With A Rocket to the Moon having played their final show on August 31^st, it’s easy for one to feel heartbroken over all the band has given to the music industry over the years. But with one end comes another beginning, and that beginning has come very quickly for Rocket’s frontman, Nick Santino.
 

Santino, who initially founded Rocket as a solo project, has gone solo once more. This time, however, he’s taken a different route, although it’s a route most of us saw coming. If you’re any kind of ARTTM fan, you know that Santino has always had a love for country music.  The band has covered more than a few country songs during their tours, and Santino has previously stated that he would love to live in Nashville, Tennessee. So it’s no surprise that his new solo EP, Going Home, has got an almost 100% country feel to it.

Throughout the entire EP, Santino shows us a voice unheard in other songs.  It’s a deeper, more mature voice, and at first it’s hard to distinguish if it’s actually his. The entire EP sounds as if it was recorded very minimally and simply, giving off a vibe almost comparable to Santino’s demo songs when he was first starting Rocket. The subject matter of each track is still as simple and mature as Rocket’s was, but with more of the storytelling that country music is known for.

Going solo allows Santino to delve deeper into the country music he is clearly set on creating without the constrains of having to sound pop as well, a challenge that stuck out like a sore thumb in ARTTM’s music. There is much to be admired for all the hard work A Rocket to the Moon has done over the past six years, and surely much more can be anticipated for each now ex-member. But with every end comes a new beginning, and Nick Santino is off to a great start.

Grab Going Home by Nick Santino and the Northern Wind on iTunes now.

Rate: 3/5

Listen to: “It’s Alright”, “Sold My Soul”

By Shelby Kreiger

Listen to “Sold My Soul” below: