Browsing Tag

emo

Mouth Culture has released their scathing high vibe indie emo pop hit Nobody Wants You

Posted on 28 October 2021

UK alt-rock act Mouth Culture takes no prisoners in their scathingly high vibe hit Nobody Wants You. The sniping lyricism, crunchy indie-rock guitars, indie-pop with a hint of emo vocals and jazzy nuances pull together to offer a potent shot of indie nostalgia. Yet, there is plenty more to Mouth Culture’s scintillating sound than assimilation.

Their determination to become one of the hottest bands in the UK in 2022 is by no means a pipe dream with over 1 million streams on Spotify and radio play from BBC Introducing, Total Rock, Kerrang and Radio 1. Since their inception in 2019, they’ve been honing in on their songwriting which shines through in Nobody Wants You with their ability to turn deep-seated hate into a catchy radio-ready hit that rivals Frank Carter’s I Hate You.

Check out the official video for Nobody Wants You on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt-Indie solo artist Bent 290 has released his psychotropic sophomore single, Minds and Makers.

Posted on 22 October 2021

‘Minds and Makers’ is the psychotropic sophomore release from alt-indie solo artist Bent 290 (Dakota Schilling). With hints of Midwest Emo in the vocals, nuances of reggae in anthemic guitars and lashings of electronic psych euphoria, it’s impossible not to warm to the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter’s instantly enamouring expressionism.

If you could imagine what it would sound like if Muse, All American Rejects, and Tame Impala aurally met in the middle, you’ll get an idea of the kind of bitter-sweet soul on offer here.

The project, Bent 290, was born during the 2020 lockdown when Dakota locked himself away in a cabin in North-Eastern Indiana. His debut release broke onto the airwaves to critical acclaim in 2020. After the release of his power-pop hit, we’re sure that only good things will follow.

Minds and Makers is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get Me Out Of Here: Kid Kenny drops 3-track EP to soothe all the pain away on ‘The Stars Told Me To’

Posted on 21 October 2021

As he plays by his own rules and refuses to be placed into any stuffy box which he doesn’t feel comfortable inside, Kid Kenny shines bright with his latest 3-track EP called ‘The Stars Told Me To‘.

Kid Kenny aka Cobatine, is a Montreal, Quebec-based indie emo Hip-Hop artist and gamer, who is a mashup of two different personalities which allows his original thinking to truly blossom.

”I know I’m a weird kid to understand, but I know that my creations can definitely make a positive impact in people’s lives.” ~ Kid Kenny

There are three equally well thought-out tracks that starts off with the you-don’t-need-to-know-my-name in ‘OUTRR SPAC3‘, followed by the deeply constructed bully-filled story full of endured pain that needs to ease called ‘ANG3LS CRY TOO‘. He ends off proceedings with probably the pick of the bunch with the bass-punched ‘3ND OF MY WORLD‘, which will have your mind warped into a galaxy above in this cinematic transporter.

‘The Stars Told Me To‘ from the Montreal, Quebec-based indie emo Hip-Hop artist and gamer Kid Kenny, is a space-filled journey that has you strapping up and getting out of this abnormal world. With so much passion in his lungs which is heartily felt on each of these meaningful tracks – this is a truly unique artist who uses music to release all that built up stress – that can be released in his truly different music style.

Art is all about creating what you love after all, as it has the special power to heal all pain.

Hear this new EP on Spotify and find out more about this inspiring artist being himself on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Vulpine break new ground with their experimental post-rock EP, Ventures.

Posted on 19 October 2021

Scotland’s most melodic alt-rock outfit, Vulpine, has released their genre-spanning debut EP, Ventures, which brings a rare sense of accessibility to math rock and plenty of solemnity and poise to emo pop-rock.

The best introduction to their atmospheric, progressively gripping songwriting style is the title track, which carries the evocative weight of Frightened Rabbit combined with the instrumental furore of Mogwai.

From an ambient prelude, an intricately immense storm kicks up in the instrumentals, taking you through gripping breakdowns and even sweeter crescendos that hit the climactic spot every time. As the consistently in-flux sonic palette switches up through the progressions, vocalist, Pete Fox, demonstrates the provoking range of his vocal power.

The Ventures EP released on October 1st. It is now available to stream and purchase on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-Hardcore and Power Pop Collide: Picture the Scene. The Hang-Up

Posted on 27 September 2021

After a line-up change that saw a female vocalist fronting the South East, UK outfit Picture the Scene. with their freshly refined sound, the heavy pop-punk powerhouse has come in with all guns blazing with their latest single, The Hang-Up.

The galvanizing power-pop choral hooks are broken up with heavy rock motifs and growled vocals that any fans of Job for a Cowboy or any other post-hardcore outfit will be familiar with. I can only imagine how intense the playful ferocity in the sticky sweet hit would be live. Picture the Scene. is for every metalhead who finds themselves with a guilty penchant for Taylor Swift. With The Hang-Up, Picture the Scene. established themselves as on par with BABYMETAL for the boundaries they broke with their sonic furore. Do I even need to tell you to save space on your radar?

The Hang-Up is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MX Strong brings in the future of pop-punk with his single, Too Far.

Posted on 23 September 2021

MX Strong’s latest single, Too Far, is full of angsty, hooky, pop-punk energy. Anyone who grew up with their iPods full of Blink 182 will want to pay attention.

The up and coming artist takes plenty of inspiration from Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow and SuicideBoys, which you will note through the lyrics; for his sonic palette, MX Strong relied on his authenticity to set himself apart.

As someone who grew up in the 90s, a time when there was little overlap between alt genres and urban artists, there’s nothing better than seeing the outliers of society converging around unifying sound. MX Strong has been an integral part of that cultural coalescence. His ability to appeal to a wide audience is reflected in his streaming stats and the loyalty of his fans.

Too Far was officially released on September 17th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mani Knox delivers high vibe ennui in his standout single, ‘F.M.L’

Posted on 17 September 2021

NYC born and raised alt-hip hop pioneer, Mani Knox, has dropped his sonically high-vibe EP, Demons Dilemma, featuring the standout single, F.M.L; if you are going to curse existence to any track, make it this one.

Since his 2019 debut album, Love is War, Knox has been a mental health advocate through his music. Not in the superficial, good vibes only, way more in the I’ve seen the dark and, now I’m going to show you the light way, that you can’t help getting absorbed by.

F.M.L reels you in lyrical hook, bassline and sinker. His productions are just as massive and robust as you will find from artists such as Labrinth, The Weeknd, and Tinie Tempah but it’s the intimacy of the single that uses a female protagonist to allude to the depths ennui can take you to that wins you over with F.M.L.

F.M.L is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

I’m Going Home: Estonian rapper PK doesn’t want to be stopped on ‘Stillwater’

Posted on 15 September 2021

As he feels like his stories are getting dull and the time has arrived to head back home, PK feels rather down about current times with his latest single called ‘Stillwater‘.

PK is a Tallinn, Estonia-based indie alt-emo hip-hop artist. He blends in euro-trance, pop punk and hyperpop into his vivid music creations, to bring the world a truly unique experience from all of his much-awaited releases.

”After starting off as a battlerapper, his craft has developed into less traditional hip-hop and is influenced a lot by mid-west emo and new school trap..” ~ PK

With an honest flow that is packed full of his introspective feelings about how he views the world and himself, this is a thoughtful affair with lots to wrap into from a rapper with an intriguing style that has you totally captivated.

‘Stillwater‘ from the Estonian indie alt-emo hip-hop solo musician PK, is the story about knowing when its time to get away from people for a while. Your true friends know that you just need some space, but others just don’t get it and start to question you.

This is a high voltage track made with a knowing insight – as he brings forth he uniquely new school sound – for our awaiting speakers to immerse deeply inside.

Hear this intense new single on Spotify and see more via the IG music channel.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Just Pathetic are wondering just what happened ‘Since College’

Posted on 18 May 2021

Describing themselves as ‘a band specialising in substandard music and haphazard melodies’, Just Pathetic’s ‘Since College’ is a poppy-punk number, with elements of Bowling For Soup, The Police, Sum-41, and Journey all mixed up with a Blink 182 tongue-in-cheek bouncy, upbeat ode to time since…well, you guessed it, since college.

There’s a nice little break-down mid-song, a nice flanged-and-octaved guitar-line throughout, and lyrically there’s some not-too-serious digs at teen entitlement, angst, and ‘emo-days’ mixed up with underage drinking and ‘interesting’ cigarettes. It’s fun, it’s vaguely silly, and it’s catchy, energetic, and exuberant mixed in with laid-back ‘stoner’ vocals (there’s a tiny hint at ‘Superfuzz’-era Mudhoney to the delivery), with the fuzziest guitar tone we’ve heard in a long time. It’s the age-old question: ‘Where have the days gone since college?’

You can hear ‘Since College’ on YouTube; check out Just Pathetic here.

Review by Alex Holmes

SixPortalz shows us the melodic potential of cloud rap with their latest release, ‘YOUNG LUV’.

Posted on 18 April 2021

‘Heartfealt’ isn’t an adjective easily affixed to cloud rap, but East Stroudsberg-based artist, SIxPortalz left us with few other ways to allude to the evocative and all-baring nature of his latest single, ‘YOUNG LUV’.

With melodic piano keys introducing the track and still running between the 808s through the verses, YOUNG LUV possesses all of the rhythmic pull of a sad pop ballad, but there’s no compromise to the raw and honest nature of the lyrics and the delivery. He’s set the bar for emo rap artists with his soulfully bruising approach.

You can check out the official video to YOUNG LUV for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast