Browsing Tag

Deftones

Robots! Attack! break free through a bitter-sweet epiphany in their melodic rock hit, Tangled

Posted on 18 January 2023

Taken from their debut eponymous LP, the standout single, Tangled, from the Memphis-based fourpiece, Robots! Attack! is a reverently evocative rhythmic trip back to the alt-90s.

The breeze of the midwestern melodies is brought down to earth by southern grit in the grungy amalgam of punk, rock and harder-to-pin-down alternative inclinations that allow the outfit to carry fleeting reminiscences to Incubus and Deftones in their magnetically imploring vocal harmonies and the softly angular guitar lines that are never all too far away from an off-kilter breakdown.

While the lyrics allude to our tendency to fictionalise the characters in our own stories and give them far greater roles than they were destined for, the accordance-soaked instrumentals abstract any bitterness from the bitter-sweet epiphany of realising that time with some protagonists is always finite.

Tangled is available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grab a seat at the table for Tuncratio’s atmospheric alt-rock instrumental, Feast of Nothing

Posted on 26 December 2022

There’s something in the atmosphere of Tuncratio’s seminal instrumental alt-rock single, Feast of Nothing. The intro instrumental framework threw me right back to when Alexisonfire was a prized possession in my CD collection. Feast of Nothing then progresses into a deeply evocative melodic piece with complex time signatures that compel you to lean deeper into the alluring sonic mise en scene that cinematically wraps up through a cinematically orchestral outro.

The Italian-born, Scottish-by-adaption multi-instrumentalist and producer entered the music industry in the early 2000s. Not one to feel sated in the confines of one genre, his music spans across multiple, often in the space of one track. In his eclectic range of influences, Smashing Pumpkins, Mogwai and Deftones often push to the forefront in his sonic signature scribbled across his discography. Tuncratio’s back catalogue currently consists of two LPS, two mixtapes and the EP, Elephant in the Room, from which Feast of Nothing was taken.

Feast of Nothing was officially released on December 12th; catch it on Spotify. Stay tuned for Tuncratio’s upcoming

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Alt-90s Cinematically Lives and Breathes Through Agent Envy’s Grungy Industrial Rock Single, No Friend

Posted on 9 December 2022

San Diego artist and producer Agent Envy is fresh from the release of her sultrily fierce single, No Friend, which cinematically amalgamates trip-hop, industrial rock, grunge and metal. Under the wide-spanning influence of acts including NIN, Tool, Massive Attack and Deftones, Agent Envy found her own striking sonic aesthetic that is nothing short of iconic in itself.

Any fans of Warpaint and Wolf Alice will want to sink their teeth into this demurely powerful protest against life’s prolific protagonists who guise their usury entitlement as friendship to take what they can, and guilt trip you when they’ve bled you dry of your empathy but still haven’t quite had their fill.

“No Friend is about finally saying, “enough is enough,” and captures the triumph and catharsis of setting a boundary. The track explores a powerful side of my vocal range not previously featured in my earlier songs, along with the deep, sultry vocals that my audience is familiar with.”

No Friend will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from December 9th. Catch in on Spotify & YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors delivered a prodigal prog-rock evocative firestorm through their single, MU-TH-UR

Posted on 5 July 2022

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting a band under the moniker The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors to sound like, but as sexy as Deftones & Kyuss wasn’t high on the list.

Fresh from the release of their MU-TH-UR EP, they sucked us into the atmosphere of the title single, which catapulted us across the spectrum of human emotion with the tightly tumultuous post-rock gravitas.

There is something endlessly sweet about the melancholy-tinged harmonies, which run in the same vein as Incubus, creating a bridge over the proggy furore that can’t be pinned down with any discernable accuracy. MU-TH-ER was the result of pure unbridled experimentation. Yet, with the stellar songwriting talent, The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors makes it easy to enjoy going along with the ride that hits you with crescendo after curveball after breakdown. Considering that gas prices are at an all-time high, you may as well expand your horizons with the hypnotic propensities in the progressions in MU-TH-ER. We know we will. Repeatedly.

MU-TH-ER is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Disorder – At the Door: Grunge has Never Hit Harder.

Posted on 7 July 2021

Stop wearing out your Deftones and Smashing Pumpkins records and hit play on the frenetically dark alt-rock hit, At the Door, London’s luminary outfit Disorder.

With mastering work by Alex Wharton (Pixies, The Beatles, My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai) at Abbey Road Studios and the mixing and co-production talent of Billy Bush (Garbage, Muse, Foster the People), you don’t need us to reassure you of the production quality.

But plenty of the ingenuity in At the Door comes via Disorder’s energetically confrontational presence in the alt-rock scene.

