Browsing Tag

Rock n Roll

The acrimony bells ring in Continental Lovers’ subversively sweet punk-rock ‘Wedding Song’

Posted on 23 February 2023

The UK’s trashiest punk-rock purveyors, Continental Lovers, dialled back on the scuzz in their latest subversively archetypal single, Wedding Song.

The change in direction has lost none of the impassioned volition that Continental Lovers have become renowned for since their relatively recent debut that has sent ricochets of raucous hype through the rock scene. Heartbreak never sounded so viscerally adoring. Nor has the recoil from love-hate whiplash resonated with such realism. Tom Petty would be proud.

The accordant ring of the guitars, contributed by Graham Jones (Haircut 100, Boys Wonder, Glen Matlock, is sweeter than any coil of silver or gold that can decorate your finger. Which is probably a good thing given the playfully machiavellian lyrical admission of theft of said symbolic token.

With producer Phil Booth (Sleaford Mods, Desperate Journalists, Hip Priests), elevating the single from the brashy punk-rock panache that Continental Lovers fans have been clamouring over since the fourpiece outfit started their ascent from the underground with euphonic organ tones, Wedding Song is the breakup song you never knew you needed.

Joe Maddox Said:

“Wedding Song is about quickly falling out of love with somebody and resenting their existence but still feeling that sense of loss and grief when a relationship ends. I guess we’ve all been there; it’s a cathartic process! I rarely write songs about real life, and this is no exception. I just wanted to write a bitter breakup song.”

Stream Wedding Song on Bandcamp & Spotify.

Follow Continental Lovers on Facebook & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

NY’s JShell teamed up with rock royalty for his post-punk spliced hit, Haunted

Posted on 25 January 2023

To kick off 2023, rock-inclined NY multi-instrumentalist, JShell, will be releasing 15 music videos in 30 days from his hotly anticipated audio and visual album, IN MY HEAD, featuring members of rock royalty, including Steve Hackett (Genesis) and Katie Jacoby (The Who).

We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Haunted, featuring Karen Abrams, Fernando Chirinos, and Sofie Jane. The single starts with a dramatically suspenseful horror score before giving way to the gravelly post-punk basslines and vocals that flow in the same biting vein of PIL and Magazine to bring in a nuclear explosion of rock.

The female vocals bring a shot to the heart of Joan Jett glamour before the maniacal riffs extend the progressive nature of the hit that throws curveball after curveball. It’s not rock n roll as you have known it before, but anyone with an affinity for experimental rock will want to get acquainted with this riotous feat of ingenuity.

The official video for Haunted will premiere on January 25th. Catch it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The prodigal sons of rock n roll Midnight Miles kicked up dust in their latest liberating hit, Coming On

Posted on 19 January 2023
Midnight Miles

Purveyors of road trip rock n roll, Midnight Miles kicked up plenty of dust in their latest single, Coming On. With vintage tones and crooning blues rock vocals that give The Black Keys a run for their money around the socially conscious lyrics that make no bones about documenting the depths we’ve descended to, getting caught up in this reverently electrifying feat of rock n roll is compulsory.

While the driving backbeat takes control of your rhythmic pulses, the vocals affirm that you’re not alone in thinking that everyone’s gone mad. Everyone’s down with the sickness, but there are few as sonically maniacal as these Montreal-hailing prodigal sons.

The fervidly hot guitar solos that definitively earn the Midnight Miles guitarist a spot in guitar hero history is the perfect remedy. It’s impossible to feel disillusioned while getting caught up in their liberating turbulence. The next time I need a shot of riff-driven serotonin, I know where I’m turning. No review of Coming On could be rave enough.

Coming On will officially release on January 19th. Check it out via Midnight Miles’ website.

Follow the artist on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rock n roll’s suavest literary savants, Dead Writers, reached the pinnacle of decadence in their Dostoyevsky-inspired debut music video, Lisa

Posted on 9 December 2022

Dead writers pulled out all the suave stops for their rock n roll cabaret single and debut music video, Lisa, inspired by Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground.

The second single from their debut EP is a slight departure from the gothy Manics-Esque gravitas we heard from their previous release, Among Spirits. Nevertheless, the same zealous dedication to their savantic sonic interpretation of classic literature lives and breathes through the decadent tale of resilience which follows the tale of a young woman trapped in a life of prostitution.

With themes of isolation, self-resilience, and salvation in the turn-of-the-century set music video, it is clear that modernism hasn’t abstracted us from those character arcs. Pulling parallels and finding resonance within this tinged with demure darkness Avant-Garde riff-caressed feat of rock n roll that will leave you arrested by the unparalleled artistry is all too easy.

Lisa is definitive proof that Romance isn’t dead. It crescendos throughout the tenderly nostalgic balance between sadness and admiration of feminine power. I’ve often maintained that no man wrote women better than Richey Edwards; Paul Shine may have just set the bar a little higher with Lisa. It amorously rivals the lyrical salvation that will perpetually reside in Little Baby Nothing.

“Inspired by Dostoyevsky’s novel Notes From The Underground, the song tells the story of isolation, self-reliance and the eventual salvation of Lisa, a young woman trapped in a life of prostitution. Lisa is able to detach herself from the danger and despair of her environment and the challenging presence of a bitter client, thus reshaping the original narrative and becoming the heroine of her own tale.

Lisa represents unwavering strength of character. She dreams of freedom but is brave enough to wait for the right moment to escape and knows how to navigate the circumstances. She is the ultimate quiet strategist.” – Dead Writers

The official music video premiered on December 9th. Lust over it on YouTube.

Stream & purchase the single via Bandcamp. 

Follow Dead Writers on Instagram and Facebook. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

OneSelf Featuring Mario Deschenes, orchestrated an electrifying rock n roll revival with “( Here ‘N’ There ) ‘N Anywhere”

Posted on 8 December 2022
OneSelf Featuring Mario Deschenes

“( Here ‘N’ There ) ‘N Anywhere” is the latest simmering feat of groove-heavy rock n roll from OneSelf Featuring Mario Deschenes. With the pop motifs beside the bluesy piano riffs and plenty of overdrive behind the raucous guitar lines, it is hard not to get swept up in the upraising momentum of the infectious earworm led by Mario Deschenes.

With touches of The Beatles written into the production and an element of 70s era Elton John in the frenetically galvanising hit, any true rock n roll fan won’t be able to resist the garagey electrifying energy within ( Here ‘N’ There ) ‘N Anywhere, which contains equal parts swagger and soul.

Listen to Here ‘N’ There ) ‘N Anywhere here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

WD-HAN matched the chaos of the universe in their raucously seductive feat of electrifying indie rock n roll, Straight Lines

Posted on 24 November 2022
WD-HAN

Rock n’ Roll provocateurs WD-HAN are in lascivious form in their latest single, Straight Lines. After an Arctic Monkeys-Esque intro, Straight Lines quickly evolves into a blisteringly hot indie rock renegade of a track, full of raucous swagger, seductive vocal lines and riffs that will sucker-punch you into sonic submission.

WD-HAN has scintillated us with every release since they appeared on our radar in 2019 with their single, Spaceman. With a sound ever-evolving yet never veering from what makes them so viscerally raw yet tightly finessed, if you haven’t got them on your radars yet, what are you even doing with your lives?

Straight Lines throws away any sense of existentialism. While so many of us doomscroll on Twitter to justify living in fear and stagnation, WD-HAN proves that you can still be a force to be reckoned with and match the chaos of the universe.

After dominating the Floridian rock n roll scene, WD-HAN has recently relocated to LA, where they’re set to make their mark after opening for the likes of Paramore, Walk the Moon, Silversun Pickups and Kaleo.

Straight Lines will officially release on November 18th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast
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Feel the electric intimacy with James Sebastian’s new wave rock n roll single, Bedsheets

Posted on 14 November 2022
James Sebastian

James Sebastian served a stellar slice of salacious new wave rock n roll with his latest single, Bedsheets, taken from his forthcoming debut EP. Capturing the electric intimacy of the early stages of a relationship, Bedsheets is a raucously seductive revival of the 70s sound and lustful aptitude, which lets rough rock vocals crawl across Led Zeppelin-reminiscent instrumentals.

The UK artist has the nostalgic tones and sensibilities down to a T while ensuring that his unholy rock n roll reverence comes with its own sting. After hearing the record, I can almost taste the energy of his live performances, which he has taken across the UK as a headline act in iconic venues, such as the Exeter Cavern, the Golden Lion and the Stags Head.

Bedsheets will officially release across all major streaming platforms on November 11th. Check it out via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

O Odious Ones put the riff-driven teeth back into American rock n roll with ‘Blues Waffle’

Posted on 12 November 2022

With their customised brand of regressive rock/trailer punk, O Odious Ones are putting the riff-driven teeth back into the bite of rock n roll. Their scuzzy single, Blues Waffle, interlays melodic grungy vocals with the raw-throated outcries of contempt directed at life’s protagonists who always make us regret misplacing trust, while the gnarled guitars put you in the headspace to sink a few warm beers with likeminded degenerates before going off into the night to fight a raccoon.

Just mind how you go searching for Blues Waffle; it could take you to some dark places. Don’t go alone; watch the live recording by Fallopium Films at the Flats Pub on YouTube, which is sure to fill you with envy for whoever got to taste Blues Waffle live. At least you can live the punch-drunk mayhem vicariously via their first official music video.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Live Review: The Virginmarys mainlined blues through punk veins with rock & roll reverence on their tour of their EP, Devil Keeps Coming.

Posted on 16 October 2022

The UK live music scene may be on its knees. But on October 15th, a near-capacity crowd flocked to Gorilla in Manchester to kneel at the unholy alter of The Virginmarys as the Macclesfield-hailing band played the home leg on their tour of their critically acclaimed EP, Devil Keeps Coming.

With it being my first Virginmarys show amongst their devout fans, I was unsure of their ability to cut through the usual awkwardness of live music in the new normal. From the very first note of The Meds, any sense of cynicism slipped away. The crowd was instantaneously thrown into animation. Yet evidently, this was no average punk rock pit. Euphoria fuelled the momentum in place of the usual boozy weight-throwing aggravation. Something I’ve scarcely seen unless Riot Grrrl icons and their descendants are gracing the stage. As a testament to how much adoration The Virginmarys garner from their fans, one couple made the 3,000+ mile journey from Ohio to witness the deafening duo tearing up the turf in their hometown.

One thing I will never forget is how it wasn’t just the blues mainlined through punk veins with holy rock n roll reverence that gripped the crowd through the symbiotic dynamism between Ally’s guitars and Danny’s Bonham-Esque drum fills. In every direction, I saw how viscerally the lyricism resonated and psyched the crowd into a frenzy through the wit-deep lines that strip the alienation from political disillusion and mental precariousness.

The acoustic rendition of Sleep was also a tear-jerking memorable feat of the hit-after-hit setlist, which forwent the egocentric inclusion of an encore. I’m fairly convinced that in Ally’s past life, he was a tortured soul from Tennessee. His uninhibited songwriting skills are only matched by his ability to get to the crux of emotions that mostly go unspoken.

If you get a chance to catch them on the remaining legs of their UK tour, take it. You won’t regret it.

Artist Links: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Twitter.

Live Review by Amelia Vandergast

Herringbone speak to the sinners in their classic rock revivalist debut single, Soloman’s Song

Posted on 14 October 2022

Herringbone’s debut single, Soloman’s Song, is a classic rock to the core exploration of shame, secrecy, and repentance that will throw you right back to the most iconic era of sunset strip glam rock.

The upbeat track raucously unravels through the momentum its overdriven lead guitars that amplify the cheeky swagger in the lead vocals, which are joined by choral female backing vocals. The feminine energy and shimmering organ keys take this renegade rock revival to a spiritually enrapturing level.

When they talk about music being the best medicine, they must be alluding to the enlivening aural elixir that runs through this stellar rock track which is enough to make you pious to the prowess of Herringbone. Now that a decent live show is beyond Axl Rose, it’s time to embrace Herringbone.

Soloman’s Song is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast