Browsing Tag

Philadelphia Rock

Visit a sonic Shangri La with the hypnotic hues in Copper Monks’ psych rock meditation, New Dawn

The Philadelphia psych-rock raconteurs Copper Monks gave their sophomore album, Potter’s Field, the college radio rock treatment while playing with a tonal palette which couldn’t be more kaleidoscopically transcendent.

Regardless of the swathes of psych-orientated outfits that have joined the fray since the 60s, with the standout single, New Dawn, Copper Monks delivered divinely distinctive catharsis, which doesn’t break the mould; it infuses the mould with spiritually scintillating soul. Each hypnotically hued guitar note feeding into the whirling dervish production efficaciously lifts you higher; when the slide guitars appear, you may as well be in Shangri La.

Honestly, if Copper Monks started a cult, I wouldn’t hesitate to join it; the peace that radiates through every expertly crafted progression is a sonic lesson in sanctity.

New Dawn was officially released on October 16; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Buzzkills be damned in Nothing but a Nightmare’s post-pop-punk single, She Always Ruins a Good Time

The Philly-based alt-rock innovators, Nothing but a Nightmare notably sharpened their pop-punk hooks for their third studio album, The Salvation, which features the playfully protestive single, She Always Ruins a Good Time. If any single could take down the boss-level Karens out there that seem to be becoming increasingly prolific, it’s this riotous earworm, which comes complete with frenetically witty verses and choruses that will absolutely consume you in their euphoric pit-worthy energy.

With hints of Fallout Boy and Panic at the Disco woven into the sticky-sweet 00-Esque tapestry, Nothing but a Nightmare delivered a smorgasbord of modernised nostalgia that proves that there’s never any really growing out of an emo phase.

The Salvation officially released on October 14th across all major platforms; check it out here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast