Scranton, Pennsylvania-based four-piece Modern Ties (formerly Black Tie Stereo) have been bringing their indie-pop flair to the music world since 2014. Members Stephen Murphy, George Pachucy, Aaron Kovalich, and Jesse Morvan have been performing together since their high school days and evolving their sound ever since.  While performing as Black Tie Stereo, the group has racked up some impressive accolades over the years, including Best Pop/Top 40 Act at the Steamtown Music Awards in 2016 and Best Live Performer in 2018. Additionally, they’ve played a variety of festivals, including FuzzFest in Scranton, PA, Penn State’s THON, and Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA, and have opened for acts such as Milky Chance, Panic! At the Disco, Weezer, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, K.Flay, and Lewis Del Mar.

Starting January 14, 2020, the band was fully re-branded as Modern Ties. Their debut single, “Outside the Lines” was released on January 17, 2020.  The album, Moments/Missed Opportunities was released everywhere June 2020 and was recorded and produced by Marc McClusky and mastered by Chris Athens.  Today the band is dropping the video for the single “Downtown.”

“Downtown” was one of the purest and most collaborative songwriting efforts on the album, and we were so thrilled with that process that we wanted it to carry over into the video,” said Pachucy. “It was the single we were most excited to share with the world, so we wanted the world involved in it! The original video idea would have shown people in cities all across the globe in their respective “downtowns”, lip-syncing in public surrounded by the normal crowds in the area. However, since living in the pandemic has changed what “downtown” looks like everywhere, we wanted to show that the experience of a busy workplace, meeting place, or a commute could be anything: your house, a rooftop, a park, and any place you can make a connection in this strange time. We hope you have that connection with us as well, and that the ever-changing meaning of Downtown will always somehow be relevant to everyday life.”