A Place To Hide is a three piece, Post-Hardcore band out of Long Island, NY. The band consists of Nick Valero, Nick Rigali and Ryan Mastrelli. These three guys started playing music in 2014 and haven’t looked back since. Starting out with an early 2000’s Pop Punk influence, A Place To Hide has evolved into the sound you hear today, with darker undertones, edgier lyrics and some amazing instrumentals. The band just released their first single off of their new EP that is set to release this summer yesterday! “Drained” encompasses the classic Post-Hardcore/Emo sound while still incorporating some of that Pop Punk vibe. This is going to be the jam for many Long Islander’s this summer!
I spoke to the members of the band who shared some insight into the story behind the new single. “Drained was the first song we wrote for the upcoming EP. It was a huge turning point as we fell in love with the new sound our band took on. While playing in Ryan’s basement, where we practice, Nick R strummed out the chorus riff and Nick V heard an opportunity for vocals. With new chords and a different vocal style, we ran with it and created a full song. Through the new vibe of the song, we were able to take the lyrics to a deeper level, as the song is about self-reflection on our younger selves. Compared to our previous release, Drained has a more mature sound overall as we broke away from the 4 chord pop punk style.” This quote is on point! My first thought when I heard “Drained” was, “this sounds nothing like them!” To most people, this would turn them off immediately, but I’m so glad I stuck through. As much as I enjoyed the classic Pop-Punk sound that they presented on their first EP, this new darker sound is sick! It takes serious guts for a band to change from a sound that they are known. A Place To Hide didn’t show any hesitation and absolutely killed it with this single!
A Place To Hide has some pretty amazing influences; Title Fight, Citizen and Basement to name a few. You can hear the influence they provide the band while listening to “Drained”. I was hooked from the second I heard those cymbals starting off the song. The slow, dark, heavy undertones of the instrumentals will catch you right away! Even though I was already feeling the song, the first verse is what really sold me. The vocals are so different from what we’re used to hearing from this band. They are much deeper and darker sounding. The band did an amazing job of starting each verse off with softer vocals and gradually building it up to lead into the killer chorus! The ending of the song is my favorite part. The heavy instrumentals and loud vocals will also be a fan favorite. I can picture the crowds dancing and singing at the top of their lungs at every A Place To Hide show!
Half a year back, A Place To Hide was just another Pop Punk band from Long Island trying to stand out from the over-saturated market. With the release of “Drained”, these guys have proved that they’re a force to be reckoned with. They’re not afraid to switch up their sound to unfamiliar territory (and play it better than half the bands out now) and are sure to continue to drop bangers! Keep an eye out for a full feature of the band, as well as their new EP, in the coming months! For now, check out “Drained” on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!