Browsing Tag

Against Me

Modern Ape blended precision with passion in their rallying rock anthem, Justified

Posted on 10 January 2024

In modern rock, few bands capture the essence of soulful anthems quite like Modern Ape. Their latest single, Justified, is a testament to their unique blend of precision and passion. Hailing from North West England, this three-piece ensemble has crafted a sound that resonates with the spirit of rock blues, yet speaks to all generations.

The instrumentals are meticulously tight, showcasing a mastery of craft that is rare and commendable. But it’s the soul that pours from the vocals that truly sets this track apart. It grips you with a fervour reminiscent of Against Me, while the guitar hooks echo the soul-stirring appeal of the Manic Street Preachers. It’s a heartfelt cry wrapped in melody that you’ll want to turn to every time you want to feel alive, and it is that universally shared craving for visceralism which lyrically propels the track forward.

Modern Ape, with their self-deprecating moniker, might not seem like your typical rock heroes, but their music tells a different story. They excel in rallying cries, and Justified is a clarion call to the masses.

Stream the official music video for Justified which premiered on January 1st on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marc Ambrosia has debuted his electrifying country-pop-rock reclamation, Gay and Proud

Posted on 23 June 2023

With all the hate that has been spilt across the internet during Pride Month, Marc Ambrosia’s latest country-rock anthem, Gay and Proud, is an electrifyingly seminal release which celebrates his identity after keeping it hidden for twenty years.

With tinges to Against Me! in the strident vocal lines and some of the guitar work, the country-pop rock hit is a fiery reclamation, one that will instil the same sense of pride in every listener who also happens to fly under the rainbow flag. Despite alluding to the dark days that paved the way towards recording the single, Ambrosia kept the vibes high while delivering a fistful of resonance for his audience.

“I’ve known I was gay since I was eight years old. Despite that, I never in a million years would have thought I’d be able to admit that to anyone, let alone publicly. For so long, I felt rage, shame, and fear. I was so angry that I just couldn’t be “normal;” I felt ashamed that I couldn’t change myself, and I felt so afraid that someone might find out my secret. It took me twenty years to not only say I’m gay out loud, but also to accept that about myself and love that about myself.”

Gay and Proud is the title single from Ambrosia’s upcoming studio album, which promises to carry the same themes of overcoming self-hate and moving towards self-love, acceptance and peace.

Gay and Proud will hit the airwaves on June 23rd. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tune into Rebels in Stereo’s riotous punk rock anthem, Lace of Steel

Posted on 17 June 2023
CoVault by Rebels in Stereo

‘Lace of Steel’ is the riotously hooky seminal single from Chicago’s premier pop-punk-influenced outfit, Rebels in Stereo. Taken from their EP, CoVault, the overdriven to the nth degree hit reels you in with the edged and tight anthemics, but it is the vignette weaved through the high-octane release that keeps you immersed.

With a similar narrative to Thrash Unreal by Against Me! any female-identifying outliers that are looking for resonance will get more than they have bargained for when they delve into the punk rock anthem, which gains momentum through the modernist melodic power metal licks and the songwriting chops that are as sharp as a butcher’s cleaver.

With a new LP in the pipeline, there’s little doubt that 2023 will be the year of Rebels in Stereo. It takes far more than a powerful set of pipes to become an arresting frontwoman; thankfully, Cassidy’s vocal range is as wide-spanning as her talents in weaving soul into her superlative harmonies.

Stream and purchase Lace of Steel by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago alt-metal originators, Dust Biters, expose their bleeding post-hardcore heart in ‘Progeny’

Posted on 30 January 2023

With a tumultuously rapturous sound that could only have stemmed from Chicago, Dust Biters’ lead single, Progeny, from their album, Guilt, is a viscerally maniacal feat of tightly off-kilter ingenuity.

As Nick Kinsley dynamically volleys between hitting all the right vocal notes, he throws plenty of evocative punches along the way. In the same vein as Against Me! Dust Biters heighten their sound to the nth degree through a combination of instrumental prowess and bleeding post-hardcore heart.

In the space of three minutes, Progeny moves through as many tonal shifts as some bands do in an entire LP. Yet, with the way that the uninhibitedly wild progressions bind together with melodic adhesion, it’s always easy to follow their raw groove-led lead.

If they make it to the UK, I will be the one with a near-broken neck at the front.

Check out the Radio Cut of Progeny on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Outside Kids call for salvation in their grungy pop-punk visceral earworm, Hey God

Posted on 15 November 2022

With their Sub Pop record deal-worthy dynamic edge, The Outside Kids made us suckers for their cutting-edge nostalgic kicks through the lead single, Hey God, from their debut LP, Dirty Faces.

By implanting Green Day-style pop-punk hooks and a little RHCP melodicism in the 90s Seattle sound, the alt-rock duo found the perfect formula for earwormy infectious appeal in the contemporary rock scene. Sparked by a shared influence of Against Me! and Frank Turner, the duo’s symbiotically tight propensities entwine with their socially conscious edge to make their sound that little bit more soulfully gripping. The original icons of pop-punk got plenty right, but with evasive morality, the records will always resonate as bitterly juvenile; The Outside Kids brought the maturity the scene has always been deprived of.

The loud reprise of “can you hear me now” paired with the title of Hey God is a powerful allusion to the frustration we all feel when we forget that the world isn’t happening to us, we just happen to be here for the ride. Embrace the chaos with this perfect hit.

Hey God is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of The Outside Kids’ album, Dirty Faces.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Magnapinna brought in the new wave of no-wave with ‘Party Rumours’

Posted on 27 February 2022
Party Rumours by The Magnapinna

With riotous vocal reminiscence to Against Me paired with their scuzzily volatile new wave energy, The Magnapinna’s single, Party Rumours, is just a few voltages short of taking a bath with a toaster.

The Magnapinna started as an online international outfit before evolving into an Ireland-hailing collective that has garnered positive press across the board. They have been lauded by Kerrang, who rightly observed the maniacally eccentric band are like no other.

The title single from their 2022 LP has all the party rock energy of Andrew WK’s Party Hard paired with the discordant punk edge of Dead Kennedys and lofty nuances of surf punk in the gorgeously layered backing vocals. The LP itself scales the entirety of the alt-rock spectrum in absorbingly visceral fashion and lets The Magnapinna’s Mike Patton influence shine through.

Party Rumours is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Glitched has dropped their alchemically anthemic Alt-Rock hit “Laissez Tout Brûler”

Posted on 28 October 2020

Laissez Tout Brûler is the lead track from the Alt-Rock powerhouse Glitched’s latest EP “Chaos World, Pt. 1 (An Apparition Emerges)”, if you’re aurally sensitive, prepare to feel a little bruised.

Right from the first verse, there’s a magnetically direct invitation to immerse yourself in the soundscape. The steadiness of the preceding verses makes the alchemy in the successive ones even more exhilarating. Think along the lines of Dinosaur Jr’s Feel the Pain.

When the momentum builds in the choruses, so does Glitched’s playful energy which tears through the melancholy which was laid out in the former verses. After hearing Laissez Tout Brûler, I have no doubt that Glitched could give Foo Fighters a run for their money live, their sound is just as capable of filling a stadium. Plus there’s the extra added bonus of Laissez Tout Brûler being a uniquely unpredictable track which experimentally unravels while sweeping across the full tonal palette.

You can check out Glitched’s single for yourselves via Spotify or YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Always Manic – Falling into A Coma: Piercingly Evocative Anthemically-Charged Alt Rock

Posted on 27 May 2020
https://soundcloud.com/alwaysmanic/falling-into-a-coma

Any fans of Against Me! will undoubtedly want to check out the anthemically-charged standout single “Falling Into A Coma” from US Alt Rock artist Always Manic.

It has all the anthemic appeal as hits from bands such as the Foo Fighters, yet the striking levels of volatile dynamic emotion take Always Manic’s sound to the next level. Alt Rock tracks don’t often come as evocatively magnetic as Falling into A Coma.

The up and coming artist has proven with Falling into A Coma you can pour all the apathy and angst you like into a track, but if there’s enough euphoric energy and fuzzy guitar-driven electricity weaved into the mix, it can become an extremely effective feel-good hit.

The slight vibrato on the vocals in the first verse stung, but hearing the momentum build and the restraint falling away sweeps you up in the energy of the track until you feel as adrenalized as the track itself.

You can check out Falling Into A Coma for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast