THE ONGOING CONCEPT RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM AGAIN OUT MARCH 31 VIA SOLID STATE RECORDS
FIRST NEW MUSIC FROM THE BAND SINCE 2017
ORIGINAL LINEUP REFORMS!
THE ONGOING CONCEPT are back!
The band — brothers Dawson Scholz [vocals, guitar], Kyle Scholz [vocals, keys, percussion], and Parker Scholz [drums] along with TJ Nichols [bass] and Andy Crateau [vocals, guitar] — has announced its fourth album Again, out March 31 via Solid State Records. Pre-order it here.
Not only is this the first taste of new music from the band since 2017 but it also marks the return of the original lineup.
Get re-acquainted with The Ongoing Concept by checking out the new single "Prisoner Again." Watch the video below.
"'Prisoner Again' was one of the first songs we started writing, almost got scrapped multiple times, and then ended up becoming one of our favorites in the end," says Dawson. "We wanted to bring a classic The Ongoing Concept sound but were struggling in finding a way to showcase a new era of the band. The missing piece of the puzzle was adding TJ and Andy's vocals to the mix. Along with Kyle and my vocals, you get a taste of the range this album will have. Also, Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, King 810) absolutely crushed it with the mix!"
For a little history lesson and how the band came back to its original form, keep reading!
The Ongoing Concept emerged with the now-seminal Saloon back in 2013. On its heels, fan favorite Handmade bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and Top Christian Albums Chart in addition to cracking the Top 30 of the Top Independent Albums Chart. In its wake, Kyle, Parker, and TJ departed, leaving Dawson as the sole original member for Places in 2017. As The Ongoing Concept went dormant, the group's catalog continued to react with listeners as the likes of "Cover Girl" clocked over a million Spotify streams and counting. After a period of quiet, communication mended between Dawson and his brothers Kyle and Parker. Between careers, marriages, and kids, they kicked around the idea of playing together once more.
"We’d been playing music since we were six-years-old," notes Dawson. "We lived and breathed the same band together. It's crazy, because I didn't know my brothers outside of music. Taking a break for a few years, we found who we were as normal people and embraced other interests. It was super healthy for all of us. One day, we were hanging out, and I said, 'You know I’ve been working on some little skeletons for songs,' and it made sense. The only reason we got back together was because we had our time apart."
They self-produced Again and took their time. The Ongoing Concept integrated "lyrics and Easter Eggs" from previous albums into the record’s framework, embodying the title quite literally.