single “Alpern” is Idle Wave’s first official release. The song is a perfect mix of modern and classic pop punk influence.
According to their Facebook page, “Alpern” was produced by Stephen Kellner, recorded and engineered by Joe DeMaio at Shorefire Studios, mixed by Tim Pannella, and mastered by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden Recording Studio.
When I asked lead singer Guy Battaglia about his band and “Alpern” he told me:
“Idle Wave is an Asbury Park Pop Punk band starring Guy Battaglia, Kevin Houston and Joe Enright. The trio have performed together in bands of various genres since 2012 and solidified their sound as Idle Wave in 2017. Heavily influenced by legends such as Weezer and modern rockers Sorority Noise, the boys pack a punch with their heavy harmonies, spicy solos, and raucous rhythms. Their debut single “Alpern” tells the story of how the band formed and grew up together over the past few years facing the challenges that ended up at their door. Under the surface, the song tests Battaglia’s composure and amplified the band's frustrations through their instruments. The song is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and YouTube.”
My first listen of “Alpern” immediately hit me with influence from 90’s punk darlings Osker and Weezer, yet Idle Wave managed to translate these influences into a modern sound. The time they spent cutting their teeth in earlier bands proved successful when forming Idle Wave and putting out their first single “Alpern.” For their first single, “Alpern” is polished and mature sounding, a very difficult feat to accomplish on a first release.
I truly look forward to what Idle Wave has in store for us this year. Make sure you see them next time they play, and in the meantime listen to “Alpern,” available online just about everywhere.
Listen to "Alpern" here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4HOPIlkgL8SnMPYHYBdBnL