Browsing Tag

00s Rock

igor fused rhythmic ferocity and tender vulnerability in his alt-rock hit, My Own Way

Posted on 22 December 2023

Self-reservation cascaded away when igor stridently proclaimed, “The rumors are true – I just went insane”, in the opening lyric of his latest strident and evocatively raw single, My Own Way.

If people still held their lighters in the air, there are few better calls for an inferno of flame than this reclamation of the 00s alt-rock sound. After a short and sweet prelude, which could easily have given way to a Springsteen anthem, pop-punk signatures sink their teeth into the anthemic production that takes you on a cataclysmic ride through a confessional vignette of how much we give away to meet the expectations of someone that was inching away from us the entire time.

With guitar hooks as viscerally sharp as My Chemical Romance’s under igor’s engrossingly distinctive vocal lines, which refuse to forego authenticity for assimilation, My Own Way is a testament to the Ukraine-born, Russia-raised, NY-residing singer-songwriter and his determination to wear his heart on his sleeve.

While earworms that delve deep into scarred psyches to expose the commonalities of agony are a rarity, igor achieved all of that and more in the symbiosis of rhythmic ferocity and tender vulnerability in My Own Way.

My Own Way was officially released on December 1st; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crux sharpened their socially conscious knife in their garage rock protest ‘Dreamseller’

Posted on 1 December 2023

For their latest ensnaring alt-rock synthesis, Dreamseller, Newcastle’s breakthrough act, Crux, took a break from touring the Seattle sound through mutative prog-rock instrumental arrangements and left plenty of room to explore garage rock nuances, noted through The Strokes-esque vocal delivery which adds an element of precariousness to the deadpan croons Alex Turner wishes he could execute with such devil may care finesse.

As the basslines stab and roll through the electrifyingly vintage production, the angular guitar lines carve through the atmosphere and the percussion consistently works to the singular aim of adding an element of tension to the single that will pull you back in time after time. The magnetism within the refreshing distinction and creative confidence which sees the release swathed in swagger is far too addictive to quit.

Since emerging in 2019, Crux’s name has become synonymous with their fiercely uncompromising style and their ability to sharpen their grungy prog-rock signature with a socially conscious edge. With Dreamseller, the outfit revamped their sound and scathed at the commodification of musicians and the industry which sees no value within art, unless it can be exploited at the expense of the artist.

Dreamseller was officially released on November 24; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Every Glazer’s talents are as boundless as his imagination in the melodic rock sonic sanctum, 23 Figments

Posted on 30 August 2023

To release his latest single, The Every Glazer dug through his alt-rock archives to uncover the single, 23 Figments, which was originally recorded in 2003 at Goblin Cross Records in Toronto with the contributing artist and recording engineer, Ross Goodfellow.

Ross Goodfellow may no longer be with us, but his legacy lives on in this rhythmic masterpiece; you can hear his organically vibrant percussive command pull through clearly on the soulful djembe beats as the rest of the instrumentals emanate a euphonic aura stylised by the likes of Incubus.

With Ross Goodfellow’s passing bringing new context to the single that explores figments that the mind conjures, 23 Figments is a deeply evocative work. As it pays homage to the early 00s rock sound that still rings with fragments of Seattle grunge, The Every Glazer embraces nostalgia and mellifluous innovation simultaneously to craft an original single that is all too efficacious in offering your soul sanctuary.

Check out the AI-created music video for 23 Figments via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

London’s FOURA.M mainlined livewire energy into their alt-rock debut, Bombers

Posted on 11 August 2023

With a scuzzed-up and brashy guitar intro that will throw you right back to At the Drive-In’s moment of glory when their live performance of One-Armed Scissor on Conan became a global phenomenon, the intro to the debut track, Bombers, from FOURA.M, will capture your attention in an equally as visceral way.

Marketing themselves as ‘Dad Rock straight outta London’ scarcely does the frenetic fourpiece justice. Their influences reminisce with alt 90s and 00s tones, but nothing about Bombers feels remotely dated; the evocative pulls of the Foo Fighters-esque melodies and touches of Royal Blood in the production sealed FOURA.M a place amongst the other acts who are giving rock a fighting chance of surviving the Gen Z obsession with electronica.

If you see as much potential in FOURA.M as we do after bearing witness to their strong debut, keep your eyes peeled for their live tour dates around London.

Bombers hit the airwaves on July 28; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Minnesota hard rock monoliths, Störmbreaker, kicked up adrenalised dust in their industriously tight single, To the Grave

Posted on 15 May 2023

In a similar adrenalized vein to All That Remains and other icons of the 00s hardcore scene, Störmbreaker kicked up plenty of dust while taking us ‘To the Grave’ with their latest single.

The cacophonous percussion, catchy choral hooks and vocals, which resound as a rallying cry as the track hits the eye of the breakdown storm, amalgamated into an unforgettable introduction to Minnesota’s hardest melodic rock outfit.

