Browsing Tag

Pop-Rock

Lunarcode cut their classic rock energy with an infectiously catchy pop edge in Cuttin’ the Cord.

Posted on 2 January 2022

Lunarcode gave classic rock an infectiously catchy pop edge in their latest release. Cuttin’ the Cord. While the swaggering basslines ooze sex appeal and reminiscence to Arctic Monkeys, the guitars earn Cuttin’ the Cord its rock n roll stripes.

Only a vocalist as dynamic as Vincenzo Carubia could pull the endlessly progressive track together so tightly. From the laceratingly sharp pop vocal hooks to pedal to the metal raucous rock passion, he delivered it all with a devilishly magnetic attitude that makes getting hyped about this powerhouse outfit non-optional.

They may have only been around since the summer of 2020, but they’re already proving that if anyone’s set to take the rock scene by storm in 2022, it is them.

Cuttin’ the Cord is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shake the cobwebs off romantic regret with Michael Vincent’s alt-indie pop-rock hit, Mine

Posted on 1 January 2022

The up and coming artist Michael Vincent came into 2022 with a bang with the release of his infectiously upbeat alt-indie pop-rock track, Mine. With lyrics that shake the cobwebs off of romantic regret and fiery vocals that will throw you right back to when Fall Out Boy was reigning supreme on the airwaves, Mine has all the makings of a playlist staple, and then some. The snappy percussion, crawling basslines, and rock virtuoso guitar licks break into exuberantly electric radio-ready choruses that won’t ask permission before glueing themselves to your synapses.

One of the hardest life lessons to learn is that there is no guarantee of closure after a messy relationship. Michael Vincent finds a sticky-sweet way to lend compassion to his amorous-less fans looking for consolation that their ex was too douchey to offer. In every conceivable way, it is a hit.

Mine was officially released on January 1st, 2022. It is now available to stream here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dark-pop icon, Lyra V, created the stormiest earworm of the year with ‘2 Late’.

Posted on 17 December 2021

If Avril Lavigne ever gave up her crown, the up and coming singer-songwriter Lyra V discernibly has what it takes to take her place as the pop-rock supreme. In her latest single, 2 Late, she uses her classical vocal training as much as her command over the ethereal atmosphere of her vocal timbre.

Melancholy pierces through the melodic verses and the stormy choruses to create a track that leaves no corner of the emotional spectrum unvisited. Hell hath no eloquent fury like a woman committed to projecting every ounce of visceral frustration into a soundscape. It’s the darkest earworm that you will hear this year. More impressively, the authenticity of her sonic signature is almost matchless.

2 Late is now available to stream and purchase on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Conner Eko has released his pensive pop-rock single, Christmas Morning Goodbye

Posted on 12 December 2021

With songwriting skills that would give Gary Barlow a run for his money, Conner Eko has delivered the Christmas song we never knew we needed with ‘Christmas Morning Goodbye’.

The pop-rock crossover track starts with a simple, festive piano melody before it picks up momentum with searing hot guitars blazing through the soundscape around Eko’s resounding, unfaltering vocals. For anyone who likes their festive music with an air of melancholy, Christmas Morning Goodbye is the ultimate December playlist staple.

The official music video for Conner Eko’s single, Christmas Morning Goodbye, premiered on December 3rd. It is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Valiancy gives us our ‘Good Vibes’ fix in his latest alt-pop sonic sanctum.

Posted on 10 November 2021

With the sweet harmonic Beach Boys-style soul against the Saul Williams-Esque heavy beats, Valiancy’s latest alt-indie pop fix, Good Vibes, delivers what it says on the tin. Not through condescending euphoria peddling tropes, but through exuding nothing but transcendent soul that remains sympathetic to the reasons we need good vibes tracks in the first place.

The songwriter and producer orchestrated a soundscape unique enough to pique your interest and pull you in, yet experimentalism was notably secondary to ensuring that the infusion of harmonic pop vocals and ensnaring alt electro beats became a sure-fire hit of catharsis.

Get your Good Vibes hit by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Future-pop fuses with Britpop in Footless Kicks’ debut single, E1 2AM

Posted on 10 November 2021
Footless Kicks

In the ultimate pop-rock crossover, London-based rock guitarist, producer and songwriter, Footless Kicks sent us back to the Britpop era with his debut single, E1 2AM. The devilishly clever single carries the same blissful tones as the Roses along with the driving momentum of JBD’s anthemically charged riffs in The Manic’s most soul-sating hits. Vocally, Footless Kicks truly came into his own. The solo artist’s gruffly soulful vocal timbre is complemented by the dynamic range of the guest female vocalist whose dreamy harmonies sit between Mazzy Star and My Bloody Valentine.

With more singles in the pipeline and the teasing of an album, any alt-90s fan will want Footless Kicks on their radar.

E1 2AM is due for official release on November 8th; you can catch it for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vulpine break new ground with their experimental post-rock EP, Ventures.

Posted on 19 October 2021

Scotland’s most melodic alt-rock outfit, Vulpine, has released their genre-spanning debut EP, Ventures, which brings a rare sense of accessibility to math rock and plenty of solemnity and poise to emo pop-rock.

The best introduction to their atmospheric, progressively gripping songwriting style is the title track, which carries the evocative weight of Frightened Rabbit combined with the instrumental furore of Mogwai.

From an ambient prelude, an intricately immense storm kicks up in the instrumentals, taking you through gripping breakdowns and even sweeter crescendos that hit the climactic spot every time. As the consistently in-flux sonic palette switches up through the progressions, vocalist, Pete Fox, demonstrates the provoking range of his vocal power.

The Ventures EP released on October 1st. It is now available to stream and purchase on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sparks in the Garden have released their swoon-worthy earworm, Let’s Fall in Love Again.

Posted on 14 October 2021
Sparks in the Garden

Sparks in the Garden’s latest pop-rock EP, Trails of Light, comes with an alt-country twang, a sense of soul that makes every single swoon-worthy, and some of the most honed-in talent that we’ve heard this year.

In the standout single, Let’s Fall in Love Again, the folky foot stompin’ rhythms in the verses break into stadium-filling choruses around the indulgently affable lyrics and the 80s rock-style solos that ground the soundscape in gravitas.

The Floridian brother duo has been playing together since 1989, but it wasn’t until 2015 that their sound started to pick up traction. Trails of Light is Sparks in the Garden’s first studio project, we hope there is plenty more in the pipeline.

Let’s Fall in Love Again is now available to stream and purchase via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

XANDE breaks barriers with his mental health alt-pop stormer, DOWNFALL.

Posted on 8 October 2021

Alt-pop singer-songwriter and producer, XANDE, is set to release his rawest single to date with DOWNFALL, which doesn’t just open up the MH conversation; it drops an atomic bomb to break down barriers and advocate for mental health awareness.

By mixing with contemporary pop elements with trap textures and alt-rock stylings, DOWNFALL could easily be  universally adored. If you thought that Wrecking Ball was evocative, brace yourselves for the emotional firestorm that blazes throughout this massive melodic hit.

The Portugal-born artist penned the single to reflect the emotions that transpired through being a caregiver for his father, who suffered from schizophrenia and PTSD. It finds a nuanced way of portraying the very real truth that the symptoms of someone’s mental health conditions can cause another’s trauma.

As someone that has also had to constantly creep around depression and anxiety during childhood, I couldn’t help finding myself in the lyrics; that hollowing feeling of knowing that your emotions will always be secondary and the people that should have your back just let you fall or push you even further. It’s a stunning single, in every conceivable way. We can’t wait to hear more.

The official video to DOWNFALL will premiere on October 8th; you can check it out for yourselves on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Layla Frankel evades genre and embodies soul in her standout single, Dear Jennie.

Posted on 28 September 2021

Layla Frankel’s recent releases may evade genre, but they revolve around style and soul. Her standout single, Dear Jennie, is a stunning testament to her effortlessly uplifting sound. With her influences ranging from Bonnie Raitt to Sheryl Crow to Joni Mitchell to Bob Dylan, she found her own voice in between, and what a voice it is.

With the same ABBA-Esque piano chords that allowed the Manic Street Preachers to get to the top of the album charts when they used them in their latest album, The Ultra Vid Lament, Dear Jennie brings just as much euphoria with her complexly layered sound that indoctrinates unpredictable progressions, cathartic crescendos and sheer vocal dynamism.

Dear Jennie is available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast