Alternative indie rock band The Broken Vinyls has announced that its EP, “Exit 151,” will officially be released on May 19. The group features second-year NJIT information technology major Rockwell Dela Rosa on drums, second-year Essex County College student Jonathan Arevalo on guitar and vocals, second-year Essex County College student Bryant Ayala on guitar and vocals, and Institute of Culinary Education graduate Fofo Suira on bass guitar and vocals.
The band has now been working on this album for months, and is excited to share it with avid listeners on and off campus. The only single that’s currently out, “Drop Out,” is going to be revamped in the EP; “if anyone enjoyed that, they’re hopefully going to love this new one,” Dela Rosa commented.
Back in October, The Broken Vinyls had the chance to play in the Campus Center’s Highlander Pub. The members have also been able to play in a variety of settings, ranging from intimate acoustic gigs to rock shows at local venues. They’ve performed at the Meatlocker in Montclair, N.J. and the RedHouse in Boonton, N.J., which has since moved to a new location.
The band meets anywhere from two to four times a week at Ayala’s place whenever the whole group is available. Aside from going over the sets for upcoming shows, the bandmates might start writing a new piece or work on deciding future plans for the band.
“The writing process usually starts with either Jonathan, Bryant, or Fofo writing something on their instrument, and we all build on it,” Dela Rosa explained. “Drums come after the melodies, then come the lyrics, and everything else gets fine-tuned along the way until we have the final product.”
Danny Sasso, the band’s producer, has been instrumental in helping the EP sound its absolute best. He was introduced to Dela Rosa as a friend of a friend through a jam session at a practice studio; now, Dela Rosa has known Sasso for years. “We usually visit him once or twice a week to either record tracks or just listen to how the mixes are sounding and make comments accordingly,” Dela Rosa commented.
The Broken Vinyls is beyond thrilled to share its new piece of art with others in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned to hear the members play songs from “Exit 151” at future shows!
