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Thee Spicy Leviathan cut through the ‘Noise’ with their latest alt-rock juggernaut

Posted on 28 October 2024

The latest stoner rock-adjacent single, Noise, from Manchester’s freshly formed outfit, Thee Spicy Leviathan, borrows a few salacious leaves from Deftones’ sonic playbook, scrawling their sonic signature across the pages. Once lured by the seductive rhythmic pulse of the single, subversion sinks in as the euphonic deadpan vocals transition from crooning to screamo snarls, unveiling a vicious sense of duality in the production that mirrors the hypersonic drama reminiscent of Muse. It’s practically the stoner rock equivalent of a horror film jump scare, heightening the immersion in the technically cultivated, tumultuously ingenious track.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to say that Manchester harbours a new, truly prodigious outfit, but no one can deny the powerhouse is cutting through the nostalgic banality of the scene, blazing a similar trail to Dirty Laces, Deja Vega, and The Virginmarys.

As they gear up for their debut album launch later this year, Thee Spicy Leviathan is poised to ignite the alt-rock genre with their explosive, primal energy.

The official music video for Noise premiered on October 2nd; stream it on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rooftop Screamers & Randy McStine – Souvenirs: A Mesmeric Prog-Pop-Rock Keepsake of Nostalgia and Emotion

Posted on 20 October 2024

In Souvenirs, Rooftop Screamers, the passion project of Mike Collins, pulled from his well of diverse musical influences and delivered a sonic experience that echoes through the past and present. With Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree) and Mark Plati (David Bowie) lending their talents, the track captures the bitter-sweetness of nostalgic reflection to transmit an affecting ode to the beauty of mementoes and the sorrow of losing touch with people who have shaped your soul.

The choral pop-rock energy of the song, tinged with prog-rock guitar motifs, rises and falls like waves of memories rushing through the psyche. Shimmering 80s chords lift the track into an almost celestial realm, while the melancholic lyrics drag you back to Earth with a gravity that’s hard to shake. You’ll find yourself torn between the elation of the instrumentals and the heaviness of the message which we can all relate to. We’ve all been there as protagonists in the universally resonant vignette after loving in losing, whether that person is no longer with us, or we’ve just shifted with different tides.

Every Rooftop Screamers release reveals a new avenue of Collins’ ingenuity, and Souvenirs is no different. Much like every other triumph in his discography, you’re still led to the same emotionally scintillating destination with the single that hits just as hard as the Christmas song that always knows which evocative triggers to pull. There really is no overstating the impact of this stellar slice of proggy 80s pop rock.

Souvenirs was officially released on October 11; stream the single on Spotify now.

Keep up to date with all the latest Rooftop Screamers singles via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ManiSol stood at the vanguard at dusk as desert rock pioneers in ‘Last Pursuit at Sundown’

Posted on 17 October 2024
ManiSol

ManiSol, the Austrian duo known for their always-in-flux soundprint, have returned with Last Pursuit at Sundown, a dusky desert rock vignette which invites the airwaves to approach the Western Front at twilight. As you sink into the throes of the scriptless saga, your imagination will meet the minds of the relentless innovators.

As post-rock Titans who continually redefine their sound, this latest entry is true to immersive form; by dripping psychedelia into the dynamic fusion, a vivid auditory landscape unfurls through which ManiSol builds a Western panorama where riffs replace pistols at dawn.

The track commences with a quiet stir of bass notes, escalating into a crescendo of clashing brashy chords which reverberate through the dusky hues of sundown in the sprawling sonic scene. Winding back down from the aural apex, each note is crafted to prolong the moment, allowing the music to slither through the emotionally charged atmosphere and inviting the listener to partake in a sublime encounter with instrumental introspection.

ManiSol’s ability to reinvent themselves remains evident as they don instruments like psychedelic rock armour; each release from the duo showcases their relentless pursuit of creative expression and ability to challenge expectations with each note.

