Browsing Tag

Melodic Rock

Harry Guntrip lured us into contemplation with the analogue synth ambience in ‘Overhead’

Posted on 24 October 2023

Guitars and synths take turns at the steering wheel in the seminal single, Overhead, from the Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer, Harry Guntrip (AKA Joel Moore), who prises influence from the alt-90s to craft his melodic narratives which beckon experimental familiarity.

With the vocal lines carrying as much resonance as Arab Strap’s slow and deep timbre fused with Grandaddy-esque lo-fi analogue synth-driven melodicism, Overhead achieves a beguiling balance between artistically assertive and intimately emotional to embrace you with striking poetic polyphonic tenderness.

We can’t wait to hear what is lingering in the pipelines from Guntrip; his art is the perfect companion to contemplative nights which necessitate amplifying the sweetness of the bitter-sweet dichotomy.

Overhead was officially released on October 13; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Duncan R Foley explores the spectrum of human emotion in his alt-rock odyssey, Colours

Posted on 30 September 2023

Anyone who keeps Pixies, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins in their record collection will want to decorate their playlists with the latest single, Colours, by Duncan R Foley, which pays an ode to sonic stylings of the aforementioned iconic outfits while bringing in a new brand of vibrant melodicism.

To evade the assimilative alt-90s trap that all too many artists fall foul of the South African Belfast-residing songwriter and producer introduced the romanticism of post-punk, in the same vein as Echo and the Bunnymen, into the vibrant soundscape along with the cosmic glamour of Bowie.

Using ‘colours’ as a metaphor for the broad spectrum of emotions that are part and parcel of the human experience, Colours is an efficaciously consoling release, which serves the essential reminder that feeling lonely and grappling with melancholy doesn’t make you an outlier, it makes you human.

Colours will reach the airwaves on September 30th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Every Glazer’s talents are as boundless as his imagination in the melodic rock sonic sanctum, 23 Figments

Posted on 30 August 2023

To release his latest single, The Every Glazer dug through his alt-rock archives to uncover the single, 23 Figments, which was originally recorded in 2003 at Goblin Cross Records in Toronto with the contributing artist and recording engineer, Ross Goodfellow.

Ross Goodfellow may no longer be with us, but his legacy lives on in this rhythmic masterpiece; you can hear his organically vibrant percussive command pull through clearly on the soulful djembe beats as the rest of the instrumentals emanate a euphonic aura stylised by the likes of Incubus.

With Ross Goodfellow’s passing bringing new context to the single that explores figments that the mind conjures, 23 Figments is a deeply evocative work. As it pays homage to the early 00s rock sound that still rings with fragments of Seattle grunge, The Every Glazer embraces nostalgia and mellifluous innovation simultaneously to craft an original single that is all too efficacious in offering your soul sanctuary.

Check out the AI-created music video for 23 Figments via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London’s FOURA.M mainlined livewire energy into their alt-rock debut, Bombers

Posted on 11 August 2023

With a scuzzed-up and brashy guitar intro that will throw you right back to At the Drive-In’s moment of glory when their live performance of One-Armed Scissor on Conan became a global phenomenon, the intro to the debut track, Bombers, from FOURA.M, will capture your attention in an equally as visceral way.

Marketing themselves as ‘Dad Rock straight outta London’ scarcely does the frenetic fourpiece justice. Their influences reminisce with alt 90s and 00s tones, but nothing about Bombers feels remotely dated; the evocative pulls of the Foo Fighters-esque melodies and touches of Royal Blood in the production sealed FOURA.M a place amongst the other acts who are giving rock a fighting chance of surviving the Gen Z obsession with electronica.

If you see as much potential in FOURA.M as we do after bearing witness to their strong debut, keep your eyes peeled for their live tour dates around London.

Bombers hit the airwaves on July 28; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The prodigal sons of classic rock, Torn Rhythms, strike again in ‘Stay With Me’

Posted on 21 July 2023

Proving that there is still capacity for creativity in classic rock is the critically acclaimed Virgina-hailing five-piece Torn Rhythms, with their latest melodic masterpiece, Stay with Me.

There are shimmering clean guitar tones by the smorgasbord in the rhythmically enrapturing single, which plunges you into a panoramically immersive narrative right from the first verse. If anyone was giving out black belts for songwriting chops, Torn Rhythms would be adorned with them for their ability to make their vignettes come to life in visceral colour.

Listening to their instrumental melodies meander with precisive purpose is as easy as breathing; as for the vocals, they’re just like honey. If you’re as reverent to the traditional style of songwriting away from beats and loops and also happen to have a penchant for The Byrds, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, you’ll want to stick with Stay with Me.

Stream Stay With Me on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Minnesota hard rock monoliths, Störmbreaker, kicked up adrenalised dust in their industriously tight single, To the Grave

Posted on 15 May 2023

In a similar adrenalized vein to All That Remains and other icons of the 00s hardcore scene, Störmbreaker kicked up plenty of dust while taking us ‘To the Grave’ with their latest single.

The cacophonous percussion, catchy choral hooks and vocals, which resound as a rallying cry as the track hits the eye of the breakdown storm, amalgamated into an unforgettable introduction to Minnesota’s hardest melodic rock outfit.

The loss of control expressed in the lyrics is inexplicably contrasted against the tight instrumental arrangement, which makes To the Grave the ultimate tour de force for the powerhouse, who has been on the airwaves since 2018, taking their juggernautical sound across the states and opening for Korn, Five Finger Death Punch and Breaking Benjamin. If anyone has what it takes to keep rock relevant, it is Störmbreaker.

To the Grave was officially released on April 28; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get Your Audial Adrenaline Fix from Palmar Arch’s Searingly Hot Alt-Rock Single, Sunscript

Posted on 18 February 2023

The boisterous prodigal son of alt-rock, Palmar Arch (Robert James), is on bruisingly impactful form with his single, Sunscript, due for official release on February 17th.

Previously operating under the moniker Superbloom and operating as a full band, Palmar Arch has relaunched the project as a solo endeavour and proven that he is a powerhouse of high-octane ingenuity standing alone in the process.

With hints of pop-punk biting from behind the hard-hitting rock elements that always leave room for melodic hooks between the grungy riffs through the angular melodicism, Sunscript is enough to allow you to imagine what the Foo Fighters would sound like if they kept hold of their virtuosic talent and picked up some contemporary cool.

Between the lack of obvious influence, the adrenalized production and the sheer immensity, Palmar Arch is one to beat.

Watch the official music video for Sunscript on Spotify and YouTube

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slip into the sanctum of 80s rock with Deadbeat Superheroes’ elegantly assured single, By the Side of the Road

Posted on 19 January 2023

‘By the Side of the Road’ is just one of the blissfully melodic singles from Toronto’s premier powerhouse, Deadbeat Superheroes’ latest 4-track EP, Edmonton, produced and engineered by Marek David (QOTSA, Dr Dre, Sheryl Crow).

Inspired by the ambience of Brian Eno’s delay-filtered guitars, the nuancedly 80s track allows you to slip back into the orchestrally heightened assured ease, which knows just what direction to take you in for you to arrive at a destination of mellowed catharsis.

After performing as a violinist in the outfit for the past seven years, the EP is the first release to utilise the soulfully warm vocal beguile of Julie Sun Lee, who carries all the harmonised mesmerism of Stevie Nicks, with none of the assimilation.

After hearing the almost tear-jerking elegance and artistry between the orchestral swells in By the Side of the Road, it is easy to regain lost faith in humanity. If you want proof that humans are still capable of curating awe-inspiring beauty, hit play.

Listen to the full EP on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 18 January 2023
Robots! Attack! by Robots! Attack!

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

Batten down the hatches, Below Bermuda is back with another rip-roaring slice of alt-rock, Wings

Posted on 2 January 2023

After a brief recording hiatus, the international alt-rock outfit, Below Bermuda turned up the temperature with the blazing hot funk-dripped riffs with their first release since 2018, Wings. If you’re sick of four-chord rock, dig right into the complex rhythmic patterns in this hit that will dizzy you into mesmerism. Although you might want to batten down the hatches first, Below Bermuda is about as unreckonable as the Bermuda Triangle itself.

The Rise Against vocal reminiscence and melodically hooky instrumentals in the choruses around the frenetic punk rock pacing in the verses create a track that keeps on giving. After one hit of Wings, I knew that Below Bermuda is a band well-worth catching live. Their animated energy that pulls it together just enough to create a tight AF performance will undoubtedly make for an unforgettable live experience.

It just so happens that before lockdown crimped their touring and recording plans, Below Bermuda rip roared through venues and festivals in the UK, earning themselves the accolade of one of the hottest live acts on the scene.

Wings is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast