New York-based reggae-fusion band Brother Jerome has officially launched their debut full-length album Progress as of today! In celebration of its release, this funky reggae four-piece is premiering on Top Shelf Reggae their inaugural single off the album, “Hustle” – a track about, well, hustling. In this life, we need to take time to smell the roses, as lead singer Ryan Bria tries to do every day after his brother's unfortunately passing. Ryan's brother, Jerome “Drew” Bria, encouraged against everything unjust and inhumane, and these same core values now stand as the band's peace-loving foundation. Let's promote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through socially-conscious, yet uplifting music.
In this life, we need to take time to smell the roses…
First thing's first: the general public needs to know that they are running themselves ragged chasing a neverending rat race. Capitalism is called out loud and clear in “Hustle” as the main premise behind why we Americans hustle from the time we wake to the “dead of night”. We never slow down, for how can we ever make ends meet if we slack off? With the cost of living climbing astronimically in major U.S. cities, we've acclimated to “working a double shift” in order to stay afloat. Well, Brother Jerome challenges how do we have time to take care of ourselves, let alone take care others, with that mentality? We can appreciate life to the fullest and maintain a feasible standard of living. Time is a central theme of the track, with several stop times whenever its lyrically mentioned, reinforcing the metaphor that we fully believe there simply aren't enough hours in any given day. Plus, those dropped beats not only break up the rhythm, but further put the listener on edge that a second of time might've been wasted. Time is of the essence, after all! If only we could tweak our aggressive life ethos to a more 'quality over quantity' approach… perhaps we would get along a little better with each other.
Frontman Bria says this about the single, “In American culture, and many cultures around the world, it is expected that a person works upwards of forty hours a week in order to be able to provide basic needs for themselves and their family. 'Hustle' is plea for people to put as much levity into their personal and mental well being as they do in their finances. Even if it's just taking a yoga class once a week or setting aside 20 minutes a day to read, we need to show our children that taking care of our personal well being is a priority.”
Brother Jerome is promoting their new album with an east coast tour, kicking off shortly. In the meantime, please enjoy the world premiere of “Hustle” below:
Purchase or stream Progress album:
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