Interview: Hidden In Plain View

Hidden in Plan View

Recently I was able to connect with vocalist Joe Reo, of Hidden In Plain View, to discuss the recent singles his band has released. We also reminisced over the great Life In Dreaming record and the memories that surrounded those sessions, as well as the new touring plans for the band. I was able to get Joe to drop a few notes about the culmination of what these new singles are leading to, as well as some unique merch packages that will be announced shortly. You can check out the recently released music on your favorite streaming service, including Amazon Music here.

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Review: Oakrest – Summer Sun

Debut albums are usually a ton of fun to write about because they come with so much newfound promise and blissful ignorance, along with their lofty expectations in being a part of something bigger than themselves. Oakrest come shining onto the scene with their debut LP, Summer Sun, that is filled with vibrant guitars, smooth vocals, and an overall marketable sound. This Toronto-based pop-punk band appear poised for the next dramatic leap forward in their sound, especially after the glimmers of hope found in their first EP from 2019, entitled Annamaria Dr. The band is comprised of Jacob Szabo on vocals, Jacob Graves on rhythm guitar, Michael Van on lead guitar, and Chris Zoubaniotis on drums. With a polished pop-punk sound that strays somewhere between Seaway and Fountains of Wayne, Oakrest are coming straight for your pop-punk hearts.

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Amarionette – “Rescue Me” (Video Premiere)

Amarionette

Today I’m beyond thrilled to share the latest music video from alternative rockers Amarionette for their single “Rescue Me.” On this great new track, the second single in total from their upcoming full-length record that will be released later this year, Amarionette channel the best parts of the power-pop genre with heartfelt vocals and their trademark breakneck hooks. With so much positive momentum going their way since the release of their 2020 album, Sunset On This Generation, this band appears poised to continue their incredible artistic trajectory.

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Pony Girl – “Enny One Wil Love You” (Video Premiere)

Pony Girl

Today I’m thrilled to share the latest music video from indie pop band, Pony Girl, for their new single. With a sound that dazzles as much as it does rock, “Enny One Wil Love You” has hook after hook to stay in your head for days on end. Speaking on their new single, the band shared, “‘Enny One Wil Love You’ sounds like dizzying video game that you’re not sure how to win. While the words actually come from a child’s drawing we saw on tour, it also struck us as the perfect backhanded compliment for false prophets. ‘Anyone will LOVE you’ for their charisma, yet ‘ANYONE will love you’ despite their bullshit. Community doubt only benefits their toxicity, so you better pick a side. The only thing worse than doubt is indifference.” If you’re enjoying the direction Pony Girl are going for on this single, you can purchase the song soon via their Bandcamp page. Their upcoming LP, Enny One Will Love You, will be fully released on October 14th via Paper Bag Records.

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Review: Paul Roessler – The Turning Of The Bright World

Taking a brave and bold step away from the production boards, Paul Roessler has made an album worthy of your attention in The Turning of the Bright World. Roessler has made a name for himself by producing records for bands like Tombstones in Their Eyes, Josie Cotton, and CrowJane, among many others, and he felt the timing was perfect to make his own creative stamp on the music scene using his voice as a beacon of light inviting listeners of all ages into his headspace. On the new album that released today, Roessler shared, “Each song has its own message, even if sometimes that message could never really be explained. I like those kinds of songs a lot. The music preached to me, and I did my best to deliver what it was saying.” With a steady heartbeat of purpose filled in each song, Roessler has taken full advantage of leaving his legacy through these songs found on this latest LP.

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Interview: Short Fictions

Short Fictions

Recently I was able to catch up with the alternative rock/emo band, Short Fictions, shortly after they released their great new album called Every Moment of Every Day, their third LP to date. In this interview, I asked the band about what the album title means to them, the lessons they’ve learned by playing in this genre of music over the years, the band’s key musical influences, as well as a fun question on their “dream billing” to tour the world with. Every Moment of Every Day is available for purchase here.

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Astrologer – “Legerdemain” (Album Premiere)

Astrologer

Today is the perfect day to share the new EP from the garage pop band named Astrologer, called Legerdemain. Astrologer is comprised of lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter Drew Cline as well as Candy Caballero who contributes both backing and lead vocals during the EP. The sophomore set was produced by Wyatt Blair, and the EP hits the streets via Lolipop Records tomorrow. Also, as a bonus treat, I caught up with the band for a brief interview regarding the artistic steps they took on Legerdemain.

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Review: Glassjaw – Worship and Tribute

Coming off of the release of their Roadrunner Records’ debut LP, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence, Daryl Palumbo and his bandmates in Glassjaw clearly were fed up with their partnership with Roadrunner, going very far in interviews to explain their disdain for their record label. The band entered 2001 secretly recording the follow up to their debut with producer Ross Robinson (The Cure, Slipknot), and would eventually shop the finished product called Worship and Tribute to several major labels before deciding to sign with Warner Bros. Records. When I first heard the new album, I can remember a certain buzz surrounding several punk websites and forums about this band named Glassjaw who were changing the post-hardcore game. This buzz and hype were certainly warranted with songs like “Ape Dos Mil,” “Cosmopolitan Bloodloss,” and “Pink Roses.” The energy was frenetic, the band sounded larger than life, and there was something immediately special about this group of musicians willing to put their best foot forward to avoid the sophomore slump. Worship and Tribute would debut at #82 on the Billboard 200, largely due to positive word of mouth and critical reception, and Glassjaw would find themselves on several key touring stints with festivals like Ozzfest, The Warped Tour, as well as partnering with Sparta, Hot Water Music, and a US headlining trek in October/November of the same year. Glassjaw were undeniable and they were coming straight for all of their doubters.

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Flight Patterns – “Beach Town” (Song Premiere)

Flight-Patterns

Today is a great day to share the latest taste of new music from a new emo band named Flight Patterns, for their new single called “Beach Town.” On this great new track, that comes from their yet to be released self-titled debut LP, Flight Patterns channel the best parts of the emo rock genre while still adding something new to the fold. The band shared, “This was a last minute song that we wrote the morning of recording. We think this one sounds the most like our older songs.” If you’re enjoying the direction this band went for here, you can take flight on their debut LP on August 12th via Chillwavve Records.

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Dayaway – “Beach 90th” (Video Premiere)

Dayaway

Today I’m excited to share the latest single from dream-pop artist named Dayaway, and the track is called “Beach 90th.” With a style that strays somewhere between the dreamy pop of Tennis and the heartfelt synth rock of Beach House, Dayaway is on the cusp for superstardom. Their debut single, called “Cool Water,” has already racked up over one million streams on Spotify, and earned key placements on several noteworthy playlists. On the latest single, Dayaway shared, “It’s a bit of a vulnerable song about regret and second chances. I like to think that there’s always hope for redemption. We shot the video out at Rockaway Beach, at several locations the song is about. ‘Beach 90th’ has a psychedelic sonic quality, so we wanted to mirror that in the visual choices.”

If you’re enjoying the direction this artist took on this song, you can purchase the track soon on their Bandcamp page. Also, as a bonus treat, I caught up with the artist for a brief chat about their musical journey.

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Review: Patterns In Traffic – Lights and Reflections

The second full-length record from Patterns In Traffic is a lush, dreamy, and picturesque musical landscape through the lens of self-discovery. The band is the solo moniker of Kyle Simons, who wrote, performed, mixed, and mastered the entire LP by himself, which only speaks to his incredible dedication to his craft. The latest effort, entitled Lights and Reflections, is a nice mix of emo-tinged anthems that drift somewhere between Mae, early Jimmy Eat World, paired with the pop polish of Owl City. The promotional cycle for this record was prefaced by two EPs 2020’s Reflections and 2021’s Lights which have been combined with three additional brand-new songs to make the full artistic statement in Lights and Reflections. Patterns In Traffic are on the right course as Simons’ musical journey unfolds majestically from start to finish.

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For The Record – “Fake It ‘Til You Make It” (Album Premiere)

For The Record

Today is a great day to share the new EP from ska/punk band For The Record called Fake It ‘Til You Make It. The California band take their influence from ska legends like Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto, but they have a nice pop-punk sound that is unique to their brand of feel-good tunes. If you’re enjoying the early listen of the EP, please consider purchasing the album when it hits the streets this Friday, July 1st.

I was also able to catch up with For The Record for a brief interview about the new and exciting direction they took on their new EP.

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Damion – “Come Alive” (Video Premiere)

Today I’m excited to share the latest music video from singer/songwriter Damion, called “Come Alive.” The single comes from his forthcoming debut LP called Special Interest, that will release on July 20th via Earth Libraries. On the song, Damion shared, “This is the last song I wrote for the album. It occurred to me that most of my songs are full of augmented, major 7 chords, and other weird chord clusters I can’t even name, so I wanted to write a really simple song with only major and minor chords. I recorded a demo by myself and the music sounded so vibrant and confident that I thought I needed to write lyrics from the point of view of a bush-league character.”

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Review: Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind

It’s understandable if you weren’t able to fully connect or get into Coheed and Cambria before. Their dense stories about space odysseys and prog-tinged rock may have been a bit intimidating for casual fans to fully immerse themselves in. Luckily for fans who’d be willing to give Coheed another shot, Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind is easily their most accessible set of songs in the past decade, and would be a perfect re-launching point to dive back into the world that this band has created. And for the longtime fans who have been along for the ride since the beginning, there’s so much to enjoy on this new record that should reinvigorate interest in the space rockers for the foreseeable future. The new record was co-produced by guitarist, lead vocalist and band leader Claudio Sanchez, as well as Zakk Cervini (Blink-182, Simple Plan, Bring Me The Horizon) whose contribution helps Coheed and Cambria find the perfect balance between their trademark sound, paired with vibrant pop elements. While making an effort to expand upon the universe created in The Amory Wars story arc, Coheed have simultaneously made their best album in quite some time that demands your immediate attention.

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Canadensis – “As The Fog Swallowed The Beacon’s Light” (Song Premiere)

Canadensis

Today I’m thrilled to share the fourth single from post-rock duo, Canadensis, from their upcoming record The Decades Apart Have Weathered Us Both, called “As the Fog Swallowed the Beacon’s Light.” The album was recorded live, with no overdubs, and only speaks to the power of the two musicians being in tune with each other to create beautiful art. Canadensis shared this about the latest single:

While the first three tracks of The Decades Apart Have Weathered Us both are from the perspective of the ego experiencing a fragmentation of the soul and the path that follows; ‘As the Fog Swallows the Beacon’s Light’ is a window into the perspective of the fragment, becoming an individual as time separates their existence from the collective. It explores a pensive space where the futility of the ritual of lighting a beacon is realized.

If you’re enjoying the direction the band took here, their new album will officially be released on July 29th.

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