Browsing Tag

Alternative

Vashaun set the alt-rap scene ablaze with ‘Lit Matches’, ft VHC

Few artists defy genre constraints with as much fire and fervour as Vashaun. At this stage in his career, his unflinchingly expressive discography, which focuses on visualising emotion, exploring phenomena, and welcoming listeners into his worldview and the streets that raised him, almost spans the entirety of the sonic spectrum.

From rock to emo to rap to Afrobeat to acoustic pop, it’s anyone’s guess where he will take his fans next. With his latest single, Lit Matches, the Chicago-born-and-raised artist collaborated with VHC to deliver one of his most expansively affecting singles to date.

Lit matches ignites with the grungy discordance of alt-90s indie before the first verse drifts into an organically melodic acoustic pop verse. But Vashaun doesn’t settle there; in the next progression, fans of Lil Peep and Juice Wrld will be able to get their emo rap fix, but Vashaun makes the style his own with the overdriven guitars, melodic Latin infusions and dualling rap verses that could rival ICP.

It’s a rarity to find a hit that gets better with every listen, but discernibly, we’ve stumbled on sonic gold with Lit Matches. Vashaun is a firebrand that will leave the alt-rap scene ablaze.

Lit Matches was officially released on May 24; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

The future of alt-rock arrived with Zegovia’s grungy punk-pierced protest, (It’s All Just) Noise

Imagine an immensely volatile lovechild of Dinosaur Jr and Pavement with punk proclivities, and you’ll get an idea of what Zegovia birthed with their latest single, (It’s All Just) Noise.

After the warm overdriven guitar chords swathe the pulsative drum rhythms with discordance in the intro, the rancour strips back as angular notes deliver intricately off-kilter melodies, creating a raw edgy aesthetic that speaks to how sharp Zegovia cut their teeth before they delivered the hook-rife controlled chaos in (It’s All Just) Noise.

So much more than your assimilative bubble of alt-90s nostalgia, Houston’s most inventively authentic alt-rock outfit rose up from the sludgy ennui of grunge, driven by the punk rock ferocity that is clearly running in their veins.

After feeling the full force of the visceralism in their latest release, it is evident that the four-piece’s determination to keep the pulse of rock beating in their rhythm won’t be in vain. Sleeping on a bed of nails would be easier than sleeping on Zegovia.

(It’s All Just) Noise arrived on the airwaves on May 24; stream the single on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Interview with PH Mazza: Exploring the Darkly Baroque World of His Eponymous Debut Album

In this no-prisoners-held interview, PH Mazza discusses the unsettling elements and twisted cinematic grandeur that define his sound. Mazza shares insights into the influence of legendary artists like Elton John, David Bowie, and Lou Reed and candidly explores his intentions behind the album, his disdain for mainstream conformity, and his commitment to creating art that challenges and provokes. If you have always wanted to step inside the mind of a visionary, now is your chance.

PH Mazza, thanks for giving us the opportunity to sit down with you to discuss your darkly baroque eponymous debut album. We’d love to know what the interplay between jarringly unsettling elements and the cinematic opulence says about you as an artist. 

“Obscurely Baroque… Unsettling elements and cinematic opulence… I like it.

Hello A&R Factory team and readers. It’s a pleasure to be here and be part of what will be my first interview.

Not that I believe I’ll be called for many others in my life haha but it’s a price I pay.

What are the emotional and philosophical themes which underpin the release?

Not to be a suck-up. Some might call it art-sabotage or call me arrogant, but none of this went through a convoluted intellectual filter neither was it meticulously planned, yet it came naturally.

I felt and lived all of this, but didn’t disguise or reduce anything to be socially/artistically accepted. This is an album made for, when lining it up with other things I like, I can say: Yeah

Which artists have been essential to your inspiration? 

I can never distance myself from the influence that Elton John’s piano style and his way of creating harmonies have had on my life as a whole. He was my first and still is my greatest music hero, especially the early albums, citing the self-titled “Elton John” from 1970 and the raw energy from “11-17-70”.

