Browsing Tag

Pop-Rock

Gain the permission to live autonomously free with The Close’s 90s pop-rock single, Living It Right

Posted on 13 November 2023

With a nostalgically 90s pop-rock edge which cuts as deep as the hits from Jewel, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morrisette, The Close came close to perfect with the standout single, Living It Right, from their debut album, Orbit.

The debut LP pushed the introspective genre-bending outfit’s monthly listeners up to impressive heights. Now, over 36k listeners are repetitively tuning into their intricately airy melodies which transcend expectation and effortlessly share effervescent transcendence.

You’ll be torn between attempting to match the flawlessly magnetic timbres in the vocal delivery as they verse the virtues of living autonomously free and leaning into the mellifluous interplay of the ethereal synergy within the instrumental arrangements and harmonies.

Aside from the very obvious superlative song crafting which sets The Close apart, the outfit also finds distinction by employing each member as a lyricist, musician and lead vocalist, resulting in a dynamic discography, which dabbles in everything from Americana to contemporary folk to country. A commercial pop sensibility is one of the few constants within their euphonically unshackling collection of lyrically intimate releases.

Living It Right was officially released on October 27; stream it on Spotify with the rest of the Orbit LP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast  

Robin Ashcroft rocked the pop beat in her latest electrifying vindicative earworm LIAR

Posted on 2 November 2023

Radio DJs will be lining up to add LIAR to their A-lists; the hook-proliferated hit which demonstrates Robin Ashcroft’s flawless command over her dynamic vocal lines with the enliveningly immersive atmosphere of the track will resonate in your heart, soul, and rhythmic pulses.

After an intro that will pull you in as forcefully as the prelude to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Maps’ or Toxic Airborne Event’s ‘Sometime around Midnight’ the track veers into a pulsating electro-pop anthem with glistening guitars and a backbeat so strong it makes this earworm a heavyweight champion.

Those soaring with soul vocal lines and the vindicating energy of the release that will bring waves of catharsis to anyone feeling frustratedly naive for believing the fallacies that gaslighters can’t help but spin is the perfect introduction to one of Scotland’s most promising solo powerhouses.

LIAR will drip scorn onto the airwaves on November 2nd; check out the official lyric video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast  

Clear the cobwebs of contempt with Laura Musgrave’s pop-rock hit, Rent Free

Posted on 22 October 2023

As rock ‘n’ roll as Joan Jett, as infectious as Taylor Momsen, as authentically captivating as conceivably possible, Laura Musgrave has the talent, charisma and songwriting chops to put the music industry at her feet after she released her latest single, Rent Free.

The track efficaciously alludes to how cutting ties with someone is only the first stage of letting go, making sure that they’re no longer living rent-free inside your mind and unshackling yourself from the anger which only serves to hurt you is a far harder feat. With this electrifyingly unforgettable track on your playlists, you’ll find all the motivation you need to clear the cobwebs of contempt.

We can’t wait to hear the latest installation of confessional guitar-driven pop-rock from the award-winning artist who picked up the International Female Singer of the Year award at the 2023 International Singer Songwriter Association Awards in Atlanta.

Rent Free was officially released on October 13; get your kicks from it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Josh Rosenblum Band rhythmically prised listeners from the purgatory of self-scrutiny with ‘Wandering Heart’

Posted on 3 October 2023

Though he has enjoyed spates of success, amassed a loyal fanbase, and become a trailblazing troubadour across the Central Coast, the Cali-hailing singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Josh Rosenblum remains one of the most criminally underrated artists of our time.

His latest album, Love Letter, is yet another testament to his honed ability to echo the old soul of pop, rock, and blues in a way that greets you with familiarity and accommodates you with melodiously reimagined cross-generational sensibilities to prove that there’s no such thing as a sonic bygone era. The door is always left open by artists masterful enough to reignite the same spark ignited by artists whose entry into the hall of fame will never be ephemeral.

His ability to rip a blues riff like it’s nobody’s business is one thing. His talent in delivering consolation through his song crafting, which makes the human experience an infinitely less alienating one, is another entirely.

Take the standout single Wandering Heart as the prime example. By encompassing our universal tendency to self-scrutinise until we’re torn up inside and delivering eloquently rhythmic redemption along with the affirmation we all owe ourselves forgiveness, the sanctity which resounds in the rich harmonic vocal timbre meeting the percussive fingerpicked guitar notes is almost ironically unholy.

With lyricism that gets more profound with every repeat listen for the way the metaphors recontextualise the preceding lines to prise more poetry out of the confessionalism and melodies that never lose their timeless beguile, the single deserves to be equally as revered as the hits in John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr’s discography.

In a time when pressure is building around everyone to be the perfect model citizen, Josh Rosenblum debuted an arrestive vignette attesting to the infallibility of us all. Even if you screamed your virtues from the rooftops, it wouldn’t come close to the arrestive credibleness of Wandering Heart.

If you need a pick-me-up following that profound aural experience, tune into the intoxicating zeal of Crazy as Me, which celebrates the celestial experience of falling in love with someone who doesn’t make you want to conceal your idiosyncrasies. The organ-decorated, riff-soaked blues-pop-rock synthesis is a riot of exhilaratingly sweetened romanticism. The euphoria of uninhibited connection and belonging lingers in every sequence of syncopation, crescendo, and soaring vocal note to almost take you as high as the plateau of unconditional love itself.

