Browsing Tag

Placebo

Culture Bloom harmonised to the nines in their spectrally raw acoustic indie & alt-rock synthesis, Nightmare

Posted on 8 October 2023

‘Nightmare’ is the first synthesis of acoustic indie and alt-rock to spill from the debut EP, Aren’t You Proud?, from Denver Colorado’s most nostalgically euphonic drop-dead stunning duo, Culture Bloom.

If Placebo penned bitter-sweet symphonies in the same vein as The Verve and mainlined a little Death Cab for Cutie into that vein, the alt-90s melodiousness would hit with exactly the same force of impact as Nightmare.

The emotional weight carried within the harrowed and haunted layers of vocal harmonies as they collide with the stabbing guitar lines resonates as infinitely more than the sum of all parts, allowing Nightmare to stand as a testament to the song-crafting capacities of the duo that should be on every alt indie fan’s radar.

Stream Nightmare on Spotify and stay tuned for the EP release on October 20th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Miss Kill sharpened their knives in their evocatively jagged alt-90s revival EP, Don’t Tell Me Twice

Posted on 18 September 2022

Few artists create a route back to the 90s as creatively as the Bristol sister duo, Miss Kill. Their debut EP, Don’t Tell Me Twice, hits the sonic Seattle mark just as well as it channels the emotional energy of the golden era of raw, sludgy anthems.

I’ve seen countless bios attesting to the influence of Hole, Pearl Jam and Placebo from artists too evocatively inadept to revive that clawingly consuming candour, not Miss Kill. Even the non-lexical vocals are a skeleton key to insecure soul. Each track on the 5-track release affirms the power of their tenaciously heart-breaking songwriting talent that feels so viscerally comforting in a time of such little relative comfort.

One of the lead singles from the EP, All You Gotta Do, kicks up a tumultuous storm of frustration around artful alt-rock instrumentals while the vocals unfalteringly stretch across the melancholic landscape that deserves to be firmly implanted on the playlists you turn to in protest to the exhausting unfulfillment of life and everything it has to throw at you.

Don’t Tell Me Twice was officially released on September 16th. Sink into it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

downers took us down ‘twenty thousand streets’ in their feat of power pop perfection

Posted on 27 July 2022

After launching their debut single, Messages, earlier this year, downers have released another feat of power pop perfection in the form of their EP, twenty thousand streets. The title single carries the same infectiously melodic punch as Placebo while simultaneously throwing nuances of post-punk and proto-punk down your ears; the earworm will undoubtedly linger.

The UK-based outfit didn’t break the wheel with twenty thousand streets; they perceptibly milked out of it an exhilarated sonic signature that won’t fail to get the adrenaline coursing to the tune of their punk nostalgia rousing energy.

I knew the chances of my jaded soul gelling with an artist under the moniker downers was high. What I failed to anticipate was the sticky sweet vocal affability as the witty lyrics are made larger than life around the rhythms, which any fans of The Buzzcocks will undoubtedly get a buzz from.

twenty thousand streets is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dead Writers delivered an instant post-punk classic in their latest single, Among Spirits.

Posted on 29 October 2021

Staying true to their moniker, Dead Writers delivered poetry that scarcely feels of this century in their latest single, Among Spirits. If Oscar Wilde himself resurrected to write post-punk lyrics, they wouldn’t be as up to scratch as the arresting lexicon in this cutting track.

Right from the intro, the cavernous guitar notes hook you into the emotionally layered single that alchemically fuses melancholy with defiant bursts of energy that emulates the kind of euphoria that only those who have fought for it can truly understand.

When the chorus hits, Dead Writers prove that they have the rare ability to make morosity anthemic, and things get even sweeter in the instrumental interlude. Against the bitter-sweet piano melody, the guitars start to blazon the track with virtuosic rock n roll licks that feed Manic Street Preachers-Esque nuances into the mix.

Paradoxically, the vocals contain their suave indie-rock poise throughout the switch-ups between the evocative dark timbre that will be a hit with any fans of the Cure and the strident rock vocals that could easily fill a stadium. By all accounts, the London-based debonair powerhouse delivered an instant post-punk classic with Among Spirits.

The official video will premiere on October 29th; you can check it out for yourselves via YouTube.

Artist Links: Website, Facebook, Instagram. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Quentel the Cryptid – Ghost Trap: Obsession-Worthy Dark Alt-Rock

Posted on 18 January 2021

When the prelude to a previously unheard track demands maximum volume, you know you’ve just stumbled across a gem, which is exactly what happened when we dove into the cataclysmically superlative single ‘Ghost Trap’ by Alt-Rock artist Quentel the Cryptid.

Fans of the darker side of the Alt 90s sound will definitely want to indulge in Ghost Trap which offers the same atmospheric effects as Cradle of Filth, the same progressive momentum as Porcupine Tree and vocals carrying the cutting reminiscence of Brian Molko. But that isn’t where the dynamism ends, the heavy use of psychedelically-laced synths allowed Quentel the Cryptid to well and truly stamp down their ensnaring sonic signature sound in Ghost Track.

It’s an obsession worthy track from the first hit.

You can check out the official video to Ghost Trap for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NIGHT RIDE Release New Single LAY YOU DOWN

Posted on 13 November 2017

Trailed by a captivating overall musical performance which was further adorned with a catchy electro-pop sound that leaves one twirling and swirling to its gracious vibe, Night Ride really proved that they are still belligerent, camera-ready and more focused to reach the zenith of their music career in their sojourn thus far. This duo is the next best thing to happen to the Electro-pop music industry.

No, this is not like the usual drudge we do take in with a hard pinch of salt, It only takes 3 seconds out 4 minutes total play time of this amazing song for you to be entrapped and unfurled into a forever porch light of beautiful reverie.

So out goes the pop-electro-rock hybrid; which in its place sits a broad EDM party mix that initially manifested itself as One Republic pastiche on a subtle tale of unrequited love and emotional trauma. It’s exactly when the beam of awesomely pitched melody and amazing sexy vocals entwines with the synth-pop vibe of this song that its power of transfixion sets in.

The accentuate music group; Night Ride, is an electronic pop duo embracing synth-pop and rock, and fusing it with theatre, fashion, technology and art which creates a comfort zone that feels genuine.

Night Ride band draws their inspiration on this song from the tale of their sexual experience and couple of situation-ships which isn’t really what you would likely notice at the first listen since the vibe would rather make you pay less attention to the lyrics of the song. This also further backed up the reason why their music influencers happen to be the likes The Weeknd, CHVRCHES, Grimes, GusGus, and Paramore.

As the first track to be released from their forthcoming E.P. ‘Neon Dreams’, Lay You Down gives a good insight of what to expect from the up and coming duo and I simply hope they’d surpass my imagination just like they did in this song when I eventually get my hands on their EP album when it’s released.

A north star in a psychedelic milky way is the overriding theme of Night Ride’s “Lay You Down”. Everything was more than I expected. Simply put, It was nothing short of class and quality.

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-Lilian-Debrah.