The grandeur of the harmonies and the orchestra conducted by Paul Buckmaster undoubtedly resonates here and there in everything I set out to do.

Despite being rivals, the presence of David Bowie, especially in his “Station to Station” (1976) to the Berlin trilogy era, also mentioning his work with Iggy Pop on “The Idiot,” is responsible for a large part of the atmosphere- the dark and eery aesthetic that I tried to reproduce.

I couldn’t avoid mentioning the cruel and mocking tone in which Lou Reed writes his lyrics and sings them cynically, like a punch in the stomach, and certainly was one of my main discoveries while developing my writing skills as well as the way I would like to express the messages that I purpose.

Last but not least, I still mention here the names of Kate Bush, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Talking Heads for their courage to dance to their own rhythms throughout their careers that had few mistakes because they never justified any of their works. They do what they want to do, it’s their truth.

What were your intentions with the debut album? 

The most selfish feeling possible of pleasing myself: to be able to feel the relief from managing to do a substantial work that I can still be proud of in 40 years ahead if it was my only one

For someone who graduated from Law School and tried the corporate world due to external pressure, this personal validation arises as an honour and respect to myself for all the years of consequential frustration for doing something I didn’t want in the first place.

If anything I did bother someone, I take that as credit too.

How did you discover your preference for disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed rather than creating euphonic art? 

First of all, having no regrets when it comes to creation, being unbearably unapologetic.

From some point in my teenage years, I began to be more interested in arts that caused me a strangeness, something that I couldn’t classify or that demanded me listening more than once to understand the artist’s intention.

…The provocations within the lyrics, the tones, the energy and aura created… something that would take me out of the comfort zone of radio-friendly stuff and that’s why Tom Waits, Lou Reed, and Kate Bush always fascinated me a lot.

I think it was Rick Rubin who once said that the listener’s opinion is the last thing that comes when creating music, but I believe it should never come at any part of the process.

Art, considering it as its unique appearance described by Walter Benjamin as “aura”, must come, just like the uniqueness of life, from the deepest, most disgusting, and horrifying core hidden behind all social masks: it’s the intrusive thought that comes out soundly or not (John Cage understood it very well) from the devils and voices of the mind.

Besides that, it’s fast food.

Do you think too many contemporary artists have fallen into the people-pleasing trap of playing it safe and have dulled the music industry? 

I think it’s the evilness of pop music in general.

Every generation had its own formulas and ways of making money from the music market… which is not necessarily bad, the 70’s explored and valued the technical-creative capacity of artists for the mainstream.

Currently, with all the revolution/intellectual impoverishment of “knowing a lot, but knowing nothing” of post-social media society, it undoubtedly accelerated that decadent process.

Artists record 1:30-minute songs to be successful on TikTok through bizarre and dystopically stupid dance videos…

… Besides all the streaming distribution on platforms like Spotify that operate on the edge of a pyramid scheme classification at the moment that only benefits pop entities at the top of that food chain who don’t even count on this kind of income with royalties anymore…

Everything is ingeniously created for money to generate money and artists enter the game because, unfortunately, they need to just survive.

I don’t blame the independent community for wanting to be pop music, but I wouldn’t feel bad if I knew that Spotify or Universal Music CEOs had an airplane accident.

It’s an audacious move to self-produce a debut LP backed by a big orchestra, does pretension factor into your execution of the album? 

Hahaha and it was also a nightmare for the sound engineers who mixed the album.

In fact, all the orchestra elements, woodwinds, and brass were made with digital instruments by myself because it would certainly be financially unfeasible to transmit all those ideas by paying that many musicians and hours at the studio, which I don’t consider bad because it challenged me to learn to program and produce alone what came to my mind. It was a new language acquired.

