Browsing Tag

US Rock

Tin Zelkova has unveiled their NSFW-sexy alt-rock single, Miss Mean Marcella

Posted on 22 April 2023
https://spotify.link/U7M6eTs5Oyb

Sexy enough to be NSFW, Tin Zelkova’s latest debauchedly dark alt-rock single, Miss Mean Marcella, is another radio-ready slice of organically originated rock. It is quite the departure from the soulful sonics we last heard from the three-piece when our ears were candied with the standout single, Soul Shaker, from their debut eponymous LP.

But we were far from disappointed to be drenched in the slick swagger of Miss Mean Marcella, which paints a scintillating picture of the kind of femme fatale that would leave anyone weak at the knees. If the tale of the maleficent mistress doesn’t leave your libido hot under the collar, you might want to check if it still has vital signs. With the guitar lines as loaded as Velvet Revolver’s and the vocals clawing you into the narrative with every honeyed note, Miss Mean Marcella definitively deserves to be a chart-topper.

Miss Mean Marcella was officially released on April 8. Catch it on Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tin Zelkova achieved the heart-in-mouth and jaw-on-the-floor affect in their rock single, Soul Shaker

Posted on 31 October 2022

After the launch of their debut self-titled album, the three-piece rock powerhouse, Tin Zelkova, became one of the most refreshing names in the genre. The standout single, Soul Shaker delivers a tight rhythmic furore, complete with extended guitar solos and a sense of soul that has been scarcely seen since Soundgarden.

Steven Thompson’s melodically hook-rife vocal lines as a bright and intimate contrast to the murky and overdriven guitars is a mesmerising combination that will be an instant hit with any fans of Highly Suspect, Royal Blood and Badflower.

After writing more than 30 songs by the summer of 2021, the Louisville-based outfit distributed their demo EP and started gracing stages in their hometown. But my god, there’s nothing local about the gravitas in their sound.

Shortly after the release of their first studio-recorded single, they were airing across a plethora of radio stations and performing with the likes of Tantric, Texas Hippie Coalition, Local H, Resist & Bite, Native Sons and many others. If the music industry is still capable of crating iconic acts, my money is on these guys.

Soul Shaker was officially released on September 30th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

LUXTHEREAL has unleashed the alt-rock soundtrack to our destruction, Humanity’s Fall

Posted on 26 June 2022

The latest single, Humanity’s Fall, from the Phoenix Arizona hailing artist LUXTHEREAL, sonically resonates like a sombre-breakup track but the only thing that has departed is the promise of an empire that will stand the test of our destruction. The concept is stunning; the execution of the atmospherically hooky harbinger is equally sublime.

With a touch of proto-punk, garage rock and post-punk, there is a protestive vein running right through the intrinsically melodic body of the single, which forces you to contemplate our failures. And sure, it’s nice to dissociate and shop for your favourite nerd items on Amazon while the anthropocene raises the temperature and the parasites with shoes, otherwise known as our world leaders, carve out a new ring of hell on this side of the earth’s crust, but we can only hide our heads in the sand for so long before they boil in there. Kudos to LUXTHEREAL for being true to their moniker and delivering raw realism.

Humanity’s Fall Remastered by LUXTHEREAL is available on SPOTIFY & ALL major streaming services, you can view the video here!

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pop-punk pierces into hard-rock in Die Tired’s electrifyingly cathartic singe, Play

Posted on 21 June 2022

If it’s been a while since you’ve discovered an alt-rock track that tugs on the heartstrings as heavily as the rabid bass strings, prepare yourselves for the emotionally subjugating melodies in Die Tired’s latest single, Play, and leave the misery of responsibility behind.

With none of the pretension of a powerhouse and all of the talent, getting suckered into the anthemic soul of Play is non-optional. There are some serious virtuosic stripes through the hard-rock solos. But the filthy grungey distortion in the bass and Mathew DeAngelis’ vocals, which could send EVERY grown-up The All-American Rejects fan into swoon mode, the gravity of Play lingers in the giddying catharsis.

And if anyone is handing out awards for alluding-ly-clever monikers, it should be in Die Tired’s hands.

You can hear Play for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vanergast

Renowned indie DJ and producer, Paul Allen Wright, went back to his rock roots with the arrestive rhythms in his EP, Voices

Posted on 17 June 2022

The indie DJ and music producer Paul Allen Wright returned to his rock roots with his riff-driven EP, Voices, featuring the standout single, I’m Walking, which has already racked up over 120k streams on SoundCloud alone. The hypnotically tribal guitar-led rhythms leave little room to wonder why I’m Walking has become a fan favourite.

His aversion to genre specificity gave I’m Walking a similar structural feel to a chilled indie leftfield electronica record. Instead of synths sitting prominently in the mix, Wright opted for acoustic strings to guide the desert-y and sporadically blues-y progressions. With the choice of the Stevie Nicks-ESQUE female vocals, I’m Walking was ethereally complete.

Hear I’m Walking for yourselves on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

‘Judgement Day’ is upon us in Danny Vash’s seminal rock hit.

Posted on 28 May 2022
Danny Vash

With enough filth in his guitar licks and enough vitriol in his vocal lines, the US rock artist, Danny Vash has exactly what it takes to draw in fans of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Metallica with his standout single, Judgement Day.

The multi-award-winning single delivers exactly the kind of life-affirming vindication that rock and metal fans can only ascertain through sonic means. Yet, this is no average vintage rock revival. Danny Vash’s signature intellectual lyrics instantly broadside you with their resonance as they reflect on the inescapable nature of our mortal coil, which will inevitably lead us all to judgement day. We may scrutinise ourselves every day, giving little thought to our capacity for redemption, but if any track can empower you through your own free will while you still have sand to spare, it’s Judgement Day.

Judgement Day is now available to stream via Reverb Nation.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lighters in the air for Phatt James’ latest melodic grunge single, Ahead of Line

Posted on 27 May 2022

The evocative rock raconteurs, which form the melodic grunge powerhouse, Phatt James’ are fresh from the release of their latest single, Ahead of Line, which is a sublime convergence of the styles of Incubus and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, with plenty of their own distinction injected in between. Production-wise, the instrumentals gravitate around inexplicably intricate gravitas while the vocals expose nothing but raw soul.

It is still early days for the Bridgeport, Connecticut hailing outfit after releasing their debut EP, Circle Bent, in 2019, but notably, if any new band has what it takes to stir the hearts of 90s and 00s rock fans, it is Phatt James with their familiar yet sincerely original sound.

Ahead of Line is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Proto-punk bites back in Underdog’s seminal punch-drunk alt-rock track, Over and Over

Posted on 10 January 2022

Over and Over (Northern Lights) is the seminal proto-punk track from Boston’s most boisterous alt-rock powerhouse, Underdog. It may be harder for new artists to register as obsession-worthy from the first hit, but the college radio rock vibes mixed with the lo-fi scuzz and energy that stems from the frustration that resounds around monotony makes a riotously magnetic track out of Over and Over.

Thankfully, the band that has been charting as the top alternative band in Boston since establishing in 2013 didn’t allow their creativity to buckle during the quarantine. Their album, Trans Global Amnesia, is due for release in the Spring of 2022. Any fans of the New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers and the Ramones will want Underdog on their radars – it is only a matter of time before their moniker becomes unfitting.

Over and Over is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sparks in the Garden have released their swoon-worthy earworm, Let’s Fall in Love Again.

Posted on 14 October 2021
Sparks in the Garden

Sparks in the Garden’s latest pop-rock EP, Trails of Light, comes with an alt-country twang, a sense of soul that makes every single swoon-worthy, and some of the most honed-in talent that we’ve heard this year.

In the standout single, Let’s Fall in Love Again, the folky foot stompin’ rhythms in the verses break into stadium-filling choruses around the indulgently affable lyrics and the 80s rock-style solos that ground the soundscape in gravitas.

The Floridian brother duo has been playing together since 1989, but it wasn’t until 2015 that their sound started to pick up traction. Trails of Light is Sparks in the Garden’s first studio project, we hope there is plenty more in the pipeline.

Let’s Fall in Love Again is now available to stream and purchase via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Destroy the Planet have unleashed their punk-tinged hard-rock debut single, Control.

Posted on 22 July 2021

Minnesota-hailing hard rock trio Destroy the Planet have unleashed their stormer of a debut single, Control, that precedes the release of their debut album, Episode 1: Hungry for the Science.

Refreshingly, instead of pandering to rock n roll cliches, Destroy the Planet takes their inspiration from Sci-Fi and horror, which is as fitting as it is cathartic in our dystopic times. Along with hard rock and metal visceral stylings, you’ll find elements of angst-charged punk within the snarled vocals which lead you to wonder why there’s been a discernible lack of RATM-style punk; given that the best music is born during the hardest of times.

The unpretentiously playful vibe paired with practically pornographic solos ensure that Destroy the Planet leave an ever-lasting impression from the first hit.

The official music video for Control premiered on July 7th; check it out for yourselves on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast