Review: All Time Low – Future Hearts

The sixth studio album from pop-punk band All Time Low found them working with a ton of outside collaborators/writers and showcased a slick sound led by production from veteran producer John Feldmann. Future Hearts is now celebrating its tenth birthday today, and each of the 13 songs found on the record featured an outside writer on it. This type of collaboration was new to the band, as they had typically composed the majority of their material in-house. Future Hearts was one of All Time Low’s most successful LPs at launch date, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 upon its release and selling over 80,000 copies in its first week. The band took their major label misfire (2011’s Dirty Work) in stride and would quickly follow this up with Don’t Panic and their final Hopeless Records record in Future Hearts. While the band would reach their creative peak on 2020’s Wake Up Sunshine, Future Hearts is filled with a ton of great pop-punk tunes that deserve another look.

Adam Grundy 6 days ago

This year’s Record Store Day occurs this Saturday, April 12th, 2025. Get your lists ready and prepare to dive into the key vinyl releases for this celebration of indie record stores. The Record Store Day “Ambassador” for ’25 is Post Malone, and he shared in a press release:

What an honor, I can’t believe I was chosen to be Record Store Day’s Ambassador for 2025. Record Store Day is so important and I really hope to do my part to keep it alive. We love hitting local shops when we’re on the road, seeing all the crazy artwork, the whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring. I feel at home. It’s really an unexplainable feeling to hit up a shop and dig through crates, just see what grabs your eye. You can be looking for something super specific and end up finding something totally different. It’s the best. Keep supporting y’all and let’s keep records and these local shops going strong. Happy Record Store Day everybody!”

In this article, I’ll be providing some tips & tricks for navigating this year’s Record Store Day observance, plus some early previews of some of the key titles. You can also check out my initial RSD ’25 preview here.

Adam Grundy 6 days ago

Myriads, the project name of songwriter Maria DeHart, is gearing up to release her new EP called Find Ourselves Again, that will officially release on April 11th. Today, Myriads are sharing an exclusive early listen to the EP and the project is great for fans of similar artists like Wednesday, Snail Mail, and Slow Pulp. When asked about the new EP, DeHart shared, “This EP is straight from my heart and the minds/incredible talents of my bandmates, who helped me string together this big and sometimes loud, sometimes delicate group of songs from bits and pieces of tunes I’d written in my bedroom over the years. I am so excited to share it and I hope it makes you feel something when you listen.” Overall, the EP is a study of love, happiness, depression, and the search for meaning in these universal human experiences. It’s Myriads’ most honest and thoughtful endeavor yet, and the new band is excited for what is to come. If you’re enjoying the early listen, please consider pre-ordering the EP here.

Adam Grundy 1 week ago

Today I’m excited to share with everyone the new single from Norwegian singer-songwriter, Marte Eberson, “Start Over Again.” On this heartfelt track, Eberson blends breathtaking cinematic rock with an indie pop twist. Eberson reflected on the writing process of the new single and shared:

Sometimes I look at pictures from when I was younger—whether from my childhood, teenage years, or just a couple of years ago—and feel a sense of longing. A longing for a time when life felt less complicated, less stressful, and when my friends, my family, and I had more time. That time passed so quickly, and I wish I had realized how much I should have appreciated it. Suddenly, I’m ‘grown up,’ and I don’t know how it happened. The days and years blur together, everything moves faster and faster. It would be so nice to start over, to begin again, to savor that time more, to slow down and take it all in.

If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider supporting this artist here.

Adam Grundy 2 weeks ago

After the breakthrough success of Household Name, indie rock band Momma have returned with their highly anticipated fourth record called Welcome To My Blue Sky. The new album was produced by Aron Kobayashi Ritch, who also contributed on bass, and showcases the rapid improvements in Momma’s already-dynamic sound. The vibrant feelings come oozing through the speakers early on in vulnerable songs like the opening track of “Sincerely” that helps set the tone for the rest of the album. Led by the two primary songwriters/vocalists/guitarists in Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, Momma tighten up their songwriting while still presenting songs that are both catchy and relevant. Momma shared in a recent interview that Welcome to My Blue Sky is “an open letter to those who have come in and out of our lives,” and this particular letter is well-received and invites wider audiences to sing along to every lyric and connect with this band on a deeper level.

Adam Grundy 2 weeks ago

Today I’m excited to introduce everyone to Common Holly, the artist name of Montreal-based singer-songwriter Brigitte Naggar, who is gearing up for the release of her debut LP, Anything Glass, this June. First up is her new single and video for a vibrant song called “Aegean Blue.” With key influences from artists like Bill Callahan, Mount Eerie, Lomelda, and Leonard Cohen, Common Holly is anything but a common artist who is unafraid to push the boundaries of her creativity. When speaking on the new single/video, she shared:

A reckoning in meaninglessness and unending pursuit. The words came in a moment of change and of reevaluating. This song sits squarely in the album’s theme of orienting toward what matters most, doing things differently when they aren’t feeling right. You can hear some of the vocal doubling here–since the album was recorded live, many (all?) of the songs have doubled vocals, because I would sing live while we were performing the song, and then I would later add more vocals on top of that initial vocal. This came to be a quality we liked in the whole experience of the album.

If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider pre-saving Anything Glass here.

Adam Grundy 2 weeks ago

Just in time for April Fool’s Day, Talulah Paisley has announced her debut LP, called Fool, that will be released everywhere music is sold on June 11th. On top of that, I’m excited to share with everyone her debut single and video for “What’s It Like?” Talulah Paisley shared:

I wrote this song when I was about to graduate from college. I had my entire life ahead of me and I feared I wouldn’t live up to its promise…what if: I did nothing with my life? What if I am a waste? I make no impact, no connection? I played and sung all the instruments on the track except that whistle- that was my bandmate, sweet Athena from the band Awksymoron. This song marks the first time I’ve ever recorded drums! The idea for the music video came from how I always notice little things on the street in NYC, and I pick them up and keep them- playing cards, dice, those plastic neon barrettes you wore when you were a little girl. I feel these objects are magical, and a reminder to play. I hand-painted the bike, helmet and spray painted the roses. I also handmade the costume. It was inspired by the incredibly brave and graceful lady lion tamers of circus’ past, who risked their lives in the name of spectacle.

If you’re enjoying the new video/single, please consider supporting this artist here. I was also able to catch up with Talulah Paisley for a brief interview below.

Adam Grundy 2 weeks ago

The fifth studio album from Mumford & Sons, and the band’s first new album in nearly seven years, called Rushmere, gets its name from the pond located at Wimbledon Common in London, where the band first met and began the process of wanting to make music together. The band looked towards their beginnings to find a spark in their music, and create their first new taste of music since Delta. The overall sound of Rushmere recounts the humble beginnings of Mumford & Sons on 2009’s Sigh No More, with more experience under the band’s belt in crafting their desired artistic direction. The set was produced by veteran hit-maker Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and was recorded partly in Nashville, and also in the band’s home studio in Devon, England. Rushmere takes all of the stage and life experiences that the band members have had, and gets the ship pointed in the right direction. The next phase of Mumford & Sons career looks bright.

Adam Grundy 2 weeks ago

There’s something to be said for when a band knocks all expectations out of the park on a late-career masterpiece. Underoath have proven the naysayers wrong once again with the ultra-creative, career-spanning tenth LP called The Place After This One. The record was produced by Danen Reed Rector (Charlotte Sands) and mixed by Matt Huber (Boys Like Girls), and they both do their best in accentuating the key parts of what makes Underoath such an interesting band in the first place. After some lukewarm fan reactions to the direction the band was taking based on the singles they released from this set, this album shows the importance of context. While even I was admittedly a little worried about the direction found on singles like “Teeth,” seeing how the song plays out in the full set on The Place After This One makes a lot more sense and shows that Underoath has plenty of reserves in their creative tank. The album ends up being the band’s best work since Define The Great Line, and another defining moment in Underoath’s discography.

Adam Grundy 3 weeks ago

The breakthrough cover series by New Found Glory kicked off 25 years ago with From The Screen To Your Stereo. This compilation of pop-punk covers of famous songs from movies has been long-adored by fans of the band, and NFG has since put out two additional versions of the series as well. Part I is a fun listening experience that preceded New Found Glory’s self-titled record that would make the band a household name on MTV and radio stations alike. This cover album included seven tracks that clocked in at just under the 20-minute mark, and showcased a band figuring out their sound and Jordan Pundik’s evolving vocal range from Nothing Gold Can Stay. The reception to the movie covers EP was more appreciated over time as the band would occasionally add these covers (and others) to their live sets. From The Screen To Your Stereo was produced by New Found Glory and Jeremy Staska, and marks a memorable time in the ascent of one of this scene’s favorite pop-punk bands.

Adam Grundy 3 weeks ago

Recently I was able to connect with singer-songwriter Adam Lytle to discuss everything that went his new single and video for the track “Heaven.” The song comes from Lytle’s sophomore album, Altars, that hits streaming services on May 2nd. If you’re enjoying the video for “Heaven”, please consider pre-saving Altars here.

Adam Grundy 3 weeks ago

Today I’m so excited to introduce everyone to pop-punk band, West Friends, who are releasing their latest single called “You’ll Hate It Here.” On this track that takes it roots from classic pop-punk bands like Sum 41, New Found Glory and Blink-182, West Friends make a memorable single with plenty of substance behind it. West Friends is the duo of songwriters and friends, Jordan Renshaw and Isaiah Dominguez, and they have a great style for the pop-punk 30/40-somethings crowd. The band shared, “‘You’ll Hate It Here’ is a tongue-in-cheek take on the cities we call home (Seattle and San Francisco), which, let’s face it, are some of the news cycle’s favorite punching bags. For locals, the negativity can get overbearing enough to warrant a snarky, ‘Grab a souvenir on your way out.” West Friends collaborated with Tom Iannello (Transit, Driveways) to make an anthem that says, despite their flaws, we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” If you’re enjoying the early listen, you can pre-save West Friends new single here.

Adam Grundy 3 weeks ago

Recently I was able to connect with psychedelic indie composer, guitarist, and record producer Romi Peles, as he gears up for the release of his third studio album, Break Up Album, that hits streaming services on June 13th. Today, Romi Peles is releasing his new single and lyric video for “Demons Back In Town.” If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider supporting this talented artist here.

Adam Grundy 3 weeks ago

Recently I was able to catch up with the lead vocalist of Anxious, Grady Allen, on the road to discuss everything that went into the band’s excellent sophomore LP, Bambi. I asked Grady about how the headlining shows have been going for Anxious, if he felt any pressure during the writing process between Little Green House and Bambi, and much more. If you’re looking to support Anxious on the road, check out a show, or visit their merch store here.

Adam Grundy 3 weeks ago

The fourth studio album from pop-punk band, Hit The Lights, called Summer Bones is a solid collection of songs that bookmarked where the band felt most comfortable in. The record has since turned ten years old today, and Hit The Lights have not released a full-length record since then. The closest we got to new music was the 2016 EP, Just To Get Through To You, that also featured acoustic versions of several tracks from Summer Bones. Summer Bones was produced by Kyle Black (New Found Glory/All Time Low/State Champs) and highlights a familiar sound from the band’s most successful record, 2008’s Skip School, Start Fights. After the experimental Invicta, Summer Bones has the vibe of a more matured version of the band, and still plays out well to this day. The set would spawn three singles in “Fucked Up Kids,” “Life on the Bottom” and “No Filter.”

Review: All Time Low – Future Hearts

Record Store Day 2025 Countdown

Myriads – “Find Ourselves Again” (Album Stream)

Marte Eberson – “Start Over Again” (Song Premiere)

Review: Momma – Welcome To My Blue Sky

Common Holly – “Aegean Blue” (Video Premiere)

Talulah Paisley – “What’s It Like?” (Video Premiere)

Review: Mumford and Sons – Rushmere

Review: Underoath – The Place After This One

Review: New Found Glory – From The Screen To Your Stereo

Interview: Adam Lytle

West Friends – “You’ll Hate It Here” (Song Premiere)

Interview: Romi Peles

Interview: Grady Allen of Anxious

Review: Hit The Lights – Summer Bones