Browsing Tag

Punk Rock

Where is the love: The Secs keep it real on exceptional single ‘Body Girl’

Posted on 13 February 2021
https://thesecs.bandcamp.com/album/kissing-with-wolves

Taken off their latest ten-track album called ‘Kissing with Wolves’, The Secs tell it how it is without being overly nasty, despite the distasteful circumstances on ‘Body Girl‘.

North Devon (UK) multi-genre indie post-punk/garage/grunge rock band The Secs, is fronted by the incredibly real singer, rapper, poet, artist and soul healer Rachel Madeline. She phenomenally fuses that really raw, cheekily raunchy and heart-striking music, that makes you dance around like the good times are back and have that much-needed fun again.

This is the wild story of a girl that hooks up with that guy you like, just because she know that you like him. The ultimate display of undesirable pettiness is sadly all-too-common in modern reality TV-hooked society and the annoyance from this moment is perfectly explained in detail by a sensationally multi-talented singer, who tells it how it is, without stooping to the dingy levels of her unwise nemesis. You are all about the love and they are sadly only thinking with the cheap wine and fake energy strewn into their plastic veins.

The catchy riffs run rampantly into your healing heart with galvanizing gusto as your curious body is thrust to groove along to this enlightening look into the mind of a unimpressed woman, who has been scorned and isn’t too happy about.

The melodies here are such a great listen and you smile a bit to yourself-knowing exactly what she means about the fake-tanned dolls that need a dose of their own medicine sometimes.

‘Body Girl‘ from North Devon’s The Secs, is a gloriously gritty track that shows how supremely creative Rachel is, with more variety inside than a tasty happy meal. She performs with that extra edge and authenticity, never closing herself off to fit any particular fad or genre box, that can easily wrap the creativity right over you and never let go. This is that underground gem that you wish you had known about earlier and is a terrific showing from an underrated band that must be so pulsating and electric live.

Knowing who you are in life is so important and not falling into the trap of walking with the sheep, is absolutely vital is this quick-swipe and copycat world. Being an original wolf and walking your own path, is ultimately a much realer experience for your hungry soul, who seeks that real love to fully reach your vast desires.

Stream this brilliantly moody track on Bandcamp and see FB for more on this electrifying band.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Antalai has dropped their riotously dynamic Alt-Rock debut ‘Spilling My Guts’

Posted on 30 January 2021

If alt-rock fans take a chance on any debut single in 2021, they should make it Antalai’s euphorically-charged unapologetically feisty track ‘Spilling My Guts’.

There is a real sense that there was no pretence for Antalai to hide behind in her debut. Her authentic voice resounds as her visceral poetic rage rips through high-octane hit which will leave you rhythmically arrested by the end of the first verse.

Through the addition of the punchy pop-rock chorus which puts a modernist twist on 00s Pop Punk, Spilling My Guts became a riotously anthemic hit which you would be lucky to hear if you wandered to the front of a crowd at a festival.

You can check out Antalai’s single for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unleash the misery with Five Hundred Bucks’ frenetic feat of Punk Rock ‘Spinal’

Posted on 27 January 2021
This Welcome Mat is a Landmine EP by Five Hundred Bucks

Any fans of Social Distortion will want to turn their attention to the frenetic feat of Punk Rock ‘Spinal’ from Five Hundred Bucks’ aptly explosively titled latest release ‘This Welcome Mat is a Landmine EP’.

The turbulently high-octane hit delivers a relatable sense of indignation both lyrically and vocally, affirming with the listener that yes, it is okay for the fuzzy feels to be flowing when the massive chorus hits; it is possible to feel some semblance of euphoria while the world falls apart around us.

Philadelphia’s tenacious sons and their realism-soaked punky pop rock earworms are exactly what the airwaves in 2021. As they have plenty in the pipeline, you’ll want them on your radar, sooner rather than later.

You can check out Spinal for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt 90s Meets 00s Pop Punk in Stopnowstartagain’s fuzzed up single ‘Liplock’

Posted on 19 January 2021
stopnowstartagain

Blending 90’s/00’s alt-pop/punk with some tidy guitar work and pushing, urgent drums comes ‘Liplock’, the debut single from Stopnowstartagain; swamped in overdriven, distorted guitar, the track takes its cues from the guitar-led indie of Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du, and Bob Mould’s follow-up project Sugar, all vocal harmonies and catchy pop sensibilities over Superfuzz pedals and Tube Screamers delivered into the front end of cooking amps.

