Can an album make you think and move your feet at the same time? Our new friends NEYBAS pulls that off across all of Hello, Earth, their sixth full-length record.
The Connecticut-based Trad Rock Jam band that’s been a fixture in the Northeast for decades. Their sound blends Americana warmth with the danceable energy of late-60s and early-70s rock. This unique sound has earned them a loyal following, multiple readers’ polls, and a spot in The Essential Western New England Songbook. They’ve shared stages with the Georgia Satellites, Joan Osborne, Rick Derringer, and Ratt, among others. Hello, Earth is a full-band effort: Kevin Bornstein on bass and vocals, Nicholas “Toad” Eckert on guitars and vocals, Emmet Hale on drums and vocals, Greg Marshall on keyboards, and Russ Waesche on guitars, steel, mandolin, and vocals. The cover proudly declares “Certified Human. No AI,” and that human touch runs through every track.
“Are You Ready?” opens the record with an edgy, alternative-rock energy and a real jam-band pulse. A guitar lick in the chorus grabs attention fast, and the lyrics carry a clear message about working together to make things better. That call-to-action spirit sets the tone for the record’s socially conscious streak, which resurfaces throughout without ever weighing the music down. “Live It Up” flips the mood entirely into a fun, happy ska number, the kind of song that feels like an open invitation to the party. There’s real joy here, the same spirit that powered the 90s ska scene, and NEYBAS brings back that fun vibe perfectly.
NEYBAS Give Us A Taste With ‘Live It Up’
That party energy carries into “Good Stuff,” which plays almost like a theme song for the whole album (or a fun children’s show, lol). Straight guitar strums, piano trills, and a grooving bassline practically demand a smile. A crunchy guitar solo gives the band room to show off here as well. A tongue-in-cheek jab at the ultra-wealthy runs through “Billionaires,” which suggests the world’s richest people take their ambitions to Mars so the rest of us can enjoy Earth in peace. Opening the track with the lyrics “let’s send the billionaires to Mars” starts off the fun. It’s one of the sharpest lyrical moments on the record, funny and pointed in equal measure. Things soften considerably on “Natural High,” a smoother, gentler track where the lyrics lead and sweet harmonies do the rest. Happiness pours out of the speakers here without a trace of irony.
A spacy opening gives way to a full spectrum of sound on “Mission Control, Are You Receiving?” Every instrument seems to arrive from a different angle before melding together into a swaying, back-and-forth jam. It flips the interplanetary theme from “Billionaires” on its head, trading satire for the lonely perspective of an astronaut pining for home. Finally, closer “Road to Mississippi” brings the album home with some tribal-style drums exploding into a full-throttle alt-rock finish. The song recounts the Freedom Riders’ campaign, re-examining their courage through a contemporary lens, and it closes the record on real substance instead of an easy singalong.
Hello, Earth is a legendary live act translating decades of stage chemistry onto tape, and it succeeds. NEYBAS never sacrifices the party for the message, or the message for the party. Fans of genre-hopping records with something to say should also check out the funk-and-ska mashups of Vanity Plate and the politically charged ska-punk of Sarah Herrera.
There’s something rare about a band six albums deep that still sounds this hungry to connect. Hello, Earth earns its title: an invitation, and a plea, all at once. Turn it on and have some laid back fun.
Release Information
Artist: NEYBAS
Release: Hello, Earth (Album)
Label: Independent
Genre: Americana / Trad Rock / Jam Band
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