Browsing Tag

band

Purge yourselves via District 13’s post-hardcore stormer, Step into the Fire

Posted on 5 February 2022

There was little chance of forgetting the mesmeric furore of District 13, which we were introduced to via their 2019 single, Soma. The Exeter-hailing virtuosic sons have driven even more frenetic finesse into their sound over lockdown if their latest single, Step into the Fire, is anything to go by.

Between the old-school Black Sabbath vibes and the hints of post-hardcore, their own darkly maniacal alt-metal signature sound had plenty of room to breathe. For 5 and a half minutes, District 13 prove the dynamism in their influence and talent as you are shunted through the unpredictably gratifying progressions. From hooky choruses to theatrical interludes to thrash metal breakdowns, Step into the Fire offers it all. We highly recommend any alt-metal fan with an open mind instead of a petulant fixation on the past purges themselves within Step into the Fire.

The official video for District 13’s single, Step Into the Fire, is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Psych Soul Food is Back on the Menu with Denim Dan’s Return to the Airwaves

Posted on 25 January 2022

The NYC psychedelically blessed folk-pop-rock powerhouse, Denim Dan, serenaded us with their seminal spacey album, No Guarantee, ahead of the release of their upcoming album, 3AM.

Each of the singles on the 2020 album, No Guarantee, provides the opportunity to shift the ennui and existentialism out of your worldview. To complement the psychedelic tones, the enlightened lyricism that was penned to hit the evocative spot by uplifting just as much as the transcending instrumental timbres.

After forming in the 90s, Denim Dan’s fusion of 60s pop and 70s rock has remained just as sweet in the 21st century. Instead of modernising their sound that carries reminiscences to The Beatles, Steely Dan, Bowie and Tom Petty, they’ve stayed true to cathartically resonant form.

Along with the release of their upcoming album, the nostalgia-inducing outfit are also set to release their tribute to Bob Dylan to coincide with the opening of the Bob Dylan Museum in Tulsa, OK. They are well worth a spot on your radar.

Denim Dan’s 2020 album, No Guarantee, is available to stream in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gunpoint Alibi deliver the evolution that alt-rock fans have been waiting for with their latest single, Bury Me

Posted on 23 January 2022

‘Bury Me’ is the latest fierce slice of alt-rock from the Denver, Colorado-based powerhouse Gunpoint Alibi. What started as a garage-punk cover band in 2019 evolved into a gnarly post-hardcore outfit complete with ensnaring high-octane instrumental hooks and harsh pop-punk vocals that fall away from the Hayley Williams mould (thank God!) into raucous new territory.

Morgan Elizabeth’s vocal confidence runs in parallel to the levels of conviction and dynamism; she could smash through a screamo track just as well as a Taylor Swift hit. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the infectious sense of playfulness she uses as she attacks the lyrics with her versatile vocal timbre. We can’t wait to hear how they follow on from this monster of an alt-rock evolution.

Bury Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

This Is How I Feel: Camberley rockers The Whiskey Knights let it rip on ‘Trashed’

Posted on 14 January 2022

With a booming start to proceedings that is guaranteed to knock off all the dust from the previously-lonely speakers, The Whiskey Knights show us how they really feel on the brawl-heavy new single all about sensing others who are mentally ‘Trashed‘.

The Whiskey Knights is a 4-piece indie hard rock band from Camberley, Surrey who were formed in 2013 and seem to evolve constantly throughout each release.

”Their sound is best described as a mixture of hard rock, punk rock, indie rock and pop rock.” ~ The Whiskey Knights

With a sip-inducing single that has you knocking another one back to get into the mood again after all the recent heartache, The Whiskey Knights show us what hardcore rock music sounds like in 2022 with a tremendous effort that is sure to boost your immune system up to dominate the year.

‘Trashed‘ from the Camberley, Surrey-based indie hard rock act The Whiskey Knights, is a top-notch new single from a band who let it all out and couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks. Which is ultimately, just the way that they like it.

In a world filled with that fake stench that seems to be growing more horrid by the day in a confusing time for our precious world, this is a reminder to just let your hair down and vent out your true emotions. Bottling everything inside never works anyway.

Check out the single on Spotify and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

North Carolina’s Snatch the Snail are set to release their warped and wavy surf punk single, Sunk

Posted on 6 January 2022
Snatch the Snail

North Carolina’s most psychedelic retro surf outfit, Snatch the Snail, is set to release their warped and wavy alt-rock track, Sunk. Instead of sending you under as the track title suggests, the Avant-Garde nuances in the colourfully mellow track feed the dopamine with the same generosity of Pavement’s album, Brighten the Corners.

While the bent to the point of distortion guitar notes ring through plenty of wobbly echo and delay, the deadpan vocals sweeten the track that has all the hallmarks of a vibe-out playlist staple. With the experimentalism of Mike Patton and the punk surf vibes of Fidlar, it doesn’t take a genius why Snatch the Snail are thriving in their niche.

Check out Snatch the Snail on their website, Bandcamp and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Patience Is Wearing Thin: Alabama band Think Sanity look for the best way to prevail on ‘Closest to Happy’

Posted on 6 January 2022

With their 2nd album on the way soon as they bring us a speaker-shaking start to wake up the nosy neighbours, Think Sanity sends us a candid message about attempting to keep that smile nearby as everything else falls apart on ‘Closest to Happy‘.

Think Sanity is an Anniston, Alabama-based 4-piece indie rock band who bare their honest souls on each track as they lace down realness to ponder all about mental health and issues that so many of us can relate to.

”A musical mixing pot of all the things we need to say, but can’t.” ~ Think Sanity

Breathing fire into our ears with a real message which sparks your attention quickly, Think Sanity leads us into a world where you need to be sharp to survive and extra motivation is highly necessary to brush away all the self-doubt. There is so much electrifying energy here that flows through our ever-thinking consciousness as we all look for that happier path to reaching true contentment within ourselves.

‘Closest to Happy‘ from the Anniston, Alabama-based indie rock act Think Sanity, is a true story all about getting that coffee quick when you start the day so that you can achieve all the goals that you have set out in this wild world. With passionate vocals and thunderous guitar riffs loaded with heartfelt emotion – this is a highly reflective song – that will restock your mind with flashbacks of when you wondered if your patience was about to break in half.

Check out this new single on Spotify and see more via the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Not At This Rate: Ohio indie-pop band The Manatee Room wishes that they didn’t have that ‘Expensive Taste’

Posted on 29 December 2021

With a wandering eye that fantasises about that perfect time to make the move you undoubtedly crave, The Manatee Room hates that they are only interested in the rare ‘Expensive Taste‘.

The Manatee Room is a Columbus, Ohio-based indie-pop 3-piece band that makes that relevant music all about topics that we have all felt before in our lives. After being on an enforced hiatus since early 2020 due to this dreadful pandemic that has been lingering on for too long, they make a much-awaited return on their latest single.

”The Manatee Room meshes angsty lyrics with addictive rhythmic melody.” ~ The Manatee Room

With a carefully crafted sound and insightful lyrics that have you feeling like you have perhaps missed the boat of romance, The Manatee Room brings us a single-person anthem that has you wondering if you will be able to connect wholeheartedly with someone who truly understands you authentically.

‘Expensive Taste‘ from the Columbus, Ohio-based indie-pop 3-piece band The Manatee Room, is that story about hoping that your special crushes notice you enough you pull in close and take your breath away. With so many closed doors and empty hearts around, this is the kind of song that will take you into an expectant place of brewing courtship. When you are into someone so much and the timing just seems off, the world can seem like a truly lonely place at times.

Hear this audio on YouTube and see more on the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Clocks Are Standing Still: Angils wonders deeply in the darkness on ‘Time Still’

Posted on 25 December 2021

Following up on their previous release called ‘Arising‘, Angils yearns for things to speed up so that they may live in peace again with the latest single that is sung with much fervent vigour on ‘Time Still‘.

Angils is a Greek indie-rock band. Recorded at the well-known Lizard Sound Studios in Athens, this is an introspective track that has certainly been made with high quality in mind for the seasoned listener.

Showing us inside his mind as he tries to get into that happy light-filled place where he wants to be thriving inside, Angils gives us an old school experience that is a timeless track we can all lather in reflectively. There is much to like about such a riveting track that keeps you on tenterhooks the whole way through and feels like it belongs in a dramatic movie.

‘Time Still‘ from the Greek indie-rock band Angils, is a vividly-described song that has been made with classic energy that is filled with deep vocals and quality guitar solos that reminds you of better times. This is the type of nostalgic wonder you have been waiting for, as it grips you close and shakes all that slumber off your body. You will probably be playing this again and again, as you turn the volume up and let it heal your whole soul from any self-doubt you may be encountering.

Hear this deep audio on YouTube and see more via the Twitter music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Slow Lightning: Mexican band Park Praga drop mesmerizing sky-filled single ‘Tardi Fulgur’

Posted on 25 December 2021

As they glance up above and show us how pretty everything actually is if you look adequately, Park Praga have our minds gazing into that pure beauty that so many people dismiss quickly for some unknown reason on ‘Tardi Fulgur‘.

Park Praga is a mysterious Ciudad Satelite, Mexico-based indie coldwave/shoegaze band with a really mellow style that has you feeling so calm and rather thoughtful after sampling their vibe.

”A mute cartoonist who teamed up with his high school ex-girlfriend’s second husband on his Badminton regional final against a runaway chimp.” ~ Park Praga

There are those rare times when you hear a band that fascinates you so much, you have to take a few listens. Park Praga are that band. Their vocals are hard to work out but it doesn’t matter in the slightest, as they soothe all the worries away that you have kept hidden away for too long.

‘Tardi Fulgur‘ from the Ciudad Satelite, Mexico-based indie coldwave/shoegaze band Park Praga, is a tremendous single that is so pacifying and has your consciousness taking a step back from all the over-stimulation that is so prevalent in current society. With so many of us focusing on our phones, tablets, televisions and laptops, this is a vital reminder to look up and take in the absolutely exquisite view that is often overlooked. Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple, just to support your minds relaxed state and comprehensively embrace that beauty entrenched into the deepest part of your heart.

Check out this new single on Spotify and see more news on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Learn From My Mistake: The Deserves tells us the true story of how ‘Love Is Strange’

Posted on 13 December 2021

Wrapped inside a highly-reflective tale of how a past relationship just appeared to sadly fade away like a lost shoe in the gusty wind, The Deserves explores the broad force of that weird feeling you can’t seem to ever explain on the breakup story of ‘Love Is Strange‘.

The Deserves is an indie-country band that performs amidst a vintage feel and carries you to a place that you can remember if you close your eyes long enough to recognise the time and place.

Guiding us into a somewhat sad story that transports you into a broken picture that was once so bright, The Deserves directs us into their world which is so pensive and sombre. This is the story of questioning why this didn’t work out, as the words fail and you put it down to bad timing to make you feel a bit better about the whole experience.

‘Love Is Strange‘ from the mysterious underground indie-country band The Deserves, is a thoughtful new single which will have you feeling so reminiscent about that previous relationship that just didn’t work out. You can’t explain why and it really eats at you ravenously – as you take another sip to water down the pain burning horrendously inside your fragile soul – and vow that the next one will be a more productive time for your heart to feel the true nurturing of a special soul.

Rather be single than be in the wrong romance is what they say.

Hear this new single on their Spotify page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen