Browsing Tag

grunge

Ruby Sue resisted the silence of alienation in her coming-of-age alt-rock debut album, The Need

Posted on 31 August 2022

The Riot Grrrl attitude is living vicariously through Ruby Sue’s debut album, The Need, but make no mistake, she is an icon of her own making. The true definition of punk is a little hazy these days, but if it doesn’t encompass an artist bringing classical strings into a visceral protest of alienation, what is even the point?

Usually, there is little resonance to be found in coming-of-age albums for anyone that isn’t… coming of age, but The Need extends a sense of compassion for the unheard that can stretch across the generations. Even at 32 years old, the singles, especially the title single, struck a raw note within me.

The sweet melodious temperament of Taylor Swift, the nostalgic comfort of Brandi Carlile and the protestive grungy furore of Courtney Love all fuse together to make The Need an LP that is as cathartic as it is anarchically emboldening. The Minneapolis singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist clearly has a natural talent when it comes to consoling expression with her lyricism that lays it all bare in true rock star fashion.

With some of the singles, such as the mostly instrumental Let Me Out, the violin and viola strings bring an extra edge of cutting emotion, ensuring that there’s no getting to the end of this LP until you’ve felt an unholy amount of empathy for anyone enduring the process of growing into adulthood in these times that can send you off-kilter in a single heartbeat.

In her own words, here is what Ruby Sue had to say about her debut album:

“During my gap year between high school and college last year, I was feeling lost and trying to find myself; I found music. I’ve always been a musician, but music was the only thing that felt right when everything else felt off. The lyrics and melodies rushed out of me like a burst dam.

The Need tells a true story of needing to be seen, heard and experience life. Growing up isn’t easy; it can feel daunting and lonely; the ultimate message is that if you feel the need to be seen, you are not alone.”

The Need is now available to stream on Spotify.

Follow Ruby Sue on Instagram and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sabres bare their teeth in their sophomore release ‘Tell Me Where It Hurts’

Posted on 29 August 2022

Here to prove that pigeonholes are for the banal is the Portsmouth alternative duo, Sabres, with their genre-evading sophomore single, Tell Me Where It Hurts.

The titularly compassionate, sonically scuzzed up single comprises just the drums and bass guitar. But the unholy rhythm section is far more than the sum of its dualistic parts, thanks to the heady synergy that grungily grinds through the collaborative chemistry between Sam Cutbush and Dominic Taylor.

Given the times that we are living in, there has been a discernible lack of aural angst, but Sabres are tackling our collective new crises, fears and perversions head-on with their unapologetic reflections on anger.

Sabres may be fresh from its late 2021 inception but in their respective earlier careers, they have supported the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, British Sea Power, New Candys, Phobophobes and Melt-Banana. This is far from the first time that Dominic Taylor has left me transfixed by his monstrous percussive energy; I was lucky enough to witness the launch of his former band, Burning House’s debut album, Anthropocene. I’m stoked to hear him on top form once again.

Tell Me Where It Hurts is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Photo credit @oldskoolpaul

UK solo artist, Unwanted Guest, shed light on our shackles in his retro-modernist metal single, Constructive Ambiguity

Posted on 17 August 2022

After the 2020 pandemic put the brakes on the UK metal band Seventh Son, the guitarist Dave Fox animated his retro-modernist metal brainchild, Unwanted Guest.

His latest single, Constructive Ambiguity, is one that every disenchanted metal or grunge fanatic should hear. With a cheeky nod to John Carpenter’s, They Live in the visuals with some stunning scenes of UK brutalist architecture to compliment the lyrics that don’t evade the reality of every working-class millennial, it’s a vindicating timely single which invites you to vent into the blend of the 90s Seattle sound with the signatures of UK metal. When the lyrical context is as sublime as the talent, you know you’re on to a winner – stay tuned with this one.

Watch the official music video for Constructive Ambiguity, which premiered on July 26th here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dirty Modal Souls went in search of adequate vernacular in their Brit-Grunge anthem, What’s the Word?

Posted on 15 August 2022

In their first release of 2022, the Brit-Grunge trio, Dirty Modal Souls, catapulted us right back to the alt-90s. Lyrically, What’s the Word? is a snarlingly electric hook-constructed continuation of Cameo’s Word Up. Instrumentally, it’s a transatlantic riot of rugged basslines, cataclysmic breaks and guitars which express as much chagrin as the rancorous guitars.

If Faith No More hailed from this side of the pond, their earlier work would carry ample reminiscence to What’s the Word, which doesn’t lose the quintessentially British style of lament. That riled energy rubs up against the Seattle sound to create universal appeal.

What’s the Word is now available to stream on Spotify and purchase on Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Virginia rockers Halfcast hopes she will finally let them go on ‘Blue and Gold’

Posted on 25 July 2022
Return by Halfcast

Taken from their recent 10-track release and 2nd album called ‘Return‘, Halfcast feels the lip-licking vultures looming rather closely on a ferociously raw single to wake us up from any self-enforced slumber we have been facing lately on ‘Blue and Gold‘.

