The Key Studio Sessions: Plainview

The latest band to emerge from the fertile grounds surrounding Drexel University’s Music Industry program is Plainview, and it has had a productive 2015. Fronted the enthusiastic Jeremy Berkin on vocals and guitar, the uber-catchy pop punk outfit also features drummer Dan Siper, lead guitarist Josh Leib and Lauren Altman (a Key intern) on bass. Their well-received debut I’ve Seen This Before was recorded in the winter and released in the spring, along with an infectious music video for “Ten Feet Tall.” The band undertook a spring tour with fellow Philadelphians Mike Pays Heat and is hunkering down again this winter to record its full length record, but not before stopping by WXPN to preview new music for The Key Studio Sessions.

You can hear the evolution of the songs: the newest of the batch, “Undertones,” is decidedly math-ier and more complex than their earlier work, channeling The Dismemberment Plan before launching into a howling Fallout Boy-esque hook. (Check out a video for that one shot by local videographer Emily Dubin.) Contrast this alongside this performance of “2338,” one of the band’s earliest songs, where Berkin fervently strums an acoustic and leads his mates in a screamalong hook. It’s a total Front Bottoms moment, and like those Jersey sons, Plainview is expanding its sonic palette. We’re pumped to see where it goes from here.

Stream and download this week’s Key Session – which also includes the short and sweet “Hole in the Floor” and a knockout “Ten Feet Tall” – and keep tabs on their Facebook page for updates on the new record as it progresses.