Browsing Tag

Young the Giant

Paul Vinson – Last Summer: Unflinchingly Enigmatic Soul Pop

Now that we’re safely in the bitter grips of Autumn its time to reminisce about the summers gone by. Luckily Singer Songwriter Paul Vinson has recently released his latest single “Last Summer” to get us through the equinox blues.

At the age of 19 years old the vocalist and guitarist has already got a staggering amount of soul and maturity in his vocals and lyrics thanks to his childhood spent as a gospel singer which helped him develop his unflinchingly enigmatic vocal talent. Yet, Paul saw the light and put his faith into his music career, with his accessibly warm and expressive style it’s safe to say he made the right choice in opening his sound up to a non-pious audience.

Fans of John Mayer, 21 Pilots, James Bay and Allen Stone will definitely appreciate the viscerally alive soundscape he’s cooked up with fellow bandmates. With the jazz style piano’s stabbing notes and bluesy guitar and bass rhythm guiding you through the track, it’s hard not to get caught up within the momentum of the sentimentally sweet single.

You can check out Paul Vinson’s latest single Last Summer for yourself by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A&R Factory Present: Cloud Hands

Off of Cloud Hands’ “Lucky Me” EP, has come their newest single, “Bubblemouth.” Referring to the often bubbling of the mouth during an over dose, the song illustrates the toll partying can take on people and the culture surrounding it. The song was inspired by people we saw at a concert that looked worn and beaten from their lifestyles.

Written, recorded, and mixed by members of the band, “Lucky Me” features a striking message of upsets and victories in everyday relationships. Members seek out the best elements of post-rock, alt rock, and indie rock to create the sound before you.

A&R Factory Present: Medic

Very few rock bands are capable of wowing people right out of the gate. It usually starts with a half recorded demo here, another half recorded demo there, empty bars, empty promises and then you finally get to the good stuff.
In February 2011, four young men who were tired of such a pattern gathered in an empty church to discuss their dreams, aspirations and what they were going to do about it. The idea was to create the music they’ve always wanted, spend all the money they had and make the best music they’ve ever been apart of.
The group enlisted producer Michael Rossback to help them craft the sounds that they were striving for and to help the songs come to life. “The whole thing was a big experiment. None of us had worked with a producer before and the biggest thing was, the band had yet to even play music together in a room.” says Aaron Wagner, the groups frontman, “when we got to Rossback we had only laid ideas down piece by piece in a computer, never anything
more. Rossback would then make us play everything as a live band when we arrived at his house and that’s when things came to life. There was a chemistry and sense of trust between us all.”
August rolled around and after months of working, Medic had finished their first EP. Five songs that had stolen the very breath away from all who would hear and with a developed sound that felt like they had been around for 10 years, the band started to play around the Denver area with the intent to stun the audience. They are succeeding. Bassist Drew Barnard explains: “We went in to this just wanting to make music with hope. Music that made people feel like they were understood and the shows feel like that; like we are reaching an understanding between us and the audience that hope is alive and well.”
“In the midst of the trials that we go through these days, I think we are just tired of the same old. Anyone can make art these days. It’s so accessible to make and promote and yet most of it is so negative. It was wearing on us. Medic is about something new, we are about creating a community of thinkers, dreamers and believers that aim for something positive. This world will continue to fall apart if we keep talking about how it’s falling apart. But what if
we dare to be the people to figure out ways to put things back together? That’s our platform. That maybe our music can be apart of someones healing process and spread from there.” says Aaron.
So maybe it is time for something new. New songs to sing, new dreams to dream. Maybe Medic is formed out of four guys who might be what we call idealists. But maybe it’s time for us to leave the cynicism behind and begin to embrace hope. Maybe it’s time for a new beginning.
Let us welcome, Medic.