Ex-The Honorary Title Frontman Jarrod Gorbel Grows Up and Goes Solo

Last night marked a turning point in 31-year-old Jarrod Gorbel’s music career. Founder and ex-frontman of successful indie outfit The Honorary Title, this Brooklyn boy -- who recently severed ties with the well-known and much-loved band -- released the first album marking his solo career.

At The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg Tuesday evening, Gorbel made his comeback, celebrating the release of his new album "Devil’s Made a New Friend." The 10-track, 40-minute record was, according to Gorbel, a labor of love.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do,” Gorbel told Niteside of his decision to dissolve his former band. “Everybody’s doing their own thing. Everything’s cool.” The band played together for a final time in November 2009.

Since then, it’s been onward and upward for Gorbel, however much he’s been hovering below the radar. Despite earlier misgivings regarding the singer-songwriter route (Gorbel confessed he once thought that tack was “lame”), he is now working with the likes of Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett (as producer, vocalist and guitarist). He's also gearing up to join Hanson on a national tour this fall. 

Gorbel also shed the teeny-emo image he’d established by becoming expert at heart-wrenching warble-y delivery. While this signature style earned him and his band praise and a far-reaching fanbase, Gorbel says he was ready to grow up. Perhaps to further reinforce this sentiment, the leading single is entitled “Ten Years Older.”

“I wanted to make a pretty album," Gorbel said. "Something mellow and something pretty.”
 
 

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