Pend

There are two new kids on the block and they go by Pend! Well, they’re new to you and me. The duo of Gina Tolentino and Matt Graham have actually been playing together for years, but just as we’re approaching a return to post-COVID normalcy, they’re releasing their debut EP, Take A Number, which is out today. The EP’s four tracks are the fruits of several years of writing, recording, refining, and re-recording, all in pursuit of their ultra smooth sound, which merges the more relaxing sides of R&B, chillwave, bedroom pop, and even soul. The Jersey City bred band is essentially experiencing a rebirth, and it’s fitting that it feels like the first real day of spring here in these parts just as we’re getting our first real taste of what Pend is all about. We’re totally here for it! 

Leading up to today’s release of Take A Number, we caught up with Tolentino and Graham to talk about their origins, the recording process behind their debut, their favorite spots in Jersey City, and more:

Congrats on the release of your debut EP! How’s it feel to have it out? 

Gina - It feels amazing! Sort of bittersweet. It's been a long time comin!

Matt - Really great! We've gotten some nice feedback, which has been really heartwarming. This being our first release I also feel like we're finally official.

 How’d you both originally meet? Were you involved in other projects before collaborating?

Matt - I had recently moved to Jersey City and was looking to join another group for fun after having a few bands of my own elsewhere. I responded to a Craigslist ad that Gina and other folks had posted looking to fill out a band. 

Over the last few years, you posted a lot of great videos on Instagram of you both performing covers. When’d you decide that you wanted to start writing original music together? What do you remember about your first songwriting sessions? 

Gina- Matt ended up joining our band and we were making original music there, and then we started playing old jazz tunes together as a duo, just for fun. I don't remember exactly what the plan was. I'd always wanted to sing that kind of music, but we also knew that we wanted to do more creatively than playing covers. When the band ended up not working out, we knew that we complemented each other musically, so decided to go at it as a duo. Our first songwriting sessions were a lot of fun. Matt would usually noodle around on the guitar and I'd start singing some melodies, maybe leaf through my notebook for a theme or lyrical idea and go from there.  

I like the name “Pend” and how you described feeling like your musical aspirations were “pending.” That also kind of plays into the title of the EP, Take A Number, which brings to mind waiting in line. Which came first and how do you see the two as related?

Gina - Thanks! Pend definitely came first. We were playing a few gigs and needed a name. I'm partial to kind of silly, ridiculous names, but we wanted something that didn't box us in a particular way, something simple that could grow with us throughout whatever kind of music we wanted to make. That's awesome that you picked up on them being related. I actually didn't realize that till you mentioned it haha. But I guess, yeah, they are related. I guess at that time we both felt stuck in a lot of ways and that really came out in the music. When we were thinking of what to name the album, I looked through lyrics, thought about themes and we decided that Take a Number really summarized everything nicely. Like waiting on a line. Waiting your turn. Pending.

The cover and single art are really eye-catching. How’d you come up with the concept for that and who took the photos?

Gina - Take a Number is the title of one of the songs on the EP and the first two lines are "Should I take a number? Wait in line?" I always loved those lines, and thought it summed up themes in the album really well. I always imagined it as someone taking a number, like one would while waiting at a deli counter, waiting for their turn. So when we were trying to figure out what we wanted the cover to be, I really wanted a photo of a deli counter with one of those pull-a-ticket number machines. But all of this was happening during the pandemic, and we couldn't remember any deli's near us with that kind of thing anymore (if someone knows, please tell us!), so we had to think of another idea. 

Monica Krystel Rose shot the photos (@mkrshoots). I came across her Instagram cause a mutual friend was promoting a special deal on photoshoots that she was doing. It was kind of perfect timing cause we were trying to find someone to shoot some band photos, so when I saw that, I took a look at her account, loved everything, and reached out! Plus she’s a fellow Filipina, so I wanted to support and work with her!

I remember discussing with Matt the idea of having old rotary phones as props. Prior to the shoot, I sent Monica photos of the phones we bought. She really loved the idea and said she could shoot a still life of them. Right after the shoot, she sent us the photo that's now the album cover, and we were both floored! We knew that was definitely the cover. 

You did everything yourselves on this EP, including producing it and recording every instrument. What was it like going all-in like that for your first ever release? Do you see yourselves approaching future releases like that?

Matt- For me recording everything this way has been equal parts daunting, tedious, challenging, but ultimately very satisfying. I've been self-recording for years, but only more recently have I considered what I was producing to be release-worthy. There was a lot of trial and error with the recording process for these songs, along with many changed parts with dozens of takes. This of course contributed to how long it took to complete, but also allowed us to figure out our sound a little more and get things to just how we wanted them.

We're actually part way through completing our next EP using the same DIY process. I certainly hope to get to a more collaborative and live approach to recording on future projects, but for right now this works well for us.

You re-recorded these songs a few times. How have they evolved over time since you first wrote them? 

Matt -The core of our songs has generally been my guitar part paired with Gina's vocals. To my recollection, the songs themselves, once we had an arrangement we liked, stayed pretty much the same, with the rest of our efforts going towards filling out the sound and adding parts. 

Gina, I read you played drums on “Serpentine.” What was that like for you? 

Gina - I think I secretly always wanted to be a drummer, so I'm really excited to have record of my playing drums. And honestly, because all instruments were played and recorded by Matt, I'm just happy to be able to say that I played something! It depends but usually Matt comes up with a beat himself, records it, then we discuss. Sometimes we sit together, jamming through the song, talking about which beats we like, how to combine them etc. I believe this time was particularly tricky for him so I decided to give it a try, and I remember it actually came together pretty easily! 

Matt – It was “tricky for me” because she didn’t like anything I came up with, so I was like “Alright, you do it” haha!

Gina – Gotta do it yourself if you want it done right, I guess! haha!

Thematically, “Sidewalk” deals with the cyclical nature of relationships and “Serpentine” tackles how to break out of negative thinking. What would you say are some of the things that inspired the songs on the EP lyrically? 

Gina - I think it was just the kind of things I was going through at the time. Feeling stuck, feeling like I was going round and round with the same problems. I think everyone has some aspect of their life in which they feel that way. 

I like how you blend a lot of different styles into your sound like jazz, soul, indie-folk, and more. How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?

Gina - That is the golden question, my friend! For some reason, it's the hardest thing for us to explain. To be honest, I'm not even really sure those styles actually reflect our music! Music is so subjective and people hear things so differently. I think those genres are really the ones we connect to as a duo, so we figured if we named them all, maybe one of them would make sense? Ha!

Matt - I think this topic is part of the reason it has taken us so long to release our own stuff. We both have eclectic musical taste, and can both play a number of styles. But at some point it came down to finding a balance of what we could do, what we wanted to do, and what we probably should do. This has taken a bit of work, but over time I think we have been able to define our sound to a degree, although it remains a work in progress.  So here's my interpretation... I have a background in jazz and blues, as well as some classic and more contemporary indie rock. Gina's vocals tend to be soulful with some pop influence. This has resulted in a sound that has some pretty definable roots, but we have a hard time defining it in words. If someone reading this has thoughts on how we can explain ourselves we are all ears!

Do you each have a favorite song on the EP? Why? 

Gina -I think “Sidewalk” is my favorite. I just like it! It has a nice vibe. You can just see yourself walking down the sidewalk listening to it and grooving. 

Matt- For me it would probably be “Cold Hands” because of the outro chorus. I distinctly remember recording those background vocal parts and being pretty knocked out at the way everything came together in the end. And it makes for a really nice finish to the EP.

Who are some of your favorite local artists/bands that you’d recommend to our readers?

Gina – Oh man, there are just so many to name! Jersey City has so many amazing artists of all different mediums! I'd say I love what eze nightingale (@thesameoldshane) is doing. Their voice is like butter, great lyrics, also doing cool stuff with ceramics -- They just seem so brave with their creativity, always creating in different mediums, and that's really inspiring! Jose aka (@goodfoodmusic) just knows how to make a vibe with his beats and actually just came out with a new album, which everyone should definitely check out. There’s also a producer/drummer (@gengis_don) – I’ve never met him, but he’s doing some really cool stuff and has hilarious videos on the gram. Former Jersey City Poet Laureate Rashad Wright's words and delivery strike the heart (@rashadwrightpoetry). Ben Figueroa (@benedictofigueroa) writes lines that make you want to cry one second and then burst out laughing the next. @talirose_art and @kellybleugreen are doing some awesome stuff with collages. There's just so many!! Too many to name! Also, shoutout to my buds from Ruby Bones (@rubybones) who released their album Laser Tooth Tiger on the same day as us. We go way back. 

Gina, I know you just moved, but you and Matt both lived here in Jersey City for many years. What are your favorite spots in town? 

Matt- I really enjoy biking through Liberty State Park. Wurstbar has a nice beer selection and great food. Dark Side of the Moo is fun to check out for their unique burgers and Pet Shop has a cool wine bar.

 Gina - Another Man's Treasure is one of my favorite places ever! Everything is well curated, thought out, put together. Been going there since they were at their old location on Grove and I've gotten so many amazing pieces from there over the years. For atmosphere and music, Pet Shop is just a great place. There are so many nooks and crannies of that bar, plus they feature local music, and their Buffalo Cauliflower is awesome. Taqueria Viva Mexico in Paulus Hook has the best tostadas and gorditas and New Park Tavern has the best burger. Philippine Bread House in Journal Square is the spot for Filipino goods! When I lived in the area, I loved walking over on a Sat/Sun morning and buying fresh out of the oven Pandesal (a Filipino bread roll). You'd get a nice bag of 6 for $3.00 or $4.00 bucks? I forget now, but I remember it being a great deal. Oh, and the waterfront is just a great place to hang out.

What’s next for Pend now that the EP is out?

Matt- First we're enjoying the feeling of having this out in the world. But also working towards promoting it and playing a few virtual shows in the upcoming few weeks and hopefully in-person at some point this year. Like I mentioned earlier EP2 is in the works, so stay tuned!

Gina- Like Matt mentioned, now we're in the stage of learning how to promote our music. Like, what do you do when it's actually out there? And how do you keep things from becoming stagnant? It's definitely a struggle, but we're learning! Always learning! But after this soon to come out EP2, we're excited to start writing wholly new songs. It'd be interesting to see how we're going to approach writing again. In the meantime, we'll probably continue posting covers and stuff on our Instagram (@pendband).

Stream the EP below! You can purchase a digital copy on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.