The Project – no hard feelings (2024)
Known for his role as lead guitarist of the band Shameless, James Davis breathes life into the supergroup band The Project. Joined by veteran musicians Jeff Plant (vocalist of Shameless) and Pump5 drummer Andrew Bonter, Davis steps back 20 years to the 2000s fusing pop-rock, hard rock and tinges of metal. The Project blipped on our radar in late 2023 with the well-received single ‘Over You’; and they continued to filter into our ears with 2024’s ‘Hope’. Join us as we cross our fingers, shut our eyes and jump headfirst into their new single ‘no hard feelings’.
Bottling the sounds of Bon Jovi, Good Charlotte and Billy Talent, ‘no hard feelings’ sees The Project shift from a heavier alternative rock sound in ‘Hope’ to something as significant but with lighter joviality. Taken from their upcoming album Best Days, ‘no hard feelings’ is a powerful combination of crashing drums, soaring guitars, and soul-stirring rich vocals. Yet, while the melody comes together as a unified whole, its harmony slices through the distinctive individuality of each instrument.
Standing up with defiance, Bonter’s drums pulsate throughout the single as Davis’s guitar sears a fiery path in the arrangement. For me, however, it is Jeff Plant’s rich vocals that lead the kaleidoscopic melody to a fist-pumping summer anthem. Recorded and produced at California-based Arrowhead West Studio with Dennis Hill, Steven Barnett and Mike Troolines (mixing and mastering), ‘no hard feelings’ has vintage charm and character held in a contemporary festival-rock parcel.
The one aspect I find intriguing is The Project’s nostalgia tapping at 90s Bon Jovi and 2000s Good Charlotte holding them together with a silvery thread spanning generations. The sophisticated arrangement is not about who can make the most noise or how loud you have to be to get people’s attention; it is about good music and the hope it gives to crowds of all ages, nationalities and creeds. A testament to the power of good music, The Project sends at least my heart soaring with ‘no hard feelings’.
Find out more about The Project on their official website, Facebook and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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