Browsing Tag

Rock n Roll

Jo-Jo & The Teeth gave us the couture of glam rock n roll with their blisteringly hot pop-rock anthem, Don’t Get Too Heavy

Posted on 18 May 2022

‘Don’t Get Too Heavy’ from the London-based outfit, Jo-Jo & The Teeth is the only riff-slicked pop-hooked rock n’ roll debut you need to hear in 2022. A rebellious streak runs right through the glam rock earworm, but like every good hit, it does plenty more than just show its teeth.

If you amped up the visceral attitude in Stevie Nicks’ vocals to 11, they’d still pale in comparison to the hooky veracity of Jo-Jo O’Donoghue’s blisteringly hot pop-rock vocal lines. That’s probably blasphemy, but I’ll prepare to repent for it to do Jo-Jo & The Teeth justice. It’s the least I could do given that she has given rock n roll an Americana iteration of Peaches.

Don’t Get Too Heavy is the lead track from the forthcoming self-produced debut album, No More Good News; I already want it on my turntable.

The official music video for Don’t Get Too Heavy premiered on May 6th; watch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Neo doo-wop champion Philly Cuzz has weighed in with his nostalgically elevating single, Then They Wonder Why

Posted on 22 April 2022

It is probably no coincidence that when doo-wop mostly disappeared from the airwaves the world plummeted into existentialist angst. Case in point Philly Cuzz’s seminal single, Then They Wonder Why.

The endlessly energetic single finds a doo-wop roots-deep way to playfully berate quite literally hopeless romantics that can’t see their shortcomings that lead them to confused scorn. The tempo never falters into nostalgic pedestrianism around the handclaps, harmonically dynamic vocals, and of course, swoon-worthy guitars. It scarcely comes as a surprise that Philly Cuzz has made it into the East Coast Hall of Fame with his fresh neo spin on a now-archaic genre.

Then They Wonder Why is now available to stream via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-Punk Meets Nashville Rock and Roll in The Rhythm Bullies’ Latest Snarling Triumph, Smoke Rings

Posted on 20 April 2022
The Rhythm Bullies

Just when I thought I was getting to the aurally jaded stage of being unable to drop my jaw at new sonic amalgamations, The Rhythm Bullies came along with their discordant cocktail of 80s post-punk & Nashville rock and roll in their latest single ‘Smoke Rings’.

The bluesy psychobilly-Esque heat meeting the chillier post-punk tones under the Gothically drawled vocals and blisters of surf rock proved to be a viscerally alchemic combination. That’s before you factor in the hedonistic nihilist lyrics, such as “the world is burning baby, so grab a cigarette”. Smoke Rings finds a generously subversive way of saying the world is burning, whether we want to see it or not, so you may as well get accustomed to the noxious air.

With riffed-out solos that make the Black Keys and Bauhaus simultaneously sound pedestrian, The Rhythm Bullies have an immense amount of snarling potential. We can’t wait see what they do with it.

You can check them out via Facebook, their official website and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ACISS have released their scuzz-slicked rock EP, Wild Ride

Posted on 17 March 2022

New York’s prodigal sons in the making, ACISS, laid the scuzz on thick with their driving rock and roll debut EP, Wild Ride. The promising debut is a whisky and gasoline swathed anthem that carries similar hooks to what you will find in AC/DC, Guns N Roses and White Snake classics.

Yet, with ACCIS’ tendency to pull its roots from the 70s to the 90s, you’ve never come across sonic pallets akin to the overdriven tones that tease classic rock nostalgia before subverting the raucously electric anthems into brand-new territory. The title single is the perfect introduction to ACISS’ devil-may-care demeanour and instrumentals that can sonically take you down the Sunset Strip at 100mph.

ACISS’ debut EP is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alexander Craig makes blues-rock bop-worthy in Atmosphere We’re Under

Posted on 12 March 2022
Alexander Craig

The Minnesota-based producer, singer-songwriter and prodigal son of rock n roll, Alexander Craig, has teased what’s to come in his upcoming album by giving us a sneak peek of the standout single, Atmosphere We’re Under. You’d be hard-pressed to find a scuzzier bop-worthy feat of blues-rock.

Atmosphere We’re Under is wild with its cheeky, punch-drunk energy that contains the same bite as your average ego-fuelled track. Yet, after stepping out from behind his successful aural alter-ego, Crankshaft, Alexander Craig made a positive stylistic move that radiates through his up-beat lyrics and gasoline-soaked high-energy grooves. The standout track is every bit as hooky and infectious as any of Josh Homme’s many endeavours, but with Alexander Craig, there’s roots-deep respect for rock n roll.

Alexander Craig is going old-school with his debut blues-rock album; it will only be available via CD and Vinyl. After being teased by the roots-rich soul in Atmosphere We’re Under, he can definitely take my money.

