You just gotta love it when an artist doesn’t play nice. And no, this isn’t about some loud, try-hard edgy thing, but the kind that sounds like it was recorded mid-breakdown, then left it that way. On Vancouver Island by tcr! sits in that same vibe, giving you something that feels unstable and weirdly alive […]
“On Vancouver Island” by tcr! Is A Lo-Fi Indie Rock Track Recorded Mid-Breakdown Read More »
There’s a particular kind of music release that doesn’t really care whether you experience it as an “album” in the modern, tightly curated, playlist-optimized sense, and instead behaves more like someone opening a vault and saying: here, this is everything, take your time. The Vault 2 by C’batch is exactly that kind of project; a
There is a very specific emotional space that rock bands love to gesture toward but almost never commit to living in, and that space is the middle of things. Not the cinematic beginning where everything is charged with meaning, not the triumphant or devastating ending where everything finally makes sense, but the long, ambiguous stretch
C’batch’s “Trapped (I’m Doing Fine)” returns not so much as a remix but as a kind of technological séance; an instrumental from another era summoned back into the present and politely asked to develop a personality. It obliges. Where once there was groove, now there is groove with intent, which is always a dangerous upgrade.
C’batch’s “Trapped (I’m Doing Fine)” Isn’t a Track Trying to Overwhelm You With Contrast Read More »
“A shimmering anthem for the girls who belong to the city streets and the music that keeps them there.” The city lights blur into a single streak of neon when the first few bars of Downtown Girl by Angele start to play. This track grabs that frantic pulse of urban life without the usual cynicism
Neon Nights and Subway Dreams Read More »
“Heavy blankets of noise meet pop-driven clarity in a track that feels like the best kind of cold morning wake-up call.” Rivermind emerges from Switzerland with Nightlight and it feels like a heavy blanket being ripped off a window to let the cold morning air rush in. The band marries thick distortion with melodies that
A Gritty Distortion-Drenched Flare From the Swiss Underground Read More »
“Let’s Just Go” opens with the kind of confidence that suggests Sweet Mess are very aware of what they’re good at and more importantly, that they’ve stopped pretending to be anything else. Which is interesting, because this is a band whose identity, until fairly recently, was tied up in being a really good cover act.
When an artist knows how not to get lost in bravado and noise, you’ll get something like I.K.P’s latest EP, PSYCHE. And it’s not your average hip-hop because at its core are lived experiences that make each track feel earned instead of performed. Kenny M. Alvarez, known artistically as I.K.P. (The Infamous King of Positivity),
I.K.P.’s PSYCHE Is For Those Who Want Hip-Hop Lived Not Performed Read More »
When a metal track sounds exactly like an impending doom, you know you’re in for something for something cool and real. Because what is metal without that haunting, thunderous feel? And if you’re into that kind of vibe, Inception Of Eternity’s Mother of Dawn is back in the scene to give you that exact edge.
Inception Of Eternity’s Mother of Dawn Feels Like An Impending Doom Read More »
“A riotous blend of outlaw twang and concrete-scraping grunge that demands the volume knob stay turned to the right.” Nik Xandir Wolf walks into the room with the kind of swagger that only belongs to someone who has spent too much time under the sun and not enough time worrying about what the industry thinks
SURF COWBOY ANARCHY: WHY THE WORLD NEEDS THE UNFILTERED GRIT OF NIK XANDIR WOLF Read More »