The coast is always greener

Long Island has produced some of the most well known alternative rock bands of the last decade. Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon in 2001 and Taking Back Sunday's Tell All Your Friends in 2002 were arguably the catalysts that kick started the pop rock genre.
As the bands have grown and progressed, they have shifted away from what originally defined them. But the sound that Brand New and TBS coined at the turn of the millennium is long from dead. New bands have risen in attempt to revive the sound that influenced them all years ago.
Long Island-born band Envy on the Coast is just one of those groups. The band released their second album, LOWCOUNTRY, on March 30th, nearly two and a half years after their debut album, Lucy Gray.
Ryan Hunter, EOTC's lead singer, admits he is greatly influenced by Adam Lazzara of TBS, but actually sounds more like a mix between Craig Owens of Chiodos, and Head Automatica's Daryl Palumbo. Traces of similarity aside, EOTC still brings a fresh sound to rock and adds a sprinkle of political undertones to its latest album.
A shining example of EOTC's profound political lyricism can be seen in the album's fourth track, "Puritan Dirt Song." It is not surprising that the song had more of a country tone to it, but what is shocking is that the band pulled it off fairly well.
Another welcomed surprise the album has for fans is "Like I Do," which is a bit slower than the rest of the album. It's not easy for a band that relies on quick riffs and upbeat tempos to bring it down to a ballad speed, but they really held their own.
The single off the album, "Great American T-shirt Racket," sounds most like the song that longstanding fans would expect to hear from Envy. Hunter's vocals shine over great guitar and drum tracks, and the song is a great nucleus for the rest of the CD.
Fans of the band will really enjoy the album, and despite the pre-conceived notions, some may hold towards the L.I. scene, those who haven't heard the band but love the genre should give LOWCOUNTRY a whirl.

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