UTG ALBUM PREMIERE: Only On Weekends – ‘Light Years and Heavy Lifting’

May 19th, 2014

Matthew Leimkuehler

Philadelphia’s Only On Weekends are chopping up a plate of pop punk nostalgia with the brand new EP, Light Years and Heavy Lifting. The record, due out May 30, delivers simplistic and clever songs of daily life struggles (such as “Good for You,” for a number about swelling heartache) that mirror the likes of Weezer in its prime. For Light Years and Heavy Lifting, the band teamed up with Fred Mascherino (Terrible Things, ex-Taking Back Sunday) for production and engineering. Vocalist and guitarist Harry Rose said Mascherino “knows a whole lot about how to make a record and how to layer guitar tones to get a really awesome sound. He’s also probably the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.”

Want to hear Light Years and Heavy Lifting for yourself? Look no further, as Under The Gun has teamed up with Only On Weekends to bring you the exclusive stream of the brand new record today. Click the “Read More” button to read an exclusive interview with Harry Rose and to stream the album now.

What’s up, guys? We are premiering the new record, Light Years and Heavy Lifting, today. Tell us about the record.

We are incredibly proud of this album. We feel like these are the best songs that we’ve written and recorded so far, and we’re so excited to finally be able to share them with everyone.

What track stands out most to you, as you approach the release date?

That’s a really tough question because I (Harry) love all of these songs so much. My favorite track to play live has been “Spondylosis,” because it has such a big and powerful ending…but, if I sit down and listen to all of the songs, I think “The Prince of East 187th Street,” is my favorite, especially the bridge.

You worked with Fred Mascherino on this record. How was that experience?

Working with Fred was amazing! He’s really talented and has written so many great songs and albums. He knows a whole lot about how to make a record and how to layer guitar tones to get a really awesome sound. He’s also probably the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. It was a pretty laid back environment, and everyone had a lot of fun making this EP.

Was there any one piece of advice you took away from him that still sticks out?

A couple of our songs originally had some longer and more complicated parts to them. When we were doing pre-production, he helped us trim away some of the fat to keep things a little simpler. It made the songs more concentrated and focused.

Where did the biggest non-musical influence come from on this record?

Most of us are pretty big movie fans, and the lyrics to “The Prince of East 187th Street” are inspired by the movie A Bronx Tale. Anthony (drums) sent me lyrics one day that had some references to the movie, so I fleshed them out a little bit and put them to a guitar riff that I had been working on. This song is kind of like a completely unauthorized and unofficial sequel to that movie.

What can we expect from you guys for the rest of the year?

We have a release show for Light Years and Heavy Lifting on Friday, May 30 at The Barbary in Philly. Then in June, we have some shows lined up in Atlantic City, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. We’ll probably set up a few more Philly and South Jersey shows for later this summer and then go out for another tour this fall. Let us know where you’d like to see us so we can come out and play for you!

Light Years and Heavy Lifting stream:

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