The Clarks release new EP to ride the wave of ‘The Pitt’ song inclusion

When viewers turned on the season two premiere of HBO Max hit series “The Pitt” on Thursday, the first thing they heard was the dramatic percussion intro of The Clarks’ “Better Off Without You.”

The inclusion of the Pittsburgh music scene titans was an effort by producers to add local flavor to the Pittsburgh-set series. On Thursday, The Clarks released a new EP titled “Echoes From The Pitt” with a re-recorded version of “Better Off Without You” to introduce a new influx of listeners to the band.

The Clarks formed at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1986 and found success with songs such as “Penny on the Floor” and “Cigarette.” Their most successful album to date — 2000’s “Let It Go” — included “Better Off Without You.”

Lead singer Scott Blasey told TribLive that “The Pitt” executive producer R. Scott Gemmill reached out to the band last summer about putting their music in the show.

“He started looking into Pittsburgh music and he came across The Clarks,” Blasey said. “He found our music, he really liked it, really loved ‘Better Off Without You’ and decided he wanted to use it in the opening.”

To capitalize on this new exposure, the band’s manager suggested they put out a new EP with “The Pitt” in its name. In the fall, The Clarks headed into the studio and re-recorded “Better Off Without You (The Clarks Version)” along with laying down covers of “Wouldn’t It Be Good” by Nick Kershaw and “Walk Away” by The James Gang. The EP also includes the band’s two most recent singles, “No. 9” and “Supernatural.”

The new version of “Better Off Without You” is faithful to the original but features harder-hitting drums and a crisper, more prominent guitar that enhance the rock tune.

The Clarks manager Rishon Blumberg, of Brick Wall Management, thought that “The Pitt” fans who were seeking out music from the show would come across the EP while searching for their favorite show on streaming services, Blasey said.

The Clarks are celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band this year, and Blasey had a message for new listeners who may be hearing them for the first time:

“Welcome. Thanks for listening. … Come see our show. Maybe we’ll come to where you are someday,” he said. “Our kids are all getting a little older now, so maybe we’ll do a little more traveling.”

He also has some song recommendations for people just discovering the band’s music, including favorite songs “Born Too Late,” “Irene” and “Shimmy Low.”

“Echoes From The Pitt” is available on all streaming services, and Blasey said that he hopes curious music fans will delve into the band’s other top songs and deeper cuts.

After 40 years, Blasey said that there’s no notion of slowing down in his mind.

“It’s just one of the biggest blessings of my life,” he said. “I’m just so thankful that we’re all still together. We’re lifelong friends. And that’s just a really cool thing that we’re still doing it. We’ve sort of found a nice little groove here, in the last decade or so.”

While Blasey said that the newfound fame from “The Pitt” likely won’t be life-changingly huge, the addition of fresh fans to their solid and established following is exciting.

“I’m thankful that I’m still going to get to play, hopefully for another … well, I don’t know about 40 years, but I’ll take another 20,” he said.