New Music Discovery: Brooklyn's Own X Ambassadors - "Renegades," "Jungle" & "Naked" (Interscope Records/KIDinaKORNER)
Although Brooklyn-based "Indie" Rockers X Ambassadors have yet to unleash their proper major label "debut," they've somehow already managed to log studio time with the likes of Jay Z, Eminem, and Rihanna. Ahead of their nostalgically titled VHS full-length, brothers Sam & Casey Harris, guitar player Noah Feldshuh, and drummer Adam Levin have preemptively landed pre-album singles "Renegades" and "Jungle" within nationally-aired commercials for the newly-redesigned 2015 Jeep Renegade, time-traveling blockbuster, Project Almanac, and even a female-led a cappella rendition recorded for Pitch Perfect 2. X Ambassadors have previously released three Alex da Kid-produced EP's (even one recorded as "Ambassadors") under their current Interscope Records/KIDinaKORNER label contract, which was supposedly first facilitated by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds after hearing the band on Virginia radio and strongly suggesting Hip-Hop producer Alex da Kid immediately sign them.
Despite the fact that they've already unleashed a batch of EP's, there are only about 3-5 VHS-era X Ambassadors tracks floating around online; three of which I just so happened to hear this past Sunday at Radio 104.5's 8th Birthday Show across their "New Music Discovery"-centric second stage. I would say, my first impression of X Ambassadors was that they possessed an Imagine Dragons-like flawless genre-blending quality, thus making each of their tracks performed live arguably sound like three separate bands. Heavily-spun Philly single, "Renegades" reminds me of Sea Change-era acoustic Beck, while "Jungle" evokes a modern day Gary Clark Jr.-inspired brooding Classic Rock romper, and last, but not least, "Naked," almost hearkens back to a sax-infused, glass-shattering falsetto "Let's Go Crazy"-reminiscent Prince Funk-Rock jam. Just behind their recent chart-shattering single, "Renegades," X Ambassadors are currently prepping their long-awaited proper VHS full-length, which is finally expected to see a June 23rd release on Interscope Records/KIDinaKORNER.