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Best Rock Music Blog

It is almost impossible to imagine Western society without the influence of rock n roll; the artists that became renowned as (rock)gods, the aesthetic, the culture that so many live and breathe, and of course, the music that became the soundtrack to our lives. Many of the greatest artists of all time are of some rock inclination; whether that be Buddy Holly, Nirvana, or The Rolling Stones – the charts simply wouldn’t be the same without the unpredictable and volatile genre.

Rock started to emerge in the 1940s through the masterful rhythm of Chuck Berry and his contemporaries. Twenty years later, The Rolling Stones became the true face of rock n roll as they advocated for sex-positive youthful rebellion; this controversy became synonymous with rock which took the genre to brand-new cultural heights. By the 70s, artists started to push rock music into heavier, darker territories. At the same time, hard rock and metal were behind conceived; Pink Floyd gave rock trippier, more progressive tendencies with their seminal album, Dark Side of the Moon. Another major move in alternative music happened in the 70s as punk artists, such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols extrapolated rock elements and fused them into their punk sound.

The 80s was the era for sleaze rock, indie rock and college rock bands, while the 90s delivered the grunge movement with Nirvana, Hole, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam chomping at the aggressive discordant bit. Mainstream rock artists from across the globe became part and parcel of the music industry at the start of the 90s, but with the death of Kurt Cobain, the popularity of alternative music took a nosedive – despite the best efforts of Limp Bizkit, Staind, Puddle of Mudd and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

In any definitive guide of the best rock bands of all time, the rock artists that made their debut in the 21st-century are few and far between. But regardless of how much you want to pull the plug on the life support of rock, it isn’t quite dead – yet. For irrefutable proof, you only need to consider Black Midi, Yungblud, Greta Van Fleet, Highly Suspect, The Snuts, and Dirty Honey, who are all bringing in the new wave of classic rock – in their own way.

Contemporary rock may not sound like it used to, but that is one way in which rock has remained consistent over the past eight decades – it never has sounded like it used to. Each new generation of artists has found room for expressive and experimental manoeuvre.

Oliver James Brooks synthesised contemporary sickness with the fever of the 70s in ‘Technologically Stoned.

https://bit.ly/OJB-TechnologicallyStoned-Video

To hold a mirror to the dystopic sickness of the day, the critically acclaimed Toronto singer-songwriter, Oliver James Brooks, lyrically narrated our iPhone co-dependency issues in stark contrast to the 70s fever of psych-folk timbres with his alt-folk-rock single, Technologically Stoned.

Illuminating the reality of the evolution of technology which is spurring the regression of society while orchestrating a lava lamp warm soundscape that consoles through the dusky hues couldn’t have been an easy feat; the resolving raconteur succeeded nonetheless.

The accompanying music video, shot on super 8mm film along the Humber River Valley, also acts as a compelling visual exposition of how the chokehold of our phones is blinding us to the natural beauty that is everywhere we turn. If any single is going to convince you to get your dopamine fix in a more organic way, it is Technologically Stoned; the organic and raw production leads by efficacious example.

Technologically Stoned was officially released on September 22; it will also feature in the artist’s third studio LP, A Little Long While, which will be available to stream on all major platforms from November 24.

Watch the official music video for Technologically Stone on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Adelaide’s hottest post-grunge pioneers, The Yellow Wallpaper, prescribed volatile vindication in the chaos of their sophomore single, Run Your Mouth

The Yellow Wallpaper made an eternal impression with their debut single, Tell Me to Beg; their spiky attitude punctuated the ensnaring sphere of artful alt-rock, but that was nothing compared to the volition that went into as much overdrive as the guitars in their sophomore single, Run Your Mouth.

Veering more towards the 90s Seattle sound but still sinking their teeth into post-rock production styles, Run Your Mouth is a kaleidoscopic vortex of vindication. In a time when it feels like there’s a cacophony of vacuous contempt at every turn, every bark is worse than the bite and every bitch is in heat, sinking into the single, which delivers an exposition of the shallowness of the hypocrisy of public perception and the psychological effects, is as close to utopia as our dystopic epoch will allow.

Following the sold-out launch show of their debut single in mid-2023, the band is priming to do it all again by launching the single to their hometown crowd in Adelaide.

Run Your Mouth was officially released on September 22nd; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tiny Camels have got the minuscule hump in their sophomore release, One of Those Days

Determined to reinvent Britpop for the 21st-century airwaves, the Cardiff-hailing outfit, Tiny Camels, made melodious headway with their sophomore single, One of Those Days.

By abstracting the laddish swagger that became as synonymous with 90s Britpop as bucket hats with a sweeter vocal register that defies gravity with its interstellar soaring hues around the eternal sunshine in the indie pop guitars that wrap around the kaleidoscopic atmospherics, Tiny Camels delivered euphoria without the hits of ecstasy.

With indie rock hooks as sharp as the ones crafted by the Vaccines when they semi-permanently implanted Post Break-Up Sex in our mind for the entire duration of 2011 around the jangled and angular elements of new wave indie that creates a romantically effervescent sphere of the soundscape, One of Those Days lies on a plateau above the rest of the 2023 indie landfill.

One of Those Days hit the airwaves on September 22; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MODEL CITISIN – Been and Gone: Manic Street Preachers Fans Will Glue Themselves to This Debut

Proving that time isn’t linear, the London-based outfit, MODEL CITISIN, fronted by Nick Swettenham, brought the 90s Britpop era right back around with their debut single, Been and Gone.

Muso nostalgists are hardly in short supply, but nothing about Been and Gone even comes close to antiquated. The resurgence of the brassy euphoria, psychedelically tined guitar tones, and crescendos carved from violin strings will tempt the souls of the most world-weary indie fans out of repose.

Unravelling as a mash of the signatures of the 90s, with enough room for authenticity in the high-octane melodic hooks that could ensnare a stadium, it’s impossible not to get excited about the foundling outfit’s potential.

With superlatively orchestrated guitar solos that could give James Dean Bradfield a run for his virtuosic money augmenting the sentimentality of the single, which throws in a few Grandaddy-esque synth lines for good measure, Been and Gone is easily one of the most promising debuts I’ve heard in 2023.

Been and Gone was officially released on September 22; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Abyssal Voyage – Step: Nu-Metal As You’ve Never Known It Before

After swinging onto the airwaves with their debut single, Time, in June the Floridian five-piece, Abyssal Voyage, has amplified their eclecticism by unveiling their multifaceted beast of a sophomore rock-metal mash-up, Step.

With angularly cold lead guitars that throw you all the way back to when Korn held dominion over the alternative scene around the Pantera reminiscent aggression in the verses, the choruses were the perfect opportunity to impale the track with razor-sharp hooks that give the track infinite earworm appeal. In the same way Grohl can orchestrate melodic vocal hooks that will stick to your synapses like superglue, Abyssal Voyage know just how to infuse addictive fixtures to their furore-driven sound.

The resurgence of nu-metal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore; if any powerhouse has what it takes to turn the new generation of metal fans onto it, it is Abyssal Voyage with their unique take on nu-metal motifs.

Step was officially released on September 16; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hotel Security reached the pinnacle of euphonic furore in their symphonic pseudo prog rock hit, Forget It

If Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster did an 8-ball of speed before falling into the studio, their sound still wouldn’t match the fervour in the latest single, Forget It, from New York City’s most volatile prodigal sons, Hotel Security, who have been trailblazing through the NYC alternative scene since 2020.

With the symphonic keys adding a histrionic edge to the tumultuously tight instrumentals that revolve around the dizzying guitar riffs that rip roar with Psychobilly-esque furore, Forget It would be an all-out attack on the senses if it weren’t for the melodic hooks infused through the catchy vocal melodies that give you a centre of gravity in the chaos of the pseudo-prog rock orchestration. Ironically, Forget It is as brutal as an MK-Ultra operation.

Forget It was officially released on September 15th; strap yourselves in and experience it for yourselves via Spotify. For more info on the self-professed band of music nerds, visit their official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spike Casino has unveiled his surreal sophomore folk-rock single, Lobsters and Guns

Surrealism is never far from the equation when the LA-hailing singer, poet, writer, producer, and general music shape-shifter Spike Casino turns his hand to a new sonic creation.

His sophomore single, Lobsters and Guns, unravels as a kaleidoscope of obscurity; if New Model Army shared a few tabs of acid with the Legendary Pink Dots, their always panoramic lyrical pictures would share the same quintessentially out-there air as this alt-folk rock harbingering serenade.

Once you’re immersed in the spiritedly cadenced single, the minimal connotations between lobsters and guns in the world outside of this track won’t dare to phase you. Instead, you’ll be enthralled by the depiction of a gangster-fuelled seaside town they should probably close down if this single is anything to go by.

Lobsters and Guns was officially released on September 1st; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Seattle’s Christian Rock Reverend Ryan Graves Used His Credence to Create an Electrifying Alt-Rock Hit with ‘Enemy’

Impressively, Ryan Graves is fresh from the release of his second LP of 2023; far from new to the game, he became an integral part of Seattle’s Christian alt-rock scene in the 90s; with his latest album, Human, which stands up to the cataclysmic threat of AI, Graves definitively proved that he can still hit the high-fire mark.

With a rap-rock edge that is just as sharp as the ones carved by The Beastie Boys in the verses of the standout single, Enemy, and classic rock credence making its way into the choruses, it is an electrifyingly hair-raising hit that mainlines the adrenaline through the post-rock instrumentals that create a platform for Graves’ piously enlightening vocals.

Graves’ latest album, Human, was officially released on September 11; stream it on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hex Date cut right to the carnal core with their debut alt-rock hit, DIE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY

LA’s literally and figuratively hottest new alt-rock outfit, Hex Date caused a Dionysiac stir on the airwaves with their vehemently hook-rife debut single, DIE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY.

The track title may appear maleficent and macabre, but the sonic experience of DIE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY is a sensually awakening revelation. With the rhythmic salaciousness of In This Moment and Deftones and Mars Rose’s dark pop harmonies drawing you into the carnal centre of the single, the alt-rock scene will never recover from the genre-defying storm that tore through it by the fair hands of the prodigal fourpiece.

Taylor Momsen might not have any choice in moving over for Mars Rose; the superlative siren has exactly what it takes to take Hex Date to the top of the charts.

DIE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY was officially released on September 8; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marygolds transcended space and time with the blues in their indie Americana single, Time Machine

The Louisville, Kentucky-hailing indie Americana outfit, Marygolds, made light melodic work of stripping away the past few decades and bringing a bygone era back to life in the standout single, Time Machine, from their eponymous 2023 EP.

Everything rests mellifluously easy on the timbre of the vintage bluesy guitar chords, which shimmer with early ’60s nostalgia as they drive the evocative instrumental arrangement under the gospel-esque vocals which reach the epitome of old-school soul. With the intimacy infused into the massive roots-wrapped production that could rival Father John Misty’s masterful work, Time Machine is so much more than an ode to the past; it’s a ticket back to soulfully sepia-tinged sanctity of it.

Perhaps even more remarkably, even though Marygolds left no clues to their 21st-century habitation behind in the cinematic gravitas of their work, their reverence for roots music didn’t come close to resounding as archaic. The outfit comprised of progenitors of modern blues is definitely one to watch.

Time Machine is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast