The Kiera Plan

Right Now, the sophomore LP from The Kiera Plan (due out February 19th 2014), not only captures all the hopeful lyricism and driving power pop energy that fans have come to expect from the Philadelphia area band, but also sees frontman Shawn O'Brien and company bringing a diverse range of new elements into the mix. Layered synthesizers punctuate the eccentric "What's It Gonna Be?," a brass section on "You Are Not Alone" pays homage to the ska-infused punk rock of the late 90s, and the piano and strings ballad "Annie" has the band landing more in the Ben Folds ballpark than Fall Out Field (where some might expect them). The band's 2009 debut Dedication hinted at the range that Right Now realizes, and it was the fans who O'Brien felt encouraged him to keep pushing in that direction: "When people started telling us what their favorites on the first record were, and each person seemed to love a different type of song we'd done, we wanted to keep that variety going." Whether at famed Philadelphia venues, or in the crowd at the Vans Warped Tour, Kiera Fans have gotten to see this new record come together song by song. For the extensive recording sessions, O'Brien reunited with producer Vince Ratti (Circa Survive, The Wonder Years) and enlisted a new collaborator in drummer Daniel Pawlovich (Valencia, Panic At the Disco), as well as a number of up-and-comers from the Philadelphia music scene. The result is Right Now, an eclectic collection of rock and pop the band strove to make memorable. For O'Brien, memorable music is his band's mission: "What I love about great pop music is that you can keep coming back to it, later in your life, and it will always bring you back to the time when you first heard it. Those songs mean something special to each of us." For the band's fans, The Kiera Plan hopes that one of those special moments is Right Now. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.