They offer the chaos of punk in a tumultuous soundscape blazoned with serious rock n roll stripes. The combination of heavy down-tuned guitars, synths and drum machines have redefined what rock and roll means in 2021. At the Door isn’t a revival but a reformation.

At the Door officially released on July 2nd; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Connect with Disorder via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

GLASS EYE – PRAYERS: Salaciously Ethereal Alt-Rock

Posted on 12 April 2021

With vocals that hit the high notes with the same precision as Matt Bellamy, the sex appeal of Deftones and classic rock licks that come with an ethereally evocative twist, it’s hard not to expect big things to come from GLASS EYE with the release of their album ‘SOMEWHERE, NOWHERE’.

PRAYERS is the perfect introduction to their sound that is so much more than an aural crumble of prominent bands that we’ve come to love across the decades. It’s a delectable invitation to witness the US-based powerhouse’s visceral authenticity that will appeal to anyone who likes their alt-rock to come with rhythmic salacious chills.

PRAYERS is just one of the singles that feature on their forthcoming album ‘SOMEWHERE, NOWHERE’, which is due for release on June 10th.

You can check out GLASS EYE via their website and on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Set your alt 90s nostalgia alight with Highdiver’s sludgy feat of art-rock ‘Human Disaster’

Posted on 28 February 2021

American Horror Story taught us that all monsters are human, with the lead single from their latest album ‘Dual Control’, alt-rock artist, Highdiver are here to tell us that all disasters are human too.

With seductive bass grooves, cutting shoegaze guitars and adrenalizing percussion in the sludgy feat of art-rock, Highdiver simultaneously delivered a postcard from the alt 90s and a spacey introduction the future of hard rock.

If you could imagine what it would sound like if Deftones adopted Josh Homme as a vocalist and Thom Yorke as a producer, you’ll get an idea of what’s in store if you hit play on Human Disaster.

Human Disaster is available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Temperature Falls revived the Alt 90s sound with their Trip Hop track “Cut the Wire”

Posted on 30 October 2020

Temperature Falls’ 2020 single “Cut the Wire” is an Alt 90s dream wrapped up in an Urban Pop earworm.

If the tantalising tones as used by the likes of the Deftones send your synapses into overdrive, you’ll find the very same spark in Cut the Wire which oozes with feminine sensuality. There may be reminiscences to the likes of Portishead, but the modernity, the hunger, and the sheer level of contemporarily-contorted emotion will ensure that Cut the Wire sticks with you long after it has faded out.

The Oslo-based Alt Trip Hop duo offers more than just ingenuity or a fresh new sound. They achieve what so few bands do, they reignite rhythmic nostalgia while leaving you transfixed by their own signature sound.

You can check out Cut the Wire for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Xeren Lia – Swipe Right to Drown: A Sultry Dark Pop Earworm Which Pays Ode to 90s Industrial Rock

Posted on 23 October 2020

https://music.apple.com/us/album/swipe-right-to-drown-single/1534283646

Swipe Right to Drown is the third single to be released from Texan Alt-Pop artist and producer Xeren Lia. It threw me right back to the 90s while greeting me with galvanizingly fresh energy.

Not many artists manage to replicate the sex appeal of Nine Inch Nails while simultaneously offering authenticity, but Xeren Lia manages it with ease. The soundscape may be slightly more turbulent than Trent Reznor’s sultry rhythms, but that perfectly ties in with the theme of Swipe Right to Drown which was penned after a bad breakup and a serial-dating experience. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Desperately aching for connection, for something visceral, only to get wrapped up in superficial affection we want to scrub away the next day. I really hope I’m not alone there. But what I suppose I’m trying to say, is that Swipe Right to Drown is one of those tracks which stir up a smorgasbord of unexpected emotion and will set every one of your senses alight.

That definitely doesn’t happen every day. You won’t want to let this release slip you by if you’re a fan of the darker side of Pop.

You can check out Swipe Right to Drown for yourselves by heading over to apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Toronto’s The Silk Demise stalk in with seductively haunting single ‘’Professor’s Lake’’

Posted on 22 May 2020

Wrapped in a promise, under stars. I set our feet as we melt in the dark.

Founded in 2006, this is the ultimately dark ambient electronic, trip-hop, and chillout music for the soul- to be enjoyed with the lights ideally off.

‘The Silk Demise’ are highly influenced by trip-hop legends Massive Attack and Portishead and they expertly conjure their own smooth brand of the genre, relying on samples, synths, and melodic drones. Their music is a bit scary but enjoyable and this is a quality outfit.

Let’s enjoy this top act from Toronto, Canada and hope for more quality release while they create that one massive hit to propel them to the front of the queue.

Stream more from ‘The Silk Demise’ here on YouTube.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

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