the last year

BIO

Hailing from Baltimore, The Last Year is an alternative rock band. The act stems from an idea of front-girl Niki Barr, on vocals, and Scott Ensign, playing bass and synth. The pair, complemented by drummer, BJ Kerwin, and guitarist, Scott Griffith, approach their music with diverse influences, ranging from the hook heavy hits of The Cars to the spacey, hypnotic sounds of the late 80’s to early 90’s acts, like The Cure and Portishead. The band has managed to mix retro influences with modern appeal and it’s magical. Having toured over 30 countries on three continents, The Last Year is no stranger to the stage. Guided by Barr’s coy, yet powerful melodies and unique body language, blended with the band’s array of synth growls, driving rhythms and swirling guitar sounds, their show is a spectacle and a must-see.

The Last Year teamed up with Shanachie Entertainment to release their debut EP in 2015. The EP’s lead single “Sugar”, which bridges the gap between The Smiths and the infectious, radio-friendly indie rock hooks of Metric, was spun on radio stations across the US, including SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, WWDC 101, WLUM, KWSS, and WWWX.  NPR Music included the band in their Austin 100 just before their appearance at SXSW 2015.  The band went on to build a national following, supporting acts like Phantogram, Tove Lo, Nico Vega, Semi Precious Weapons, and Neon Hitch.

Static Automatic, the band’s first full-length record, will be available exclusively on their Static Automatic Spring Tour, kicking off in DC on March 29, 2016.  The single “Rush” may be their best alternative/pop crossover to date, bridging their synth and indie rock influences, and creating a colorful sound reminiscent of St. Lucia, MS MR, and Chvrches.

Press and Features

Atwood Magazine’s Exclusive Premiere – Slip into the bittersweet euphoria of The Last Year’s “Rush”

Brightest Young Thing’s Video Premiere – “Get ready for fun projections and sensual shadow dancing!!!”

Purevolume – Free Song of the Day: The Last Year — “Rush”

Artist Direct Interviews – The Last Year Introduce The Infectious “Rush”

Buzznet – Band To Buzz About: The Last Year

Highlight Magazine – Featured as “Artist You Need To Know”

TheDailyListening.com – “Rush, has the ability to make you feel everything at once as it is masked in indie-pop goodness but packs such a punch lyrically.”

Rock On Boston – A New Hot Band: The Last Year [Interview]

Guitar World Video Premiere: The Last Year’s Acoustic “Sugar” – ““Sugar” is a haunting little number that showcases some great songwriting.”

MTV’s House of Food – “Sugar” featured on an Season 1/Episode 7, titled “Sweet Relief”.

NPR Music’s Austin 100 – A playlist highlighting NPR’s picks for 100 artists to discover at SXSW 2015.

National Geographic’s Border Wars – Features Niki Barr singing a cover of All Along the Watchtower for the show’s theme song.

Discovery ID’s Scorned: Love Kills – Features Niki Barr as vocalist and Louis Weeks as the Composer for the show’s theme song.

Musician’s Friend – Interview w/ Niki Barr of The Last Year on “Connecting with Fans via Social media”

Sigma Photo – Feature in “Social Connections”, a biannual publication with approximately 15,000 print copies, distributed through their top 50 US dealers and PDF version for online/tablet viewing to be included in an email blast to their 140K subscribers.

ABeerWiththeBand.com – Interview w/ The Last Year

Interview w/ Sapere Magazine – “…Niki took a few moments to talk about her creative process, favorite moments on the road and what she’s looking forward to in the future.”

Rock Revolt’s Indie Band of the Week – “…a musical buffet for your senses. If you want a dish of catchy hooks, they have it. If you want a bowl of some 80s flavored new wave, they have it. If you want a dish of 90s influenced crunchy guitar riffs, they have that as well.”

104.9 WHFS Spotlight – “…an eclectic mix of alternative rock and new wave, and they’re eagerly exploring things they’ve never embraced in past projects…”

 

Press Quotes

“A blend of synth-pop verses (akin to CHVRCHES or Ex Cops) met with big ’90s-inspired choruses (think Oasis) gives “Rush” an aura of timelessness: The song is a smooth mesh of ’80s and ’90s-inspired styles, the likes of which has seldom been delivered – or presented with such style and finesse – in over a decade.”
~ Mitch Mosk, Atwood Magazine

“The Last Year” is a must see experience at this year’s SXSW. Niki Barr’s presence and vocal talent will remain with you long after their performance.”
~ James Howard, Program Director, DC101

“The Last Year provides punk energy with a nod to New Wave! If David Bowie and Debbie Harry had a daughter, she would sound like Niki.”
~ Guy Dark, WWWX

“I hear a group that could be leading the charge in new music directions. This is a group that could possibly change the present musical landscape for the better. With an amazing mix of the best of alternative rock and synth pop creates a strikingly lush and soaring composition.”
~ Hunter MacLeod, Dirty Glitter Blog

“The Last Year is one of the few bands that I’ve seen live that i can easily say blow my mind every time! If you can listen to the song sugar and not sing along you probably do not have a soul! Reliable, talented, and an all around great band!”
~ Jim Maschio, Programming Director, 106.3 WJSE, The Rock Alternative

“THE LAST YEAR has it all. It’s modern, it’s retro… and it’s timelessly cool. And not just the wild energy live show, but great songs too. I truly believe that “Mania” could be a huge multi-format hit.”
~ Jon Peterson, Former PD WRNR, WRLT, WCBE

“The Last Year has the music, the stage presence and the light show that will leave you with that “Whoa” feeling when it’s all over.”
~ Matt Davis, On-Air 98 Rock Baltimore

“Hypnotizing, hooky songs from a fabulous band led by a woman with great chops and energy.  I saw them blow away a crowd at the Belly Up during last year’s Sunset Sessions and can’t wait to see them again!”
~ Brian Frank, Program Director, KACV-FM

“The great thing about alt-rock radio is you can seamlessly go from Florence and the Machine to Muse, well..now you have a great band that can do the same. Listen to The Last Year, you’ll love it.”
~ JD Sutphin, Music Director, WROV FM

“Sugar!!! Definitely one of the catchiest choruses I have heard in a long time. It’s a hit.”
~ Gina Crash (Middays), HFS at 97.5 Baltimore’s Rock Alternative

“Sugar” is their brand new smash single from their self-titled EP and features a highly accessible, radio ready alternative pop sound reminiscent of Metric and a more polished Garbage.”
~ UndergroundMusic.fm

“[Mania]… an infectious number with a pop punk tendency that reminds me of Paramore and Metric blended with some The Cars.”
~ I Heart Moosiq

Radio

KWSS 93.9 Phoenix, AZ
WJSE 106.3 Atlantic City, NJ
WWWX 96.9 Appleton, WI
KACV FM-90 Amarillo, TX
WOCM Ocean 98.1 FM Ocean City, MD
KRZQ 104.1 Reno, NV
WHFS 97.5 Baltimore, MD
WTMD 89.7 Towson, MD
WIYY 98 Rock Baltimore, MD
WROV 96.3 Roanoke, VA
SIRIUS XM Ch 36 Alt Nation
KRFF 95.9 Fargo, ND
KMMY 96.5 Paris, TX
KFML 94.1 Little Falls, MN
CIMX 88.7 Detroit, MI
KRBZ 96.5 Kansas City, MO
KFMA 102.1 Tuscon, AZ
KRXP 103.9 Colorado Springs, CO