Last Pursuit at Sundown will hit all major streaming platforms, including Bandcamp, Spotify & Tidal, on October 17.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Conversations in Sound: An Interview with Insomnia on their Artistic Evolution and Ethos

Posted on 16 October 2024

Joining us at A&R Factory today is the band Insomnia, known for their introspective exploration of profound themes through a unique sonic palette. As they continue to expand their influence beyond San Diego, the band share the essence of their sound, marked by a dynamic range and the integration of deeply personal and universal lyrical content. Their approach invites listeners into a reflective auditory experience, resonating with themes of isolation, grief, and morality. This discussion sheds light on how their music serves as a narrative conduit for both the personal and the collective.

Insomnia, welcome to A&R Factory! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you to discuss the ethos and pathos that pulse at the heart of your music and performances. What kind of reputation have you amassed in San Diego and beyond?

Insomnia feels we have ascertained a dependable and influential reputation due to our ability to push boundaries with both our lyrical styling and entertaining performances. Venturing outside of our hometown has brought us success in the form of new audiences that are now excited to see us and Rat Pope take the stage whenever possible.

What’s an essential component of the Insomnia sound?

An essential component of the current iteration of the Insomnia sound would have to be our use of a loud-quiet dynamic to convey the tone of our storytelling within a song.

How has your sound evolved since your debut and what has inspired these shifts? 

Over time, our sound has been able to evolve greatly thanks to the ability to get comfortable performing our music in front of audiences. Their reaction delivers great feedback letting us know what works for them. To coincide with this, their reactions also allow us to understand what boundaries we can push in order to keep things interesting for all.

The lyrical themes in your music scratch far beyond the surface; what do you hope to achieve by exploring introspective avenues in the vein of isolation, grief and morality? 

Insomnia loves to explore what many consider to be “heavier” topics in a way that is accessible and relatable in order to not beat listeners and audience members over the head with it.

In some instances, we’re able to use our instrumentation to covey tone while in other cases we can make those more unsavory topics digestible by using metaphors and/or accompanying them with poppier sounding musical backing as a means to almost desensitize listeners so they’re able to take in the depth and complexity of our lyrics.

How have your personal experiences shaped your lyrical style?

As the lead songwriter of Insomnia, Noah employs many aspects of his personal experiences when creating lyrics for the band’s music. Topics such as fear of death and distaste with overbearing societal expectation are often found within Insomnia’s lyrics as these are struggles that he has had to tackle in his life. Aside from this, Noah loves to base songs around small bits of poetry and/or short stories he has written almost giving them a new life in the form of song. At the end of the day, Insomnia’s songwriting is meant to be almost ambiguous as the group prefers listeners attach their own personal meaning rather than professing their own defined message.

How do you balance personal vulnerability with universal relatability in your songwriting?

In order to make Insomnia’s songs retain their personal vulnerability while also remaining universally relatable, the band makes use of metaphors and double entendre statements as a way to allow the listeners to search for the “true” meaning.

Can you elaborate on the genesis of the rat pope and what the mascot represents in the context of your music?

The Rat Pope was never meant to be a physical being represented at our shows, but rather an idea based on a disdain for religious hypocrisy. The album art for Easter Sunday showcases an animated form of the figurehead which was then adapted to a live mascot of sorts parading around the stage at shows in order to draw relation for the audience between the message and the song itself.

You are known for your intense and emotionally charged live shows. How do you prepare for these performances, and what do you hope your audience takes away from these experiences?

We don’t do much in the vein of preparing for shows. We prefer to approach every show as if it is our last, leaving all the energy we have on the stage showing the audience and other bands sharing the night with us that it is okay to dive head first and have fun. As far as what we hope the audience takes away from the night, we aspire to be memorable and for the audience that night along with our streaming listeners to follow along with our evolution.

What does an idealistic future look like for Insomnia? 

An idealistic future for Insomnia entails the band being able to expand their audience reach beyond their home state. The band aims to test the limits of how the people could categorize Insomnia and evolve their sound and performances to be as impactful as possible.

Are there any new releases lingering in the pipeline?

Insomnia is deep in the works on a new single entitled Garbage Day perhaps hinting at a future larger release. Suffice to say, it’s not so much for us to say what lies ahead, it’s simply for the audience to stick around and find out.

Stream Insomnia’s discography on Spotify.

Connect with the band on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Spyndycyt existentially unravelled over a four-to-the-floor Avant-Garde beat in ‘I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore’

Posted on 12 October 2024

Spyndycyt’s latest single, ‘I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore,’ amps up the sonic signature scribed through his prior releases, giving the electrifying track a pulse of EBM while keeping true to his erratically eccentric vocal style as he unravels over a narrative of existentialism and frayed with chaos strobing synth lines.

As quirky and kinetically rhythmic as Neuroticfish and The Gothsicles, as experimental as, well, it’s pretty hard to draw a comparison in that domain, this latest single from Spyndycyt proves how succinctly he can command a four-to-the-floor beat that injects symphonic elements of the 90s rave scene.

It’s a broadsiding tour de force that is undoubtedly as effective at altering your brain chemistry as electroshock therapy. Bite down on this exploration of mistrust, betrayal, and the crushing, ever-growing suspicion that all your deepest and unspoken fears are true.

Contrasting the dark thematic undercurrents of being a terminal disappointment, the solo artist ensures that I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore oscillates through euphorically rhythmic hedonism to sugar the pill you will want to swallow time and time again.

I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Elevated Focusion reanimated the 90s rave scene in his trippy industrial electro-pop anthem, Disco Devil

Posted on 3 October 2024

Elevated Focusion electrified the middle ground between Deadmau5 and Lords of Acid in his alt-electronica anthem, Disco Devil, which features Dime De San and closes his eclectically epic LP, Dark Nights.

With endless transgressions in style, tone and momentum, the synthesis of EDM, electronic rock and industrial pop reanimates the hedonistic euphoria of the 90s rave scene with dark beats, demonic drops, and devilishly dualistic female vox which deliver Shiny Toy Guns-esque euphony in one breath and scathing fury in the next.

Elevated Focusion’s ability to seduce the rhythmic pulses and create dancefloor-worthy anthems follows early exposure to the NY rave scene and an era of experimentation in his earlier project, Johnny Rhythms. In 2023, the Elevated Focusion moniker was born, followed by the eponymous collaborative LP, which deserved to be as revered as the Judgement Night soundtrack, Peeping Tom’s self-titled release and Chase and Status’ No More Idols LP.

Stream the Dark Nights LP, which hit the airwaves on September 20th, via Spotify now.

Connect with Elevated Focusion on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Harmonies of the Haunted: Michael Richard Beirne Shares His Artistic Revelation in an Exclusive A&R Factory Interview

Posted on 3 October 2024

This week, we sat down with Michael Richard Beirne to explore the depths of his unique approach to music showcased in his two-part LP, The Haunted.

Since 2020, Beirne has transitioned from crafting experimental soundscapes to composing structured, narrative-driven dark folk vignettes, influenced by Nick Cave and seminal albums such as Radiohead’s In Rainbows, which shape his distinct sonic identity. Beyond the melodies, Beirne intertwines his Catholic beliefs, addressing themes of redemption, the nature of evil, and divine love. As he shifts from darker, introspective themes to the exuberant and vibrant energies expected in future projects, Michael Richard Beirne is forging a powerful auditory narrative that resonates with deep personal and spiritual truths.

Michael Richard Beirne, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us and discuss your unique approach to lyricism and sonic expression exhibited through your two-part LP, The Haunted. How did you hone your clearly cultivated songwriting style? 

Thank you for the opportunity of this interview & for your complimentary words.

