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Halloween Playlists

The Knottie Boys are on unhallowed ground with their horror punk hit, Monster Man

Posted on 21 October 2024

The Knottie Boys came through just in time for Halloween with their horror punk LP, The Weeping of Los Alamos, featuring the ferocious sonic juggernaut, Monster Man.

With The Creepshow-esque vocals, odes to The Misfits’ iconically infectious sonic signature and ska-reminiscent brass for good measure, Knottie Boys haunted the middle ground between psychobilly and horror punk with a tumultuous anthem that sweeps you up in its adrenalised riptide of frenetic energy.

As the third album from the Long Island-hailing alt-punk powerhouse who borrow influences from all across the punk spectrum, The Weeping of Los Alamos is set to skyrocket The Knottie Boys to even greater heights. Their ability to ensure their influences never outshine their ingenuity is on full display in the 15-part installation of cultivated chaos.

The Stream Knottie Boys’ LP, The Weeping of Los Alamos in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ojay put devil horns on their latest pop-rock earworm, Creep in the Night

Posted on 28 October 2023

This isn’t Thriller, but the Bad Guy by Eilish-esque swagger in the recently released macabrely magnetic pop-rock hit, Creep in the Night, from the prodigal sons of accursed experimentation, Ojay, is one of eeriest infectious earworms you will meet this year.

With their ability to bring the funk in the basslines, the grooves in the razor-sharp guitar cuts and wear the devil may care horns all too well in the vocal performance, the high-energy Australian outfit knocked it out of the seventh ring of hell with Creep in the Night.

Between the exemplary modern production which puts Highly Suspect to shame, the swathes of chilling charisma and the efficaciousness of the vocal hooks which seduce you into the dark heart of the release, I’m struggling to see how I will leave this hit alone.

Creep in the Night was officially released on Friday the 13th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Riley Rex took her staunch fanbase to ‘The Shadowy Place’ in her hyper-pop Halloween floor-filler

Posted on 6 October 2023

The dance-pop icon Riley Rex asserted her claim to the LA pop crown with her infectiously flawless Halloween hit, The Shadowy Place. It may just be the biggest Halloween hit since Kernkraft 400 delivered Zombie Nation in 1999. It at least stands up to the debauched decadence in Emerge by Fischerspooner while incorporating the contemporary magnetism of Dua Lipa, Ava Max, and Charli XCX.

By contrasting the dark lyrical themes with the hypersonic textures and upbeat pace in the polished production, Rex extended euphoria to those who need it most with The Shadowy Place, which breaks EDM pop boundaries in definitively sensuous style.

The single, which was written while she was enrolled on a course with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, is a narration of the escapist ideation which consumes you when you’re stuck in a pit of anxiety and depression. The bass-driven electro-pop hit may not have what it takes to cure mental illness, but you couldn’t ask for a more potent sonic serotonin source.

The Shadowy Place hit the airwaves on October 6; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast