Browsing Tag

post-grunge

The Unbranded’s ‘Drainage’ Bleeds the Malaise of Modernity Dry

Posted on 11 February 2025

The Unbranded are for the disillusioned, the disconnected, and anyone who needs a reminder that questioning the world is the only way to stay sane. ‘Drainage’, the seminal single from the No Angels HereLP, channels carnage from inside the mind into scuzzed-up grungy, distorted furore, locking into antagonised hooks that meditate on our tendencies to hit the self-destruct button and let the days slip by as we rot behind screens.

Singer and guitarist Kyle Pivarnik started The Unbranded as a solo project, uncertain of where he fit within the rock landscape beyond wanting to create something raw and unfiltered. After teaming up with Marty Landers (drums) and Michael Rose (bass) in Oregon, The Unbranded took shape as a full band, keeping their ethos intact: giving a voice to those alienated by modern existence, just as punk once did for Pivarnik.

Drainage taps into the lo-fi soul of grungy garage punk as a blast from the 90s, a reminder that the malaise remains 30 years on and isn’t likely to be abstracted from the atmosphere any time soon.

If humanity started being honest with itself, what it means to be human is reflected within the existentialism of Drainage, proving that what we perceive as vices are more like crutches, carrying us through the unrelenting agony of modernity.

Every time I need to quash some angst, I know I will return to No Angels Here and it’s vindicating catharsis.

Drainage is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Find resolve through the rhythm and lyrical reflections in Flame’s seminal alt-indie release, ‘Heat’

Posted on 21 January 2025

The standout single ‘Heat’ from Flame’s alt-rock EP, Pride of the Lamb, which paints in colours from all across the alternative spectrum, ensues with a barrage of folkish rhythmic intensity before establishing a melody in the arcanely beguiling atmosphere.

The seraphic on the senses release transcends sound and moves into the remit of transformative meditation through the ethereal timbre of the lead vocals which refuse to bleed into the instrumentals in true shoegaze fashion as they relay mantric messages, guiding the listener towards transformation.

Flame lights fires through the trailblazing authenticity within their sonic signature, which pairs the textural motifs of grunge with the cathartic consolation of melodic rock as they build insurmountable walls of sound, brick by brick, note by note, while sharing a singular vision of leading the listener away from their ego.

Hit play and feel something primal within you wake in the presence of the Edinburgh-based alt-rock powerhouse who have exactly what it takes to stand at the vanguard of the post-shoegaze revolution in sound.

With one of the most distinct voices on the indie rock circuit, Flame is perceptibly in the minority of artists who favour their expression over commercial appeal, but there’s nothing within their debut EP that says they can’t have both; it’s pure evocative perfection.

Stream Heat as part of the 5-track EP on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hover pierced the post-grunge veil with the visceralism nestled within ‘In My Head’

Posted on 28 December 2024
In My Head by Hover

The Cali fourpiece powerhouse, Hover, unchained the gates to the post-grunge pantheon with their seminal single, In My Head. The grungy indie anthem opens introspective floodgates over crunchy overdriven guitar chords; when the reprise of ‘in my head’ pours over the instrumentals, you can’t help but be reminded of the visceralism of Zombie by The Cranberries, yet Hover makes the mantric confession their own through the raw emotive power of the vocal delivery.

With hints of everything from grunge to indie rock to college radio rock to pop punk, and every element riling up the last, In My Head unravels as an anthem of catharsis for anyone who knows how much hostility can be bred within the confines of the mind. In My Head proves that Hover doesn’t just have the technical chops to ensure their recorded material carries immense emotional weight, they also have the ability to take weight from the listener as the burden of rumination is lifted.

The Coachella Valley hailing outfit is easily distinguished from the rest with their attitude-spiked melodic rock. Rather than merely layering fuzz-laden riffs, Hover let raw reflection spill from every sonic seam, adding a welcome blast of authenticity to alt-rock’s current landscape.

