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WD-HAN matched the chaos of the universe in their raucously seductive feat of electrifying indie rock n roll, Straight Lines

Posted on 24 November 2022
WD-HAN

Rock n’ Roll provocateurs WD-HAN are in lascivious form in their latest single, Straight Lines. After an Arctic Monkeys-Esque intro, Straight Lines quickly evolves into a blisteringly hot indie rock renegade of a track, full of raucous swagger, seductive vocal lines and riffs that will sucker-punch you into sonic submission.

WD-HAN has scintillated us with every release since they appeared on our radar in 2019 with their single, Spaceman. With a sound ever-evolving yet never veering from what makes them so viscerally raw yet tightly finessed, if you haven’t got them on your radars yet, what are you even doing with your lives?

Straight Lines throws away any sense of existentialism. While so many of us doomscroll on Twitter to justify living in fear and stagnation, WD-HAN proves that you can still be a force to be reckoned with and match the chaos of the universe.

After dominating the Floridian rock n roll scene, WD-HAN has recently relocated to LA, where they’re set to make their mark after opening for the likes of Paramore, Walk the Moon, Silversun Pickups and Kaleo.

Straight Lines will officially release on November 18th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast
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Kiss the Scientist is ‘Waiting on the Rest of the World’ in their psych-tinged orchestrally-heightened post-rock triumph

Posted on 24 November 2022

After opening for the Plain White T’s and Hoobastank, LA alt-rock powerhouse Kiss the Scientist is priming the airwaves for their debut EP that is set to release in 2023. Their latest single, Waiting on the Rest of the World, starts with an ambient neoclassic stringed prelude before waves of momentously high energy break around the alt-rock instrumentals.

Strap yourselves in and prepare for off-kilter curveballing progressions that make delving back into Waiting on the Rest of the World infinitely pleasurable. With every repeat listen, you pull something new out of the multi-sensory experience that entices you with the punk ethos in the lyricism and the delicate motifs around the monolithic breakdowns.

The swirling psych-rock cascades cut up by classic rock riffs create a stunning score of ingenuity for lead singer and guitarist Max Tomack to lay down his dynamic vocals that range from ragged post-hardcore screams to hook-filled melodic lines.

As if we didn’t love the latest single already, we were infatuated upon finding out that all of the music that spills from the practice room is a happy accident made through their sheer unadulterated love of making music. We’re officially psyched for the debut EP.

Waiting on the Rest of the World will officially release on November 18th. Catch it on Spotify and all other major platforms via this link. Follow Kiss the Scientist on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Pop-Punk’s Fiercest Lyricist, Juliette Irons, Advocated for the Heartbroken in her Latest Anthem, Skydive

Posted on 18 November 2022

After a brush with disorientating heartbreak, the Toronto-born, LA-based artist, producer, and dancer Juliette Irons picked herself up, dusted herself off and released the stormer of a pop-punk anthem, Skydive, as an act of solidarity with anyone feeling the same anxious dejection.

Skydive follows on from her evocative whirlwind, Prisoner of My Mind, which introduced the airwaves to the claustrophobia of anxiety. Still on stellar lyrical form, Skydive ensnaringly traverses the euphoric highs and dark and despondent lows of a situation-ship to prove even if you’re the one broken and bruised, you’re not the loser.

No heartbreak can survive the flood of dopamine that surges from Skydive. The rap verses are the vindicating cherry on the hook-sprinkled pop-punk cake, which tastes like 00s nostalgia, but Juliette Irons always brings her own signature emboldening flavour to the mix.

“Skydive was inspired by the confusion that comes from whirlwind heartbreak. I had just come out of a brief rollercoaster situation-ship that ended abruptly without much explanation. I felt like I had been thrown from a moving plane, woke up on the ground, and I was the only one who jumped.

I had given everything to this person, only to end up a shell of myself as I picked up the pieces during a realisation that everything was over. I hope this song can help other people going through a similar ungrounding shock to the system, and we can be empowered through it together.”

The official music video for Skydive will officially premiere on November 18th. Catch it on YouTube, and stay tuned on Facebook & Instagram, as Skydive is only the first part of the story. The concluding chapter will be told through her follow-up single, The Fear of Flying.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA-based music professor Poseidon’s Alley intrigues our mind on Haunted

Posted on 12 November 2022

Easing our worries away like a day in the pool soaking those summer rays, Poseidon’s Alley drops a song so sweet it will soothe away all those Haunted dreams which keep on showing up expectedly.

Poseidon’s Alley, aka Tim Herscovitch, is an LA-born music professor and electronic music producer who fuses in lip-licking treats filled to the brim with prog rock, synthwave, and modern jazz.

”Drawing inspiration from visual artists, each track functions as a lyric-less canvas that explores memory and seeks to evoke emotion in the listener.” ~ Poseidon’s Alley

Floating rather wonderfully into a universe that needs so much healing, Poseidon’s Alley has released one of the more delightfully tranquil soundtracks to ease all worries away.

Haunted from LA-born music professor and electronic music producer Poseidon’s Alley is the type of song which might make you smile and gaze at those stars tonight. Overflowing with a tranquil ambience to settle all nerves, this is a genuine piece of art that shall transport you into a time machine into a whole new world.

Finding that peace has never been so important.

Get transported on Spotify and find out more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Get your gratitude fix with Nhala’ bubble gum pop-rock hit, Blissfully Distracted

Posted on 3 June 2022

With Beach Boys-style backing harmonies to round off the country nuances in the perfect pop hit, Blissfully Distracted by the LA bubble gum enchantress, Nhala’s tracks will take you higher.

The optimistic track, which hazily orbits around the emotions tied to being in the honeymoon phase, is almost as sweet as indulging in those feelings on a physical level with the new object of your affection. After her angsty no good at love era we’re all too happy to join Nhala on cloud nine.

She’s got the look; she’s got the soul, and, my God, she’s got the voice. Her Taylor Swift meets No Doubt dreamy demeanour more than has what it takes to leave you on a blissful pop plateau.

In her own words, here is what she had to say on the release.

“This is the perfect mood booster that 2022 desperately needs, leaving you craving sunshine & adventure. I’ve learned that appreciating what you have will always bring you more to be grateful for. With this single, I am literally saying “thank you”. I hope this song makes you want to put down your phone, get lost in life and fall in love with whatever that may be for you – this summer and for years to come.”

Blissfully Distracted will officially release on June 3rd. Hear it here, or head over to her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Weimar started an art-rock riot in their off-kilter ode to the glamour of the American Dream in ‘The Girls of LA’

Posted on 27 March 2022

Manchester’s most Avant-Garde art-rock collective, Weimar, came in with all glamorous guns blazing in their latest single, The Girls of LA, which increased the anticipation of the things to come in their eagerly awaited debut album, Dancing on a Volcano.

With a shift from their usual baroque post-punk style, The Girls of LA is a departure from what the airwaves acquiesced to before but Weimar knew exactly what they were doing by bringing this riotous bop-worthy track to the aural table in turbulent times. Sonic escapism doesn’t come much sweeter than when its off the back of the sunset strip.

The energy parallels that of the most enlivening tracks by the Ramones but with their signature artful gravitas, its proto-punk as you’ve never known it before. As the lyrics reflect on the high-class American dream, the endlessly off-kilter instruments drive up the discord into infectious heights. It has all the makings of an alt-rock earworm paired with the finesse of a muso’s Achilles heel.

Girls of LA will officially release on March 25th; you can check it out by heading to SoundCloud and Weimar’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Buddy Greenbloom revives the Western ballad in ‘I Remember Those Times’

Posted on 25 March 2022

(Better Off) I Remember Those Times is the latest single from the nostalgically inclined singer-songwriter Buddy Greenbloom. His vocal timbre resounds with the same magnetic pull as the likes of Dylan and Cohen, but there’s plenty of extra twang from the notorious singing cowboy who made a name for himself in 2003 with his alt country covers of infamous punk rock tracks.

With reminiscing on how it felt to smoke in bars, drink in cars and be carefree in hedonism, it is so easy to find yourself at the centre of this western Americana trip into the past before mediocrity and polarised arguments surrounded us.

With his debut studio LP currently in the works, the Houston-born, LA-based artist is definitively worth a spot on your radar.

I Remember Those Times is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Nicole Dash Jones wants to know if she is around loyalty or not with ‘Deeper’

Posted on 10 March 2022

Produced by her much-loved partner-in-crime Samuel Hills who helped create her last hit ‘Lego‘, Nicole Dash Jones fuses in her love for that sexy 80’s synth sound with another gem that has you going ‘Deeper‘.

Nicole Dash Jones is a London, UK-born indie electro-pop artist, pianist, multi-instrumentalist and growing entrepreneur who seems to just make quality music that changes your perspective.

”The chorus suggests love transcends all and if you truly love someone you’ll ultimately feel a spiritualistic connected bond to them for eternity.” ~ Nicole Dash Jones

As she lets go of the lies and fraudulent behaviour from her partner who she desperately wants to be with, Nicole Dash Jones feels like she can help change the soul of someone who needs her help. The feeling in her bones goes so deep and she feels like this is the right call, with a sensational vocal ability that will probably have you sweating profusely. Mixed in with one of the hottest beats of the year, this feels like a number 1 track that deserves all the love in the world.

”Nicole has written and featured on various dance records including KC Lights ‘Change the World’ and M’Black ‘Heartbreak’ plus numerous collabs and releases on labels ranging from Mau5trap, Anjuna Beats and, 9T90 Records – a label set up by Nicole and Samuel Hills to release dance records by Hills + Dash.” ~ Nicole Dash Jones

‘Deeper‘ from the LA-raised, London-born indie electro-pop singer and businesswoman Nicole Dash Jones, is one of the best singles of 2022 so far without question. There is a stunning soundscape to witness here that will have your head nodding and your body grooving, that is quite simply excellent and a track that will you find staying in your head all day.

This is the story about moving your mindset away from the noise, as you wholeheartedly believe in someone who perhaps doesn’t quite believe in themselves just yet.

Hear this brilliant track on Spotify and see her moves on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

The LA alt-indie duo, Doxy, speak to the psychologically detached in their debut single, Autopilot

Posted on 19 February 2022
Doxy

“Autopilot” is the latest jazzy avant-garde feat of lo-fi surfy punk rock from the LA duo Doxy. It’s a refreshing reprieve from the earnest tracks that force your subconscious into a state of lament; Doxy’s playful yet pessimist flair mixed with their ability to offer something that is truly euphoric and endearing, make them utterly infectious. Autopilot should be on every Pavement fan’s playlist. The angularly off-kilter guitar notes are just absorbing – if not more.

They poured plenty of the LA sun into the synthy jangly bop-worthy track. The discernible sweet spot hits when they declare a “freak out” interlude and follow with an absorbingly obscure breakdown which allows you to truly appreciate the jazzy nuances in this hazily blissful defiance against depersonalisation and detachment.

Check out Doxy on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Embrace the chaos with Aimee Saturne’s alchemically ethereal dark pop single, Edge of the World

Posted on 15 January 2022

Dark pop alchemist, Aimee Saturne, proves that she’s still LA’s supreme in her latest single, Edge of the World, which incorporates her usual sultry air while encapsulating the same sense of trepidation that has been gripping us all a little too hard as of late.

Edge of the World finds an ethereal way to call out to anyone who is feeling trapped on our hell-scape of a planet where we can’t quite escape the unjustness or find an even footing within it.

The single starts with her smoother than smooth vocal timbre atop muted guitars; when the momentum begins to build in the electro-pop hit, there’s a tumultuous nature in spite of the arrestive pull of the moody melodies. Aimee Saturne deserves to be equally as revered as Billie Eilish, St Vincent, and every other pop visionary that is taking the future of pop into their deft hands. With her debut album currently in production, she is definitely one to watch.

Edge of the World is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast