The Bends To Debut With 'Leeward Drive' This Friday

08-21-2025

(WMN) Emerging out of jam sessions on Louisiana State University (LSU) campus, young rock band The Bends are set to release their debut EP, "Leeward Drive", this Friday.

The first single, "Virginia," was penned by the band's frontman, Hayden Field, alongside Kevin Griffin of fellow Baton Rouge-born band, Better Than Ezra. Sparked by a voice note of a melody exchanged between Field and Griffin, "Virginia" captures the infectious energy of the four piece band's college town roots-an origin shared by both The Bends and Griffin's Better Than Ezra, who, though decades apart, all emerged from the same LSU scene.

Expanding beyond their Baton Rouge beginnings, The Bends set their sights on Nashville. There, a mutual friend shared their demos with Brad Shultz of Cage the Elephant, who was immediately impressed and soon teamed up with the band to produce Leeward Drive's centerpiece track, "The Fence."

The Bends' grassroots momentum has attracted a growing fanbase eager for not only their electric live show, but original music, too. Inspired by the textured vocals and garage rock style of bands like The Strokes, Kings of Leon, and Cage The Elephant, The Bends released their debut track, "Makeup," last year, which reached the Top 5 on Spotify's Viral Chart. Their follow-up tune, "Weekend Love," notched a coveted 'Advance Placement' slot on SiriusXM's Alt Nation channel.

This fall, The Bends will be touring behind these tracks on their first-ever headline tour. The band will return to Baton Rouge to kick off the tour on Sep. 5 and will hit 15 total cities, including a stop at the renowned Austin City Limits music festival and a handful of sold out dates including New Orleans and New York City.