I have had the good fortune of knowing the amazing Long Island hip-hop meets rock band Hollywood Drive-By for years now and am quite impressed with the leaps and bounds they have made in the years that they have been together. You can see previous write ups about the Long Island Guys that I did on them right here on Examiner. On top of all the fantastic work and shows they have done in recent years, it looks like 2015 is going to be a banner year for this group as well.
The band has released their first song called “Light In The Darkness (Year Of The Human)” which leads the new album coming out later this year, the first being an untitled EP (a sneak the this summer and the latter being an LP called “The Human Condition” which is slated to be released this fall. Talk about a busy schedule. The song’s release also coincides with a huge boxing event slated to air on March 27th on ESPN. The event will feature one of the band’s good friends John “The Hitman” Hernandez and will be live at The Paramount in Huntington Village.
The song itself is crazy good in its flow and beat. The drum throughout packs a punch and the rapping in it is very reminiscent of the early Beastie Boy songs that came out in the late 80’s and 90’s. Other influences from what I hear are The Offspring, No Doubt and Pearl Jam to name a couple. And yes, this is the perfect song that you would hear when someone is entering the boxing ring and getting ready to fight.
It is a shame that this type of music isn’t at the forefront of what is hot in the industry anymore. I have seen my share of bands like Hollywood Drive-By have authentic talent that needs to be heard, and I am hoping the industry shifts itself a bit moving forward so they can have their big moment in the sun. If “Light In The Darkness” is a preview of what is to come, then expect some big things for these guys in the future. To hear Light In The Darkness and all things Hollywood Drive-By, check out the link here. Be on the lookout for more of them to come.