Band of the Month

May 2012 – THE PROVINCE

Let me introduce to you this month’s Band of the Month ‘The Province.’ While it may sound like a band, which it is, this is not your typical kind of band. Sure there are guitars, drums, piano and vocals but this is no ordinary band because all those instruments are played by one person.

The Province

19 year old Ally Hills hails from Hermosa Beach, California and has been playing music for most of her life. She began playing the drums at just 11 years old, which propelled her into her career in music. Since then she has played guitar for 6 years and has been writing songs for the past 5 years. While being a musician, she is also a student who spends a lot of her time writing new material.

Ally came up with the name ‘The Province’ after the name of the harbour town Provincetown in Massachusetts. She originally used the name Provincetown but changed it to The Province after she decided it had a better sound to it.

The Province already has an EP out titled ‘Skeletons and Keys’ which was aided by producer Tim Moore. Having listened to it, it really is impressive stuff and when you realise that every instrument was played by just the one person, it makes you realise just HOW impressive it actually is. Seriously, buy this and you won’t be left disappointed. (You can grab it at www.itunes.com/theprovince)

The EP contains four songs called ‘Enemy’, ‘It Never Changes’, ‘Mansion’, and ‘Souvenirs’. This is without a doubt the best EP I’ve had the fortune to listen to in 2012.

If you’re sick of ‘Call Me Maybe’ being stuck in your head then be rid of it by listening to ‘Enemy’ where you’ll find yourself whistling it randomly without even realising it. Ally lists Paramore and Panic At The Disco amongst her influences and that is clearly heard throughout this EP.

‘It Never Changes’ is a mix of drums and piano with Ally’s vocals shining throughout. If you like ‘When It Rains’ by Paramore then you’ll love this track.

‘Mansion’ is potentially the most impressive of the EP because it has everything in it. Drums, guitar, piano and vocals all by Ally. It sounds like a full band and to think one person done all this just shows off her talent.

‘Souvenirs’ is an acoustic song which really captures your ears. Ally’s smooth voice, mixed with the acoustic guitar, blends in perfectly and the diversity of this EP comes through. From the catchyness of ‘Enemy’ to the melody of ‘Mansion,’ this EP will have you pressing the repeat button because 4 songs just isn’t enough.

When asked about her favourite Paramore songs, Ally lists them as “Ignorance”, “Decoy”, “For a Pessimist I’m Pretty Optimistic” and “Careful” with her top artists being Paramore, The Killers, Hellogoodbye, White Lies, and No Doubt.

I feel this won’t be the last time I’ll be naming The Province our Band of the Month if Ally’s music continues to be as impressive as what’s on the EP.

I strongly recommend you spend the $4 dollars for Skeletons and Keys because it’ll be the best $4 you’ll spend this year.

Links for The Province:

Official Website : www.theprovincemusic.com

Purevolume : www.purevolume.com/theprovince

iTunes : www.itunes.com/theprovince

Youtube : www.youtube.com/theprovincemusic

Personal Twitter : www.twitter.com/allyhills

 

PREVIOUS FEATURED BANDS

February 2012 – Running The Risk
June/July 2011 – We Are The In Crowd
October/November 2010 – The Swellers
August/September 2010 – Siren
July 2010 – The Hollow Sound
June 2010 – The Dangerous Summer
Nov 2009 – Futures
Oct 2009 – We Shot The Moon