Browsing Tag

90s Rock

The Every Glazer chartered a self-sacrificial downfall in his latest release, Singularity

Posted on 22 February 2024

Every time we hear a new release from The Every Glazer, it feels like the first time; there is always something engrossingly unique in the way he pulls you into his productions. The solo artist’s latest single, Singularity, is no exception.

After a moody and nuancedly grungy intro which uses spacey electronica synthetics to echo isolation and desolation, Singularity evolves into a melodic rock lament that unleashes a full spectrum of emotion to pull you back and forth between sentimentality and melancholy.

As the guitars ring with assurance, the angular instrumentation heightens the evocative magnetism of the single which explores how easy it is for others to leave us by the wayside, even if we’ve given our all, which can all too easily be our self-sacrificing downfall.

Stream the official music video for Singularity via YouTube or add the single to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The West Midlands era fusionists, Three Mile Island, triumphed once again in ‘Sidearm’s House of Games’

Posted on 19 February 2024

What do you get if you mix 70s rock with Americana and add a dash of brashy and swaggering 90s Britpop? Hit play on the latest single, Sidearm’s House of Games, from Three Mile Island and find out for yourselves.

The uniqueness of the sonic imprint is far from the only achievement in this minefield of indie rock hooks, which proves how tight the West Midlands-hailing prodigal sons are despite their influential differences – each element gets room to breathe and transcend into something completely new in the release that proves that time isn’t always linear; multiple eras can exist cohesively under the sonic duress of those talented enough to amalgamate them.

Having garnered attention on BBC Sounds and Planet Rock Radio, ‘Sidearm’s House of Games’ is a testament to the band’s skill in crafting songs that are not only enjoyable but also resonate with a deep understanding of rock’s evolving landscape. It’s a compelling addition to the indie rock genre, highlighting the band’s potential to leave a lasting impact.

Sidearm’s House of Games is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast  

The dust of desert rock gelled with the sludge of grunge in Jeremy Phillips & The Ozark Grunge’s latest single, Hell Into Home

Posted on 31 July 2023

We’ve scarcely returned to the 21st century after revisiting the 90s with Jeremy Phillips & The Ozark Grunge’s single, Crazy. Proving that they’re more than just a one-trick sonic pony, they’ve dropped another nostalgia atom bomb with their lamentatively exhilarating single, Hell Into Home.

If Kurt Cobain had a little more of a Southern twang to his vocal lines and arrestively brashy swagger to his guitar hooks, Nirvana’s seminal hits would have swum in the very same vein as this epitome of an earworm.

The tight instrumentation lends itself effortlessly well to the grungily cosmic songwriting that entices you into the centre of the dusty-with-desert-rock-atmospherics hit that mourns the loss of a home becoming a house in the absence of the person that made the brick-and-mortar a place worth coming back to.

Stream Hell Into Home, which was officially released on July 21, via Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gratitude triumphs over self-doubt in The Kaves’s seminal cinematic indie rock ballad, Soul

Posted on 7 July 2023
The Kaves

Starting with swathes of 80s nostalgia in the momentary prelude before fast-forwarding to the next era in the first verse by emanating shoegazey Britpop and cinematic rock in the same rhythmically arrestive breath, the latest single, Soul, from The Kaves puts them in the same league as their memorably emotive Glaswegian idols.

The porous vocal lines which allow soul to pour through them as they soar as high as the guitar solos against the driving backbeat in the ballad ensured the listening experience is as visceral as sentimental.

So many ballads centre around the acquisition or loss of love; never ones to peddle pedestrian tropes, with Soul, The Kaves, narrated the cynicism which amasses around low self-esteem after unconditional affection is put on the table by someone who loves you in spite of your idiosyncrasies. In its superlatively authentic essence, Soul is a reminder that when it comes to love, gratitude is always the better option over pessimistic over-analysis.

If anyone has what it takes to prevent indie rock from fading into further obscurity and show Alex Turner what stellar indie should sound like in 2023, it is The Kaves.

Soul will be available to stream from July 7. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Siggy are harbingers of future in their proto-punk comeback album, 25th Century

Posted on 2 November 2022

Featuring a cover of Echo and the Bunnymen’s Lips Like Sugar which contains all of the salacious murky atmosphere of the original, it is safe to say that Siggy’s comeback album, 25th Century, arrived with a proto-punk bang.

After making their debut in 1999 with the album, Harlow’s Girl, which carried a Crampsy sense of killer off-kilter volition, 25th Century had a lot to live up to, but the rhythmic pulse is strong across the 10 singles which traverse the themes of hope, fury, and the rank psychic pathology of the 21st century.

The gothy Echo and the Bunnymen vibes carry across more than just the cover, along with hints of Television and bites of Splitter-Esque punk. But for me, the highlight had to be the title single, which truly embraces the stifled with strange nature of the 21st century while throwing back to the time when guitarists knew how to lick right into your soul. “If there’s going to be a 25th century there has to be 21st century morality” is a lyric I will never forget.

25th Century is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast
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Stacey Dycus tackles proclivity towards deception in his alt-rock hit, Lie to Me

Posted on 18 October 2022

No alt-rock fan will be impervious to the efficaciously ensnaring hooks in Stacey Dycus’ seminal single, Lie to Me, which finds an atmospheric balance between the contrasts of grunge, mid-90s rock and progressive metal.

If rock fans still put their lighters in the air instead of pulling out their phones, there would be a sea of flame for this fervidly gripping anthem that contends with the human proclivity towards deception. It is as evocative as an Alice in Chains hit, as enticing in the chorus as Bon Jovi’s earworms and Faith No More-esque in the verses. Clearly, he has a talent for melody, which is impossible to disguise.

Lie to Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ACISS have released their scuzz-slicked rock EP, Wild Ride

Posted on 17 March 2022

New York’s prodigal sons in the making, ACISS, laid the scuzz on thick with their driving rock and roll debut EP, Wild Ride. The promising debut is a whisky and gasoline swathed anthem that carries similar hooks to what you will find in AC/DC, Guns N Roses and White Snake classics.

Yet, with ACCIS’ tendency to pull its roots from the 70s to the 90s, you’ve never come across sonic pallets akin to the overdriven tones that tease classic rock nostalgia before subverting the raucously electric anthems into brand-new territory. The title single is the perfect introduction to ACISS’ devil-may-care demeanour and instrumentals that can sonically take you down the Sunset Strip at 100mph.

ACISS’ debut EP is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Columbia harnesses the dystopic 2021 ennui in their latest indie-rock hit, Glory People.

Posted on 5 December 2021
https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/hi39HJ1YjrvsKica7

Cardiff’s most visceral powerhouse, Columbia, created the ultimate embrace-the-chaos indie rock track with their latest single, Glory People. As sonically powerful as the high-octane psych-tinged rock hit is, that scarcely comes close to the stadium-filling energy that transpires through Columbia’s advocation of making the best of what we have.

So often, people get stuck in lament because their imagination can create better lives than the one reality puts before them; Columbia broke that negative feedback loop by serving the anthemic reminder that adversity isn’t the end of the world; it is a given. Just as the Stone Roses were a sign of the times, as are Columbia with their indie rock sound that aspires to unify through dystopic 2021 ennui.

Glory People was officially released on December 3rd, 2021. You can check it out for yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Clouds Above: 8udDha bl0od calls out above the noise on ‘Angels and Daemons’

Posted on 12 October 2021

On an eye-opening Psychedelic-filled experience like no other, 8udDha bl0od is at his experimental best on a translucently-beautiful track that you need to close your eyes with to fully examine the insides of your sensitive soul on ‘Angels and Daemons‘.

8udDha bl0od is a Brighton, UK-based multi-talented music wizard who varies from genre to genre, all dependent on his mood on any given day. He makes the type of rare experience that dazzles your curious mind, beyond the realm of possibility.

From drone electronica to alt indie 90s rock to 70s psych, there is much to love from a truly extraordinary musician in his prime. This time, he manages to have your whole mystified body floating majestically inside the sky above, as you carefully search to find that true purpose. The instrumental skills brought to the fore are quite scrumptiously delivered to perfection, as your only thought is to heal magnificently with this wondrous new track.

‘Angels and Daemons‘ from the unparalleled Brighton-based indie alt-everything-your-mind-can-comprehend 8udDha bl0od, is another true gem from a rather remarkable artist. With no vocals needed, he portrays the whole experience in a six minute waterfall of sounds that causes shivers in your spine and scintillating wind to flow into your arms for extra strength. A truly excellent single awaits.

Hear this sizzling new single on his Soundcloud.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Get high with Monday Feeling’s ska-punk track, Dope.

Posted on 27 August 2021

Monday Feeling has been sending ripples through the Korean rock scene for the last eight years; based on their latest single, Dope, they deserve to go internationally viral.

Their old school Rancid rhythms paired with honkytonk hints of Americana and playful garage rock vibes arrange themselves to ensure euphoria floods right through this authentically absorbing release which runs you through all the reasons the relatable lyrical protagonist sells dope.

In contrast to Western punk, hitting play on Dope almost feels like listening to Ska Punk in a parallel universe, it’s familiar but there’s something that tells you that Monday Feeling is on a different frequency to the assimilators and the unauthentic. Frankly, we’re obsessed.

Dope is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast