Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“There are still bands that believe in the spirit of punk rock, despite the many setbacks. The Exit is one of those bands. On their second full length, Home For An Island, they display a love for the classic reggae-cum-rock stylings of bands such as the Clash and the Police while coupling it with the more rocking sounds of the Pixies and U2.” - Amplifier
“Stop the presses! I’ve found a Manhattan-based band that isn’t glum and disaffected. While The Exit started out as a punk band, they quickly moved on to other influences. On their upcoming release, Home For An Island, they fuse the reggae-tinged pop of The Police with the glossy sound of early XTC into an appealing blend.” - NY Newsday
“A heady fusion of Foo Fighters, The Clash and the classic songwriting suss of ‘80s legends The Police.” - Kerrang!
“This trio of New York punks-turned Rasta-politicos is obsessed with egress--from the titular declaration on their sophomore album, Home For An Island (said declaration: “I left my home for an island”), to their dynamic -as-all-hell, percussive-heavy single “Let’s Go To Haiti,” to the floating “Already Gone.” There and elsewhere, the band has made a
name for itself by effortlessly blending some of the best and punkest forays into reggae groove by white dudes with penchant for wearing leather (the Clash, early Police, Talking Heads, Rx Bandits).” - Filter
“Home For An Island takes its highly lauded influences (The Clash and The Police), cuts it with a thick dose of heavy heavy dub, rolls with a serious step forward in songwriting maturity and let’s it burn. This time out, the band’s smoke has its own flavor, own direcction and own claim to fame.” - Aversion
“Unlike the swarms of new punk bands plagiarizing the Green Days and Offsprings of the 1990s, the Exit relies on the kind of solid songwriting and diversity that was integral to helping bands like the Clash grow beyond a punk labeling.” - Billboard.com
“With enough Andy Summers-esque guitar picking and dynamic drumming a la Stewart Copeland, the Exit are a refreshingly savvy, sophisticated update to a timeless sound.” - Alternative Press
"The band is firmly rooted with its punk aesthetic but there’s enough pop sensibility to go along with it you might think the group’s contemporaries were bands like the Police, Elvis Costello, and even the Clash.” - Ghettoblaster
Discography
New Beat (Some Records, May 2002)
Home For An Island (Wind-up Records, Oct 2005)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Exit is one of New Yorks best kept secrets, but they wont stay that way for long. Formed in 2001, the band is singer/guitarist Ben Brewer, singer/bassist Jeff DaRosa, and drummer Gunnar. The Exits craft blends a delicate taste of 80s dub and reggae with 90s punk and indie rock. Theyve recently completed recording thier sophomore album, Home For An Island, which is out now on Wind-up Records.
The Exit function similarly to the Clash or Husker Du, where two individual songwriters, each possessed with their own unique sound and point of view, compliment each other. If Jeff DaRosas work tends toward introspection, Ben Brewers songs are searing and bold, while both attack affairs of the heart and matters of the world. In an age when new acts seem risk adverse, its exciting to have a band tackle big ideas, but it would all be nothing more than good intentions if the music wasnt exciting, and Home For An Island is riveting music. Its grounded in punk rock but isnt content to stay there. Hints of dub reggae float through the minor-key melodies, pop hooks draw listeners into some dark places, moods change
from song to song, sometimes within a song. We want to create an ultimate mix tape every time we make an album, says DaRosa. You know how people make a shuffle on their iPod? I want to make it feel like with our record you dont have to skip around because every song is engaging. Home For An Island is a significant leap forward from their 2002 debut New Beat. According to Brewer, fans said that
their first album was good, but this is nothing like you guys are live. Here, they capture the dynamic energy for the Exits live show, but also stretch into new territory. Gunnar (drums) explains: When youre getting good at an instrument you kind of go overboard. Then after a year of doing that you start to appreciate that simpler and tastier is better. Were all coming around to that now. Its way more musically adept, agrees Brewer. We have some poppy stuff on this record, but its deeper. Its a little darker.
Partially due to their extensive experience on the road Weve played 450 total shows in three years of touring, says Gunnar, Were road warriors when it comes to it the Exit has developed into a band that are the farthest thing from predictable, as Home For An Island proves. They've been on the road with current greats like Muse, Against Me!, Rx Bandits, 311, Keziah Jones, The Velvet Teen, The Futureheads, Sahara Hotnights, O.A.R...the list goes on and on.
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