Duo 18th & Addison Share Their “Old Blues” and “Modern Love” - i99Radio, Philadelphia's Alternative Rock!

Bayside returned to Philly this past week for a two night stand celebrating their music both old and new. i99Radio was on the scene to capture night one of two. For the first night, Bayside brought songs from their early years, 2004 to 2008. For many of us, it takes us back instantly to the songs of our childhood, middle and high school years, and the audience spanning Gen X to Gen Alpha came ready to rock.

Long Island, NY’s The Sleeping started the night off and brought their unique blend of post-hardcore and raw energy to the stage that really got the audience going. People thrashed around and sang along, and even a toddler hopping up on his dad’s shoulders to get a better view of frontman Doug Robinson, who climbed up to the barrier, putting his microphone up to fans to sing along with them, and eventually even crowdsurfing above their heads at one point. The band has been experiencing a revival since their reunion in 2022 and their fantastic newest album, “I Feel Like I’m Becoming a Ghost”, dropping in 2023.

Bayside then took the stage, kicking off their set with the classic track, “Montauk”, from their second self-titled album. Frontman Anthony Ranieri commented how their idea for the “Errors Tour” came about when they wanted to play 44 songs in each city, instead of just 22. He talked about how the band has so many songs that fans love from all across their career, but not enough time to play them all, so they thought, “why not just play 2 nights in every city?”

The night of classic nostalgia continued on, with the band delivering high-energy versions of much loved tracks from their third album, 2007’s “The Walking Wounded”, like “Duality”, “I and I”, and the ballad “Landing Feet First” (of which started a massive audience singalong). The band also reached far back in their discography, playing tracks from their first years as a band, like “Masterpiece”, “Guardrail” and “Kellum”, off of the first album, 2004’s “Sirens and Condolences.” The audience was audibly excited by this, as these tracks are very rarely played live. The audience cheered loudly and unleashed a constant stream of crowd-surfers to the front of stage as they ripped through these classic tracks. The “newest” songs they played for night 1 were tracks from 2008’s classic album, “Shudder”, like “Boy”, “No One Understands” and “The Ghost of St. Valentine”. Again, many of these tracks haven’t been played since the Shudder Tour in 2008 so hearing these songs was certainly a treat for the audience.

Bayside’s show at Brooklyn Bowl was a testament to how the songs we grew up with are forever engrained in our DNA, the music grows with us and becomes a part of us as we grow older, but we never forget the songs that influenced us almost two decades ago. The 1,000 people in the audience who turned up to sing every word of these songs that are almost 20 years old now proves this to be true and Bayside to be a band close to so many people’s hearts.

Photos by Dave Avidan

On September 6, the duo 18th & Addison released their latest EP, “Old Blues / Modern Love.” This follows their last EP in 2018, called “Vultures,” which was also covered here on i99radio. The duo consists of Tom Kunzman, vocals/guitars/bass, and Kait DiBenedetto, vocals/guitars/keys.

This new EP is a simple four tracks, but they still deliver a variety. The listing is interesting in the sense that it goes from punk rock, to more mellow rock, to that punk rock again in the third track, and then concluding with an acoustic that’s of course, mellow in sound. So the tracks switch back and forth in sound as you listen through the EP.

“Old Blues / Modern Love” EP cover art
Art by Burla22

The beginning notes of “When I’m Alone,” very much remind me of chords from blink-182’s song “Carousel,” with a mix of All Time Low’s “Stay Awake” and maybe even something from New Found Glory. In summary? This is the punk commodity that every fan is sure to love. Hearing the intro gripped me as it has that classic pop-punk tone. DiBenedetto’s vocals call out soulfully in the chorus, which is also a staple move in this genre.

“Drag” mellows down a bit vocally outside of its chorus, but still keeps that steady rock beat going throughout. This one offers a balance of Tom and Kait, with the two bouncing off of each other vocally in the pre-choruses and second verse. Even though it has a lighter feel, the lyrics still cut deep, with this vengeful state of mind being expressed more deeply in the chorus. “You’re pathetic, you’ll regret it, you’re dead to me,” DiBenedetto sings at the end of the chorus, making her anger quite clear. If I had to offer a comparison, it reminds me of the style of Stand Atlantic’s song “Skinny Dipping,” with mellow verses and a chorus that picks up with a louder, rockier beat.

“Leeches” was the first single released from the EP, which also has a music video that has a plot that gives off vibes similar to the movie “Us.” This song I feel truly sticks to the band’s key sound, with it sounding similar to their 2016 song, “War,” with keeping that angsty sound and also having this battle-theme going on, although it’s more a self-battle with the lyrics in “Leeches,” while “War” had a self-battle but also could involve a relationship-battle.

“Minutes Like Fireflies,” is the acoustic, slow song on the album. Something about it reminds me of James Bay’s “Chasing Cars,” I guess because of that slower, mellow vibe. DiBenedetto’s vocals are only what you can describe as delicate, a sharp contrast to her voice on the rest of the EP. Her vocals also show her higher range of vocals, which is a nice change as we usually hear her deeper, rougher-edge voice. I could honestly see this song being played at a wedding, which perhaps is fitting, as Kunzman and DiBenedetto plan on getting married soon, and this song was inspired by their relationship.

Overall, this EP was a cool release for the duo, as it showed their staple sound, but it also shows them exploring more in genre, with the acoustic song that concludes the EP. You can check out their new EP, “Old Blues / Modern Love” on Spotify and Apple Music. You can keep up to date with 18th & Addison on show dates, new music, and more on their website.

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