What began as a small-town band of high school students has now evolved into a full-fledged headlining rock band. Seattle-based Amber Pacific is on the brink of releasing its second major album under the Hopeless Records imprint, which could launch the band into alt-rock stardom.
Lead vocalist Matt Young, guitarist Will Nutter, bass player Greg Strong and guitarist Justin Westcott all went to high school together, while drummer Dango is a Nashville, Tenn., native who auditioned for the band after its original drummer left. The pop-punk band released its first EP, “Fading Days,” on May 25, 2004, and played on that summer’s Vans Warped Tour to promote the disc. Strong credits that tour as making it “the band we are today.”
Amber Pacific went back into the studio at the end of 2004 for a seven-week stint of recording its first full-length album, “The Possibility and the Promise,” which was released almost exactly one year after its EP. This debut album is filled with compelling vocal harmonies and expressive lyrics, and the title showed that “Amber Pacific [is] optimistic about the band’s future,” said Nutter, who is also the main lyricist for the band.
Now Amber Pacific is about to release its follow-up album, “Truth in Sincerity,” which the guys feel shows how their band has evolved.
“We’ve definitely gotten a lot tighter. We have all grown in our own instruments and our writing ability,” Strong said.
“Will’s songwriting is better, and our relationship is stronger,” added Dango.
The band is currently on a nationwide tour performing many songs off “The Possibility and the Promise” with a few new songs from “Truth in Sincerity.” Its set includes old fan favorites such as “Gone So Young,” “Poetically Pathetic,” “Always You (Good Times)” and “The Right to Write Me Off,” as well as new, unreleased songs like “Summer,” “Temporary” and “Follow Your Dreams.”
The band is also performing its newest hit “Fall Back Into My Life,” which was featured on the “TMNT” movie soundtrack and will also be included on “Truth in Sincerity.”
“We were in the studio and our manager said that they wanted to put that song into the movie,” Strong said. “They needed it in like three days, so we had to finish it really fast.”
As Amber Pacific continues touring the United States before the release of its follow-up record, it also plans to release one more song before “Truth in Sincerity” even hits stores.
“The next song we are going to release is”‘You’re Only Young Once,'” Young said. “People should know two songs before they even pick up the CD.”
“Truth in Sincerity” hits stores nationwide on May 22. Around this time, the band’s tour will wrap up in its hometown in Washington, and the band has a three- week break before it hits the road again to join this summer’s Warped Tour.
Amber Pacific’s appealing songs and catchy melodies have made it into a successful rock band. “The Possibility and the Promise” is a must-have album for any rock fan’s collection, and from the sound of its new songs, the band’s follow-up album will definitely not be disappointing, either.