I’ve been writing songs since 2020 when my brother gave me a new laptop with music-making software, a synthesiser & a microphone. The ability to write shorter, structured, narrative songs arrived after an extensive initial 2.5-year period of pure research, sample-collection, & eclectic loop-shopping, during which I made bizarre, rambling, experimental non-songs to find a way with lyrics & various ways of deploying my voice. At the end of 2022, I had a few songs which suggested the shape of a pair of albums, one set in Ireland and one set in Malta.

 The Haunted is as sombre as it is strikingly Avant-Garde; the soundscapes give Nick Cave a run for his money. Who or what are your biggest influences and how do they fit into your distinct sonic identity? 

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are undoubtedly the single most important influence. I find inspiration in the soundscapes of particular tracks; for example, the cavernous, epic feeling of Song of Joy from the album Murder Ballads, the enormous eeriness of Do You Love Me? Part 2 from Let Love In, as well as the narrative complexity & storytelling in Oh My Lord from No More Shall We Part. These songs suggest a scope and vast ambition to which I aspire.

Beyond that, I am really inspired by the idea of the album itself as a consummate artistic object and statement of belief. In this respect, I aspire to create something as integrated as In Rainbows by Radiohead, Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective, Skeleton Tree by the Bad Seeds, & Speakerboxxx/ Love-Below by Outkast. These albums are scorchingly eclectic, varied, and unpredictable, and yet achieve a holistic and coherent singular vision. They transcend individual songs & become a unified narrative, harnessing multiple modes of expression.

As a Catholic, how important is it for you to incorporate your religion into your music?

I am strongly committed to ensuring that my music both directly & indirectly describes God (in that my songs are condemnatory of evil) and Jesus Christ (in that they are expressive of a joyful, redeemed universe which is founded on forgiveness & love). To express this belief, I take cues from traditional Irish folk tunes, as well as from gospel music, & gospel-infused funk & hip-hop.

You’ve teased that there are more releases in the pipeline; what themes will be explored in your future projects?

Part 1 is very much a kind of story of emergence from depressive, anxious, psychotic & sinful patterns of thought into hope & forgiveness. Part 2 is more directly a celebration of joyful adventure in a happier, more redeemed state of mind in a futuristic world.

Part 3 is very much about the idea of the interaction between believers & non-believers, and communication. This Part 3 is therefore, in Christian terms, a kind of “Holy Spirit” album; the songs are designed to be more obviously catchier, groovier, and infectious, with strong rhythm sections & boom-bap.

How does your music usually come to fruition?

Songs are usually built from just a single chord progression or electric bass riff. I give that a title which suggests some sort of character & dramatic narrative. I then record improvised singing, rapping & general wailing over the top. I listen back to these improvised takes until I begin to hear in them the shape of the words. I type these up as I listen back to the improvisations. Then I repeat the process through many iterations, adding in sonic details. I listen to the song for weeks or even months to iron out all the lyrics.

When are you most creatively inspired? 

I’m most inspired by just a song’s title & the feeling that a loop or sample contains within it a hidden story & personality. It is as if the song already exists in a single note & the import of a single word.  

How do your debut LP and your forthcoming releases fit into your creative ambitions?

My ambition is simply to make albums that in some way try to measure up to my favourite records and be like the kind of records that my father introduced me to. He introduced me to Songs of Leonard Cohen, Nebraska by Springsteen, and the Pogues’ Rum, Sodomy & The Lash, as well as the Johnny Cash American records. All I hope is that my albums will form a small part of the history of music and that they can exist alongside those timeless albums on platforms such as Spotify & Apple. My other main purpose is to share my gratitude for my life and my belief in Jesus.

–

Stream Part 1 and Part 2 of Michael Richard Beirne’s Haunted LP on Spotify. 

Connect with the artist on Instagram.

 

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

The renegades of shoegaze revolution, interail, emerged as an unreckonable outfit in their debut single, red

Posted on 3 October 2024

With their debut single, red, the independent alt-rock outfit interail went beyond dropping the first track in their repertoire. The Northwest UK-hailing four-piece collective established themselves as the renegades of rock’s impending revolution, impending under their juggernautical volution.