In My Head is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Every Glazer echoed the agony of retrospective reflection in his alt-rock shot through the heart,  Betty Johnson’s House

Posted on 10 July 2024

The Every Glazer carved a melodic indie rock edge into his emotionally guttural arsenal of grungy evocations with the release of his latest single, Betty Johnson’s House.

The solo artist’s ability to convey aching emotion through his passionate cadences and affecting delivery projects intense resonance into his vignettes of a mind tormented by the trappings of material reality and Betty Johnson’s House may be his most visceral release to date.

By infusing layers of 90s and 00s nostalgia in this heart-wrenching sepia-tinged reflection of formative memories forged in the confines of a small town, Betty Johnson’s House will walk you down the memories of your own youth; whether you like it or not. As no one gets out of childhood or adolescence unscathed, the instrumentally consoling, vocally piercing single is set to pierce hearts by the smorgasbord.

With one of the most pensively ornate guitar solos that you’ll ever hear, Betty Johnson’s House is a tender triumph which visualises the inescapably bitter-sweet nature of retrospective reflection.

Betty Johnson’s House was officially released on July 1st; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Vice Club is a red-hot new flame in the alt-rock fire with their seminal single, Call It What You Want

Posted on 7 July 2024

From the underbelly of New York’s gritty music scene, the NYC icons of innovative immorality, Vice Club have unleashed ‘Call It What You Want’; a track that’s drenched in the raw, visceral energy of grunge, infused with the kinetic seduction of Deftones’ breakdowns, and tinged with the raw emotionality of Silverchair and Thrice.

Rather than play it safe with the vocal performance, Vice Club transgressed expectation with the chameleonic execution by experimenting with pseudo-trap cadences and pop hooks around the gruff deliverances of ennui, creating an alchemically dynamic track with swathes of cross-over appeal. The soaring, intuitively technical guitar solo assures that even rock traditionalists can take something from the evocatively heightened anthem.

Every motif and progression is a testament to Vice Club’s determination to become the architects of a brand-new alt-rock wave and ensure their sound goes untainted by anyone else’s touch. Their DIY philosophy extended from the writing into the recording and production; swathing every aspect in their unique soundprint that will undoubtedly leave an army of alt music fans kneeling at their hedonic altar.

Call It What You Want was officially released on May 31; stream the single on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nostalgic Smells filtered emo through a grunge lens in his third release, On an Axis

Posted on 27 June 2024

Nostalgic Smells’ latest single, On an Axis, is an ennui-loaded continuation of the sludged-up rancour introduced in his 2024 debut single, Glimmer. The distinction in this third release lies within the tensile textures of grungy, Deftones-esque hooks that tumultuously pull you along with rhythmically infectious progressions reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine.

David Weir, the independent musician behind Nostalgic Smells, showcased his adeptness at weaving visceral, pulsating progressions with lithe guitar lines that wind sinuously around the rhythm section through On an Axis, which alludes to how easy it is for worlds to be knocked out of kilter. His diaphanous voice works in striking contrast to the grungy instrumentation, creating a dynamic interplay that transforms an aural experience into an emotional connection.

Drawing inspiration from legendary bands like Deftones, Hum, Failure, and Quicksand, Weir leverages his 20 years of experience as a drummer to craft a sound that pays ode to pioneers, while charting his own path by following intersections through grunge, emo and shoegaze.

On an Axis became a discordant presence on the airwaves on June 17th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Breathing Method let their post-grunge ‘Demons’ out to play in their latest soul-tearing triumph

Posted on 10 June 2024

With a sound Sub Pop should be rushing to sign, The Breathing Method retained their position as Scotland’s premier post-grunge outfit by unleashing their latest single, ‘Demons’. If you can bear the weight of the heavy emotional artillery and not be affected, your soul may be beyond salvation.

The steady and warm-with-affection guitar chords heighten the sting of the raw vocal stretches as they plunge into the abyss of despair and cut just as deep as Pearl Jam’s ‘Black’. But don’t get it twisted, Demons is so much more than your average trip back to the 90s Seattle sound.

The scrambled mental disquietness of the overlaying voice recordings in the track’s Blue October-esque middle eight extrapolates the agony of a chaotically disorientated mind, exhibiting how our demons can make battlegrounds of our psyche after objects of idiosyncratic desire move far beyond the eye’s periphery.

The way The Breathing Method executed Demons, ensuring they match the emotive delivery of Death Cab for Cutie, is a surefire sign that they’re a band worth watching as they tear through the underground and move into the mainstream.

Demons is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ander became the paragon of a post-grunge prodigy with ‘accident’

Posted on 20 May 2024

After the pensive melodic intro teases nothing more than an assimilation of Nirvana, ander catches you off-guard with the immense authenticity in the moody synthesis of grunge, emo, indie post-punk, and bruisingly heavy shoegaze within his latest single, accident.

At 17 years old, the solo artist is already putting the majority of artists to shame with his fusionistic outpours of visceral emotion which pull you into their intensity before striking every feasible raw nerve. Rhythmically tensile yet cataclysmically tumultuous, accident is a cultivated earworm which belies ander’s age. The vortex of distorted guitars as they thrash against the haunting narrative of introspection redemption couldn’t be more affecting if Deftones laid down the instrumentals.

With his ability to make most of his contemporaries sound tired, uninspired and as though they are just going through the motions while painting by numbers, we have no doubt that ander has what it takes to cut through the static of sonic banality and rise to the top of the alternative charts.

Accident was officially released on May 10th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chasing Shadows: Hazard’s ‘Never Going Home’ Echoes the Depths of Desolation

Posted on 7 May 2024

For their standout single, Never Going Home, the Welsh three-piece Hazard filtered psyched-up shoegaze-y post-punk through a grungy and intensely evocative lens, resulting in an emotionally tumultuous outpour of despondence. With vocals spilling into the middle ground between the haunting timbre of Placebo and the sharp confronting antagonism of Angels & Airwaves as the monochrome guitars carve a chill into the mind-bending production, Never Going Home unravels as a dark narrative that tears into the soul and triggers empathy as a dual-sided vignette of loneliness and displacement pours across the alchemic instrumentals.

If the reprise of “She’s never going home/I feel so alone” doesn’t hit hard, there’s probably not much hope for your soul.

There’s no better single to discover Hazard through; after ceaselessly evolving their sound since their 2019 dawning, their sound has culminated in an unflinchingly agonised attest to their ability to stir visceral emotion within their fans

Stream Never Going Home with the rest of Hazard’s sophomore LP, On a Dark Night in My Room via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nostalgic Smells pierced through the shadows of ennui with his debut post-grunge hit, Glimmer

Posted on 5 May 2024

The post-grunge movement has been pushed forward with the emo-adjacent debut single, Glimmer, from the Scottish solo artist, Nostalgic Smells, who dove headfirst into emotional depths most would drown in.

After earning his stripes as a drummer and honing his ear for rhythm and melody, Nostalgic Smells’ knew exactly where to implant the hooks within the angst and disquietude of his ode to the intersections between emo and 90s grunge.

Glimmer is an enthralling return to the thick, sludgy hooks and emotive turmoil that defined an era. Despite its dense layers of distortion, David’s knack for melody shines through in the song’s structure which is rife with tensile progressions that meticulously pull the listener into its emotionally charged core, reminiscent of the sounds of Nirvana and HUM.

The debut invigorates the familiar with a freshness often attempted but rarely achieved in the modern music scene. For those who grew up with the resonant beats of Helmet or the textured distortions of Quicksand, Glimmer promises a journey back to those raw, introspective soundscapes, while also beckoning to those new to the scene.

The lyrical aching for a modicum of light to break the dark clouds of ennui couldn’t be more affecting in this intensely authentic hit that is already going down a storm and creating immense anticipation for the sophomore release.

Glimmer sludged up the airwaves on April 15; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast