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Grunge

Holy Gloam borrowed from Dinosaur Jr in their melancholic shoegaze serenade, Used for Falling

Posted on 15 July 2023

Making an authentic mark on the Shoegaze landscape where so many chorally dissonant signatures have been scribed is no easy feat; Holy Gloam succeeded all the same with their latest single, Used for Falling.

The vulnerable vocal lines become the soft sonic underbelly of the sludged-to-the-nines single, which uses clamorously effect-laden guitars to visualise the rancorous paths of descent our minds can take us down and sweeten the vocal harmonies in texturally sublime contrast. Sharpening the teeth of the melancholy is lyrical diehard romanticism, which paints a portrait of unconditional affection which distance and disconnection can’t diminish.

With their ability to invite their listeners into such evocatively compelling soundscapes which play the heartstrings as intricately and intimately as the guitars, the North Wales/NW England five-piece clearly have a bright future ahead of them. They have already been making major waves since songwriter Julian Neale founded the outfit in 2021; they’ve become staples in the NW touring circuit and their debut album, Small Nothings, was longlisted by Welsh Music Prize. Watch this space for more major moves from the scintillating evocateurs.

Used for Falling was officially released on July 7th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Fill your cup with the frenetic furore that spills from the punk rock veins of Lex Maria’s single, Plague or Pain

Posted on 15 July 2023

Nestle into a riotous plague-pain dichotomy with the standout single from Lex Maria’s sophomore EP, Ghosts. The clamorously cold post-punk single, Plague or Pain, from the Swedish purveyors of angst-fuelled alternative rock, is a messily discordant hit that fans of Melvins, Pixies, and Sonic Youth shouldn’t need to be asked to listen to it twice.

The heavy down-tuned guitars paired with the pervasive air of self-reported sexual frustration and the Marilyn Manson-esque effect-laden spoken word verses create a strong sonic tonic which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if cacophonous catharsis is your poison, fill your cup with the frenetic furore that spills from the punk rock veins of Plague or Pain.

Ghosts was officially released on June 30; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skip Seattle and Go to the Ozarks for Your 90s Grunge with Jeremy Phillips’ Latest Single, Crazy

Posted on 5 July 2023

Country and Grunge rarely collide, but when they do, as proven by the latest single, Crazy, from Jeremy Phillips and The Ozark Grunge, evocative firestorms spark in the gruff vocal timbre and southern rock riffs, which will take you higher than a billionaire in space.

With the raucousness scouring the soul in Crazy, the hit is rough around all the right edges, but at its core, it’s a heartfelt release strong enough to pick you up off the floor if you reach to it in your lowest moments.

While the lyrics allude to how love is one of the only acceptable forms of madness, the blazingly tight instrumentals, which will throw you right back to the 90s, sell sludged-up sanctuary. While so many artists are keen to assimilate the Seattle grunge sound, Jeremy Phillips proves the distortion sounds just as sweet in the Ozarks.

Crazy is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JW Paris Leave It Alone Video Premiere

Posted on 30 June 2023

Teaming up with the video director and director of photography, Alex Estrella, the prodigal spawn of alt-indie, JW Paris, visually captured the same superlative swagger of their distorted to-the-nines sound in their latest single and music video, Leave It Alone.

JW Paris was hardly painting at the kids’ table with their former releases. But the exhibition of a freshly honed sound in Leave It Alone, ahead of the release of their upcoming sophomore EP, marks a fierce new frontier for the powerhouse who never lyrically play with their cards close to their chest.

With Glasvegas-esque choruses that raise the roof so high they leave the brickwork on another plateau, Leave It Alone is metaphysically mind-melting in its ability to balance anthemic transcendence with hauntingly grunged up rancour that adds oceanic depth to the melodies.

Lyrically, Leave It Alone peers into the human proclivity to question reality and look for redemption for past mistakes. In JW Paris’ own words:

“Leave It Alone is a deeply personal song that reflects our own inner journey of self-discovery and acceptance. It invites the listeners on an introspective exploration of identity and longing for inner peace. It is a heartfelt track that encapsulates the struggles and triumphs of self-discovery, reminding us to embrace our imperfections and find solace within ourselves.”

Splicing two facets of the iconic 90s epoch has seen the London-based three-piece comprising Gemma Clarke, Daniel Collins, and Aaron Forde establish themselves as a peerless outfit you will want to try out for size and never take off.

Their two seminal 2022 singles, Electric Candle Light and Runaway received extensive airplay from BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, Absolute Radio, and Amazing Radio. JW Paris also deservedly worked their way into the main playlist on Radio X, and numerous curated indie playlists.

Leave It Alone will be released via Blaggers Records on the 30th of June after being recorded at Buffalo Studios, produced by JB Pilon and mastered by the 2023 award-winning engineer at Air Studios, Cicely Balston.

Stream it on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube. 

Follow JW Paris on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Call To The Void rampaged the UK rock scene with their eclectically experimental debut single, Uncontrollable

Posted on 25 June 2023

For their scuzzy garage rock debut, Uncontrollable, the Southeast, UK-hailing prodigal sons, Call To The Void, pierced protestive proto-punk energy with a gothy 80s atmosphere that will beguile any fans of Bauhaus.

Doused in Nirvana’s Bleach with a touch of the New York Dolls’ rancorous attitude and fleeting Pantera-esque guttural vocals, the eclecticism of Uncontrollable is an achievement in itself. With each member bringing their own sonic penchants to the table to blend into the same soundscape, their heavy, raw, and haunting alchemy was always an inevitability.

After operating as a duo under the moniker, DENY ALL, the brother duo enlisted the boundless dynamic vocal prowess of the frontman, Jack Osborne. His ability to switch between post-punk crooning in the same vein as Echo and the Bunnymen, PIL-reminiscent snarls and Kurt Cobain on a vehement day is a gift that will undoubtedly see Call To The Void go far.

Uncontrollable is now available to stream on Spotify.

Follow Call to the Void on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

We Will Fight for What is Right: Bitchin’ Hour roar us all into life on the battlefield with Tooth and Nail

Posted on 24 June 2023

After piercing our ears with no need to go to a shop to get them done via their scintillating Cargo Sessions live experience to play on full volume, the fearless Bitchin’ Hour are the courageous leaders we all needed to witness in this time of uncertainty with Tooth and Nail.

Bitchin’ Hour is a 4-piece Guildford, Surrey, UK-based Grunge-punk/rock band who have a bite in their step which will wake up the nosy neighbours next door.

You haven’t heard of Bitchin’ Hour? You have now. Turn this up and put the mobile down for a few minutes. This is better than your average kinda track. It’s been made with proper intensity you see, which will get the blood flow rocketing into a much better place.

Tooth and Nail from Guildford, Surrey, UK-based Grunge-punk/rock band Bitchin’ Hour is the kind of song which could inspire the youth to take up music. There is a fire in droves here which the fire department might need to extinguish..after the show of course. This is raw to the core.

Strong and dominant and never letting go for a second, we are thrilled by an underground band who knows how to shake the cobwebs off the kitchen floor.

Listen up on Spotify.

Find out more on their website.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Baroque Monody sludged up post-punk in their latest feat of gothic innovation, Pomegranate Wine

Posted on 21 June 2023
Pomegranate Wine by Baroque Monody

Two years may have passed, but there was no forgetting the Youngstown, Ohio duo Baroque Monody after we had the privilege of savouring their enticingly atmospheric alt-rock single, Plan 2021.

In 2023, their arcane elementalism is as sharp as ever in their latest single, Pomegranate Wine, which reinvented the nu-metal wheel through the scintillating rapped verses that follow an arrangement of pioneering symphonic sludged-up metal that contrasts Jennifer Rose’s beguiling vocal lines and the cold tones which implant post-punk nuances into the decadent sonic tapestry.

The absolute synergy which transgresses through the latest slice of sludged-up sanctuary established Rick Polo and Jennifer Rose as the ultimate dualistic powerhouse and superlative conduits of resonance for their audience who know the grip of desolation all too well.

Stream and purchase Pomegranate Wine via Bandcamp, and keep Baroque Monody on your radar for the release of their forthcoming EP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Yellow Wallpaper – Tell Me to Beg: A Post-Grunge Antithetic Love Song

Posted on 18 June 2023

With a similar grungy kick to Kyuss, the atmospherically angst-charged debut single, Tell Me to Beg, from the up-and-coming luminary five-piece, The Yellow Wallpaper, is the ultimate anthem to your ennui.

Starting with clean vocals that ring as sweetly as Hozier’s harmonies, the hit quickly descends into sludgy virtuosity, with each instrumental breakdown and crescendo amplifying the ferocious scorn. Clearly, hell hath no fury like someone pre-empting the inevitable end of a turbulent relationship and the uncertainty and loneliness that will follow.

In reality, there is little sex appeal in heartbreak; in Tell Me to Beg, the masochism of the messaging through the frontman and songwriter Troy Rapscallion Benson’s hopeless clutching of faded love subversively switched the narrative. In the process, Tell Me to Beg became the antithetic love song that will undoubtedly pave the way towards a bright future for The Yellow Wallpaper.

Tell Me to Beg was officially released on June 9th. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BONNE took rock to new emotional depths with their LP, execute

Posted on 16 June 2023
BONNE

With the vocal lines resonating as a tour de force through the stylish rock reinvention, the standout single, Problems, from BONNE’s hotly anticipated LP, execute, the track is a hair-raising adrenaline shot to the heart. With as much reverence to rock as Joan Jett with beguiling Janis Joplin and Alanis Morrissette’s soul-driven vox, the monolithic melting pot is a soulfully pioneering juggenautical triumph.

Discovering a new sound is always an exhilarant experience, but when there is so much substance injected into the sonics, the experience becomes all the more gratifying. And there is no denying that the duo possesses an emotional depth that delves deeper than what the rock mould typically permits; by smashing through it with their authentic vulnerability, BONNE stepped away from the fray and veered towards unapologetic authenticity. With notes of Pixies, Muse, and Slowdive, within the virtuosic instrumentals, each new progression is a galvanising revelation.

By pouring the raw energy of 90s grunge and the catchy hooks of 80s rock into a future-proof production, the Iowa-hailing duo orchestrated an all-consuming aural experience that will grip you with its fiercely innovative gravitas.

Check out BONNE via their official website and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tony Coppola filled the entropy void with his debut alt-rock track, Empty Shell

Posted on 16 June 2023
https://soundcloud.com/tony-coppola-3/empty-shell/s-p8Z9HRUEew9?si=4abcb8f6066b459bb84cb51ce78a4cf6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The Adelaide-haling independent singer-songwriter Tony Coppola called out into the vacuous atmosphere which is leaving its mark on increasing numbers of us with his artfully progressive alt-rock debut single, Empty Shell.

Ironically if you want to remember what it feels like to feel viscerally alive, sink your teeth into the sonics of the crescendos, powerful enough to make your rhythmic pulses fasten to the builds in momentum before the breaks give you a cathartic cortisol release.

With his devilishly diaphanous vocal lines in the intro that will render your heart just as raw as the vox that features on Porcupine Tree’s Fear of a Blank Planet paired with the assured ring of the acoustic guitar against the cinematic strings, Tony Coppola set the standard for evocatively strong debut singles.

After sharpening his instrumental chops in prominent bands in the Adelaide live circuit, Coppola clearly had no more teeth left to cut before he stood alone and orchestrated this monolithically mesmerising feat of alt-rock

Empty Shell will fill an ingenuity void on the airwaves on June 16th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast