Browsing Tag

The Kinks

Maverick Smith walked with garage rock giants in ‘Holding On’

Posted on 17 October 2024

Maverick Smith’s seminal single ‘Holding On’ homages an epoch when rock ruled with a raucous yet refined hand while moving far beyond pastiche. Featured on the collaborative album ‘With Friends & Imperfections’, born between the synergy of 22 rock legends in their own right, the single synthesises elements of power pop and proto-punk, steeped in the nostalgic vibes of the 60s and 70s.

The keys dance with an uplifting tempo reminiscent of the 70s pop-rock scene, while the gritty guitar chords transport you to the nascent proto-punk streets of New York City as surf-pop harmonies swell in the background, bringing a taste of the Beach Boys with a sprinkle of Cheap Trick’s feel-good panache.

Emerging from a decade-long pause, Maverick Smith, steered by the renowned Sean Boynes, reinvented their approach to music creation. The album, recorded live in the Ohio Valley, harnesses an organic sound that modern digital productions can seldom mirror. This collection of tracks, brought to life by a cadre of Grammy laureates and indie rock veterans, is less about technical perfection and more about the palpable, unrefined energy of friends feeding off each other’s fervour. You couldn’t ask for a more potent rock-licked serotonin fix.

With Friends and Imperfections was officially released on October 1st. Stream the collaborative LP in full on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get in harmony with your soul through Skydivers’ indie pop kaleidoscope of 60s hues, Maybe I Can

Posted on 8 April 2024

Slip into the cradle of nostalgia with the latest single, Maybe I Can, from the Boone, NC-based studio project, Skydivers. The tenderly melodic kaleidoscope of 60s hues embody the colour and soul of the Beatles and the Kinks, filtered through a nuancedly modernised indie pop lens.

Hit play and cruise with the shimmering guitars, groove with the intuitively clever percussion, and find nirvana with the ascending keys which defy gravity as they sway through the production beneath the honey-timbered vocal lines as they exude a blissful state of care-free indecision.

In the frantic pace of our era, singles in the vein of Maybe I Can, which give permission to get in harmony with your own soul and slow down should be on everyone’s playlists. The sublime ease of the progressions is an efficacious sonic visualisation of the emotional themes which underpin this superlative release.

Maybe I Can was officially released on March 29; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Do The Jimmy Jimmy, and The Ballad Of Tin Shaker

Posted on 8 December 2020

Beatles-y, Kinks-y, Small Faces-y, harmonious, sixties-mixed-with-nineties, classic indie-influenced pop-rock, ‘The Ballad Of Tin Shaker’ is a glorious, catchy pop song in the absolute best sense of the words.

Hailing from the small town of Claymont in the state of Delaware in the US, Jimmy Jimmy, and his new seven-track album ‘Do The Jimmy Jimmy’, is proper, lasting singer-songwriter americana-influenced pop with a delicious, laid-back hook that worms its way into your head and stays there. Relentlessly. And refuses to leave again.

Try it. Go on. And tell me that you’re not still wanting to be a ‘tin shaker’ by this time tomorrow.

Check out Jimmy Jimmy here, and watch the video for ‘The Ballad Of Tin Shaker’ on YouTube now.

Review by Alex Holmes

Beachdust Release 60’s Inspired Song ‘Spider Baby’

Posted on 3 September 2017
Midnight Sally by Beachdust

Beachdust is an eclectic musical project with a fondness for unexpected and catchy songwriting. Elements of pop and 60s beat clash with garage, indie and alternative, making for charismatic and personable patterns, just like bands such as The Black Lips, The Kinks or even The Strokes, just to mention but a few. Their recent single release, “Spider Baby”, is taken from the band’s latest studio album, Midnight Sally, which features 10 songs, including the single itself.

These talented musicians set out to bring something unique to the table: It is amazing how this clash of tones appears so organic and orderly: it’s not simple to pull it off, but Beachdust effortlessly succeeded in the task, doing a great job at perfecting their distinctive sound formula in a fun and lighthearted way.

“Spider Baby” is a great example of the band’s formula, going for a catchy, light and energetic vibe, matched with a set of compact, yet endearing lyrics.

A&R Factory Present: Pet Sun

Posted on 9 March 2016

Pet Sun’s self-titled debut LP is an eleven-track album that takes listeners on a sonic moonlit trip from grunge dungeons to melancholic landscapes. The LP hears the four-piece band melt their strong influences of heavy rock, grunge, doom and surf rock together in a caldron creating their own evil brew much to the delight of all head bangers.

It was recorded at Dream House Studios in Toronto with producer Dave Plowman (Michael Rault) and was mastered by Alex Bonenfant (Metz, July Talk, Crystal Castles). Released as a 7” on the Hand Recordings.

Web Of Man – “Our most traditional garage rock song. Lyrics mostly about manipulation and lies. The tone is a bit bitter but the chorus is pretty upbeat. Inspiration would be mid to late 60’s garage rock like the Kinks.” – Pet Sun

Upcoming Dates:

03/06 – Northside Yacht Club – Cincinnati
03/07 – Drkmttr – Nashville
03/08 – GoBar – Athens
03/09 – The Masquerade – Atlanta
03/10 – The Syndicate Lounge – Birmingham
03/11 – Shark Tank – Tallahassee
03/12 – Sluggo’s – Pensacola
03/13 – Saturn Bar – New Orleans
03/14 – Satellite – Houston
04/02 – Doors Pub – Hamilton
04/07 – Le Quai Des Brumes – Montreal
04/08 – Nino Panino – Oakville, ON
04/09 – The Studio @ Waiting Room – Buffalo
04/15 – Silver Dollar – Toronto
04/29 – The Aquarium – Philadelphia
04/30 – Pianos – New York City