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Grunge

Post-punk intersects with desert rock in djamesk13’s embodiment of masochistic nihilism,  If All Hell Fails, I’ll Have My Bed of Nails

Posted on 13 August 2024

Even if the artistic merit solely lay in the Shakespearean-esque title, djamesk13’s latest single, If All Hell Fails, I’ll Have My Bed of Nails, would be a sonic masterstroke.

Yet, the way the alt-rock visionary conjured an embodiment of masochistic nihilism through the cold distortions of post-punk and the droning kaleidoscopic psychedelia of desert rock within this resonantly psychologically plagued soundscape ensured that anyone who shares the visualised proclivities will meet profound vindication.

There’s nothing quite as alienating as the sense you are being driven towards desolation, but that didn’t get in the solo artist’s way of manifesting unity between the outliers who can’t be placated by life’s simple pleasures.

If All Hell Fails, I’ll Have My Bed of Nails is yet another undeniable attestation of djamesk13’s ability to utilise sound as a means of forcing his listeners into trance-like sessions of reflection.

If All Hell Fails, I’ll Have My Bed of Nails is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pain and beauty permeably interplay in djamesk13’s alt-rock single, Through All the Beautiful Storms

Posted on 4 August 2024

djamesk13 consistently finds new alt-rock intersections to explore, the latest emotionally-weighted release from the London-hailing solo artist, Through All the Beautiful Storms, is no exception.

The release finds myriads of ways to allude to how thin and permeable the line between pain and beauty is; without one, there is no other. Just as you can find harmony in the distorted, grungy discordance, djamesk13 ensures you find the blessing in grief, it’s the primal price we pay for love, and that bitter-sweet exchange is laid out right across the affecting no-wave-adjacent chords in Through All the Beautiful Storms, which stands as the artist’s most heart-wrenchingly relatable release to date.

Anyone who has ever loved and lost will know how much the single rings true as it reflects how emotions conflictingly conflate, turning the sweetest memories into haunting reminders.

The intimate, instrumentally visualised, vignette penned in the wake of his mum’s passing couldn’t have unfolded as a more heart-wrenching ode to the soul the world is clearly darker without.

Through All the Beautiful Storms was officially released on July 27th; stream it on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chicago’s Sleeps While Walking made their kinetically affecting shoegaze debut with ‘One Trick Pony’

Posted on 14 July 2024

Sleeps While Walking, one of the most promising DIY alt/indie rock outfits to crawl from the underbelly of the Chicago scene has unleashed their kinetically affecting, obsession-worthy debut single, One Trick Pony.

Quite honestly, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Paul Banks has forged a new supergroup to sit alongside Muzz and Interpol for the way the achingly emotional vocal lines cut through the discordant atmosphere of shoegaze synthesised with the sludge of grunge.

As the rough rings of choppy acoustic guitar strings from the intro evolve into windingly hypnotic distorted guitars and start laying the foundation to build an insurmountable wall of sound that is constructed in the middle ground of Deftones and My Bloody Valentine, prepare for heart-in-throat immersion from the soundscape which is underpinned by forlorn grit and gyrating gravitas.

The deeply emotional inflections in the piano-decorated melodies are enough to render your heartstrings raw; with the vocals centrally placed in the chaos of the production pulsating further heartbreak into the debut, Sleeps While Walking became one of the strongest and the most original shoegaze outfits of 2024.

They cut straight through the static of indie landfill with intense precision and challenged my jaded-by-endless-assimilation view of the alt-indie scene. It may be cliché to declare they’re the real deal, but they’re unmistakenly authentic conduits of resonant revolution. Join them at the vanguard.

One Trick Pony was officially released on July 1; stream the single on Spotify and await the debut album which will drop on July 19.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Midnite Special Evoked an Emo Renaissance in ‘Santiago’s’

Posted on 13 July 2024

The ache of the emo-dominated era of alt-rock endures through the solo project of South Wales hailing guitarist and vocalist, Liam Shevill. His latest venture, Midnite Special, is a visceral vessel to pay originated tribute to the sounds which shaped his multi-faceted talents and led to performances in seven countries alongside the likes of GBH, The Shell Corporation, and H20.

His debut album, Home-Made, kicks off with the electro-rock prelude in the seminal single, Santiago’s before the overdriven riffs rile rancour through the intimacy of the grungy lo-fi production that echoes the unfiltered intensity of Modern Baseball and Modern City Soundtrack. The pulsating rhythm section within the raw-with-angst release drives swathes of earworm appeal into the anthem of disillusion that oozes infectious authenticity.

After the release of the debut LP, featuring the Pavement-y Valentine’s Day single penned for his dog, plenty of people with an appetite for cultivated songwriting and discordant expressions of emotion will be ordering the Midnite Special.

Home-Made was officially released on June 19th; stream the album on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Every Glazer echoed the agony of retrospective reflection in his alt-rock shot through the heart,  Betty Johnson’s House

Posted on 10 July 2024

The Every Glazer carved a melodic indie rock edge into his emotionally guttural arsenal of grungy evocations with the release of his latest single, Betty Johnson’s House.

The solo artist’s ability to convey aching emotion through his passionate cadences and affecting delivery projects intense resonance into his vignettes of a mind tormented by the trappings of material reality and Betty Johnson’s House may be his most visceral release to date.

By infusing layers of 90s and 00s nostalgia in this heart-wrenching sepia-tinged reflection of formative memories forged in the confines of a small town, Betty Johnson’s House will walk you down the memories of your own youth; whether you like it or not. As no one gets out of childhood or adolescence unscathed, the instrumentally consoling, vocally piercing single is set to pierce hearts by the smorgasbord.

With one of the most pensively ornate guitar solos that you’ll ever hear, Betty Johnson’s House is a tender triumph which visualises the inescapably bitter-sweet nature of retrospective reflection.

Betty Johnson’s House was officially released on July 1st; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vice Club is a red-hot new flame in the alt-rock fire with their seminal single, Call It What You Want

Posted on 7 July 2024

From the underbelly of New York’s gritty music scene, the NYC icons of innovative immorality, Vice Club have unleashed ‘Call It What You Want’; a track that’s drenched in the raw, visceral energy of grunge, infused with the kinetic seduction of Deftones’ breakdowns, and tinged with the raw emotionality of Silverchair and Thrice.

Rather than play it safe with the vocal performance, Vice Club transgressed expectation with the chameleonic execution by experimenting with pseudo-trap cadences and pop hooks around the gruff deliverances of ennui, creating an alchemically dynamic track with swathes of cross-over appeal. The soaring, intuitively technical guitar solo assures that even rock traditionalists can take something from the evocatively heightened anthem.

Every motif and progression is a testament to Vice Club’s determination to become the architects of a brand-new alt-rock wave and ensure their sound goes untainted by anyone else’s touch. Their DIY philosophy extended from the writing into the recording and production; swathing every aspect in their unique soundprint that will undoubtedly leave an army of alt music fans kneeling at their hedonic altar.

Call It What You Want was officially released on May 31; stream the single on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NIGHT WHIP shot from the hip in their 16-minute psychedelic western eponymous debut single

Posted on 28 June 2024
NIGHT WHIP

Emerging from the arid expanse of Western Colorado, NIGHT WHIP cast aside all semblances of convention with their electrifyingly debauched eponymous debut single which spans 16 minutes and stretches the mind even further.

If you ever wanted to know what a synthesis of sludge, doom and psych rock would sound like filtered through Tarantino’s cinematic lens, hit play and sink into the tour de force of tonal alchemy, which is far more potent than any substance sampled in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

The track deftly balances dusky desert atmospheres with the rhythmic intensity reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age and the tight licks characteristic of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. As NIGHT WHIP tears through their inhibitions, the explosive doom metal breakdowns and relentless rhythmic drive culminate in a deeply authentic and unflinching score.

Formed in 2018 by Griff Chiono and Colin Keefe as a side project of the alt-punk band Bronco Country, NIGHT WHIP has rapidly become a staple in the local music scene. Their sound, described aptly as “heavy western,” captures the profound isolation of small desert towns with its distorted baritone guitars, relentless drums, trippy electronics, and hauntingly layered vocals.

Set to release on June 28th, 2024, under the band’s label, Bureaucracy Records, Night Whip is poised to cast a long shadow over the alternative music landscape. Discover your preferred way to listen via the band’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nostalgic Smells filtered emo through a grunge lens in his third release, On an Axis

Posted on 27 June 2024

Nostalgic Smells’ latest single, On an Axis, is an ennui-loaded continuation of the sludged-up rancour introduced in his 2024 debut single, Glimmer. The distinction in this third release lies within the tensile textures of grungy, Deftones-esque hooks that tumultuously pull you along with rhythmically infectious progressions reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine.

David Weir, the independent musician behind Nostalgic Smells, showcased his adeptness at weaving visceral, pulsating progressions with lithe guitar lines that wind sinuously around the rhythm section through On an Axis, which alludes to how easy it is for worlds to be knocked out of kilter. His diaphanous voice works in striking contrast to the grungy instrumentation, creating a dynamic interplay that transforms an aural experience into an emotional connection.

Drawing inspiration from legendary bands like Deftones, Hum, Failure, and Quicksand, Weir leverages his 20 years of experience as a drummer to craft a sound that pays ode to pioneers, while charting his own path by following intersections through grunge, emo and shoegaze.

On an Axis became a discordant presence on the airwaves on June 17th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stitcher Unchained a Relentless Sonic Onslaught with ‘Distant Mirage’

Posted on 19 June 2024

Stitcher opened a mystical portal to the unfiltered soul of rock n roll with their sophomore single, Distant Mirage, which rhythmically taps into Eastern esoterism to add an arcane Arabian aura to the speaker-ravaging hit lures you in with a dusky overture before the hellbent-for-distortion guitars bolster the track beneath Annabelle Piper’s siren-esque soaring-with-soul vox.

Her ferociously infallible vocal lines that burn red-hot throughout the release are enough to lead you to believe that the spirit of Medusa resides in her vocal cords. The monolithic middle eight allows you to tear away from her spell, but you won’t meet any mercy here, the alchemic brutality of the guitar solo hits hard enough to leave bruises. If you thought you knew the meaning of frenetic before listening to Distant Mirage, you’ll think again once your senses begin to function after the exhilarating rampage.

Distant Mirage first played on June 6th; stream the single on Spotify and follow Stitcher’s debauched rock n roll journey on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Breathing Method let their post-grunge ‘Demons’ out to play in their latest soul-tearing triumph

Posted on 10 June 2024

With a sound Sub Pop should be rushing to sign, The Breathing Method retained their position as Scotland’s premier post-grunge outfit by unleashing their latest single, ‘Demons’. If you can bear the weight of the heavy emotional artillery and not be affected, your soul may be beyond salvation.

The steady and warm-with-affection guitar chords heighten the sting of the raw vocal stretches as they plunge into the abyss of despair and cut just as deep as Pearl Jam’s ‘Black’. But don’t get it twisted, Demons is so much more than your average trip back to the 90s Seattle sound.

The scrambled mental disquietness of the overlaying voice recordings in the track’s Blue October-esque middle eight extrapolates the agony of a chaotically disorientated mind, exhibiting how our demons can make battlegrounds of our psyche after objects of idiosyncratic desire move far beyond the eye’s periphery.

The way The Breathing Method executed Demons, ensuring they match the emotive delivery of Death Cab for Cutie, is a surefire sign that they’re a band worth watching as they tear through the underground and move into the mainstream.

Demons is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast