Browsing Tag

Pop-Rock

Spotlight Feature: JACOB CHACKO has made his psych-pop-rock debut with the infectiously up-vibe single, Good Moment

Posted on 6 April 2022

JACOB CHACKO is fresh from the release of his mindfully optimistic debut single, Good Moment, which brings everything it says on the tin.

Sonically, it’s a mash of psych, funk, pop, rock, and soul, pulled together by the sheer evocative magnetism of the psychotropic single that comes complete with spacey synths, grooving funk basslines and 60s psych-pop tendencies.

So many artists start with the intent of creating good vibe music but immediately falter after setting the intent. With JACOB CHACKO, there was no danger of his good vibes falling flat or resonating as trite. The dreamy textures, the vibrant-funk grooves and the vocals that make you instantly want to memorise the lyrics make for a sweetly resolving soundscape that can strip the existential weight right off you.

Here is what JACOB CHACKO had to say about his latest release

“Good Moment is about keeping negative elements at bay, being present, and enjoying the good things in life. It is a simple chill tune, intended to brighten someone’s day. In these uncertain times, we could use a little cheering up… what say you?”

Good Moment is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Her Burden melded Britpop with pop-punk in their melodiously pensive latest release, Figure It Out

Posted on 2 April 2022

With their first release of 2022, the UK alt-indie rock outfit, Her Burden sent us swaggering right back to the bliss of the 90s Britpop era. Figure it Out veers from the tried, tested and endlessly repeated Britpop sound by binging a punch of raw pop-punk to the type of melody that would make any self-respecting Oasis fan swoon.

Her Burden brought just as much to the table lyrically with their narrative of the perpetual optimist that keeps going round in failed circles as they did sonically with their intimate emotional firestorm that proves they have a heady stock of nuance in their arsenal. After the various pandemics impeded their bid for pop rock domination, something tells us there’s no stopping Her Burden now.

Figure It Out is officially released on March 25th; you can check it out via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Silent Disco brought the future of rock to Tennessee with their debut indie-pop-rock about a girl single, Rocks

Posted on 1 April 2022

Pop-punk collided with alt-indie in the debut synth-scored euphoric hit, Rocks, by the up-and-coming powerhouse Silent Disco, which may be the sweetest about a girl single we’ve ever heard. The stellar slice of alt-rock affirms that we’ve moved past the Girl All the Bad Guys Want tropes by celebrating the magic and mystique of spiritual girls.

It’s as hooky as any of Fall Out Boy’s iconic releases, but Rocks does far more than just teasing a little early 00s emo nostalgia; it is also well and truly ahead of the curve of artists clamouring over themselves to do the 1975 better than the 1975. It may not be the average sound that spills out of Nashville, but Silent Disco is definitively bringing the future of rock to Tennessee.

Rocks will officially release on April 1st, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Robbie Maroon has released his catchier than Corona funk-pop track, Rewind

Posted on 24 March 2022

“Rewind” is the latest jazzy rock-licked funk-pop track from the raw-soul-peddling Australian singer-songwriter Robbie Maroon. After being introduced to his sombre and spacey sound in 2019 through his single, Stepping Stone, this new profoundly hopeful approach to production is quite literally music to our ears. You can’t help but catch the positive vibes that radiate through the release that captures the chaos of our lives and releases us from it with the era-spanning old school grooves.

With vocals that sit somewhere in between Shinedown and the sultry timbre of George Michael, it’s all too easy to find yourself in the heart of the hook-filled track which comes complete with stabbing horns and layers of funk-riding progressions which pull together to deliver a nostalgia hit you’ve never tasted before.

Rewind was officially released on March 18th. You can check it out for yourselves on Robbie Maroon’s website or via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aaron Andreu is smoother than smooth in his pop-rock single, Your Eyes Are My Favorite Color

Posted on 8 March 2022

“Your Eyes Are My Favorite Color” is just one of the smoother than smooth singles that feature on the pop-rock charmer Aaron Andreu’s latest EP, Stars Collide.

The gently rhythmic yet angularly arresting guitar melodies that build throughout the fervently passionate single are just as sweet as the track title as they leave you on the hook for the next installation of teasingly timed accordance. It sent me right back to the glory days of the Calling and falling for Billy Idol’s raconteurial affable soul.

Before releasing his debut EP in 2018, the singer-songwriter was sharing stages and writing songs for Grammy-Award winning artists; he carried all that professionalism to the table with the Stars Collide which notably is Grammy-ballot worthy in itself. He’s got the kind of sound sycophants would line round the block for and the sense of soul to make any die-hard romantic fall hard.

Your Eyes Are My Favorite Color is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cravings Band made an anthemically charged proclamation of passion in their power-pop single, I Wanna See You

Posted on 4 March 2022
https://soundcloud.com/jan-frederick-setya-kasih/i-wanna-see-you-added-strings-version/s-uu3HnyTD3J1

Cravings Band put the power in power pop in their latest riff-charged, electrifyingly upbeat single, I Wanna See You, which captures the urgency of sating romantic desires.

As a narrative of hot pursuit for passion unfolds, the dynamic pop-rock mix animatedly transgresses from scuzzy classic rock increments to hooky pop choruses that will linger long after this fervent proclamation of unrelenting affection has faded to a close. It’s not your average perennial pop earworm; it’s an anthemic one. The orchestral strings are the perfect finish to I Wanna See You, which is as fitting for an epic rock opera as it is for the airwaves.

I Wanna See You will officially release on March 4th, 2022. You can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Scarlett Angel brought in the future of pop with her dark and stormy track, C u L8r, featuring Zēo

Posted on 3 March 2022
Scarlett Angel

The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter rapper, Scarlett Angel, has everything it takes to define the future of pop – if her latest single, C u L8r, featuring Zēo, is anything to go by.

With her sweet future-pop-meets-bubble-gum-pop vocals spilling into the dark and moody instrumentals, which start with shoegazey dream pop vibes before transgressing into a stormy pop trap track, the choruses in C u L8r will stick to your synapses like superglue. Whether you want them to or not.

Lyrically, C u L8r is just as emboldening as Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, Avril Lavigne’s Complicated, and You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette. But make no mistake, Scarlett Angel is creating her own empowering pop signature sound.

Check out Scarlett Angel via SoundCloud and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Max Muscato’s razor-sharp pop-rock hooks cut like a knife in his latest earworm, Valarie.

Posted on 27 February 2022

After a five-year stint away from the airwaves, Max Muscato proved that you can’t rush perfection with the release of his rock-licked smitten seminal single, Valerie.

The singer-songwriter, guitarist, and CEO of the NPO, Rock Autism, allowed Valarie to unravel as a matured version of Girl All the Bad Guys Want by Bowling for Soup with his eclectic range of influences, which include John Mayer, Maroon 5, Wolfmother, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Beck.

The long-awaited track which follows on from his 2017 debut album, Act One, is an intoxicating blend of razor-sharp pop-rock hooks, virtuosic riffs, blues rock interludes and, of course, Muscato’s endlessly energetic sense of soul that pours through his drunk-in-love raconteur vocals. We eagerly anticipate what follows.

Valerie is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Make listening to Nav’s Hook’s funk-infused pop-rock single, New Beginnings, a New Year Resolution

Posted on 27 January 2022

After making us fall hook, line, and sinker with his previous releases, the indie singer-songwriter Nav’s Hook has released the poppy funk-rock track, New Beginnings. The prospect of this new year bringing good new beginnings has understandably left many people cynical under the weight they are still carrying the weight of the previous two years. By the time the chorus hits, that cynicism will fall victim to the strident optimism in the groove-filled high-vibe track.

When the perception-shifting introspection in an artist’s previous releases leaves you stoked to hear the intellectual gold in their new releases, it’s a clear sign that they’re a sharp cut above the rest. We will never get tired of Hook’s sound that constantly evolves around his unpredictable creative vision and lyrics that seek to pull the light from the dark. Many of us felt like we were shunted into a pitch-black 2022; tracks like New Beginnings prove that the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t always a train. Sometimes, it’s a visionary artist sharing his hard-fought-for optimism.

The official lyric video to New Beginnings premiered on January 13th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Psych Soul Food is Back on the Menu with Denim Dan’s Return to the Airwaves

Posted on 25 January 2022

The NYC psychedelically blessed folk-pop-rock powerhouse, Denim Dan, serenaded us with their seminal spacey album, No Guarantee, ahead of the release of their upcoming album, 3AM.

Each of the singles on the 2020 album, No Guarantee, provides the opportunity to shift the ennui and existentialism out of your worldview. To complement the psychedelic tones, the enlightened lyricism that was penned to hit the evocative spot by uplifting just as much as the transcending instrumental timbres.

After forming in the 90s, Denim Dan’s fusion of 60s pop and 70s rock has remained just as sweet in the 21st century. Instead of modernising their sound that carries reminiscences to The Beatles, Steely Dan, Bowie and Tom Petty, they’ve stayed true to cathartically resonant form.

Along with the release of their upcoming album, the nostalgia-inducing outfit are also set to release their tribute to Bob Dylan to coincide with the opening of the Bob Dylan Museum in Tulsa, OK. They are well worth a spot on your radar.

Denim Dan’s 2020 album, No Guarantee, is available to stream in full via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast