by Joe Mendoza
Music is everywhere, and has so much flavor and variety wherever you find it. The band that’s been catching my attention the most recently has been the alternative RnB band, The Internet, who’s made up of vocalist Syd, keyboardist Matt Martians, bassist Patrick Paige II, drummer Christopher Smith, and guitarist Steve Lacy. This is a super powerful lineup, and the amount of talent in their hands is reflected with the quality of music that they produce. They each have fairly successful solo careers, and their discography, made up of Purple Naked Ladies (2011), Feel Good (2013), Ego Death (2015), and Hive Mind (2018), makes their name one to remember, although many have suspected that their solo careers might affect whether or not they can continue to create music together.
With the release of their debut album in 2011, and even in 2013 with Feel Good, many critics believe that their sounds didn’t blend together that well, and with each of them having fairly successful solo careers, it’s easy to see why, since they each have their own sound already. Everything changed in 2015, with the release of Ego Death. This was the first time that the band was able to cohesively make music that blended together each musician’s unique style, as well as their first well recognized album.
After being nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammys, they each released their own successful projects. Steve Lacy put out a 13 min demo which landed him spots at many music festivals, Syd put out an RnB album, Fin, and with each person starting to become successful on their own, people wondered whether or not the band would come back together. This was proven wrong with the tour, “The Internet Presents: The Internet”, ending their break, and prompting them to work on their next project.
Hive Mind once again shows that the band works together wonderfully, and it’s very apparent that they’ve all come into their own and can understand how each person works and flows. It’s a quicker paced album, yet also features slower and more chilled out “jam sessions” in their songs. In this album, their potential is beginning to be recognized, and with the album taking you on a storytelling journey, facilitated by the now-developed voice of Syd, it proves to the listeners that their band has fully come together, and the only way to go now is up. The Internet has shown that they’re a force to be reckoned with, and their music is only going up from here.