Photo by Zack Kearney of Zakari Photos
Like the loud pop of the snare drum, Resinated will grab your attention before it blends elements of reggae, pop music, and some sultry jazz into the mix. The St. Petersburg band is just one of many great acts that the city has to offer, but the music Resinated brings to the scene personifies the city in a way other bands can’t seem to match. The band brings an alternative aesthetic to the towering business buildings and the constant traffic on a new EP entitled The After Party Part 2.
“We’ve got some new stuff on the new album that’s coming out that’s pretty much directly written based around things we did and places we hung out in St. Petersburg,” said Jeff Applefield, keyboardist and back up singer for Resinated. But on their new release, Resinated are aiming for more than just personifying their hometown. The After Party Part 2 aims for a poppier feel and has better production value than previous material thanks to an all-star production team consisting of producer Justin Gray plus Brian Malouf and Chris Gehringer who mixed and mastered the album, respectively.
“Look them up you’ll see what they’ve done,” said Resinated frontman, Kenny Mullins of the production crew that’s worked on tracks by Michael Jackson, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Mariah Carey and more. Even at just four songs long, The After Party Part 2 will still send Resinated fans to the dance floor, and the band — famous for party songs like “Sativa Feva” from its 2015 album Smoke Signals — has adopted a more business-oriented approach to its band, according to drummer Josh Hasak.
“We want to grow. We want to reach out to the people in Omaha, Nebraska who saw Resinated once three years ago and who’re begging to have us back,” Hasak explained. “We play music to change someone’s life.”
Resinated isn’t just changing lives, it is changing up the music it produces. Applefield refers to it as a step forward, “Theres some pop elements and some electronic elements,” but of course it isn’t shying away from it’s reggae roots, instead it seems as though it is adding a bit of zest to the reggae genre.
Zest is best, but energy and camaraderie is something that is present on each track of The After Party Part 2, especially at every Resinated show. Each member of the band can be seen smiling and laughing with each other on and off the stage. Hasak said that it’s about tapping into an inner spirit, “You’ll see me close my eyes all the time when I’m playing drums and pull the whole Stevie Wonder approach to it, but it’s because we lock in,” Hasak sees it especially with their newest member, Danny Bub, it’s touring saxophonist. “Not just his musicianship but the way he meshes with everyone is an incredible addition to our team.”
The music Bub brings to Resinated is a sexy, tantric saxophone sound and is a prime example of why every reggae/pop band needs a saxophone in the mix. For Bub it’s all about soul and in his words he describes his style as “Smooth, bold and melodic.” Unfortunately, Bub did not record any saxophone for The After Party Part 2 but did hint at writing even newer things with Mullins.
The party doesn’t stop with Part 2 though. Mullins stated that this is part of a bigger project and that there will be a Part 3 and 4 as well. Until then, fans will have the chance to dance the night away with Part 2, as well as learn every word to The After Party Part 2’s opening track, “Lights Down Low” with a brand new lyric-music video, which can be found here. Resinated also announced a Texas tour with Tatanka, TH3RD COAST ROOTS, and reggae legends, UB40 which will be taking place in October. Be sure to catch a show, or at least play The After Party Part 2 on repeat all the way until then.
