Chicago indie band, The PondHawks has been around since 2007. Their music has made several Grammy ballots, top album lists and top song lists. The band’s international fan-base is over 600,000 and they are currently the #1 indie band on the Reverbnation Global chart, a platform of 4 million bands.
Songwriters, Mario Novelli and Jorie Gracen are the creative team who write, sing produce, perform and record songs at Riverpool Studio in a suburb of Chicago.
Their newest song, “Invisible Stranger” released in August, has caught the attention of the world. What makes this song stand out is its message of hope. Some have called “Invisible Stranger” a 2020 summer anthem.
In early March, Gracen and Novelli started writing the song as the news of the pandemic began to unfold. Once the lyrics were written, the next step was to record the song at the studio. However, that was a difficult prospect with the possibility of spreading the “invisible” virus. Jorie and Mario decided to record their parts separately and Joe V. Novelli, a gifted self-taught lead guitarist, made his lead guitar debut on the song.
The PondHawks are known for placing messages in their songs. Their last single “Afraid Of Love,” released in 2019 had a message that it was okay to love someone who is different from you. This timely message of love and acceptance is needed now more than ever. The PondHawks are poetic and prophetic.
The Los Angeles Weekly Times published a list of the Best Summer Releases of 2020. There are 20 songs on this list by well-known artists including Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Usher, Maroon 5, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Harry Styles and a relatively unknown band, The PondHawks, charting at #16 on the Top 20 list.
“Invisible Stranger” is a high-energy rocker inspired by the angst of the world pandemic. It is melodic and fueled with emotion carefully structured by the intensity of the music. The powerful vocal harmonies of Gracen and Novelli with uplifting lyrics give the listener a feeling of hope in these unprecedented times.
LISTEN to “Invisible Stranger” by The PondHawks
https://www.reverbnation.com/thepondhawks/song/32030512-invisible-stranger
Los Angeles Weekly Times
https://losangelesweeklytimes.com/tag/the-pondhawks/
https://losangelesweeklytimes.com/2020/09/11/best-summer-song-releases-of-2020/