Browsing Tag

power-pop

Fantastic Shams walk the ‘Crooked Line’ in their latest psychedelic proto-punk trip

Crooked Line by Fantastic Shams

Nostalgia may be a factor, but by no means is it a solitary driving force in the latest single, Crooked Line, from the Indianapolis-hailing prodigal sons of psychedelic proto-punk, Fantastic Shams.

The vintage-toned rhythms take the wheel in the feel-good hit, which allows you to revisit by-gone eras by a path never taken, while the kaleidoscopic colour that spills across the unpredictably wild progressions gives the soundscape the sticky-sweet propensity of an infectious earworm.

With catchy power-pop guitar hooks to draw you into the centre of the release, Fantastic Shams will have any fans of The Heartbreakers, The Stooges, and Velvet Underground eating out of the palms of their melodic hands.

Crooked Lines is taken from the forthcoming debut LP, Play Fantastic Games Win Fantastic Prizes, which will traverse themes of loss, love, and alienation through a social commentative lens.

Stream and Purchase Crooked Line via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marc Ambrosia is over sentimentialism in his devilishly clever post-breakup single, Cold Shoulder

Born and raised New Jersey native Marc Ambrosia created the breakup track to end all others with his latest single, Cold Shoulder, which captures the sweetness of freedom in the spicey lyrics which go in the opposite direction of sentimentalising.

With resonantly devilish lines such as “Misery loves company, but I hate that you’re so close to me” and “too much of a good thing, was it any good at all? you can’t help but fall in love with his realist uninhibited candour.

With the same fiery energy of Pat Benatar’s Hit Me with Your Best Shot in the chorus, the intricately bluesy rock meets power pop single is a surefire way to pull anyone out of a self-pity pit. His lyricism is god-tier level, and his hooky instrumental loops aren’t far behind that celestial plateau.

Catch Cold Shoulder on SoundCloud and await the third LP, EDGE, which is set to drop on October 28th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The transatlantic duo Post Suitcase unpack heartbreak in their debut single, Under This Hood

The debut single, Under This Hood, from the British/American indie-rockers Post Suitcase, euphonically bridges the transatlantic sonic gap. With blisters of Britpop bursting between the American overtones in the post-breakup track, it’s impossible not to get entwined in the narrative, which explores the tendency of others to put the token effort in when it comes to consoling and checking in on the recently heartbroken.

We’ve all been there, although notably, we’re not all capable of forging lyrical gold, “I’ll walk where the grass still grows, where my friends still smile but they really don’t know that, under this hood, is a lot of dead wood.” With the momentum ebbing and crescendoing through the release, which comes with the meditatively artful ease of the trumpet glossing over the angular indie guitars, Under This Hood is as cathartic as it is heartbreaking.

Debut releases don’t get much more promising than this. We’re hoping that Post Suitcase has more emotional intimacy and intellect to unpack in future releases.

Under This Hood will officially release on September 30th; catch it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MOVIE MOVIE shine on in their glamorously cinematic single, Bright Lights

NOW PLAYING by MOVIE MOVIE

Psychedelic Furs fans will want to clamour around the latest glamorously cinematic rock n roll meets power pop single, Bright Lights, from NYC’s new-found finest, MOVIE MOVIE.

With the psychedelically upbeat melodies that come with a swoon-some bite and Beach Boys backing harmonies, objectivity quickly falls to the wayside while Bright Lights is tonally shimmering into your synapses. While the lyrics set up the narrative of a lonesome wannabe starlet, the synths transport you away from this intrepid era and plant you into one where James Dean and Hepburn reigned supreme.

Bright Lights was officially released on July 22nd. Check it out for yourselves on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marcus Liuzzi became the sweetest power pop heartbreaker on the airwaves with ‘You’re Not the One’

Power-pop heartbreaker, Marcus Liuzzi, has released his latest no holds barred single, You’re Not the One. Those words sting even when they’re not about you. But for anyone that knows how it feels to be corrected after they think they found one, there’s a certain solace in knowing you’re not alone on that particular emotional ride, and that painful transition is one step closer to a happy ending.

With the college radio rock vibes coalescing with the garagey 70s rock stripes and plaintive yet playful piano scores, You’re Not the One peddles a fair amount of nostalgia, but there is no disputing that the Boston, Massachusetts singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist brings a certain autonomous je nais sais quoi to the airwaves.

You’re Not the One is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

60s garage rock rides surf rock waves in The MindRide’s latest single, Delta Alpha

The MindRide

Even at half the length of your average pop track, the nostalgia-driven duo, The MindRide created the ultimate LA proto punk bop with their latest single, Delta Alpha, which grooves with nuances of skate punk and surf-rock and comes together as the ultimate genre-fluid earworm.

With The Walkmen-Esque percussion falling slightly below the warm and crunchy overdriven guitar tones and the relentless momentum in the vocals, getting caught up in the punky euphoria of Delta Alpha is non-optional. Especially for fans of The Kinks, The Strokes, and The Sonics. With their 5th album in the pipeline, The MindRide deserve a spot on your radar.

Check out The MindRide on their official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Go Go Gadget Pink Packet shakes it up in his intimate alt-indie hit, Sno Globe

Taken from his sophomore album, Unfinished Art, Go Go Gadget Pink Packet’s standout single, Sno Globe, is an emotion-driven hit of alt-indie, which throws back to the 00s while simultaneously embracing autonomously expressive melodic innovation.

Starting with an almost outtake-y prelude, the zealous lo-fi indie single breathes bedroom pop intimacy, with an extra flavour of sticky-sweet power-pop in the overdriven guitars, which carry as much emotion as the raw yet sugared vocal harmonies.

In his own words, the Sherrill, NY-based solo artist, writes common man blues records, perfectly encapsulating the immediate resonance you find in the dejection.

Sno Globe is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

British Quintessentialism meets riotous pop-punk and post-hardcore in DEFS’ latest single, No Worries If Not

DEFS is a one-man mission to create groove-saturated raucous pop bangers; based on the Sheffield, UK-based songwriter and producer’s latest riotously off-kilter single, No Worries If Not, his endeavour is a resounding success. If you could imagine how Liam Lynch’s United States of Whatever would have unfolded if he was quintessentially British, you’ll get an idea of the animated exuberance.

With his influences ranging from punk rock to nu-metal to 90s indie, DEFS constructed a genre-fluid rancorous mockery of our awkward over-polite tendencies. Through catchy pop-punk choruses, hammering post-hardcore breakdowns (literally and metaphorically), schizophrenic vocal transitions and psychedelically anthemic mayhem, No Worries If Not became the ultimate alt-indie playlist staple. Half-Man Half-Biscuit has nothing on DEFS.

No Worries If Not is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

downers took us down ‘twenty thousand streets’ in their feat of power pop perfection

After launching their debut single, Messages, earlier this year, downers have released another feat of power pop perfection in the form of their EP, twenty thousand streets. The title single carries the same infectiously melodic punch as Placebo while simultaneously throwing nuances of post-punk and proto-punk down your ears; the earworm will undoubtedly linger.

The UK-based outfit didn’t break the wheel with twenty thousand streets; they perceptibly milked out of it an exhilarated sonic signature that won’t fail to get the adrenaline coursing to the tune of their punk nostalgia rousing energy.

I knew the chances of my jaded soul gelling with an artist under the moniker downers was high. What I failed to anticipate was the sticky sweet vocal affability as the witty lyrics are made larger than life around the rhythms, which any fans of The Buzzcocks will undoubtedly get a buzz from.

twenty thousand streets is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Trashy Power Pop Went Nuclear with Continental Lovers’ EP, Dale Arden Vs the World

Articulating thoughts on the UK provocateurs Continental Lovers with any degree of objectivity got shunted out of the realms of possibility with the release of their affably trashy power pop EP, Dale Arden Vs the World.

The dopamine rush is as sweet as the visceral vintage bursts of audiophilic guitars creating a nuclear reaction with the infectiously hooky lyrics. Amplifying the dynamic animation between the six tracks to the nth degree is the sheer vocal stridency that does away with the tired clichés and the banal sense of indifferent pretension that somehow ended up in trend.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Joe Maddox is as intuitively clever with subverting his lyrics for resonance as he is with his guitar solos that bend your mind as much as the strings. As the perfect testament, the concluding single, Dale Arden, unfolds as a raucous whirlwind of empathetic affection for Flash Gordon’s love interest. The celebration of feminine strength, also evident in St. Joan, is enough to make anyone with a functioning soul emotional.

If there was any justice in our clusterfuck music industry, the Dale Arden Vs the World EP would be hot enough in the charts to make Prince Andrew sweat.

Snag it on Bandcamp or add it to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast