Photo credit: Hannah Greve

Fun fact: Although UMC itself got its start in Pennsylvania as Lehigh Valley Underground, I’m actually a New Jersey native. And so, I’m greatly immersed in the Garden State’s storied rock and roll lineage — from Bruce Springsteen, to Bon Jovi, to The Gaslight Anthem and more.

Today, it seems that my original home state will be carrying its grand rock tradition into a new generation.

Responsible for carrying the torch is Bobby Mahoney, who released the high-powered summer anthem, “Empty Passenger Seats,” this past Friday. That timelessly youthful Jersey Shore sound is alive and well, with a punk edge breaking through by way of Mahoney’s rugged vocal.

“I initially wrote the first part of ‘Empty Passenger Seats’ while we were driving home overnight after playing Richmond, VA for the first time,” Mahoney said. “We were driving up the NJ Turnpike as the sun was rising. We had this feeling of accomplishment that we were doing exactly what we should be doing, and that imagery became the bridge of the song. I then spent time with our friend Dan Cohen (Creating Clementine) on the riff and the chorus in East Brunswick at my parents’ house. I remember also working on it with the band in a Motel 6 in Carlisle, PA, and listening to rough mixes in a parking lot in Georgia.”

He continues, “It is very much a road song, and a good representation of what we do as a band.”

I’ll definitely have this one blaring as I cruise down the Parkway on the way to Cape May later this summer. For now, enjoy it as a clear sign that summer is near!