HIP Video Promo Presents: Say Lonely premieres new music video "The Mariner" on EARMILK.com

Say Lonely Marks Its Arrival With Debut Single "The Mariner"

BUFFALO, NY, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Musically, Say Lonely sits in a lane between alternative and indie rock, bringing bands like Paramore and Tigers Jaw to mind, while their influences also reach into shoegaze, punk and pop. Signed to NYC-bred, LA-based indie label Mother West, the group begins with a song that found its final shape only after newcomer Sofia Greco joined the band. The members came together through different musical paths. Sofia taught herself to sing through an early love of musicals, while the rest of the band came up around rock and pop-punk. Joel Proulx’s connection to punk rock and guitar started with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and everyone except Sofia spent years playing in other bands before this project. Rob VanSaders played in Mother West band Earlymay in the mid 2000’s while living in New York City and remembers hearing a crowd sing the words back. Since moving to Buffalo and meeting Joel, he has wanted the rest of the group to experience that same feeling. Say Lonely introduce themselves to the world with “The Mariner,” the first release from the Buffalo alternative rock band and the first glimpse of an album they have spent the last six months recording.

Roughly a year ago, after Joel’s previous band split, he came up with the idea that became “The Mariner.” Turnover was an early inspiration, although the finished song ultimately moved somewhere different. Joel brought the intro and verse into rehearsal, and the band worked out the structure during a single practice. Rob and guitarist Matt Pawleski then took a cell phone recording home and developed melodies for different sections, with Rob writing the chorus melody and Matt handling the remaining parts along with all of the lyrics.

Patience is a virtue.The band originally recorded the song with another singer but ultimately felt she was not the right fit for the project. When Sofia joined Say Lonely, the group revisited “The Mariner,” and her voice gave them the version they wanted to move forward with.

Directed by Adam Seitz, the accompanying music video deliberately keeps the approach simple. Rather than forcing a storyline around the song, it centers on Say Lonely performing and lets that performance carry the visual. The concept stays out of the way, giving the band and the song room to introduce themselves without adding more than the moment needs. “The Mariner” is part of an album Say Lonely spent the last six months recording, with tracking now complete. The band expects two more singles to arrive before the album next year. Until then, the focus is on rehearsals and getting onstage, chasing the same feeling Rob remembers from New York: hearing a crowded venue sing the words back.

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Andrew Gesner
HIP Video Promo
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