Browsing Tag

Sludge Pop

Running Alive brought raw Alt Rock dynamism to the airwaves with their debut album

Posted on 19 November 2020

Alt-Rock newcomers Running Alive’s debut album ‘Dreams from Outer Space’, featuring the lead single ‘Affluent’ has finally dropped and proven that maturity in the industry is far too overrated. It’s easily one of the most dynamic Alt-Rock releases we’ve heard this year. At the age of 13-years-old, the members of the powerhouse trio smashed the misconception that it takes decades of experience to offer nuance through music.

With biting metal energy melding with grungy yet melodic Indie tones which pay ode to the Alt 90s, Affluent is an undeniable testament to the artists ability to bring intense authenticity to the airwaves. It’s visceral, it’s intuitive, and you’ll feel every ounce of the angst-fuelled emotion merging with your own.

After hearing Affluent, I felt far more confident about the future of Alt-Rock. I have no doubt that this won’t be the last we’ll hear from Running Alive. Get them on your radar.

You can check out Affluent along with Running Alive’s debut album via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

¥ANG delivers laconically laidback Alt Rock with ‘Satin Blue’  

Posted on 11 November 2020

Born in London and now resident in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter ¥ang is now onto his sixth single in just twelve months. ‘Satin Blue’ starts off with a Patti Smith-esque acoustic guitar part before instantly becoming something much, much more as ¥ang’s laconic, laid-back vocal delivery kicks in.

Mixing equal parts Beck, REM, and the quieter parts of Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’ album, hitting every ‘right’ bit of Cobain and Stipe on the way, ‘Satin Blue’ is a catchy, upbeat number with a surprisingly hooky, mainstream college-radio middle eight breakdown before kicking back into its final ‘this is your lesson’ chorus refrain, which – like the best of Seattle and Athens, Georgia – will stay very, very firmly lodged in your head for hours after the final, ringing chord has decayed to nothingness.

Hear ‘Satin Blue’ on Spotify, and check out ¥ang on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

Take a trip back to the Alt 90s with The Young Love Scene’s latest single “Honey”

Posted on 25 September 2020
Honey by The Young Love Scene

If it’s been a while since you’ve deemed a feat of dreamy, sludgy and distorted Alt Rock as obsession-worthy, hit play on the latest infectiously melodic earworm “Honey” from Vermont-based Alt Rock artist The Young Love Scene.

The Young Love Scene may have a fairly DIY approach to their sound, but instead of hindering the track, the intimacy is amplified and it is even easier to fall into the absorbing mix of crunchy distortion and singer Gordon Goldsmith’s alluringly harmonic vocal timbre.

If the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer had an aural lovechild, I can imagine it would turn out something a little like Honey.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alt Rock Artist Ed Eagle Has Made Their Alluringly Serpentine Debut with “The Team”

Posted on 12 June 2020

“The Team” is the dark and stormy debut single by up and coming Alt Rock artist Ed Eagle. If you crossed Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Joy Division and Soundgarden, you’d end up with a track which slightly resembles the sweetly serpentine Rock hit.

The production may not be the sharpest, but given that The Team drips with scuzzy, grungy fuzz, the slightly lo-fi feel simply amplifies the volatile intimate nature of The Team which launches a bold attack on capitalism.

It’s an irrefutably solid track, and a promising debut by any definition. We’re officially excited to hear what comes next from Ed Eagle.

You can check out Ed Eagle’s debut The Team for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rose Haze – Edge of Something: A Modern Artistic Take on 90s Indie Shoegaze

Posted on 30 April 2020

Fans of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive definitely won’t want to miss out on the latest release from Indie artist Rose Haze. “Edge of Something” evokes 90s nostalgia whilst simultaneously giving you that all too rare sense of aural euphoria which can only come from hitting play on a brand-new artist offering pioneering vision, and deft artistic execution through their sound.

There may be more nuances of Pop than you would find in a 90s Shoegaze hit with the clear vocal diction which sits neatly above the instrumentals. Yet, you’ll be able to expect the same sludgy mesmerism from the guitars which still resonate as cuttingly angular despite the layers of Reverb.

Edge of Something is so much more than your ordinary revival track, and Rose Haze’s arrestive approach to production is definitely anything other than assimilative. The up and coming artist achieved a moody yet ethereal track with Edge of Something, and it’s not all too often that we can say that.

You can check out the latest single from Rose Haze for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast