REVIEW: X Ambassadors ‘The Reason’ EP

There are many bands hailing from Brooklyn these days but none of them measure up to the respect I have for X Ambassadors. I first discovered them back in 2012 when they were just Ambassadors and opened for LIGHTS on her 2012 Siberia tour. The drums and hard-hitting vocals in “Unconsolable” pulled me in and I’ve been in awe of them ever since.

The band has just released The Reason EP this week and they have a message that hits hard to home. Taken from their Facebook page, the band posted this message about the theme of the EP:

If what’s next includes major radio play and Grammy nominations, I can already predict it for these guys. The Reason starts off with “Free & Lonely” – a song about the normalcy of everyday things we tend to expect as we grow older yet we somehow long for the things we once had but never appreciated. “The Business” plays on the notion of giving up everything you’ve ever worked for with the hopes of new beginnings. The bravery runs rampant in this release and it has me quite inspired, especially with the track, “Giants.”

Raw honesty is a recurring theme with this release and “Unsteady” won my heart within the first few notes. This song is my life right now. We’ve all been lost and not sure which direction our life is headed and this song depicts every emotion of uncertainty. A great pick for a TV drama, for sure.

Final track, “Shining,” has a hip-hop/Imagine Dragons vibe and is a refreshing twist. Produced by Alex da Kid, (Imagine Dragons, Eminem) I only hope X Ambassadors reach as high as the artists he’s worked with. It’s only a matter of time before we see them performing on the Grammys. Remember where you heard ’em first!

Preview The Reason below:

The Reason is available now here.