Long Island Band Shiffley Delights with Synthy Anthems

Straight out of Long Island, New York, four-member band Shiffley has made a brilliant splash in the music industry with their vibrant brand of synthy pop-rock.

The band talked to MNGBlog about how they started, tour experiences, and what the future holds.

Although its members have played together in different groups over the years, Shiffley has been united as a band for four years, with Alex Ganes (vocals/guitar), Alex Jenks (synth), and Bryan Contreras (drums) having met in high school and Shaune Killough (bass) being found on Craigslist.

Together, they have created a sound that forces you to pay attention, a sound that is audibly colorful, a sound that is radio-ready and complemented by a super cool, unique band name. They revealed the story behind the name to MNGBlog: "In his free time, Alex G. likes to draw comics,” they explained. “One of his characters was this sleazy salesman named ‘Shiffley.’ As musicians trying to push our music we can relate to that grind."

Though they admit that they each have distinct tastes in music, collectively the band is influenced by rock bands like Phoenix and The Killers and indie pop band Foster the People; and they have opened for groups such as the genre-bending duo of the moment Twenty One Pilots and Grammy-nominated pop-punk band Plain White T’s, finding great enlightenment in doing so. "We have been fortunate enough to play with and meet some big acts," they said. "We always ask what it was like when they were just starting off—the advice we’ve received has been invaluable. It is also interesting to see different pre-show rituals that people do."

Having recently completed a short tour of the East Coast, including dates in the nation's capital and their home base of Long Island, Shiffley is just going to continue to grow in reach and popularity. With such intriguing tracks, really, how could they not?

And that got MNGBlog thinking...

Every artist has dreams of playing on certain stages, right? So MNGBlog asked Shiffley the following question: If you could pick any stage in the world to perform on, which one would it be? Their response was nothing short of inspiring: “It would be a dream to play at Red Rocks in Colorado," they said. "The stage is perfectly fused with the rocks and nature around it making for a really unique experience."

As for memorable experiences they’ve had on tour, well, "As a band we have some weird traditions," they explained. "One of them is that when we’re on the road, every thirty minutes on the dot we take 'the plunge.' This means we each reach our hand into a jar of questionably assorted jellybeans and take one at random… some are tasty and some are disgusting (lawn clippings, moldy cheese, etc.). Think jellybean roulette with 'Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans' from Harry Potter. We live life on the edge…"

Shiffley recently landed on Spotify’s "Feel Good Indie Rock" playlist with their super catchy dance pop anthem "Systems." Recorded at Freshly Baked Studios, "'Systems' is a story about a sentient robot tormented by its emotions," the band explained. "Overcome by its newfound ability to feel, our robot protagonist eventually decides to give up those emotions returning to maximum efficiency. Inspired by many a cold night waiting out on a stoop in Syracuse, this song is about the moment when reality sets in—the feeling of, 'Sure I could stay out later… but in the end, it’s freezing outside and I’m not having much fun anyway.'" Have a listen here. You won't be able to get that beat out of your head.

While we wait for their full-length release, the group just released a new single called "Sleepless Night," a song they say has "informed the musical direction of the album and has changed our perception of what a Shiffley song can be." Like "Systems," "Sleepless Night" is another tale about a robot. But this one "is a story about a robot who falls so deeply in love with a human that it is willing to take on the full emotional spectrum to be with her," the band said. "Once we had the narrative for the song it sort of wrote itself. Though it is about a robot, to us this song represents feeling in its purest form. Unlike other songs of ours, this one is lyrically straightforward in its intentions. Instrumentally this single was birthed in the studio and is very much so a collaboration with our producer, Will Rosati. It is adventurous for us in that the synths heavily drive the song's percussion." Listen to "Sleepless Night" below. It is now also available for purchase on iTunes or stream it on Spotify.

Shiffley is currently working on their first full-length release, which is expected to drop in February 2017. For their latest news and updates, follow Shiffley on social media:

Twitter: @_Shiffley

Instagram: @_shiffley

Facebook: Shiffley