Ashland formed in 2014, hailing from a small-town in Illinois, taking their name from an old-time phenomenon that touches on destruction and transcendence. “My grandma told me a story about an old town that had been burned down by a fire and was renamed Ashland once it was rebuilt. We love the idea of beauty and growth coming from pain and struggle, and I think it really connects with the whole spirit of our band,” explains vocalist Asia Marie, who cofounded the band with Aaron Wood.
The story of Ashland begins in a unique, very 2010’s kind of way: through a Craigslist ad. Marie comes from a background singing in church, choir, and musicals, while Wood picked up a guitar in fifth grand and played in many bands throughout high school. Their underlying common link was their shared love of punk and post-hardcore music, bringing them together to form Ashland and the rest is history.
Their self-released EP, Interim, came in 2015, and their debut album, Wildfire, came out in 2017 via InVogue Records. It’s been an amazingly quick and promising rise for Ashland, who is now currently signed with Rise Records. They’re gearing up to release they sophomore album, Over the Moon, on December 13th via the label — which showcases their growth and evolution as a band. The record was predominantly produced by Kris Crummett (Dance Gavin Dance, Issues) , and partly recorded with their longtime collaborator and friend Matthew Amelung, who passed away from cancer in June 2019.
Over the Moon shows Ashland bending genres, with their perfect pop melodies shining through ever so elegantly. This was made evident when the band dropped the title-track as the first single a few weeks ago. “That song stems from my actual experiences,” Marie notes. “It’s about being able to acknowledge the pain of heartbreak and still move on and sometimes laugh at the horrible experience.”
This brings us to the present time, and Substream is excited to be teaming up with Ashland to bring the second single to life, “OMG.” It’s more darkly chargers than “Over the Moon,” with what resembles more of a haunting vibe to it, while maintaining a simple, effective chorus to stay in your head. The song started as a voice memo on Marie’s phone when she was sitting in a parking lot, as she explains “It was basically me telling myself to stop making a huge deal out of every little thing.” Regarding the song’s contents itself, the band tells Substream, “‘OMG’ is a humorous and frustrating response to that one person we all know who can’t seem to ever make up their mind.”
Listen to the new single for yourself below.
Ashland is currently on tour with Our Last Night, I See Stars, and The Word Alive. The tour continues tonight in Montreal, Arizona and makes stops in Boston, New York City, Baltimore, and Atlanta prior to wrapping up the run in Orlando, Florida on December 8th. Find all remaining dates below.
Tour dates:
11/27 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
11/29 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/30 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
12/1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
12/3 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
12/4 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
12/6 – Carrboro, NC @ Cats Cradle
12/7 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Heaven
12/8 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