Undercurrents of grungy shoegaze permeate the artfully chaotic tour de force, guaranteeing that getting swept up in the tides of red is non-optional as piercingly tumultuous percussion punctuates the laments of the distorted guitars beneath the vox, which oscillate between emulating everyone from Julian Casablancas to Thom Yorke to Orlando Weeks before heightening the evocative sting of the unique inflexions as the track gears towards its viscerally intense hardcore-tinged outro.

Not one moment of red allows you to feel comfortable within the progressions; the dynamic chameleon shifts in pace and tone are enough to leave your nerves frayed and your rhythmic pulses in knots.

The bar couldn’t have been set higher with their debut track; if you’re sick of assimilation-driven shoegaze, prepare to be adrenalised by the walls of sound in red.

Stream red on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lauren Presley lost the past to history in her empowering rock-licked EDM pop anthem, H-I-N-T

Posted on 28 September 2024
https://on.soundcloud.com/XqdqHcpudoAN7A7Z9

Texas’ freshest pop icon-in-the-making Lauren Presley shunted Taylor Momsen and Hayley Williams to the wayside when she dropped, H-I-N-T, her latest dark pop anthem, which uses the augmentation of rock to add even more electricity to the head-spinningly hot EDM pop choruses.

The only thing bigger than the sound in H-I-N-T is the cross-over appeal of this high-octane earworm which sends pulsating surges of adrenaline to your rhythmic pulses as Lauren Presley harmonises over the distortion-slicked hyper-sonic guitars which caustically cut their way through the Grammy-worthy production.

The energy in H-I-N-T gives the recently romantically scorned all the empowerment they could possibly harness to walk away from a toxic dynamic. With this hit on your playlists, you will be unreckonable.

Presley may have gone viral since her debut single, A Little Longer,  after garnering 1 million streams on Spotify and 5.6 million views on YouTube. Yet, she remains committed to delivering unpretentious pop with universally relatable lyrics. Even if she reached the same heights as Chappell Roan, there’s a sense that Presley would never be out of touch.

H-I-N-T will drop on September 27; stream the single on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kuwaisiana – Gentrification: A Sonic Molotov Aimed at Cultural Erosion

Posted on 27 September 2024
https://soundcloud.com/kuwaisiana/gentrification-aug-mix/s-GGnNrQ0jOK2?in=kuwaisiana/sets/mishriff-ep//s-hQHummCrWZD

Seattle-based trio Kuwaisiana aren’t pulling any punches with their latest release, ‘Gentrification’. From the opening Arabic howl of angst, the band tears into the cold, clinical destruction of cultural roots with brutal fury. As the track shifts gears into English, it doesn’t lose an ounce of its venom. Instead, it hammers home the visceral reality of gentrification – not as a polite reshuffling, but a full-scale assault on heritage and identity.

The track’s aggressive blend of grunge, hardcore, and post-punk catapults Kuwaisiana to the frontlines of protest music. Forget the half-hearted rage of your typical punk track; this is pure, unadulterated chaos. With riffs that cut like jagged glass and rhythms that hit like a riot, ‘Gentrification’ feels like a sonic Molotov hurled at the forces that reduce communities to dust. The gnarled vocals alone could level cities, calling back to the uncompromising energy of Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys.

The lyrical narrative is equally ferocious, painting a vivid picture of the hollowed-out ruins left by gentrification. The reference to ‘Disneyland nose jobs’ alludes to how Kuwaisiana aren’t just on the money, they’re holding the monopoly in the punk scene.

The haunting opening image sets the tone for a journey through displacement, exclusivity, and transience. +Aziz’s Kuwaiti-American identity bleeds through every note, making the track a gut punch for anyone who’s watched their cultural landscape get obliterated by the greed of the powerful.

Gentrification will reclaim the airwaves when it officially releases on September 27; stream the single on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast