Jar of Lies Review by Nor’Easter Mag

SPiN
“Jar of Lies” EP
SPiN is a four-piece Rock/Alternative/Power Pop act from the Philly area whose path has taken a meteoric rise since its inception as a high school act. In 2010, they released their 1st EP, “Home”, produced by Grammy winner David Ivory, with the title track attaining Most Added in the country for 2 weeks straight. After touring on the highly successful Jager Music Tour sponsored by Jagermeister, they embarked on an ambitious schedule which saw them share the stage with the likes of Puddle of Mudd, Hinder, Halestorm, Fuel and the Charm City Devils. In 2015, “Happy Together”, the first single from their “Stalked” EP hit #1 on the iTunes Indie Rock charts and remained in the top 5 for over two months.
The mix of vocalist Eric Rothenheber and keyboardist Jim Vacca kicked things off as guitarist Henry Cieplinski and drummer Lou Chudnofsky were quickly added to the mix to complete the quartet. They have been described as a cross of Muse, Queen, Fall Out Boy and The Cars all rolled up in one neat package. Their creative songwriting combined with tight harmonies, electronic instrumentation have given them a signature sound that combines the best of classic rock with today’s modern sounds.
Their latest 5-track EP, “Jar of Lies”, is their 9th effort to date. It opens with “Zombie Girl” which slams you into your seat from the door. Banging guitar riffs and solos, pounding percussion and a commercial-ready sound tickles the ear hole with an enticing feel. This track should kick ass on ALTERNATIVE/ROCK formats. AWESOME! The title track, “Jar of Lies”, opens with retro-mod ivories that seamlessly segues into a mid-tempo rhythm that explodes mid way through and then settles back to the keys. NICE!
“Leave It Alone” has an intro that could set the pace for a rock opera, shades of Queen! The lyrics will take you on a journey that opens the imagination to places far away. WOW, One of my favorites! “Parked Car” is a high-energy power pop track that gets the blood pressure up in a heartbeat. I hear quite a bit of The Cars influence in this especially in the synth and guitars. GROOVY! The final track, “You’re My Best Friend” (Live) is a Queen standard that is performed to perfection. The vocal inflection that Eric delivers brings back so many memories of the late, great Freddy Mercury. KUDOS!
Hard-driving power chords, tight harmonies, pounding percussion and the precise presentation offered by SpiN make this EP a MUST LISTEN and MUST BUY. On the Nor’easter Storm Scale, I give this a kick-ass FORCE 5! My highest rating! WELL DONE!
Review by Michael McKenna – Nor’easter Entertainment Magazine