“Pressure” takes the sound of 1970s Nigerian afrobeat and runs it through a Portland band formed during pandemic lockdowns. Reb & the Good News recorded it for their album Silver Lining, released in July 2025.

The band is led by vocalist and guitarist Reb Conner, who wrote the track with saxophonist and keys player Leon Cotter during 2020. Cotter also tours with the California Honeydrops. The full line-up includes Cyrus Nabipoor on trumpet, Ross Garlow on bass, Kirk Kalbfleisch on drums and Carmelo Torres on percussion. The live video from the band’s show at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland in 2022 adds trombonist Chris Shuttleworth.

Conner has said the song was written as a reaction to climate change, which she felt directly during the Oregon fires in 2020. The lyrics use the image of diamonds formed under pressure to say that struggles can make people stronger. Lines such as “I feel the heat burning up the trees” and “Choking on the smoke there’s no where left to go” reference the fires directly.

Silver Lining gathers songs written between 2020 and 2023. The band present it as dance music that amplifies hope, drawing from afrobeat, jazz, cumbia, reggae, R&B and country.

Stream the single and purchase your copy of the album HERE