Browsing Tag

Texas Rock

Mt Bonnell – Mistake: A Little Bit of Country, An Unholy Load of Rock n Roll

It’s almost worth enduring agonising lapses in romantic judgement to prise maximum resonance from Mt Bonnell’s latest lyrically bitter, sonically euphoric alt-rock single, Mistake.

The revelation in genre fusion fuses the twangy, intimate and narratively expansive warmth of upbeat country folk with all the fire and furore of a grungy rock anthem and the stylistic edge of indie to establish the artist as one of the most veritable outfits pouring sound out of Austin.

There’s clearly something in the Texan water which breeds peerless talent, but the flavour of Mt Bonnell is something no other outfit is capable of making you savour. Intensity and authenticity run in the veins of the infectiously zealous melodies ensuring you feel every ounce of the affecting weight in this anthem which epitomises what it means to wear your heart on your guitar strings.

As much as the emotively seismic vocals make you feel, that’s nothing compared to the compulsion to succumb to the rhythmic pulse which speaks volumes of how Mt Bonnell has honed their eclectic sound since forming in 2002, with each member bringing their own sonic proclivities to the table.

Mistake was officially released on August 8th; stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nullor has arrived with his compelling prog rock Tour De Force,  Here

The Fort Worth, Texas-hailing solo artist, Dan Crawford, operating under the moniker Nullor has made his long-awaited debut; it came in the form of his dynamic LP, Finalform. The dusky, doomy and artfully captivating lead single, Here, envelops you in an atmosphere you will never want to come up for air from.

The progressive 6-minute Tour De Force won’t fail to evoke contemplation; the grungy vocal lines which run in the veins of Alice in Chains allow the melodic ambience in the orchestrally cut instrumental arrangement to resonate as a sonically sweet sedative before the monolithic build and burst into intricately electric groove metal.

In the following single, Overdrive, Nullor gives you a taste of classic thrash metal, proving that there are few alternative genres outside of his repertoire. Rather than being a jack of all genres, the versatility of his talent is just as impressive as the degree of it.

Here was officially released with the Finalform LP on September 29; stream it on Spotify and follow the artist on Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vince Spano tracks cyclical torment in his achingly intimate alt-indie-rock single, Been There Before

Austin Texas-hailing artist Vince Spano left our hearts raw and our ears honeyed with his alt-indie-rock latest single, Been There Before. He’s been on our radar for a while, but with each new release is a new testament to his consistent development as an expressionist and artist.

It is always a pleasure to track the progression of an artist; to bear witness to Spano’s development, which happened in such a short span of time, has only affirmed what we already knew about this inspiringly talented artist. He is an icon in the making, and if anyone can revive the love for rock, it is Spano.

The introspective lyrics are just as intimately vulnerable as the instrumentals, which amp up the wistful melancholy through the gentle tremolo guitars, soft focus and harmonic backing that contrasts his grungy rock vocal timbre.

Here’s what Vince Spano had to say on his latest release:

“Been There Before is a continuation of my last single, conveying a more emotional approach to the same subject. In this track, my sound pays homage to the rock music I grew up with, but it is also fresh and new, entwining nostalgia and innovation.”

Been There Before was officially released on October 7th, ahead of the upcoming EP, The Prescribed Project. Check it out on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast