Browsing Tag

post rock

E.L. Davis gave us a ‘Window to the World’ that we want to look through with their latest alt indie rock single

Posted on 29 March 2022
E. L. Davis

Ahead of the release of their 6-track EP, Stars We’ve Never Seen, E.L. Davis has given a taste of their elevated existential angst with the standout single, Window to the World.

With the nuanced 90s indie rock vibes mixed in with the post-rock atmosphere of the single that proves how far we’ve come since Bono reigned supreme, Window to the World is simultaneously a nostalgia hit and a way to find contemporary resonance in a time of scarcity of it.

From the very first lyric, the all too relatable disillusionment and cynicism take hold before Window to the World turns into a stormer of an alt-indie rock hit that could easily fill a stadium and command the audience.

Window to the World will officially release on April 29th. Check out E.L. Davis here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hana Piranha showed their razor-sharp hooks and teeth in ‘Fucked Up Feeling’

Posted on 11 March 2022
Hana Piranha

Hana Piranha showed their razor-sharp teeth in her latest storming slice of alt-rock, Fucked Up Feeling. Their artful approach to rock is shared by few, and their ability to become larger than life through her searing hot pop-rock vocal lines is matchless.

As Fucked Up Feeling unfolds, you’ll break through walls of guitars and synth and use Ryan Brown’s percussion as a guide through the track that is expressly not for the faint of heart. Lyrically, Hana Piranha calls upon your shadow side while forewarning the dangers of hedonistic indulgence. In their own words, “it is a relentless anthem of self-destruction”. It’s worryingly relatable and just as head-bang-able is anything Slipknot have done.

Fucked Up Feeling is due for release on March 11th. You can check it out for yourselves via Bandcamp and Spotify and connect with Hana Piranha via Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Southeast powerhouse, Weller, captured the collective sense of futility and isolation in their post-rock hit, Irritated.

Posted on 8 March 2022

The Southeast UK-based post-rock pioneers, Weller, have released their most bruising single to date with the release of Irritated which opens on the instantly disarming, relatably numb lyric, “it has been so long since I felt some connection, feels like a wasted life waiting for the resurrection”. Impressively, they found a way to capture the contemporary collective sense of ennui, futility and isolation while delivering the ultimate angst-riled comfort for it.

They followed in the footsteps of Bring Me the Horizon and Enter Shikari before stridently taking a step in their own atmospherically enrapturing direction. Usually, there is somewhat of an incongruous relationship between fame and talent; with Weller, there’s a synergy in the ingenuity they deliver and the hype that has amassed around their post-hardcore edge. Since making their first official release in 2021, they have garnered international airplay from TotalRock Radio, BBC Introducing and Kerrang Radio. They have also gone down a storm on Spotify with over 100k streams on their seven singles, two of which have hit number 1 in the iTunes rock chart.

I don’t know what I’m more excited about, their forthcoming EP or the chance to see them live. They have everything it takes to be bigger than Paul Weller, which I very much doubted before I hit play.

Irritated is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of Weller’s indulgently infectious takes on alt-rock.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Purge yourselves via District 13’s post-hardcore stormer, Step into the Fire

Posted on 5 February 2022

There was little chance of forgetting the mesmeric furore of District 13, which we were introduced to via their 2019 single, Soma. The Exeter-hailing virtuosic sons have driven even more frenetic finesse into their sound over lockdown if their latest single, Step into the Fire, is anything to go by.

Between the old-school Black Sabbath vibes and the hints of post-hardcore, their own darkly maniacal alt-metal signature sound had plenty of room to breathe. For 5 and a half minutes, District 13 prove the dynamism in their influence and talent as you are shunted through the unpredictably gratifying progressions. From hooky choruses to theatrical interludes to thrash metal breakdowns, Step into the Fire offers it all. We highly recommend any alt-metal fan with an open mind instead of a petulant fixation on the past purges themselves within Step into the Fire.

The official video for District 13’s single, Step Into the Fire, is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Drood bring the ritualistic catharsis in ‘It Must Needs Wither’.

Posted on 30 January 2022
The Drood

The essence of The Drood’s latest single, It Must Needs Wither is a captured ritual. An invitation to cherish the memories of the many lives lost in the years leading up to this Shakespearean release that took inspiration from the tragic play Othello.

For their ritualistically cathartic release, the Denver, Colorado-based electronic duo, used post-rock, Eastern psych and industrial for their dreamy textures. For the vocals, they opted for an ethereal quiescent timbre to rival the harmonic ambience in the dreamiest Beach House and Slowdive releases.

The haunting explorative progressions carry cynical lament while light transcendent textures bring comfort to the affirmation that for all of our artifices, we’re still the same primal creatures. Primal creatures plagued by the vulnerability of mortality and the psychological afflictions that drive us to acts of madness that are all too easily romanticised in our minds.

It Must Needs Wither will officially release on January 25th, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Derek Cramer shows us the future though “Power of the Metaverse”

Posted on 24 January 2022

The Metaverse may give some people the fear and bring connotations of a cold new world that won’t allow us to touch grass; with his single, Power of the Metaverse, the Ohio-based alternative artist, Derek Cramer, has shown us its potential.

The 80s-inspired alt-rock hit has psychedelic undertones along with high-octane over-driven guitars while Cramer energetically attacks the lyrics that illustrate the freedom that metaverses can grant us. Cramer chose to focus on the positives of decentralization, digital connection and augmented reality, such as the potential for increased self-expression and community.

Those lyrics with such nostalgic rock tones almost feels like a paradox is aurally unravelling before you, and therein lies the sheer ingenuity of the release. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Power of the Metaverse is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cagri Raydemir bites the hand of ego-greed in his single, Attention Hunger

Posted on 8 January 2022

Attention Hunger is the latest intellectually scathing alt-rock track from the Munich, Germany-based artist, guitar virtuoso, songwriter and producer, Cagri Raydemir. With vocal reminiscences to Serj Tankian and an instrumental atmosphere that carries similarities to Incubus, any true alt-rock fan will allow Attention Hunger to resonate as a smorgasbord of dynamic alt-rock innovation.

It’s been a while since I had a quite literal jaw-drop moment at an instrumental interlude, but the one that brings in the outro in Attention Hunger gives Mr Bungle an Avant-Garde run for their money.

After releasing 12 albums and 3 EPs, Munich Germany-residing alternative artist has discernibly honed in on his craft to the point of peerlessness. It’s beyond refreshing to hear an artist with the ability to catch you broadsided by their talent.

Attention Hunger is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-rock meets folk as Jess Porter connects the dots in his comeback single, Patterns.

Posted on 7 January 2022

After experimenting in other outfits, the Melbourne artist, Jess Porter, has made his first release since 2014. Right from the intro, Patterns hits you with its dynamic intensity. The simple folky melody running through in hyper-speed instantly immerses you in the post-rock alchemy.

Patterns moves past art rock into 65daysofstatic territory with the synths becoming equal to the guitars as they groove and glitch through the complex time signatures. The vocal effects are nothing short of ingenious for the way Porter harmonically proves that he doesn’t have a vocal timbre to hide before running it through enough distortion that it becomes as volatile as the instrumentals.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A Nostalgic Place: Freiburg’s ea Collective transmits us into a new world with ‘Tardigrada’

Posted on 6 January 2022
Rust Bear by ea Collective

Bringing the world a track that urges us all to free our contaminated minds and take an expedition into another planet for a few minutes, ea Collective sends us a reminder of the brilliance of his 4-track EP ‘Rust Bear‘, with his mesmerizing new single that shall put you into a welcome trance on ‘Tardigrada‘.

ea Collective is a fascinating Oliver Kern-created Freiburg, Germany-based alternative act that somehow fuses in krautrock, psychedelic, and an experimental ambient post-rock sound for our frolicking hearts to be totally encapsulated by.

Merging in different guest musicians each time, this is a conceptual idea that is well-constructed and expertly delivered with such skilful aplomb by ea Collective. It feels like you are witnessing something so uniquely fresh, in a sadly polluted world that seems to unknowingly gravitate towards the copy and paste that only serves to fill you up with littered waste.

‘Tardigrada‘ from the 44-year-old Freiburg, Germany-based alternative artist Oliver Kern aka ea Collective, is an instrumental track that seems to gain different layers of beauty through this whole experience. Your toes will be tapping as your spirit feels so replenished, from listening to an intricate track that needs to be in a Hollywood movie. You can feel the many hours of sweat and tears endured inside this invention by a true perfectionist, who wants each second to be something you remember eternally.

This is a special song indeed, that is deep in a substance that the whole family may enjoy naturally.

Hear this new gem on Bandcamp and see more via the IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Abandon the Fall – Exhale: A Phenomenal Resurgence of Alt Rock

Posted on 29 November 2021

With all the atmosphere of Porcupine Tree’s Fear of a Blank Planet album and the glitchy post-rock progressions, Abandon the Fall’s stormer of a single, Exhale, featuring Dayshell, is a phenomenal resurgence of the alt-rock ingenuity that faded away after the turn of the century.

The white-hot wailing guitars, emotionally-charged vocals and stormy transitions right the way through the tumultuous emo-tinged track all pull together to create a soundscape that leaves you more adrenalized with each deftly contorted evolution of sonic finesse. Exhale has become Abandon the Fall’s most popular track to date shortly after the release; the power trio will be unstoppable from here on out.

Exhale is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast