Jim Testa

The Jersey Journal, August 30, 2023, 

The teenage trio Bist from North Hudson has had a busy summer, performing at Lucky 7′s Rock ‘N’ Roll BBQ and Groove on Grove in Jersey City, the North Bergen VFW, and the finale of Hoboken’s Wednesday night concerts at Church Square Park. The band also released two singles, and they’re terrific.

On stage, Bist commands attention with guitarist Greg Reye’s fearless vocals, which range from a hardcore roar to an indie pop croon; their cover of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” (as done by 1990s alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr.) perfectly captures the trio’s youthful abandon and melodicism, but their originals impress as well.

“Qandy Cane” fuses elements of 1990s grunge and millennial emo on a melodic tune that showcases Reyes’ melodic vocals and Joaquin’s crisp drumming, with strokes of lead and rhythm guitar augmented by Jade’s  melodic bass. (Members of the band choose not to use last names because they’re still minors.)

“Drive Thru and Find Out” follows a similar template. The lyrics turn a typical teenage situation into rock ‘n’ roll with Reyes launching into a sweet, falsetto vocal on the chorus: “You ordered just a hamburger, extra pickles with no cheese/ I thought that was so weird, but you ate it so nice with ease.”

Bist shows nothing but potential. Keep an eye out for shows and stream these singles on Spotify, with more hopefully following soon. You can follow the band at www.bist.band (http://www.bist.band/).