“Dreamer,” the second single from HZPROD’s War Torn project track is a song that clearly wants to mean something; not just vibe, not just sound good in the background, but actually carry a message with some weight behind it. It doesn’t hide what it’s about. If anything, it walks in already mid-conversation, like you’re expected […]
“Dreamer” Isn’t Trying to Be Subtle or Ambiguous Read More »
Thrash King by Frequency Overload doesn’t waste time pretending it’s going to ease you in. It just kicks the door open, throws a riff at your face, and expects you to deal with it. The intro actually takes a slower route. Bass, drums, and guitar build things up for over a minute, setting a darker tone before the
“Thrash King” Feels Like a Band Flexing What They Already Know Works Read More »
Some songs ease you in gently. “Intimacy” by Milyam doesn’t really bother with that. Rather, it just sort of appears, like you’ve walked into a room where the lights are already low, the air is heavy, and something quietly dramatic has been happening for a while without you. There’s no big intro, no attention-grabbing moment
“Intimacy” by Milyam Is Minimalist, Polished, and Very Aware of Itself Read More »
Some songs try to sound big by throwing everything at you at once. “Ride the Storm” by Fanny Alexandra does the opposite; it strips things back so much that when something does hit, you actually feel it. It’s the musical equivalent of someone leaning in and saying, “no, listen,” instead of shouting across the room.
“Ride the Storm” Feels Raw Without Sounding Unfinished Read More »
Some songs ease you in. “USA” by OpCritical just kicks the door open, knocks something over on the way in, and immediately starts arguing with the room. It’s loud, a little chaotic, and very clearly not interested in subtlety. From the first few seconds, the track plants its flag and refuses to move, diving headfirst
“A raw, throat-shredding explosion of post-hardcore angst that begs to be played at maximum volume.” A distortion pedal clicks on and suddenly you are standing in the middle of a crowded basement show. Post Script Philosophy does not bother with a polite introduction on “When I Fall,” opting instead to throw the listener straight into
POST SCRIPT PHILOSOPHY DELIVERS A BLISTERING BLAST OF CATHARTIC NOISE ON ‘WHEN I FALL’ Read More »
“On ‘Mohawk,’ veteran producer Glen Brady strips post-punk down to its functional, metronomic chassis.” Scores of disaffected men speaking over wiry guitars crowd the post-punk revival. Yard Act and Fontaines D.C. built a cottage industry out of this specific brand of cynical sprechgesang. Def Nettle, the project of veteran Irish producer Glen Brady, steps into this arena with “Mohawk.”
DEF NETTLE DELIVERS A RIGID, CYNICAL EXERCISE IN DANCE-PUNK MINIMALISM Read More »
“Frontman Jaben John Groome enlists a Canadian guitar virtuoso to transform nineties angst into a suffocating, physical weight.” A jagged, downtuned guitar riff carves through the opening seconds of “Many Moons” before the rhythm section hammers it into submission. JBNG frontman Jaben John Groome made a shrewd calculation recruiting Canadian guitar veteran Dave Martone for this collision of post-grunge and alternative
JBNG AND DAVE MARTONE STRIP ALTERNATIVE ROCK TO ITS CLAUSTROPHOBIC CORE ON “MANY MOONS” Read More »
“A brutal pivot to mechanical heavy rock finds Finnegan Bell embracing pure kinetic energy and apocalyptic tropes.” Love Ghost built their early catalog in the hazy intersection of emo and trap rock. On their upcoming Anarchy and Ashes release, frontman Finnegan Bell forces a brutal collision with 1990s industrial rock. He recruits veteran producer Tim Skold to drag
There are two ways to cover a pop song. The first is the karaoke method: sing it more or less the same way, hit the big notes, maybe add one dramatic key change if you’re feeling ambitious. The second is the slightly more interesting approach, where you take the song apart, look at what it’s