Check out Alexander Craig via his official website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

San Raquel deliver sheer funk-rock salacious soul in their latest single, Redrawn Lines

Posted on 24 February 2022

The London-based alt-rock outfit, San Raquel, is in fine form once again in their latest single, Redrawn Lines. After forming a decade ago, they’ve continued to hone in on their eclectically absorbing experimental style that pulls in funk-rock, proto-punk and Hendrix style solos.

The seductive semi-crooned vocals in Redrawn Lines are sure to serenade any fans of Chris Cornell; in the instrumentals, there’s a untameably wild Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ style furore that raises Redrawn Lines to anthemic heights. With the warm guitar notes against the handclaps, steady rhythmic percussion and relentlessly dynamic basslines, it’s impossible not to drink in a little of the salaciously demure funk-rock energy.

Redrawn Lines is now available to stream via SoundCloud. It is the first single released from their new EP, Where You End, and I Begin, which is due for release on April 8th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DeadFire have released their outlier uniting Drunk n Roll track, Anxiety Society

Posted on 11 February 2022
DeadFire

For any outliers grappling with the stranglehold of outcast anxiety, the latest Drunk n Roll track, Anxiety Society, from North East Scotland’s finest, DeadFire, has exactly what it takes to make the cortisol spikes and cold sweat worth it.

Around the down and dirty blues-rock riffs that are filthy enough to leave you feeling a little sticky, the jagged basslines feed the scuzzy and caustic energy that will take you right back to the time when Alice in Chains ruled supreme. Yet, as sonically enticing as Anxiety Society is, DeadFire set themselves leagues apart lyrically.

Tracks such as Anxiety Society force you to reflect on the candour of former rock icons. Anxiety was a thing long before the invention of rock, yet, why long did it take for artists to be as bold and vulnerable as this? If this doesn’t define the new golden era of rock, I don’t know what will.

Anxiety Society will officially release on February 11th, 2022. You can checkout DeadFire via Spotify, Facebook and Instagram. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

James Sebastian saved our Shipwrecked Soul(s) in his latest 70s rock n roll hit

Posted on 20 December 2021
James Sebastian

After getting hooked on his unforgettably sweet single, Lemon Sunshine, the UK-based solo artist, James Sebastian, has shown us a harsher 70s rock n roll edge in his latest single, Shipwrecked Soul.

While the vintage garagey tones feed the frenzy in the instrumentals, James Sebastian’s raconteur vocal timbre ensures that apathy isn’t an option when you hit play on this unapologetically feel-good hit. The up and coming singer-songwriter found the perfect way to influence his listeners to take their melancholy in their rock n roll stride. In a time when authority and answers are hard to find, it is beyond refreshing to hear an artist with the ability to vindicate our jetsam-like misery so viscerally. That’s before we even move on to his talent at pulling authenticity of vintage rock. So many artists  have left us questioning if that was even possible. Notably, James Sebastian is a diamond in the rough.

Check out James Sebastian on Spotify and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Raw emotion becomes anthemic in Alexis Perry’s high-octane rock track, Memory of a Car Wreck.

Posted on 4 December 2021

Memory of a Car Wreck is the latest rock n roll hit from the 20-year-old US singer-songwriter Alexis Perry, who has garnered plenty of hype since her visceral debut. Despite the offer of a major label deal, she has held onto her indie status and expressively lacerating style. You would be hard-pressed to find such piercing lyricism from any other up and coming artist.

The single starts with crashing symbols and crunching guitars; as the basslines start to grind, Alexis Perry’s effortlessly evocative vocal timbre starts to intensify until the track works up to a stadium-ready anthem. It stands as a testament to Alexis Perry’s songwriting ability that she was able to create such a massive track that sparked from something as raw and intimate as suicide. Memory of a Car Wreck finds a raucous way to depict the mercurial nature of our minds that can be on the brink in one moment and consoled the next.

Memory of a Car Wreck is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bourbon House give 70s blues-rock a demure riff-driven kick in ‘I Got Trouble’

Posted on 27 October 2021

70s rock became even more demure under the coercion of Bourbon House’s deeply rhythmic licks and Lacey Crowe’s vixenish vocals in their 2021 album, Into the Red.

I Got Trouble is just one of the standout singles that prove Lacey Crowe is a blues-rock siren. With the vintage-to-the-bone instrumentals behind her soulful vocal timbre, you fall right into the stormy core of I Got Trouble hook, line and sinker.

Jason Clarke’s guitar crooning is enough to take your breath away alone, but with Ryan Sargent’s snappy visceral percussion and Jon Peck’s grooving, almost jazzy, basslines, I Got Trouble becomes a delicious pool of 70s blues-rock nostalgia.

It hardly comes as a surprise that the album garnered hype from Classic Rock Magazine, reached number 1 on Australia’s independent music charts and number 2 in the UK.

I Got Trouble is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of their third album which was released on October 22nd.

Review by Amelia Vandergast