Browsing Tag

00s Rock

Topdown – I Feel Everything: An Intense Alt-Rock Odyssey Through Empathetic Angst

Posted on 17 November 2024

Topdown’s eponymous debut LP is a hit-after-hit tour de rancorously evocative force, starting with the scathed opening salvo, I Feel Everything, which will make a bruisingly vindicating impact on anyone who knows how much of a curse empathy can be.

With frenetic frustration coursing through every hook-decorated progression of volition, I Feel Everything is a candid outpour of the desperation to chemically numb yourself to the weight of the world that bears down on the psyche as it conflates with introspective scars.

It’s impossible not to draw thematic comparisons to Dinosaur Jr’s ‘Feel the Pain’, but there is no refuting that Topdown are blazing their own trail through their eagerly anticipated LP which fuses the ferocity of post-hardcore, the emotive intensity of pop-punk and the aesthetics of 00s rock anthems.

I Feel Everything is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Divert from your destination to isolated despair with IGOR’s pop-punk anthem, Alone

Posted on 16 September 2024

IGOR pierced the pop-punk veil with his latest single, Alone, which implants a self-deprecating flag in the post-breakup landscape and anthemises the ache of romantic dissolution.

Born in Ukraine, raised in Russia, finessed in America, and now based in New York and part of the LGBTQ+ community, the independent artist is unflinching in his mission to soak the airwaves in self-love. Alone is one of the most affecting sonic extensions of his dedication to uplifting his listeners from self-inflicted despair.

Alone taps into early 2000s rock vibes, offering a rhythmic rebellion that evokes nostalgia while marinating it in a euphorically projected melancholy. The battle cry for the soul pulls at the heartstrings with the universal mantra we’ve all whispered post-heartbreak, “I’ll be better off alone”. IGOR transforms this often private concession into a rallying cry for communal solace, affirming that no one is truly isolated in their feelings of destined solitude.

It’s so much more than just a journey through emotional desolation; it’s a cathartic release that prises serotonin from the grips of despair. IGOR paved the path back to embracing the empowering nature of self-reliance with the therapeutic hit dedicated to the broken-hearted looking to find their way back to themselves.

Alone hit the airwaves on September 4th, stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Every Glazer echoed the agony of retrospective reflection in his alt-rock shot through the heart,  Betty Johnson’s House

Posted on 10 July 2024

The Every Glazer carved a melodic indie rock edge into his emotionally guttural arsenal of grungy evocations with the release of his latest single, Betty Johnson’s House.

The solo artist’s ability to convey aching emotion through his passionate cadences and affecting delivery projects intense resonance into his vignettes of a mind tormented by the trappings of material reality and Betty Johnson’s House may be his most visceral release to date.

By infusing layers of 90s and 00s nostalgia in this heart-wrenching sepia-tinged reflection of formative memories forged in the confines of a small town, Betty Johnson’s House will walk you down the memories of your own youth; whether you like it or not. As no one gets out of childhood or adolescence unscathed, the instrumentally consoling, vocally piercing single is set to pierce hearts by the smorgasbord.

With one of the most pensively ornate guitar solos that you’ll ever hear, Betty Johnson’s House is a tender triumph which visualises the inescapably bitter-sweet nature of retrospective reflection.

Betty Johnson’s House was officially released on July 1st; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

igor fused rhythmic ferocity and tender vulnerability in his alt-rock hit, My Own Way

Posted on 22 December 2023

Self-reservation cascaded away when igor stridently proclaimed, “The rumors are true – I just went insane”, in the opening lyric of his latest strident and evocatively raw single, My Own Way.

If people still held their lighters in the air, there are few better calls for an inferno of flame than this reclamation of the 00s alt-rock sound. After a short and sweet prelude, which could easily have given way to a Springsteen anthem, pop-punk signatures sink their teeth into the anthemic production that takes you on a cataclysmic ride through a confessional vignette of how much we give away to meet the expectations of someone that was inching away from us the entire time.

With guitar hooks as viscerally sharp as My Chemical Romance’s under igor’s engrossingly distinctive vocal lines, which refuse to forego authenticity for assimilation, My Own Way is a testament to the Ukraine-born, Russia-raised, NY-residing singer-songwriter and his determination to wear his heart on his sleeve.

While earworms that delve deep into scarred psyches to expose the commonalities of agony are a rarity, igor achieved all of that and more in the symbiosis of rhythmic ferocity and tender vulnerability in My Own Way.

My Own Way was officially released on December 1st; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crux sharpened their socially conscious knife in their garage rock protest ‘Dreamseller’

Posted on 1 December 2023

For their latest ensnaring alt-rock synthesis, Dreamseller, Newcastle’s breakthrough act, Crux, took a break from touring the Seattle sound through mutative prog-rock instrumental arrangements and left plenty of room to explore garage rock nuances, noted through The Strokes-esque vocal delivery which adds an element of precariousness to the deadpan croons Alex Turner wishes he could execute with such devil may care finesse.

As the basslines stab and roll through the electrifyingly vintage production, the angular guitar lines carve through the atmosphere and the percussion consistently works to the singular aim of adding an element of tension to the single that will pull you back in time after time. The magnetism within the refreshing distinction and creative confidence which sees the release swathed in swagger is far too addictive to quit.

Since emerging in 2019, Crux’s name has become synonymous with their fiercely uncompromising style and their ability to sharpen their grungy prog-rock signature with a socially conscious edge. With Dreamseller, the outfit revamped their sound and scathed at the commodification of musicians and the industry which sees no value within art, unless it can be exploited at the expense of the artist.

Dreamseller was officially released on November 24; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Every Glazer’s talents are as boundless as his imagination in the melodic rock sonic sanctum, 23 Figments

Posted on 30 August 2023

To release his latest single, The Every Glazer dug through his alt-rock archives to uncover the single, 23 Figments, which was originally recorded in 2003 at Goblin Cross Records in Toronto with the contributing artist and recording engineer, Ross Goodfellow.

Ross Goodfellow may no longer be with us, but his legacy lives on in this rhythmic masterpiece; you can hear his organically vibrant percussive command pull through clearly on the soulful djembe beats as the rest of the instrumentals emanate a euphonic aura stylised by the likes of Incubus.

With Ross Goodfellow’s passing bringing new context to the single that explores figments that the mind conjures, 23 Figments is a deeply evocative work. As it pays homage to the early 00s rock sound that still rings with fragments of Seattle grunge, The Every Glazer embraces nostalgia and mellifluous innovation simultaneously to craft an original single that is all too efficacious in offering your soul sanctuary.

Check out the AI-created music video for 23 Figments via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London’s FOURA.M mainlined livewire energy into their alt-rock debut, Bombers

Posted on 11 August 2023

With a scuzzed-up and brashy guitar intro that will throw you right back to At the Drive-In’s moment of glory when their live performance of One-Armed Scissor on Conan became a global phenomenon, the intro to the debut track, Bombers, from FOURA.M, will capture your attention in an equally as visceral way.

Marketing themselves as ‘Dad Rock straight outta London’ scarcely does the frenetic fourpiece justice. Their influences reminisce with alt 90s and 00s tones, but nothing about Bombers feels remotely dated; the evocative pulls of the Foo Fighters-esque melodies and touches of Royal Blood in the production sealed FOURA.M a place amongst the other acts who are giving rock a fighting chance of surviving the Gen Z obsession with electronica.

If you see as much potential in FOURA.M as we do after bearing witness to their strong debut, keep your eyes peeled for their live tour dates around London.

Bombers hit the airwaves on July 28; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Minnesota hard rock monoliths, Störmbreaker, kicked up adrenalised dust in their industriously tight single, To the Grave

Posted on 15 May 2023

In a similar adrenalized vein to All That Remains and other icons of the 00s hardcore scene, Störmbreaker kicked up plenty of dust while taking us ‘To the Grave’ with their latest single.

The cacophonous percussion, catchy choral hooks and vocals, which resound as a rallying cry as the track hits the eye of the breakdown storm, amalgamated into an unforgettable introduction to Minnesota’s hardest melodic rock outfit.

The loss of control expressed in the lyrics is inexplicably contrasted against the tight instrumental arrangement, which makes To the Grave the ultimate tour de force for the powerhouse, who has been on the airwaves since 2018, taking their juggernautical sound across the states and opening for Korn, Five Finger Death Punch and Breaking Benjamin. If anyone has what it takes to keep rock relevant, it is Störmbreaker.

To the Grave was officially released on April 28; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Disco grooves through Jessup’s electronic alt-rock deadpan gem, Amusing

Posted on 25 December 2022

Alt-rock icon-in-the-making Jessup is on sardonically deadpan stellar form in his electro-rock hit, Amusing. The histrionic flair around the 90s/early 00s alt-rock energy and shimmering disco-pop grooves is an enlivening testament to his ability in orchestrating a distinctively expressive sonic score while making no bones about spilling plenty of authentic personality,

If the Offspring were a little more daring and tonally experimentalist in their heyday, the reminiscences between Amusing and Self Esteem would have been even more tangible. After an orchestral rock outro from the St. Louis, US-residing artist and producer, you can’t help delving right back into the snappy indie rock hit that absolutely sets the bar for other up-and-coming artists.

Amusing was officially released on December 16th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Follow Jessup via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lighters in the air for Phatt James’ latest melodic grunge single, Ahead of Line

Posted on 27 May 2022

The evocative rock raconteurs, which form the melodic grunge powerhouse, Phatt James’ are fresh from the release of their latest single, Ahead of Line, which is a sublime convergence of the styles of Incubus and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, with plenty of their own distinction injected in between. Production-wise, the instrumentals gravitate around inexplicably intricate gravitas while the vocals expose nothing but raw soul.

It is still early days for the Bridgeport, Connecticut hailing outfit after releasing their debut EP, Circle Bent, in 2019, but notably, if any new band has what it takes to stir the hearts of 90s and 00s rock fans, it is Phatt James with their familiar yet sincerely original sound.

Ahead of Line is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast