Browsing Tag

No Wave

The alt-rock originator, djamesk13, struck again with his grungy proto-punk single, And That’s Where It Ends, And So It All Begun

Posted on 26 November 2022
https://soundcloud.com/djkemp13/and-thats-where-it-ends-and-so-it-all-begun

“And That’s Where It Ends, And So It All Begun” is the latest tonally sublime single released by the London-based alt-rock originator djamesk13 (David Kemp).

If Dinosaur Jr veered away from grunge and towards proto-punk and made a pit stop at 90s Britpop to pick up a bit of extra guitar swagger, the sonic result would be in a similar vein to this nostalgically produced hit.

The distortedly and poetically orchestrated single provides a definitive discourse on the nature of our lives which runs through like pre-determined chapters of destiny. Lament it or live it to the max, but that’s the nature of being, captured in the lyrical hooks in this epitomisingly sludgy earworm.

And That’s Where It Ends, And So It All Begun was officially released on November 19th. Catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DC’s 90s indie rock renegades, Spunk Davies, delivered a fuzzed-up blast from the past with ‘High Tide’

Posted on 24 October 2022

Almost 30 years after their inception, the Washington D.C.-transpiring fuzzed-up rock n roll renegades, Spunk Davies, are launching their album, Your Turn to Scheme: Best of Spunk Davies 1993-97. Comprising of freshly mastered hits and material that has never before hit streaming platforms.

The seminal scuzzy indie rock meets garage rock track, High Tide, is the perfect introduction to their relic of a release that swarms with mid-alt-90s nostalgia and stays true to their dive bar-esque brand of hard, fast, and loud indie that has filled iconic venues, such as the 9:30 and the Black Cat in DC.

Their sound is one that countless bands are keen to derivatively assimilate, but notably, there’s nothing like the real deafening deal that Spunk Davies assertedly delivered in the infectious energy of High Tide. If you remembered them from the 90s, prepare to fall back in love with their erratic riff-gasmic frenetic edge. If, like me, Spunk Davies are new to your ears, set your expectation for one of the most authentic indie acts you’ve heard in the last decade.

The official music video for High Tide premiered on October 15th. Catch it on YouTube.

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

Imbibe with Dr Todd’s latest scuzzed up blues-rock hit, Give Me a Shot

Posted on 31 May 2022

Austin’s scuzz rock troubadours Dr Todd got intoxicatingly punch drunk in their latest off-kilter hit, Give Me a Shot. The riotously clever cocktail of no wave and blues-rock is potent enough to rival the frenetic fever of the Cramps and the Legendary Shack Shakers, but all reminiscences are extremely fleeting in the hedonistic anthem, which unravels to the tune of heavy distortion, resonator guitars, rock n roll attitude and whiskey fumes.

Based on Give Me a Shot alone, if you have the chance to see Dr Todd live; take it. Or at the very least, imbibe in the high energy catharsis.

Give Me a Shot hit the airwaves in May 2022 through Romgod Records. It is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Noise Pop Biblical Provocateur Norman Lampeye Has Swarmed in With His Debut Single, Locust

Posted on 3 May 2022

NYC noise-pop antagonist Norman Lampeye unleashed his debut single, Locust, on April 28th; fans of Fidlar and other peddlers of escapist existential discord will want to pay attention to the biblical climate-change lamenting art-pop earworm.

The scuzz-swathed off-kilter production utilises harsh snares, distorted synth pads, jarring reverb and Sonic Youth-style chaos to set the savage scene of our slow-burning reality while the lyrics unravel as apocalyptic literary pornography. As debut singles go, there’s scarcely any topping “Oh, did you really have to make this harder? / We take turns holding the locust underwater”.

Naturally, we can’t wait to hear what comes next – summer apocalypses pending.

Locust is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

djamesk13 plays with discordant ethereal phenomena in his latest single, ‘An Angel- The Devil’

Posted on 5 April 2022
https://soundcloud.com/djkemp13/djamesk13-an-angel-the-devil

London alt-rock solo artist, djamesk13, came in with his scuzzy Champagne Supernova-ESQUE latest single, An Angel- The Devil, which plays with ethereal phenomena and no-wave-y discord that will throw you right back to the alt-90s.

The lo-fi production caustically compliments the overarching moody energy of An Angel- The Devil as djamesk13 uses his magnetically deadpan vocals to deliver the hooky meta lyrics. There’s no room to wonder why so many alt-rock fans have already jumped on the singer-songwriter’s fourth release. We hope number 5 is already in the pipeline.

An Angel- The Devil is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Salfordian duo, Yakumama, scuzzed it up for their garage rock debut, Let Me Out Alive

Posted on 27 March 2022

‘Let Me Out Alive’ is the scuzzy indie garage rock debut single from the enigmatically volatile Salfordian duo, Yakumama. They’ve already caught the attention of Radio X with their promising debut that carries the buzz and the bounce of Mudhoney, the effortlessly cool swagger of Kyuss and the efficaciously sharp hooks that demand repeat attention.

The Manchester music scene has been crying out for new artists that rock the indie assimilator apple cart with their off-kilter ingenuity. Yakumama does exactly that with their post-punk nuances and the chaos that breeds at the mercy of their guitar pedals and their vicious power-pop vocal lines.

We already can’t wait to hear what is in the pipeline after this gothy plea for hope and mercy that was written to shake listeners out of moving with the tide.

Let Me Out Alive is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ATR delivered sheer punk rock defiance in his no-wave stormer, A New Life, Featuring Kellii Scott

Posted on 26 March 2022

ATR served up another gnarled no-wave punk single with the release of the blisteringly sweet lo-fi anthem, A New Life, featuring Kellii Scott (Failure).

ATR was formed in 2014 after the founder, Jess, returned from his tour in Iraq as a combat medic with PTSD, a traumatic brain injury and other sustained injuries. With that context, the defiance within A New Life takes on a whole new meaning. If you have ever known how it feels for your mind to wage war on you, the lyrics in A New Life hit like mantras you’ll want to follow and turn to for resilience.

Before his time in the army, Jess was the lead singer and guitarist for an MCA Records-signed punk rock band in the 90s. Even though they were an underground outfit, they shared stages with the likes of The UK Subs, Anti-Flag, The Ataris, and At the Drive In; he never lost his discordant biting touch, but he did attune his sonic signature to the lo-fi alt-grunge style that will electrify you in A New Life.

A New Life will officially release on March 26th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

The Magnapinna brought in the new wave of no-wave with ‘Party Rumours’

Posted on 27 February 2022
Party Rumours by The Magnapinna

With riotous vocal reminiscence to Against Me paired with their scuzzily volatile new wave energy, The Magnapinna’s single, Party Rumours, is just a few voltages short of taking a bath with a toaster.

The Magnapinna started as an online international outfit before evolving into an Ireland-hailing collective that has garnered positive press across the board. They have been lauded by Kerrang, who rightly observed the maniacally eccentric band are like no other.

The title single from their 2022 LP has all the party rock energy of Andrew WK’s Party Hard paired with the discordant punk edge of Dead Kennedys and lofty nuances of surf punk in the gorgeously layered backing vocals. The LP itself scales the entirety of the alt-rock spectrum in absorbingly visceral fashion and lets The Magnapinna’s Mike Patton influence shine through.

Party Rumours is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Peach Giraffe has released the angst-rife industrial earworm of the year with ‘NUMB!’

Posted on 24 February 2022

NUMB! is the latest scuzzy industrial pop track from the caustically indulgent alternative artist, Peach Giraffe; it is a no-wave league ahead of the current garage punk trend and easily one of the most authentic alt-rock hits to have hit the airwaves so far in 2022

If any track has what it takes to unite fans of Fidlar, $uicideboy$, and Skinny Puppy, it is the angst-rife earworm, NUMB! The tumultuous triumph of a single succeeds in lyrically and sonically depicting the frenetic and fraught emotions that broil to the surface when a relationship delipidates. The clever touches to the production and the vocal FX stand as a testament to Peach Giraffe’s ingenuity. They have exactly what it takes to go viral. Watch this space.

NUMB! is now available to stream via Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast