When Bay Area pop-rock staples Finish Ticket’s EP When Night Becomes Day made a splash in 2015, they ended up booking slots opening for some of the era’s biggest names. It’s been a tumultuous few years since then for all of us — especially within the music industry — and the band were no exception, with label fluctuations, tour cancellations, and more taking a massive toll on their momentum.
Thankfully, Finish Ticket seem to be back on the up and up.
After a smattering of singles early in the pandemic and a one-off release last July titled “Changing,” the band has been relatively quiet — until this past Friday (May 17), when they shared triumphant follow up “Let You Go” via Better Noise Music. The release is just a taste of what’s to come, as Finish Ticket gear up for their sophomore album, Echo Afternoon, to drop September 6.
Compared to When Night Becomes Day, or even their 2014 debut LP Tears You Apart, “Let You Go” sheds some of the typical pop-rock guitar-forward instrumentation the band made a name for themselves with in favor of a more polished, future-looking sound. The opening synth motif carries throughout the track, anchored by steady percussion and layered atmospheric guitar lines.
Lead vocalist Brendan Hoye sounds as confident and solid in his delivery as ever, even as the song speaks to uncertainty.
“‘Let You Go’ is about reaching a breaking point and fantasizing about leaving the stress of reality behind,” says Hoye. “The song was initially started when our record label at the time had us stuck in a state of limbo, but more specifically [the song] is about the freeing thought of leaving music behind when it causes you more frustration than happiness.”
This summer, Finish Ticket are hitting the road supporting fellow post-hiatus rockers Nico Vega, including a date July 28 at Brighton Music Hall. Get ready to let go at the show: