Variant Season released two singles so far from their upcoming “Vol.2” EP that they’re working on for 2025.
Photo Credit — Eugene Lucas (Ejl3)
Variant Season’s latest single, “Fade,” was featured on 979X’s Locals Only show on the air with Lazy E on Sundays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Variant Season is a four-piece melodic alt-metal band based out of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Photo Credit — Eugene Lucas (Ejl3)
Variant Season is coming hot off a year of growth and gearing up for more in 2025. This local alt-metal band’s latest hit song, “Fade,” has been making its rounds on 979X’s Locals Only show and across the state.
Variant Season was founded around summer 2020 by drummer Mark Yanish, who intended it to become a side project from their other bands, including Graces Downfall, Behind the Grey, and Doubting Thomas.
The band boasts captivating vocals (both singing and screaming) and distinct instrumentals to make each track a standalone rock masterpiece. J.T. Thomas is the lead vocalist, Will Perna is on guitar and vocals, Daniel McDonald is on guitar, and Mark Yanish is on drums. The name Variant Season is a play on words of the phrase, “a season of change.”
“Since we started this project, we were all in different bands and wanted something different from our primary bands at the time,” explained guitarist/vocalist Perna in an email interview with The Weekender.
Each ready to pursue new goals, it was quite literally a variant season. The band they created embodies that refreshed intention. During COVID’s downtime from live music, the four-piece band shifted to writing and penned what would become their debut EP album, “Vol.1,” which was released on streaming platforms in 2023.
Once Variant Season was able to play shows again, suddenly what began as a passion project became their main focus. “Vol.1” even went on to take home Album of the Year at 2024’s Steamtown Music Awards, the band’s favorite milestone to date.
“The goal is to write music we’re passionate about and that challenges us as musicians. Since we were in projects previously that had some creative limitations, we made a full conscious effort not to do that in this band. We want the freedom to write whatever we want,” said Perna.
In summer 2024, the band dropped their most recent single, “Fade,” that has been circulating on 979X’s “Locals Only” show. This track highlights J.T. Thomas’s gripping voice on deep verses that lead into each headbang-worthy chorus that I can totally imagine the crowd going ballistic for. Variant Season combines meaningful lyrics with hard rock roots for an exciting peek at what’s next in their saga.
“It’s one of our musically simpler songs, so we knew we had to focus more on how the song was performed and structured,” explained Perna. “I think universally everyone has had that feeling of being invisible and of wanting to give up. Even though it’s a darker song, I hope no one ever gives into those feelings. Sometimes just letting it out can be cathartic.”
Variant Season explained that their music acts as a time stamp for their life and times. They said J.T. Thomas wrote “Humanity” during the 2020 riots and election and Will Perna wrote “Capricorn” after losing his home and relationship of 10 years. Each song works as a medium of self-expression for Variant Season.
“All of our music is very much a reflection of who we are. We’ve spent the last few years writing about our lives and the things we’ve gone through,” said Perna. “Our music is ingrained in us as who we are as people, not just musicians.”
Variant Season confirmed a new album is on the way. So far, they’ve written three songs for their second EP to be entitled “Vol.2.” Singles released so far, “The Weight” and “Fade,” are a taste of what’s coming on the follow-up record. If all goes according to plan, they aim to drop it sometime next year.
“We want to finish and release our ‘Vol. 2’ EP and we’re making a very conscious efforts to play out more for 2025. Hopefully we can start supporting some of these larger acts that come through town now that ‘The Ritz’ is in full swing!” said Will Perna.
Variant Season, Photo Credit – Rich Howells, NEPA Scene
The band members behind Variant Season live spread out geographically, so they often collaborate through email and home recordings to build music together. Perna lives in New Jersey, Thomas lives in Shenandoah, while Yanish and McDonald are based in Scranton.
As for their creative process, usually Perna first records a demo for a song idea in his home studio then shares it with the band. If everyone’s on board, they start building from there — adding vocal melodies, lead guitar, fitting drums, and more until the song takes shape. After they have a good layout, Thomas and Perna create the lyrics last.
“We self-record and release everything ourselves, so once the song is completed being tracked, we’ll send it off to Nathan Smart and Eric Chesek to do post-production and then mixing.”
Their laser-focus on constructing quality songs has led to Variant Season’s success, but playing live is also a major perk in what this Pennsylvania alt-metal band has to offer. They spend a lot of time planning before every show. Since they live far apart, rehearsals can be challenging. So, these four members trust each other to practice independently and arrive at each gig well-prepared.
One thing’s for sure — Variant Season is gearing up for big things in the new year. With a Steamtown Music Award already under their belt and a second EP well on the way, I’m looking forward to hearing what this talented act does next!
Listen to Variant Season on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other streaming platforms and follow along on Facebook for show announcements and band updates. Catch Variant Season and more great regionally-made rock music like this on 979x’s Locals Only every Sunday night from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. with Lazy E.
