Unsigned Entertainment

The outcry has been heard.  Starving music fans everywhere are screaming for substance, and help is on the way.  Hailing high from euphoric Minnesota comes a band that not only demands your full attention with their live show, but grips you with meaning and purpose once you turn up your ipod.  With a forthcoming full length, Hyland is poised to deliver all that and more:  Dynamic guitar work, soaring melodies, clever piano hooks, intrusive lyrics and a driven rock sound that pushes beyond the definition of bands like the Foo Fighters and Sanctus Real.  Keep your ears and eyes open for the feature album coming soon.

 

So how do you nail down a band with influences ranging from Duke Ellington to Chris Rice to the Deftones?  Simple:  Combine a passion for songwriting and a knack for playing the wrong chord at the right time.  The song comes first, and the band knows it.  “The best points of writing music is when the song finishes itself.” explains front man Jon Lewis.  “It’s like it’s all there, just waiting for you to discover it.” 

 

Hyland is on the brink of discovery themselves.  With an impressive resume, featuring a main stage slot at Lifelight Music Festival and multiple Sonshine Festival appearances, as well as opening for many national bands such as The Wedding, Mainstay, The Fold, Sanctus Real, Olivia the Band and Hawk Nelson, the Hyland boys are looking ahead to the future.  With a full length ready to back them up, the band has the drive and the experience to put it all together. 

 

The genuine honesty in the songwriting is not something you’d entirely expect from a rock and roll group, but the warm sounds coming from your speakers are entirely open, full, and inviting.  From anthem rock such as “Never Look Back” and pop gems like “Brighter Skies” and “Clearshot” to the dynamic ballad “Elisha” and the veracity of “Memory Lane,” Hyland writes music that is refreshingly intimate yet eminent.  With comparisons to the early years of Jars of Clay and Jimmy Eat World, this band has something to prove, as well as give to their listeners. 

 

If you’ve been to a Hyland show, you know what’s coming.  Sincerity, energy, and a ton of heart pounding rock and roll.  “I love winding up at shows where almost no one has heard you before.  You watch their eyes get wide and see them start to get into it as we blast through our first couple songs” laughs Lewis.  “It’s definitely a rush.  Trying to get that first impression over and then get them onboard the rest of your rollercoaster style show.  I love it.”

 

The ups and downs are definitely something the band is used to.  But going through good times and low points in their lives has only given them insight to feed into their music.  Hopes and dreams are a common thread running throughout their work, and just giving up has never been an option.  The band plans to continue to work hard and reach out, connecting with both fans and critics alike. 

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