Stream the latest LP from Josh Rosenblum via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

Posted on 21 September 2023

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

Matt’s Keys borrowed from Fleet Foxes in his trip around the human condition, I Won’t Forget

Posted on 8 September 2023

Whether we like to admit it or not, one of our most pervasive fears is being forgotten and our impact on people’s worlds being ephemeral, if you can relate, you will resonate with the latest star-roving pop hit from Matt’s Keys.

With a featuring vocal artist adding her beguiling harmonies over the pop rock keyboardist’s perpetually poignant keyboard melodies, I Won’t Forget is an uninhibitedly sweet score, orchestrated to lead your emotions to extremes as the lyrics gravitate around the highs and lows of the human condition. From our hopes and fears to our naïve dreams and bitter-sweet regrets, it is all encompassed in the stunning single which reminisces with the sonic style of Fleet Foxes, while delivering panoramically filmic gravitas. It is tracks like I Won’t Forget that prove how interconnected we all are by the commonality in our experiences, despite the rise in individualism. If that isn’t the definition of aural gold, it damn well should be.

I Won’t Forget was officially released on August 31; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mario Vayne put the power in pop rock with his debut single, Baby

Posted on 1 September 2023

If you take your classic rock with a pop twist, the debut single, Baby, from the Queensland-hailing singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso Mario Vayne efficaciously hits the anthemic spot.  There isn’t a stadium on Earth that Vayne couldn’t fill with his boundlessly powerful vocals that could charge a national grid.

With as much passion as I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith, the serpentine rhythmics of White Snake, and Journey-esque melodic hooks, Baby is a triumphant Tour De Force for the solo artist who cut his teeth fronting various rock outfits in the UK and Australia. Between the 70s rock nostalgia and contemporary production stylings lingers Vayne’s tendency to make everything he vocally touches turn to euphonic gold. If this isn’t the start of a promising solo career, I don’t know what is.

Stream Baby on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The enigmatic outfit FAERYS has brought in the new era of electro-pop-rock with their debut single, Nova Scotia

Posted on 31 August 2023

The enigmatic electronic rock outfit, FAERYS, may be keeping their identity under wraps for now, but there’s no containing the hype that has amassed around their storming juggernaut of a debut single, Nova Scotia.

With a touch of Black Honey and She Drew the Gun to the electronic rock reinvention, Nova Scotia delivered a riff-rife rock hit that has left an international audience clamouring all over it – and for good reason.

Between the precision of the songwriting, the polished production, the hooky female pop vox contrasting the slick rap bars and the anthemic energy that oozes from the larger-than-life hit that embraces the future and sonically sucker punches it, there was no room for improvement, and how often can you say that about a debut?

Something (everything) tells us that FAERYS is comprised of a band of industry veterans who have banded together to bring in the new era of electro-pop-rock.

Nova Scotia launched on the 25th of August, hear it on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Follow FAERYS on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chloe Chadwick confronted short-fused ghosts in her captivatingly all-consuming alt-rock hit, Temper Gene

Posted on 29 August 2023

Cheshire’s most promising singer-songwriter, Chloe Chadwick, has stepped off her international touring circuit to strike sonic gold once more with her latest single, Temper Gene.

The impassioned pop-rock soundscape that delivers a captivatingly all-consuming indie-country twang digs deep into the phenomenon of falling head over heels for someone who will only inevitably keep you under the thumb with their short-fused psychopathic tendencies. How she managed to stay true to her brand of unadulteratedly passionate song crafting while exploring such a dark theme is a mystery that only lends itself to magnetism.

Her ability to spin such arrestive melodies around the maladies of the contemporary trappings of sociopathy transcends talent to paint Chadwick as one of the most seminal artists of our era. Just one hit of Temper Gene will leave you with the compulsion to lose yourself in her diverse back catalogue, which was created with a little help from world-class producers, including Chris Garcia and Kevin Dippold.

Temper Gene was officially released on August 11th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ethan Senger augmented retrospective regret in his seminal single, Everything

Posted on 15 August 2023

Ethan Senger became the New Wave Indie Rock equivalent to Springsteen in his fastidiously manicured latest EP, Standing Still, featuring the standout single, Everything.

Balancing anthemic instrumentals with intimate proclamations of ruminative regret, Everything ticks all the right indie pop-rock boxes while setting the bar for any artist who wants to give their heart-on-sleeve lyricality galvanising propensities.

The lyric “I don’t know you but we talk all the time” just goes to show how honed Senger’s song crafting has come since he made his debut; as for the superlative guitar work, which has seen Senger revered by industry tastemakers as a virtuoso, you’ll have to experience it for yourselves to understand why the Atlanta-born-and-raised artist is an icon in the making.

You will often hear music fans moaning that they don’t make them like we used to, but the truth of the matter is that the music industry doesn’t produce global artists as they did in earlier eras. If they did, Senger’s poster would be on the wall of every aspiring guitarist.

Ethan Senger’s Standing Still EP is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast