"A kind of gentle innocence pervades, as if not trying to grab you as it passes by, but hoping you'll be touched." - Pittsburgh City Paper
Two years after the release of their debut album and hundreds of performances later, JD Eicher & the Goodnights deliver their sophomore release, entitled Shifting, which reaches out and touches listeners with vivid portraits of love, struggle, and hope.
Thirteen songs chart their journey from feel good pop to keys-out-front alternative rock. A radio-ready, polished sound with literate songwriting and intimate, swoon-worthy vocals has the Herald-Standard ranking the album with Pittsburgh's elite, saying that Shifting is "the best album from a local band since 'Restless Days' (The Clarks). Seriously, it's that good."
Forging their diverse musical backgrounds, JD Eicher (vocals/guitar), Dan Prokop (keys), Jim Merhaut (bass), and Ryan Kirk (drums/percussion) combine seasoned songwriting, rich vocals, melodic arrangements, and emphatic delivery to establish their own brand of “subtle pop.” They've created an album that has "the light, poppy quality of British bands Keane or The Script -- which has done plenty of damage on the airwaves -- but with more detail in the songwriting," says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Produced by Paul Barber (My Favorite Highway, The Bigger Lights, The Friday Night Boys), Shifting is the manifestation of the band's musical exploration and growth since the last record. “These guys can play,” notes Barber, “that's what made the sessions really rewarding.” Beyond the quartet's growth as musicians, the theme of 'shifting' appears in the underlying emphasis on change in the songs, Eicher's evolution as a songwriter, and the band's ability to shift seamlessly between various styles, giving the album a "mainstream likability that is both charming and contagious," praises the Herald-Standard.
"With the release of Shifting, JD Eicher & the Goodnights take their place among the elite of Northeast Ohio-Western Pennsylvania bands,” exclaims The Vindicator. Not to be outdone, some think that the band is destined for a larger audience: "America will fall in love with JD Eicher,” proclaims Cindy Howes, Morning Mix Host & Producer at 91.3FM WYEP.
