Browsing Tag

Blues Rock

Drink the sonic Kool-Aid in Max Diaz’s twangy alt-punk Tour De Force, COWBOY CULT

Posted on 29 October 2023

The cowboy-hating Texan Max Diaz brought his seminal single, COWBOY CULT, to life via swathes of sardonic vitriol, potent enough to make every punky take on garage rock by Fidlar sound like a love letter to the universe.

While the instrumentals weave their way through bluesy entanglements, Diaz uses every lyrical line to roll with the punches in his heavyweight canter; even if you’ve never pulled on a pair of cowboy boots in your life, you will feel every drop of vindicating venom projected by the artist’s devil may care disdain towards his fellow Texans.

You’d think all of the controversy of his Machiavellian attacks on the people surrounding him who are hellbent on seeing the regression of social progress would leave him unpopular, but the streaming stats don’t lie. After racking up millions of streams on several of his tracks, he’s the pissed-off prince that wasn’t promised but rose through the ashes of redneck numbskullery regardless. We fucking adore him.

COWBOY CULT was released with the rest of the artist’s sophomore LP, METANOIA on October 13th; do yourselves a favour and stream the entire Tour De Force in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Devil Next Door came in red hot in their grungy blues rock debut EP, Into the Fire

Posted on 21 October 2023

Devil Next Door slicked their sleazy blues rock signature with gasoline and sludged it up with Alice in Chains-esque grunge before setting the airwaves alight with their debut EP, Into the Fire.

The eras revisited in the title single may be rooted in nostalgia, but the Mallorcan prodigal sons found a fresh way to revive them by leaning on modernist effects while infusing plenty of their own captivating charisma. It always bodes well when you sense that an alt-rock act can command a stage; Devil Next Door have the kind of magnetic draw that would make an army of marionette puppets out of their live audiences.

By finding influence in everyone from Foo Fighters to Royal Blood to Soundgarden, the cross-appeal of this devilishly promising debut couldn’t be stronger. With an intent to free sonically free themselves and subsequently their fans, if you’re looking for alt-rock escapism, lose yourself in the high-octane and infectiously catchy hard rock hits and keep your eyes peeled for the next installation of monolithic mayhem.

Into the Fire was officially released on September 13; stream it in full on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rick Shaffer gave psych the blues in his latest garage rock hit, Bogalusa

Posted on 10 October 2023

Rick Shaffer gave psych the blues in his latest LP, Sleeping Dog, featuring the standout single, Bogalusa, which allows garage rock and 60s RnB to converge to create drippings of nostalgia; fans of The Stooges will want to savour every distorted with vintage glamour drop.

12 solo albums into his illustrious career, and it is clear to see that the guitarist and songwriter is far from fresh out of ideas. The Teenage Kicks-reminiscent raucous power pop panache lends itself effortlessly well to the grooves and hooks which make Bogalusa such a scintillatingly electric ride through the golden eras of music.

Wild and hypnotic in equal measure, the guitar hook and riff-rife euphonic escapade is as close as you can get to sonic pornography.

Bogalusa was officially released on September 23; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Eddie & The Wolves riffed the blues in their latest hard rock anthem, The Coming Storm

Posted on 15 September 2023

Batten down the hatches for the latest riff-adrenalized anthem, The Coming Storm, from Eddie & the Wolves. With the soulful overtones underpinning the blues rock installation of riotously introspective rancour, you’ll be exposed to the soft underbelly of the UK-hailing wolfpack while being electrified by the hard rock alchemy their tight synergy bleeds into the airwaves.

Instead of solely keeping it superficial and glam, Eddie & The Wolves used The Coming Storm to weave a raw tale that invites the listener to take the track as a sign that you should face the uncertainty of our chaotic world head-on. With the hook-littered hit on your playlists, standing at the vanguard of change will start to seem an infinitely better option than cowering into a bottle.

The Coming Storm will arrive on September 15; stream it on Spotify & keep up to date with the band on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The blues rock renegade Chance Brown supercharged the airwaves with his electrifying single, Come See ‘Bout Me

Posted on 26 August 2023

The Victoria BC roots rock renegade Chance Brown delivered a bluesy bluegrass invitation you won’t want to turn down with his latest single, Come See ‘Bout Me.

Don’t let the acoustic guitar-wielding cover art fool you. Come See ‘Bout Me is more electrifying than anything Jack White has crafted in his entire career and just as rich in mainstream appeal thanks to the garage rock infusion. The track is so much more than a live wire, it is more reactive than the Chernobyl power plant at the point of explosion.

Between the harmonica blasts, the lap steel tones and the tightly controlled chaos of the choruses, Chance Brown succeeded in paying homage to the traditions of blues and ensuring that those aural traditions have a place in the contemporary music industry.

After spending his life in unwavering devotion to honing the different elements of song-crafting, Chance Brown has polished his talents and maintained his passion, initially ignited by the likes of Justin Townes Earle and Gord Downie, enabling him to become one of the most scintillating raconteurs of truths in any town.

Come See ‘Bout Me was officially released on the 18th of August; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tom Rogers resurrected psych blues in his single, Rise Again

Posted on 16 August 2023

From the first nostalgic note in the debut single, Rise Again, from Tom Rogers, you will bask and revel in the Beatles and the Doors reminiscences and find something brand-new in Rogers’ reggae, blues, folk and psych amalgam.

While the groove-pocketed rhythms take a firm grip of your rhythmic pulses, the kaleidoscopic tones abstract you from the 21st century as the visceral with bluesy soul vocals light a fire under the vintage production.

With Pawala Ariyathilaka on lead guitar, Will Fraser on Drums, Dan Wakeling on bass, and Steve Burholt on keys, Tom Rogers and his backing band delivered a superlative slice of psychedelic blues rock reverence that will allow you to slip back in time and across the Atlantic. They didn’t reinvent the wheel with Rise Again, which carries a flood of second-coming redemption, but the way they gave you a ticket back to the 70s era of blues rock via a route never taken is something to celebrate. If you’ve got the Black Keys and The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on your radar, you have room for Tom Rogers on your playlists.

Rise Again was officially released on August 4th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pick up Propter Hawk’s seminal blues rock release, Telephone

Posted on 5 August 2023

Fill up your whiskey glass and pick up the seminal single, Telephone, from Propter Hawk – if you can lift the heavy with swaggering rock n roll riffs, that is.

As a born rock frontwoman, Malorie Blake on lead vocals knows just how to pay homage to bluesy overdriven rock with her authentically Americana high-octane vocal lines which effortlessly gel with the if-they’d-be-any-tighter-they’d-be-claustrophobic instrumentals as they weave through eras and genres with ease.

With influence from The Beatles, The Band, and Otis Redding feeding into their amalgamated free bird sonic signature, you’ve never encountered an outfit quite like Propter Hawk before, nor are you ever likely to with their commitment to authenticity and their devilishly distinctive use of distortion on their vintage gear.

If you’re desperate to hear more after Telephone, you only have two weeks to wait before the release to wait before the official launch of the debut eponymous LP, which is due for release on August 18th.

Telephone is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

For more info on Propter Hawk, check out their official website. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shake, Rattle and Roll with GaryHalacan’s Latest Nostalgia Slice, Hip Dip

Posted on 14 July 2023

GaryHalacan took rock n roll right back to its roots with their latest jive-worthy single, Hip Dip; there are scat vocal melodies, frenetic blues keys hammering and adrenalizing fretboard work by the smorgasbord.

As the nostalgic tones shake, rattle and roll, reminding us the genre existed way before the emergence of the Rolling Stones, the party-rocking atmosphere of the single is maintained throughout the release which proves the only thing GaryHalacan takes seriously is keeping the vibes high and the riffs soaring.

GaryHalacan is the music project of the Ohio-hailing engineering professor Paul Paslay. After growing up on a steady diet of classic rock, Paslay spent his high school and college days in choirs and multi-instrumentalists in bands. During the early 00s, the muse found him, and he started to write original music, influenced by everyone from the Beatles to DEVO to Spinal Tap. For Hip Dip, Paslay collaborated with musicians from across the globe, including musicians from France, Peru and Argentina to create a sure-fire serotonin spiller.

The official music video for Hip Dip is available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BlueMelt grunged up classic rock in his latest single, Fading

Posted on 27 June 2023

‘Fading (Surrounded by Stars)’ is the latest riff-charged rock reinvention from the London-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Vito Tardia’s one-man project, BlueMelt. After honing his talent in progressive rock and power metal bands, Tardia moved to the front of the stage with his monolithic talent and found his rightful place.

His bluesy rock guitar work against his grungy vocals, which carry a touch of Alice in Chains in their evocative dynamism, created a bold fusion that reinvented the rock revival wheel. Since making his debut as a solo artist in 2020, Tardia has received strong support from local, international and independent press. Seemingly, we’re not the only ones taken with his utilisation of his technical ability in his emotion-driven hits that tease you with nostalgia before tantalising you with innovation.

Stream Fading on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Palace became heirs to the rock n roll dynasty in ‘Looking at You’

Posted on 24 June 2023

Just as royal blood ran in the veins of Prince and Queen, The Palace is just as imposingly majestic in their debut album, Rainbow Shades, which hit all major streaming platforms on June 9th.

The standout single, Looking at You, is a rapturous riot of Broadway-esque blues rock, with the shimmering Organ keys aiding the transcendence of the experience around the bluesy piano glissandos and the reverent rock electric guitar solos.

Star quality emanates from the natural charisma of the frontman, who utilises his soulfully profound dynamic vocal range to bring this stellar slice of rock n roll to visceral life. If your rock playlists are lacking serotonin, give them a potent fix by making Looking at You a staple.

To launch their debut LP, The Palace performed on the main stage at Indy Pride Festival, following a series of performances to capacity crowds throughout independent venues in Indianapolis.

Stream Looking at You on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast