The Gaslight Anthem

THE '59 SOUND could only start out one way: with the sound of a record player needle set down on a scratched-up record. Although New Brunswick, New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem have only technically been a band for two-and-a-half years, in that short amount of time they’ve managed to become one of the punk underground’s most celebrated acts, spurring a cultish fan base with their music and completing successful tours with acts like Against Me!, the Loved Ones and the Bouncing Souls. If The Gaslight Anthem’s ascent from an obscure New Jersey band to punk message board favorites seems sudden to you, imagine what it’s like to actually be in the band. “Things have happened so fast for us that we haven’t really had time to sit back and reflect or go ‘What just happened?’” candidly admits front man Brian Fallon. “I can’t say that we were prepared for any of this at all; I’m just very grateful that we’re here.”

That level of excitement is only going to increase with the band’s SideOneDummy debut, THE '59 SOUND. Whereas last year’s full-length SINK OR SWIM (XOXO Records) was recorded in under two weeks, for THE '59 SOUND the band—which also features bassist Alex Levine, drummer Benny Horowitz and guitarist Alex Rosamilia—spent six weeks in the studio with producer and former Flogging Molly guitarist Ted Hutt (Chuck Ragan, The Bouncing Souls) to craft an album that reconciles the band’s love for classic rock and soul icons such as Bruce Springsteen, Otis Redding and Tom Petty with their New Jersey punk roots to create a unique musical amalgam that transcends genres and stereotypes. “Making this record was a completely different recording process than anything we’ve ever done before,” Horowitz explains. “It’s the first time we ever worked with a producer and I think we all had to get used to that, but it allowed us to do a ton of stuff that we wouldn’t have tried before.”