I wouldn’t say that ambition influences the album’s execution, but it is the engine that prevented me from creating my own barriers and having imposter syndrome to achieve what I wanted.

I also believe that ambition is an external perception because the artist is just exploring ideas without thinking too much about that kind of thing.

Now that the album is out in the world, what’s next? 

There’s still a lot to be said, but since making an album is very expensive for an independent artist as I am, it also depends on how many problems I’ll have with banks and money haha Because I already have about 6 albums composed, but not recorded so far.

What I can anticipate is that, if what I do causes angst, I guarantee that I’m still far from the maximum discomfort I could cause: this is just the beginning.-

Slip into the theatrically macabre avant-garde eponymous debut album via Spotify, and follow PH Mazza through the haunted corridors of his mind on Facebook and Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

NYC’s Jazz-Punk Raconteurs of Rancour, Goldbloom, Stridently Blossomed in Their Fusionist Revolution, Redneck

For Money and Power by Goldbloom

The protestive pulse of punk and the rhythmic rebellion of jazz went hand in hand in ‘Redneck’, which is just one of the seminal singles from the Texan-born, NYC-based jazz trio Goldbloom’s sophomore LP, For Money and Power.

Channelling the jazz-punk flair of icons in the same vein as Acoustic Ladyland, with this sax-led riotously smoky tour de force, the outfit which originally connected at NYC’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, pushed visceral momentum into an aural arena hallmarked by sophisticated syncopation and inaccessible pretension.

The synergy trio’s triadic power is on full display in Redneck, as is the dualism between the technical skill and the intensity of a garage rock band riffing out a sonic resistance that you will want to join them at the vanguard for.

Redneck is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ander became the paragon of a post-grunge prodigy with ‘accident’

After the pensive melodic intro teases nothing more than an assimilation of Nirvana, ander catches you off-guard with the immense authenticity in the moody synthesis of grunge, emo, indie post-punk, and bruisingly heavy shoegaze within his latest single, accident.

At 17 years old, the solo artist is already putting the majority of artists to shame with his fusionistic outpours of visceral emotion which pull you into their intensity before striking every feasible raw nerve. Rhythmically tensile yet cataclysmically tumultuous, accident is a cultivated earworm which belies ander’s age. The vortex of distorted guitars as they thrash against the haunting narrative of introspection redemption couldn’t be more affecting if Deftones laid down the instrumentals.

With his ability to make most of his contemporaries sound tired, uninspired and as though they are just going through the motions while painting by numbers, we have no doubt that ander has what it takes to cut through the static of sonic banality and rise to the top of the alternative charts.

Accident was officially released on May 10th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

J fired shots in his arcane parody pop-rock hymn, Our Men

Satirically blasphemous shots were fired at the military-industrial complex and the absurdity of piety in the latest single, Our Men, from one of the UK’s most enigmatic originators, J.

Having already witnessed J through his single Shame on You, we knew to expect a certain degree of endearing obscurity in this single, described as a stimulation of humour, intellect, emotion, body and soul, yet the one-man powerhouse exceeded all expectations in the spacey chorally psychedelic pop-rock hit that simultaneously gives Jonathan Pie, Prince and The Beatles a run for their money.

The cleverly meta single delivers intricate layers of depth that stack up to stand as a monolithic testament to J’s ingenuity. Not one to throw himself into expositions half-heartedly, Our Men cracks open the psyche of a warped military captain turned priest with a penchant for invasion and occupation. The parallels of tyrannical control were always there, it just took an audaciously bold artist to create a sonic boardwalk between them.

The guitar work that could make angels cry as it soars throughout the gospel-esque pop production towards the outro is the icing on this arcane parody’s cake. Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what J sinks his lyrical teeth into next.

Stream the official music video for Our Men when it premieres on YouTube on May 15th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Revel in the melancholic petrichor of Ludvik Langholm’s intimate lo-fi pop single, Empty Parking Lot

In Ludvik Langholm’s latest single, Empty Parking Lot, the intimacy of indie pop meets the raw elements of nature to create an aching auditory experience, born from the torment of introspection.

The Leeds, UK-based Norwegian artist plunges listeners into a stormy emotional landscape that mirrors the turbulent weather it sonically captures. Crafted with the lo-fi charm of bedroom pop, Empty Parking Lot occupies a stylistic nexus akin to Neutral Milk Hotel’s artistry and Mitski’s expressive depth. The track’s lush, ethereal textures and deliberate distortions evoke the sensation of a warped tape deck, producing hauntingly personal aesthetics.

Drawing from a rich tapestry of influences, including his queer and neurodiverse perspectives, Langholm layers instrumental and vocal melodies that convey complex emotional states. The song’s narrative explores the challenge of supporting a friend through difficulty, balancing the act of giving space with the desire to offer comfort. The incorporation of rain sounds and the rhythmic swiping of windscreen wipers immerse the listener in the scene, deepening the connection to the song’s themes.

As Empty Parking Lot builds to its close, the eerie harmony of layered modulated voices takes centre stage, embodying the haunting aftermath of loss. In this track, Ludvik Langholm successfully captures the essence of vulnerability and the poignant beauty of human connection.

Ludvik Langholm released Empty Parking Lot on May 2nd; stream the single on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bad Friends With Black Cats Let the Cat out of the Bag in an Exclusive A&R Factory Interview

Ahead of their eagerly anticipated EP, I WANT TO MOVE, Bad Friends With Black Cats shared insights into their evolving sound. From acoustic beginnings to a dynamic full-band experience, the group delves into how they’ve layered darker, more vulnerable lyrics with robust energy, underpinned by acoustic rhythms. The lead single, “OKAY, BYE,” encapsulates key personal milestones, setting the tone for the EP’s raw, candid vibe inspired by influencers like PUP and The Front Bottoms. This conversation invites listeners to peer deeper into the essence of their music, promising an intimate connection forged through shared struggles and high-energy anthems.

Bad Friends With Black Cats, thanks for the opportunity to sit down with you ahead of the release of your EP, I WANT TO MOVE. Can you walk us through the journey of your sound evolution leading up to this EP? What elements did you experiment with or push to the forefront this time around?

Well up until this EP, everything released had only been acoustic demos. So the biggest step we took was definitely incorporating the full band sound while still maintaining an acoustic rhythm guitar driving it. Marcelo couldn’t have written better drums to the tracks and was able to always push the energy and keep attention on the song. The lyrics continue to get darker and more vulnerable while keeping a sense of relatability, leaning on heavy influences from bands like PUP and The Front Bottoms.

What’s the story behind the lead single of the EP? How does it encapsulate the essence of the entire project?

“OKAY, BYE” is a song about meeting my partner, Melissa, in Ottawa back in 2017. It describes several aspects of our lives over the first 2 years of our relationship. It touches on my state before meeting her, my anxieties of living in a new city, and the struggle of finding a place to live. It is literally about the stage of my life where I found the music that would go on to influence this entire project (The Front Bottoms, Modern Baseball, PUP) and for that reason I think it’s the perfect introduction to the new era of Bad Friends With Black Cats.

What lies behind your motivation to deliver raw and candid music?

It’s what I’ve always connected with and listened to personally. I’ve always gravitated to the lyrics and meaning of a song and really loved when it was vulnerable and authentic. Bands like PUP, who deliver such high energy and emotion despite yelling about everything they hate, have always hit home for me and have been my preference; it only makes sense that would bleed over into my writing and what I want to make.

Which artists are the most influential on your sound, and where else do you pull inspiration from?

The biggest influences on our sound are bands like PUP, The Front Bottoms, Jeff Rosenstock and Modern Baseball. However, I have gone through so many phases of my life listening to different styles, and I believe they all play their own part on influencing our music. (Green Day, MCR, Avenged Sevenfold, Mumford and Sons, Aesop Rock)

Growing up, Blink 182 was also a huge influence on both Marcelo and I. You can really hear Travis Barkers influence on the drumming as well as the idea of not taking ourselves to seriously with the lyrics.

How do you hope the EP will resonate with your audience or shift listener perceptions about your music?

I really just hope listeners find the struggles in daily life relatable and worth yelling with us about. I think we touch on a variety of very relatable insecurities while delivering high-energy tunes that people can enjoy.

How do personal experiences and emotions feed into your songwriting and music production?

Paul: That’s really the driving force of our music. Our music starts and ends with the struggles we face every day. It’s the reason I pick up the guitar and start writing. Personal experiences and emotions are what sparks creativity, at least for my personally.

We’d love to know the story behind your endearingly unique artist name, and a little bit of the band’s history and inner workings.  

I originally started this band with a high school friend, Connor Ratayczak. After going 5+ years of barely communicating and being flakey, we reunited to try and start a band. We each had black cats and thought the idea of being “bad friends” had a ring to it. I think it really fits the “goofy punk” band name style and fits the brand very. My black cat, Shady, is also my best friend (concerning, I know) and having her incorporated somehow makes me happy. I got Shady at the beginning of the toughest phase of my life, so she’s been through it all too!

Looking beyond this EP, how do you see your music evolving in the future?

It’s hard to say. Obviously we’ll strive to improve our sound and quality and take another step forward in the next recording venture. But in terms of style and inspiration, I don’t think we know. We have a ton of songs we’re sitting on that fit this style that we’re so excited to start recording, but it’s hard to predict what we’ll write next. I’ll continue to listen to amazing artists that inspire me to create.

Listen to Bad Friends With Black Cats on Spotify.

Follow the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

El Greasy dawned a new era of sleaze with their industrialised slice of rock reverence, Whiskey

Now onto their third single, El Greasy is proving their capacity to carve out a pastiche-free niche with their sleazily revolutionised sonic signature. Forget the rock n roll you knew; this modernised slice of rock reverence exhibits a band that knows exactly where to push innovation into the production and revisit the past with debauched devil-may-care uninhibition; the kind of uninhibition gained from downing your favourite black label bottle.

The guitar lines are cut with all the raunch and swagger you could ever desire and the rhythm section knows exactly where to bend brutal volition in the modernised hit that uses corrosive industrial electronica to dawn a new era of dark, gritty and overamplified hedonistic rock.

With touches of Mike Patton’s maniacal vocal style working their way into the expansively sludged with stoner aesthetics 8-minute single that also proves El Greasy is equally at home while emulating the timbres of Highly Suspect, Whiskey is a chameleonically dynamic riot that pulls together audaciously enough to leave you questioning, how the fuck did they pull that off?

Whiskey started to pour on the airwaves on May 3rd; fill up your glass via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chasing Shadows: Hazard’s ‘Never Going Home’ Echoes the Depths of Desolation

For their standout single, Never Going Home, the Welsh three-piece Hazard filtered psyched-up shoegaze-y post-punk through a grungy and intensely evocative lens, resulting in an emotionally tumultuous outpour of despondence. With vocals spilling into the middle ground between the haunting timbre of Placebo and the sharp confronting antagonism of Angels & Airwaves as the monochrome guitars carve a chill into the mind-bending production, Never Going Home unravels as a dark narrative that tears into the soul and triggers empathy as a dual-sided vignette of loneliness and displacement pours across the alchemic instrumentals.

If the reprise of “She’s never going home/I feel so alone” doesn’t hit hard, there’s probably not much hope for your soul.

There’s no better single to discover Hazard through; after ceaselessly evolving their sound since their 2019 dawning, their sound has culminated in an unflinchingly agonised attest to their ability to stir visceral emotion within their fans

Stream Never Going Home with the rest of Hazard’s sophomore LP, On a Dark Night in My Room via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast