They started out playing cover songs with just a voice and acoustics, only to evolve into a lyrical band releasing their first single, “One More Time,” in 2016. Fans have watched this band take off from the ground up. Good news: they’re back, only they never really left.
Based out of Florence, South Carolina, Beyond Carolina is a modern country band who have used their small-town roots to explode into zealous musicians, creating a fan base overnight. With their first-ever single, “One More Time,” going viral overnight and receiving a total of nearly 117,000 streams combined, the band created something that the community of Florence and surrounding areas needed: local musicians with a determination to succeed in what they love most, that being music.
Initially a band composed of four members, Beyond Carolina now consists of Dalton Hutchinson on vocals and Travis Pattillo on instruments (and we mean all the instruments!), creating something that is rarely seen: a two-man band where all music is recorded by themselves. A task for anybody, they ran with what they had: two guys, music, hard work, and the passion needed to continue to create.
“We got done with Eternity in an Hour, and after playing shows and promoting that EP, our drummer Drew went off to college and Kyle Delk moved to Georgia to start a family. So, with two members out of the picture it’s like, what now? What do we do next?” Beyond Carolina Vocalist, Dalton Hutchinson, describes the realization of things changing for the band.
“What we did, Travis and I took literally all the money that we made from Eternity in an Hour and completely invested it back in ourselves, bought the best studio equipment we could and came into one of his mom’s spare bedrooms and just started recording. We were like, we’re gonna make this work,” Hutchinson says.
Describing the transition as a leap of faith, both Beyond Carolina Members agree that it was one that took a lot of courage, but it worked! They released their first single with only the two of them behind the band last year, entitled “Roots.” As a simple “test run,” the track received 5,000 hits in the first day. That’s when they knew that they could still do this.
Though the band hasn’t been releasing, they’ve still been very active and they have something big coming up. Beyond Carolina has been underground recording since last September, preparing new music for their fans. Big news: they’re starting with a brand-new single, released today!
The single, “Call you in the Morning,” was written a year and a half ago and it was the last track that they recorded, yet it is the first track released since “Roots.” The track walks through an experience with a previous relationship, featuring an in depth, personal and vulnerable standpoint through its lyrics. It showcases a new side to the band’s music and experiences.
“I think the vulnerability speaks volumes and if you can be that way and sing that, and you know, kind of portray yourself in that light, I think people really hang on to it. I mean, it’s something that happened to me and I’m not proud of it, I’m not proud to have been in that situation, but I think I’m better for it now,” Hutchinson describes the meaning behind his lyrics.
The band wants you to relate to their words and music. They are creating a new dynamic that represents their lives, while giving their fans something to hang on to. That’s what this single does: describes a situation that anyone could be in, and anyone can grow from.
While the single had many competitors, Band member, Travis Pattillo, says this track was chosen for its sound- one that truly represents Beyond Carolina:
“It’s the one song that once we actually went through and we re-tracked it, it kind of stood out to us the most. We were kind of like, ‘ok, this one feels more like what we’ve been putting out. It feels like a Beyond Carolina song. So, this is the one that we should go with.”
What will the band do with the competitors of this single? Well, you all get those too! Beyond Carolina has been recording not only for a single, but for a whole album. Having recorded nearly 40 songs, the band has confined to their 10 favorites, recording them over and over until they receive the sound that they want, all to be compiled into a new album. However, they will be taking a different approach with the release by releasing singles month by month rather than all at once.
“We want to have new releases every month to keep the fan base interactive. I’d rather do that then release the whole album at one time, have it good for two weeks and then people say, ‘alright, what do y’all have next,’” Hutchinson says.
Laying out the album, such as the order in which they will release their singles, is a major influence in the process of recording this full-length album. The layout plays a large role, according to Pattillo.
“A lot of it has to do with just laying out the basis of songs and figuring out what makes the songs stand out from each other … I think the biggest thing is listening to certain songs and trying to figure out where you want it, basically to make it stand out from others.” That’s what Beyond Carolina wants: to differentiate their songs to keep fans intrigued and involved, while relating to the lyrics.
Much like the first single, “Call You in the Morning,” the album as a whole is inspired by an experience, a feeling. After the band dissolving, the remaining members had things to figure out, and they did, but they did it while continuing to produce a sound for their fans. They used that to influence their music.
“It’s what’s going on in my life. I’m not at the point where everything is happy-go-lucky. I think when I reach that point then we will have those kinds of songs, but until then, we literally write what is going on in our lives. I don’t sugar coat anything,” Hutchinson says on this album’s influences.
While the album is recorded by both Hutchinson and Pattillo, they’re humble to the fact that they don’t mind asking for help in the music industry. The new single was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jon Berrier of BlackPlate Productions in Dunn, North Carolina, with the help of Garrett Barefoot, Michael Evans and Erik Huffman, all after Hutchinson and Pattillo finished tracking and pre-proing the song on their own. With future tracks, Beyond Carolina will work with a producer based out of Texas, Wade Concienne.
Beyond Carolina has a lot coming up. From possible connections with Spotify to future music videos for future tracks, they never left and they’re not going anywhere. Despite the tasks of day-to-day life, Beyond Carolina is in their studio every week recording for hours, and now they have something to show for it. The time they spent without releasing was time spent figuring out their sound, recording and preparing for larger things.
“My biggest thing, Hallie, is bridging the gap,” Hutchinson discusses the bands time away from social media, “We just want people to know that we didn’t just take off.”
From a band of four to a band of two, Beyond Carolina never gave up on their fans, their music or themselves. Though they never left, they are officially back. All they ever want to do is what they love: write and put out music. That’s exactly what they are doing.
Best said by Pattillo: “Dalton and I both enjoy writing songs and releasing songs more than anything. That’s what we find the most joy in doing. So, how do we balance this? We’ve been working on recording and getting songs put out there within the next few months. I think we can pretty much say that we have figured out the formula.”
And figure out the formula they have.
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Be sure to subscribe to the band on YouTube @BeyondCarolina, where you can listen to "Call You in the Morning" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxqfk8ETiDo&t=9s, streaming now!