The loss of control expressed in the lyrics is inexplicably contrasted against the tight instrumental arrangement, which makes To the Grave the ultimate tour de force for the powerhouse, who has been on the airwaves since 2018, taking their juggernautical sound across the states and opening for Korn, Five Finger Death Punch and Breaking Benjamin. If anyone has what it takes to keep rock relevant, it is Störmbreaker.

To the Grave was officially released on April 28; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Disco grooves through Jessup’s electronic alt-rock deadpan gem, Amusing

Posted on 25 December 2022

Alt-rock icon-in-the-making Jessup is on sardonically deadpan stellar form in his electro-rock hit, Amusing. The histrionic flair around the 90s/early 00s alt-rock energy and shimmering disco-pop grooves is an enlivening testament to his ability in orchestrating a distinctively expressive sonic score while making no bones about spilling plenty of authentic personality,

If the Offspring were a little more daring and tonally experimentalist in their heyday, the reminiscences between Amusing and Self Esteem would have been even more tangible. After an orchestral rock outro from the St. Louis, US-residing artist and producer, you can’t help delving right back into the snappy indie rock hit that absolutely sets the bar for other up-and-coming artists.

Amusing was officially released on December 16th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Follow Jessup via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lighters in the air for Phatt James’ latest melodic grunge single, Ahead of Line

Posted on 27 May 2022

The evocative rock raconteurs, which form the melodic grunge powerhouse, Phatt James’ are fresh from the release of their latest single, Ahead of Line, which is a sublime convergence of the styles of Incubus and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, with plenty of their own distinction injected in between. Production-wise, the instrumentals gravitate around inexplicably intricate gravitas while the vocals expose nothing but raw soul.

It is still early days for the Bridgeport, Connecticut hailing outfit after releasing their debut EP, Circle Bent, in 2019, but notably, if any new band has what it takes to stir the hearts of 90s and 00s rock fans, it is Phatt James with their familiar yet sincerely original sound.

Ahead of Line is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Silent Disco brought the future of rock to Tennessee with their debut indie-pop-rock about a girl single, Rocks

Posted on 1 April 2022

Pop-punk collided with alt-indie in the debut synth-scored euphoric hit, Rocks, by the up-and-coming powerhouse Silent Disco, which may be the sweetest about a girl single we’ve ever heard. The stellar slice of alt-rock affirms that we’ve moved past the Girl All the Bad Guys Want tropes by celebrating the magic and mystique of spiritual girls.

It’s as hooky as any of Fall Out Boy’s iconic releases, but Rocks does far more than just teasing a little early 00s emo nostalgia; it is also well and truly ahead of the curve of artists clamouring over themselves to do the 1975 better than the 1975. It may not be the average sound that spills out of Nashville, but Silent Disco is definitively bringing the future of rock to Tennessee.

Rocks will officially release on April 1st, 2022. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TROUBLESHOOT lets us into his meta introspection with his latest single, ‘Inside My Head’.

Posted on 28 May 2021
TROUBLESHOOT

TROUBLESHOOT is set to release their visceral pop-punk anthem, Inside My Head; the York-based solo artist sells himself as the upbeat Lewis Capaldi and undersells his lyrical ingenuity in the process.

Taking influence from classic 00s pop-punk, TROUBLESHOOT allows his over-driven guitar tones to ring with apathy in the verses, when the chorus hits, you’ll get that sweet euphoric release as the track finds a clever way to remind you that you’re jealous of people whose lives are just as mundane as everyone else’s.

We are all drinking the Pepsi or Coke version of suffering, the answer? TROUBLESHOOT prescribes escaping into your head and creating metaphysic realities where the constraints of the physical world don’t carry on dragging you down.

Any fans of Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182 or All Time Low won’t want to miss out on this provokingly cathartic single.

You can check out TROUBLESHOOT via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Just Pathetic are wondering just what happened ‘Since College’

Posted on 18 May 2021

Describing themselves as ‘a band specialising in substandard music and haphazard melodies’, Just Pathetic’s ‘Since College’ is a poppy-punk number, with elements of Bowling For Soup, The Police, Sum-41, and Journey all mixed up with a Blink 182 tongue-in-cheek bouncy, upbeat ode to time since…well, you guessed it, since college.

There’s a nice little break-down mid-song, a nice flanged-and-octaved guitar-line throughout, and lyrically there’s some not-too-serious digs at teen entitlement, angst, and ‘emo-days’ mixed up with underage drinking and ‘interesting’ cigarettes. It’s fun, it’s vaguely silly, and it’s catchy, energetic, and exuberant mixed in with laid-back ‘stoner’ vocals (there’s a tiny hint at ‘Superfuzz’-era Mudhoney to the delivery), with the fuzziest guitar tone we’ve heard in a long time. It’s the age-old question: ‘Where have the days gone since college?’

You can hear ‘Since College’ on YouTube; check out Just Pathetic here.

Review by Alex Holmes