Halfcast is a Richmond, Virginia-based indie alternative scrap-rock/grunge band who are exactly what we required for our intense proggy needs.

They pound the table down and show so much strength when others would fold. Halfcast appear to have risen from the dust and sound in ultra reinvigorated form, with a simply sensational performance that is right from their heart and shall rattle your insides just when you needed it most..

‘Blue and Gold‘ from Richmond, Virginia-based indie alternative scrap-rock/grunge band Halfcast is one of the more enjoyable grooves your spine might encounter today. They have riffs for days, a tight sound that has been meshed rather brilliantly together as one, and seems to make that proper rock sound that has been hiding away from the masses for too long.

When you feel you are done for, pick up your pieces and move into a better place.

Listen up to this raw track on Bandcamp and see more vibes on their IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Spotlight Feature: Rewind to Vince Spano’s grungy alt-rock revival, RELAPSE

Posted on 24 July 2022

We’ve kept our eye on Vince Spano’s increasingly luminous career for a while. With his latest single, RELAPSE, the Texan prodigal son unveiled his most striking alt-rock aesthetic yet, while simultaneously dealing with the proclivity for fear around the notion of romantic regression.

The single, the first to be released from his upcoming EP, The Prescribed Project, delivers rock nostalgia as you’ve never known before. With vocals that are somewhere between Soundgarden and Highly Suspect against the warmth of vintage tubes and overdriven distortion, RELAPSE is as rhythmically arresting as it is revolutionary sultry.

Here is what Vince Spano had to say on his latest single

“This is my first single off my new EP, The Prescribed Project, it’s a project that I have been working on for a very long time in hopes of bringing the sound of the music I grew up on, back into the mainstream to inspire a whole new generation of people.”

RELAPSE was officially released on July 22nd; check it out on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Delta Sun dialled the scuzz up to 11 in ‘When the Music Stops’

Posted on 21 July 2022

Brighton’s Delta Sun held no prisoners in their debut EP, The Lies We Tell Ourselves and Others. Case in point; the grungy punk n roll track, When The Music Stops.

With the jagged Social Distortion reminiscent vocals carrying a similar timbre to the scuzzed up, low-slung yet punchy guitars, Delta Sun’s authenticity will never be in question. Especially with their indie no-wave inclinations and bluesy guitar middle-eight. Combine that with the fact that the lyrics take the ‘music is life’ conversation further than it has ever lyrically been, it is impossible not to be arrested by the roguish candour.

For all intents purposes, When the Music Stops is a powerful hit that definitively deserves renown.

Stream When the Music Stops on Spotify with the rest of the debut EP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Breathing Method has delivered their vehemently distorted post-grunge howl into the void, Burden

Posted on 17 June 2022

Scottish post-grunge outfit, The Breathing Method, are set to release their vehemently distorted evolution of the 90s Seattle sound, Burden, which will throw you right back to the simpler times when Layne Staley reigned vocal supreme before pulling you into the angst of modernity with frenetic no-wavey guitars that make a juggernaut out of the release.

After the Mudhoney-Esque intro, The Breathing Method career into their own take on the post-grunge textures and don’t take their foot off the fuzz pedal until the outro of a primal scream, which compels you to envy the larynx they came from. Or maybe that’s just me.

Burden will officially release on June 17th; you can check it out for yourselves via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Seattle converges with Manchester in BLUEBOO’s latest smorgasbord of alt 90s aesthetic, Cherry Woman

Posted on 4 June 2022

With a touch of Oasis to the choral vocals to anchor the anthem in its melodicism, the alt-90s Seattle sound doesn’t asphyxiate any originality out of the revivalist nature of BLUEBOO’s latest single, Cherry Woman. It teases just the right amount of nostalgia for Screaming Trees, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam as your synapses fire to the tune of the Chicago-based artist’s off-kilter hook-filled sonic signature.

Notably, we aren’t the only ones finding addictive propensities in the effortlessly original sound of BLUEBOO. They’ve garnered acclaim from across the globe, especially on their strikingly ethereal seminal single, You Win Abigail, which has amassed over 260k streams on Spotify alone.

Cherry Woman is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jessie Dipper spoke for her frustrated generation in her grunge-folk feat of candour, Where Do I Go

Posted on 26 May 2022

The folk-grunge maverick and award-winning singer-songwriter, Jessie Dipper, has stayed true to her sincerely originalist style with her latest single, Where Do I Go, taken from her coming of age second album.

However many times you’ve taken a trip around the sun before hearing this fiery yet soulfully flawless single, you’re sure to find the resonance in the frustration that easily stems from the uncertainty that confounds around our mental maps of the future. She didn’t just speak for her generation; she spoke for all of them.

With guitar licks that would serenade any Springsteen fan, the stridently distinctive vocals and Ben Folds-Esque pianos, the Cardiff-based singer-songwriter orchestrated a matchless hit that is going to put her on an even bigger map than the one that has seen her picking up awards, lauded by the BBC and touring across the globe.

Where Do I Go was officially released on May 20th. You can catch it for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast