The Things We Say

The Berlin Project

Orange Peal Records

… The Things We Say

The Berlin Project

Orange Peal Records

It’s great to see more and more local bands attracting listeners from other parts of the country and putting Pittsburgh on the music map.

The Berlin Project is doing just that. With a new sound and a new direction, their new album, The Things We Say, brings a fresh taste of great local music.

The Berlin Project formed eight years ago, when lead guitarist and singer John Garrighan started playing music with a group of his friends at the age of 14. Both the lineup and sound have changed over the years.

The Berlin Project used to play more of a ska sound, but now the band is more mature, with a solidified lineup, including lead singer and guitarist Jon Belan, bassist Chuck Rocka, drummer Nick Revak and Aaron Mediate on the keyboard. The Berlin Project has made a solid rock album that has a touch of punk to it, but they are more of a modern-rock band than a punk band.

The lyrics on this album are a far cry from the anthems of pulling up to the drive-through window at Taco Bell. The songs on The Things We Say are about relationships, break-ups and life.

The title track is one of the highlights of this album, a song about relationships that fizzle, and it has an ’80s John Hughes teen-movie feel: “If I can speak emotionally or you can read my mind/ you’d know just what I feel like on the inside/ If you can say you understand, but tell me you won’t try/ To make these feelings happen like they used to/ It’s OK, I’ll be fine.”

In the song “Walking Papers,” they sing about leaving a messed up relationship and finally being free: “I’m moving on, while you were crying, I was laughing in the hallway/There’s something wrong, while it will take you months, but I’ll be fine today.”

When bands change the direction they take with their music, it is sometimes a good move, though sometimes it doesn’t help the band at all. But with this change in direction, The Berlin Project is taking a huge step towards major success that could be a big move for both themselves and other Pittsburgh bands.