It works, too – catchy pop-rock vocals, chiming picked single-note guitar lines, and those layered swathes of distortion; it’s one of those sounds you didn’t realise how much you missed until you heard it all over again; I’m gonna go and dig out ‘Bug’, ‘Green Mind’, ‘Copper Blue’, or ‘Beaster’ now, too. Cracking stuff.

Check out Stopnowstartagain on Facebook and Instagram now.

Review by Alex Holmes

 

Embrace your insanity with House of Weirdos’ timely Alt Rock hit ‘Climbing up the Walls’

Posted on 14 January 2021

On Christmas Eve, the adept alchemists of Alt Rock, House of Weirdos, delivered the ultimate antidote to the claustrophobic restlessness with their Psychedelically-layered Garage Rock track ‘Climbing Up the Walls’.

If you could imagine what Queens of the Stone Age would sound like if they incorporated more absurdity, chaos and psychotropic synths into their sound, you might be able to get an idea of what is on offer. Yet, Climbing up the Walls could easily enamour fans of everyone from the Misfits to The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster.

Climbing up the Walls is façade-less, it’s relentlessly ingenious, it’s a visceral invitation to shake off pretence and relinquish shame for the fact that 2020 did a number on your mental health.

The playfully despondent track was made even sweeter with the pairing of the music video which will fill you with gratitude for House of Weirdos, just one of the irreplaceable artists who looked into the stir-crazed frustration and found inspiration so we could be hit with that invaluable feeling of connection and resonance.

You can check out the official video to Climbing up the Walls by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Staying true to what is really important: The Vigilance Committee drop superb new single ‘Reflections III’

Posted on 10 January 2021

The Vigilance Committee are back with their inspirational blend of real music with heart on the outstanding new single ‘Reflections III‘.

New York indie-punk rockers The Vigilance Committee are a closely-knit outfit that have been making epic soundscapes together since 2009, and they are a group that do things that really matter in life, beyond music.

”Reflections III’ is a coming home of sorts for us,” says Phil Corso (drums/vocals). “With the world the way it is, we felt it was important to get back to basics, which for us, meant writing honest music that stood for something.”

This exceptional song is about how we need to fully appreciate the beauty of building a project from the start to the finish, no matter what the end result turns out to be. Watching it fall over is tough to watch but if it means you have to compromise your core morals and values, staying true to yourself is all that matters. You are the one that has to look in the mirror each day after all.

With a more than satisfying indie-punk rumbustious melody to start us off on this excellent ride, the driving drums and haunting vocals catch your attention quickly, this is a rock solid track that is marvelously catchy and is so true to its original vision. The true story of not letting yourself fall below the standard you have set for yourself deep down and how you would rather tumble over, than stay somewhere you know isn’t for you and where you feel you don’t belong.

Valuing total integrity over worthless material things seems like a controversial thing to do these days, so its very refreshing to hear a band that still have these values and who actually say something about things that aren’t legitimate.

This is an excellent band who are underground heroes for doing what is right and ‘Reflections III’ from New York City four-piece The Vigilance Committee, sees them stay true to their roots and kicks the standard up a few notches in a previously prosperous genre, that has been in the doldrums for way too long. That all changes now.

Stream this terrific track here on YouTube and see what they get up to next on FB & IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Church on Sunday – Destiny: Boisterously Eclectic Contemporary Punk

Posted on 29 December 2020
https://churchonsunday.bandcamp.com/track/destiny-2

With an opening riff reminiscent to ACDC’s ‘Thunderstruck’, Church on Sunday’s feisty new single ‘Destiny’ kicks off before evolving into a high-octane feat of boisterously eclectic contemporary punk rock.

The Toronto-based artist found the perfect balance between connectable angsty energy and raucously playful charisma with Destiny. With a massive chorus, a plethora of rhythmically-binding hooks and the sheer relentless talent exhibited, it isn’t hard to see why Church on Sunday have shared stages with the likes of Cancer Bats.

With elements of hard rock, pop punk and skate punk all influencing the insurgent matured track, it’s distinctive enough to grip you by its authenticity alone. The volatile euphoria and optimism which Destiny instils is the cherry on the cake. You can assume the cake has been left in the gutter in this instance.

You can check out Destiny on all major streaming platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Is It Safeway or Woolworths? Only The Gaffs really know.

Posted on 21 December 2020

It would be oh too easy to dismiss The Gaffs’ ‘Is It Safeway Or Woolworths?’ as one more in a long line of dreaded ‘novelty singles’, but that would totally disservice the superbly crafted chorus hook, exquisite guitar work, and the obvious quality of the song-writing and musicianship here. Insanely catchy and sing-along, beneath the gonzo lyrics is a solid indie-pop song, reminiscent in place of the Kings Of Leon’s ‘Sex On Fire’ or, just maybe, Sultans Of Ping FC’s ‘Where’s Me Jumper?’.

The Gaffs cite themselves as ‘some of the greatest thinkers of their time and are willing to ask the big questions around consciousness, existentialism and the difference between Safeway and Woolworths’. While that may be pushing it, they’re certainly a quality indie-pop band, and ‘Is It Safeway Or Woolworths’ is definitely a quality pop tune.

Check out the video for ‘Is It Safeway Or Woolworths’ on YouTube, and follow The Gaffs on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

J Pop-Punk Rock to blast loud: RinRin puts shade on fake former friends via debut single ‘The Game’

Posted on 16 December 2020

RinRin is a stylish Philippine-born singer-songwriter, guitarist, pop-punk music writer & producer who is a proudly Perth, Australia local. She drops into the solo music world barrel of a wave with her debut track titled ‘The Game’.

With a rampaging rock style and excellent vocals, you can tell that this young lady has been in the music game for a while and since she was 13, RinRin has been showing her skills to everyone around in her father’s cover band. With school and a blossoming solo career, this is a busy artist who seems to love every second of the ride, no matter what detours come across her path.

The story about how some people take you for granted is so relevant in the often-selfish world. You can always be there for your friends but some of them just take and take, with no thought of what their actions cause. This is a moment of maturity when you realize this and decide to move on without them. The scary part is that most of the time, they won’t even call or message you to see why you have gone quiet, instead making a scene when you bump into them again, putting all the blame on you. The ultimate manipulation is easy to see when you know what to look for.

Her guitar smashes the weak windows around and the production is so well put together. Her voice is fresh and honest, the Punk-Rock melodies bring back memories of top music from the 90’s. There is so much to like here and the message is riveting and stories how some just want to play games. This is an old soul that isn’t messing around. She believes in herself and this is a musician who can see the bigger picture.

A woman on a mission to get her solo music out to the world, RinRin blasts the speakers off the floor on ‘The Game’. She likes it loud and this is probably the best wake-up track I’ve heard in 2020. Turn it up and remember your goals you know you can obtain; not the fake people that just want to steal your good energy and greedily use it for their selfish ways.

Stream this new track via Spotify and find her on socials via FB & IG for more.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Heating up the boiler room: ‘Captain Bullshit’ by the electric Wynton Existing kicks us into shape again

Posted on 30 November 2020

Taken off the new 12-track full album ‘Wicked Fabrications’, ‘Captain Bullshit’ is a punk rock ride from Wynton Existing that gets that body moving again after a long slumber of lonely days.

Wynton Existing who is Wynton Huddle on his passport, is the singer and guitarist of Central Pennsylvania’s high-paced psychedelic rock band, Medusa’s Disco. He got bored of lock-down days away from the sweaty music venues and wanted to use his juices to blend up a solo album that was full of action packed music to keep him occupied. The results are immensely impressive and this is a true rock star that made this song from his boiler room. 2020 has certainly made us evolve and just get things done, no matter how.

The psychedelic, surf and indie rock morph-fest is a fiery mash of tasty tunes from a motivated solo artist that is used to being in a band. His voice is supremely energetic and fresh, ready to get his frustration out and do what he loves.

The feeling of being taken for a ride is heavy on the ears with the welcome harmonic buzzing in your ears for a brief moment too. The solos are so funky and you will find that your head can’t stop bobbing alone as you feel his painful vocals about the story of how this year is so full of reckless abandon and more sensible heads need to prevail. This is a track that so pulsating that you might need to have a lie down after this as your brain will explode with memories of when you used to rock out to music like this every weekend.

‘Captain Bullshit’ finds Wynton Existing doing his solo journey to pass time and to stay busy throughout this doomed year that has killed off so many music venues and blunted big dreams. When the dust settles again and those curious faces appear at gigs and festivals again, there will be a music renaissance like no other. If he can stay focused and find extra streams of income to mesh with his music, Wynton Existing will be at the center of the redemption story. He has that extra bit of quality that you are only born with.

Supercharge your mood on Spotify and see more on his IG and Facebook.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen