Browsing Tag

Death Cab For Cutie

Never look at apocalyptic fiction the same again after losing yourself in McKay’s indie-folk earworm,  Last Man Alive

Posted on 28 January 2024

Staying true to folk roots while not getting entrenched in its antiquities, the Nashville indie folk quartet McKay made the genre relevant for this generation with their larger-than-life rendition of their latest single, Last Man Alive.

If you have ever immersed yourself in apocalyptic sci-fi media and wondered if you would have the determination to endeavour or simply submit to the same fate that removed the majority of the planet, you’ll hear familiar thoughts and questions echoed back at you. But McKay goes even further by touching on all of the ways that we make sense of space and time as society keeps on buzzing away. It’s impossible not to become caught up in a state of contemplation as you listen to the harmonica blow over the raw folk chords and Hudson Haining’s pontificating vocals, which bring you right into the introspective world the promising outfit constructed.

With the evocative pull of Deathcab for Cutie fused with the sonics of Neutral Milk Hotel, McKay’s sound is original as it is intimately affecting.

Last Man Alive will be available to stream on all major platforms from January 28; stream it on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Culture Bloom harmonised to the nines in their spectrally raw acoustic indie & alt-rock synthesis, Nightmare

Posted on 8 October 2023

‘Nightmare’ is the first synthesis of acoustic indie and alt-rock to spill from the debut EP, Aren’t You Proud?, from Denver Colorado’s most nostalgically euphonic drop-dead stunning duo, Culture Bloom.

If Placebo penned bitter-sweet symphonies in the same vein as The Verve and mainlined a little Death Cab for Cutie into that vein, the alt-90s melodiousness would hit with exactly the same force of impact as Nightmare.

The emotional weight carried within the harrowed and haunted layers of vocal harmonies as they collide with the stabbing guitar lines resonates as infinitely more than the sum of all parts, allowing Nightmare to stand as a testament to the song-crafting capacities of the duo that should be on every alt indie fan’s radar.

Stream Nightmare on Spotify and stay tuned for the EP release on October 20th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MYLO BYBEE painted a mindful melodic rock masterpiece with their exposition of tainted free will in Master & Machine

Posted on 25 June 2023

The Idaho aural assassins, MYLO BYBEE, fired all the right melodic rock shots in their heaviest single to date, Master & Machine.

The angst-driven title single from their forthcoming LP traverses the scarcely-spoken-of-subject of how everything we do societally, personally, professionally, and artistically is impacted by someone else pulling the strings to spark deep contemplation on the issue of free will.

Even Sam Harris would have a field day with the exposition on how every good intent is blighted by societally parasitic phenomena, such as greed, corruption and misogyny. Master & Machine may hit hard, but after getting the ennui out of the way, the rest of the LP allows hope to permeate the bleakness of our current global landscape.

The collision between alt-rock and indie unravels with a rhythmic magnetism that fans of Death Cab for Cutie, Manchester Orchestra and Silversun Pickups will be organically drawn to. Reminiscences aside, there are no parallels to how Tyler Schlagenhauf melodically commands his vocal lines and contorts them into compassion-sharpened hooks.

Stream Master & Machine, released via ZMI Arcadia Recordings, on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kyle Jaymes is a Perennial Millennial in his latest intricately melodious indie rock hit

Posted on 6 September 2022
Kyle Jaymes

New Hampshire indie singer-songwriter, Kyle Jaymes, brought a pioneering sense of melodicism to 00s emo with his latest single, Perennial Millennial. For anyone that grew up with Death Cab for Cutie and is looking for a matured take on sonic nihilism, Perennial Millennial is the finest wine in the metaphorical cellar.

Since breaking away from his indie rock band, Call Her Alaska, he’s become a one-man powerhouse, fuelled by his emotionally charged lyricism, intricate acoustic guitar hooks and euphonic production style, which gives all the angst of pop punk and none of the brash overtones.

Perennial Millennial will officially release on August 30th. Check it out here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fleeting Foxes Release “Fleeting Foxes” Something For All Rock Fans

Posted on 9 October 2017

If there’s one word that can describe what some people out of rock music, it’s the word “big.” While a grounded punk jam or acoustic ballad are nice touches for more intimate settings, rock music remains forever changed by generations of bands who understood that by producing enormous soundscapes with their work, they were able to take their messages to another level. The advent of Arena Rock and groups like the Who and U2 knew how to create infinite spaces that to this day are transferred through headphones. Current torchbearers of this tradition include the Foxfires.

Fleeting Foxes is a track that calls for freedom from within. Appropriately, everything from the jangling guitars to the thunderous drums feel like they’ve been unleashed from a typical rock instrument in a garage to a force of nature. Vocals and bass join along as elements that maintain clarity and structure despite projecting to meet their companions in a mix that doesn’t feel crowded by any means, but instead feels full. The Foxfires have an inspiring sound and Fleeting Foxes will leave you wanting as much more as you can get. This track is truly something for rock fans of all ilks to behold.

-Paul Weyer

A&R Factory Present: Plastic Picnic

Posted on 29 May 2016
Plastic Picnic is a Brooklyn based band comprised of four Pacific Northwest transplants. The duos – Lute and Panerio, and Hunt and Taylor – developed their styles playing in separate Seattle projects. It wasn’t until moving east that the pairs were brought together by a mutual friend.
Instantly compatible, the group shared a taste for lyrically forthright indie rock paired with driving 80’s rhythms, sweetly spun melodies and atmospheric synth and guitar work. The four piece teamed up with Producer/Engineer Ted Young (Kurt Vile, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Sonic Youth) to record their upcoming debut release—the first single being “Nausea in Paradise”.