Biography

In 2014, Ryan Neighbors was in the midst of redefining his artistic focus. Having bid adieu to his post as keyboardist for Portugal. The Man not long before, there were expectations to ignore, and a new musical identity to carve out with his electro-pop project, Hustle and Drone. With the release of Holyland, the band made an immediate impact in the Pacific Northwest, holding court in major venues and selling them out, as well as touring Europe. Once the dust settled, the band returned to woodshedding beats and synth sounds, confident of a competent follow-up. Repeated listens to What an Uproar reveal a record at once enlightening and even a bit scary to hear what it sounds like to allow the truth out, no matter how badly it hurts. As soon as there’s no easy way out, there’s nowhere else to go but forward. Even the catchier numbers emerge as stylistically divergent from the band’s first LP, which waded in dancier waters. What An Uproar seems to battle itself from song to song, the combination of introspective lyricism from Neighbors, and a veil of moodier, bleaker electronic pop that recalls Joy Division, vintage Nine Inch Nails or The Faint than it does other electro-forward artists. What An Uproar is the sound of clarity through the shadows, maturity in the face of heartbreak, and the uproarious catharsis of being boldly defiant when it matters most.