Review: MattstaGraham – Prescribe Whatever

The debut album from emo/punk rock artist MattstaGraham called Prescribe Whatever tackles the issues of struggling with mental health, while battling the outside vices that make navigating this crazy life more difficult. The artist got “internet famous” through parodies of established emo rock bands like Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, and My Chemical Romance, and garnered the attention of I Surrender Records, who promptly signed him. With a blend of familiar-sounding guitar tones powered with punk rock passion, this artist would be great for fans of The Homeless Gospel Choir, Gob, and Allister.

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Review: Charli XCX – Crash

Every now and then you come across an album that just compels you to write about it. The current pop music scene is filled with new artists (Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa), established artists branching out from their main project (Hayley Williams), and the household names (Adele, Lady Gaga). Charli XCX was one of those artist I heard name-dropped a few times along the way of navigating through the wave of pop artists that were out there, but I discovered Crash by Charli XCX pretty late in the game (nearly a month after the initial release date) and I was immediately drawn into the world that this artist brings forth on the dynamic, smash of a record. Armed with a plethora of A-list producers, including The 1975’s George Daniel (among many others), Charli XCX could’ve gone in a number of directions on her fifth studio album. Much like how Dua Lipa set the world on fire the last two years with Future Nostalgia, Crash has that feeling of being the “it” pop record that could garner the same amount of momentum on radio and word of mouth.

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Review: Tombstones In Their Eyes – A Higher Place

Coming off of the release of last year’s Looking For A Light, Tombstones In Their Eyes are back with a well-equipped approach to their music by adding lush vocal harmonies into a crowd pleasing set of tunes. Guitarist and vocalist John Treanor said this about the band’s evolution, “The band is evolving, which is cool. I’ve never been in a band that stuck around long enough and released enough material to really see the change occur. There’s such a wide range of songs and sounds now, it’s really hard to pigeonhole what we are: Psych Rock? Maybe. Shoegaze? Not so much at this point. Indie Rock? Maybe. Rock and Roll? Yes. It all depends on which song you’re playing, really, but all the songs fit into the Tombstones In Their Eyes genre and sound, no matter how disparate their sound.” With limitless possibilities for their songwriting, this band appears to be hitting the right groove in their musical journey.

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Review: Rozzi – Berry

Sometimes you just know when an artist has that “it” factor to them that will open multiple doors to the possibilities of their career. Rozzi definitely falls into this category with her Berry EP, a thrilling collection of songs that uniquely showcases her impressive vocal range and songwriting prowess. Led by the super-charged single featuring Nile Rodgers, “Consequences” is one of those songs that grabs your attention from the first few notes and never lets up. With a great-sounding EP, it’s only a matter of time before others become aware of this artist’s brilliance.

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Interview: Chase Tremaine

Chase Tremaine

A little bit of time ago, I was able to catch up with singer-songwriter Chase Tremaine to discuss the re-release of his sophomore record Development and Compromise, my adoration for his debut called Unfall, as well as a lot about what the future has in store for his musical path ahead. I really enjoyed hearing about what made Chase want to explore his musical journey, and hear about his influences that he draws inspiration from.

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Suitable Miss – “Forever” (Video Premiere)

Suitable Miss

Today I’m beyond thrilled to bring everyone the latest music video from Suitable Miss called “Forever.” The song features guest vocals from Magnolia Park’s Joshua Roberts, and comes from the band’s upcoming album, In Color, out everywhere on May 20th. This band really transcends genres, and there really is a little bit of everything in the mix for fans of all styles of upbeat music. In addition to premiering the video, I was also able to catch up with Suitable Miss to discuss everything that went into this song and the rest of the material found on their new album.

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Andrew Pitrone – “Locket” (Song Premiere)

Andrew Pitrone

Today I’m thrilled to share the latest single from the talented singer-songwriter Andrew Pitrone for his new song called “Locket.” The single is the second single to be released from his upcoming EP, Aurora Montage, out later this year on Lolipop Records. Pitrone had this to say about his new song:

”Locket” is a song about the Idea of committing to someone. In a sense when someone puts a photo in a locket it signifies their commitment to that person, that person in the photographs being extra special to them, in their heart, or close to their heart. If you were going to cut someone into the size of a little locket and shove them into the shape, even in the most loving gentle way, it might sound something like the feeling of the song ‘Locket.’ Suggesting that someone put you in their locket is like suggesting that they should feel free to have that attachment.

With heartfelt vibes and sweeping instrumentation found on this great-sounding single, it’s no wonder why so much buzz surrounds this artist. Pitrone has also shared the music video for this track, and it can be found here.

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Yotam Ben Horin – “In Between The Highs and Lows” (Video Premiere)

Today I’m beyond excited to share the latest music video from Yotam Ben Horin called “In Between The Highs and Lows,” that comes from his upcoming solo album Young Forever. The record will be released on on May 20th via Double Helix Records. If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider pre-ordering Young Forever here. Also,I had the chance to catch up with Horin before the release of this single, and we discussed the direction of the new material.

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Nicotine Dolls – “Till We Both Say” (Video Premiere)

Nicotine Dolls

Today I’m excited to share the latest music video from New York City’s own Nicotine Dolls, for their heartfelt single “Till We Both Say.” The band is comprised of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Sam Cieri, lead guitarist John Hays, bassist John Merritt, and drummer Abel Tabares, and the band’s strong chemistry is showcased on songs like this one. With a sound that sways somewhere between the working-man approach of The Gaslight Anthem and the pop sheen of The Maine, Nicotine Dolls are onto something great here.

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Interview: Out Of Service

Out of Service

Recently I was able to hop onto a Zoom call with the emo rock band Out of Service, and we discussed their recently released single called “What You See” that features John Nolan (Taking Back Sunday/Straylight Run), their upcoming touring plans, and most importantly their finishing touches on their third full-length record called The Ground Beneath Me. Out of Service is comprised of Teebs Williams (guitar), Mike Capuano (vocals), Ken Bond (drums), and Brian McGovern (bass). The upcoming album will be released on Enjoy The Ride Records on June 3rd, and the vinyl will be available for purchase at the same time as the digital release date.

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Review: Animalweapon – Set Of Constraints

For those unfamiliar with the electronic artist known as Animalweapon, it comes from the mind of Patrick Cortes. On this sprawling, eight-song album called Set of Constraints, the artist tackles heavy lyrical themes like struggles with mental health, anxiety, as well as making personal connections to the material to ensure the balance is just right. Cortes shared this about the new record: “A lot of this record is a marker of a transitional period of my life. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my last record Tyrannosaurus was very much a representation of a pretty low stretch, mental health wise. A lot of this album was me acknowledging that I can mitigate that if I actually put in the work, and starting to. I still write music with enough room for interpretation so that people can connect it to whatever they’re feeling, but ideally I hope it resonates with anyone who is working on themselves or ‘in the cocoon’ so to speak.” Set Of Constraints seems like an odd title, as Animalweapon’s musical journey appears to be limitless.

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Review: Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge

In the crowded scene of pop-punk bands during the early 00’s, I admittedly didn’t give Midtown as much of a hard look as I should have in retrospect. I would usually enjoy the singles that the band put on the Warped Tour compilation that came out each year, or stumble across a friend’s MP3 of punk songs on their computer that caught my ear, but I didn’t get on this band’s bandwagon until much later. After seeing Living Well Is The Best Revenge at a record store for a criminally low price, I took a chance on the album that I’ve grown to love even more so today. This album was crafted under the direction of producer Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World), and he helped Midtown hone in on the best parts of their sound to create a record that should’ve received more love and media attention. In an interview with Jason during the AbsolutePunk days, Midtown went into detail about their disdain for Drive-Thru Records, and potentially may have stunted some of the label’s desire to push the album into more commercial outlets. Controversy aside, Midtown’s Living Well Is the Best Revenge should be considered one of the better pop-punk albums to come out of this period of time.

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Review: Dear Spring – “Every Now and Then”

The latest taste of new music from the DC-based pop-punk band Dear Spring is called ”Every Now and Then,” and is filled with great harmonies, back and forth vocals, and a beating heart of purpose in every lyric. The song was produced by Nik Bruzzese, mixed by Ben Green, and mastered by Paul Leavitt. Dear Spring would be perfect for fans of Four Year Strong, Taking Back Sunday, and Hit the Lights, since this band is very much entrenched in that crisp pop-punk sound that many of us have grown to love over the years.

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Seth Swirsky – ‘Songs From The Green Couch’ (Album Premiere)

Seth Swirsky

Today I’m excited to bring everyone a talented songwriter named Seth Swirsky, who has written several #1 hits for artists like Tina Turner and Celine Dion, and his new album Songs From The Green Couch, a day early. This album of well-constructed indie-pop songs shines through the speakers majestically and leaves the listener in a better mood than they started their day with. Swirsky shared this about the new record:

We all have a ‘safe space’ — a place where we can go and escape from the world. The green couch in my art room in my house is such a space. It was there where most of the songs on this album were written, either on guitar or  with lyrics—thus, the title, Songs From The Green Couch. Rob Campanella, of Brian Jonestown Massacre — who engineered the album— introduced me to two guys in The Triptides: bassist Glenn Brigman and drummer Brendan Peleo-Lazar. The three of us (me on most guitars, pianos and mellotrons) became the core of the entire record. I sang all vocals and arranged the live strings. L.A. musicians, Kirk Hellie and Fernando Perdomo contributed their talents on some songs as well. But, as I said, the core was myself and the Triptides, which added a certain ‘toughness’ to my natural pop sensibilities. The record was a two year process: I started writing and recording the record at the beginning of a serious new relationship I was having — it continued during a very painful breakup. Thus, the album oscillates between many hi’s and lo’s for me personally, which are reflected in the lyrics.

If you’re enjoying the exclusive album stream, you won’t have to wait long to purchase the album that releases officially tomorrow.

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Review: The Injured List – Blue 32

Written largely during the start of the pandemic, The Injured List have returned with their fourth full-length record called Blue 32. The record title is a reference to the quarterback’s signals called out before the snap, and the band’s affinity for writing sad songs packed with plenty of purpose. The album was written mostly by lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Marks and drummer Ashton Parsons, while the band also had some additional friends contribute guitar parts remotely. The Injured List took a unique approach to this album by book-ending the record with the intro/outro tracks of “Adrift” and “Ashore” that help solidify their artistic statement found on Blue 32.

The record opens with the aforementioned intro track called “Adrift” that prepares the listener for the beauty found in my personal favorite in the set, called “Doubt.” That particular song opens with some well-placed synths that eventually break away for heavier-toned guitars and singer Nathan Marks’ anthemic vocals. “Doubt” reminds me a lot of Autopilot Off, with a little bit of The Maine and Mae thrown into the mix for good measure. Things continue to stay great on “Recover,” as drummer Ashton Parsons sets a great beat to allow the band to explore the possibilities of their sound.

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