How exactly does a band that has blown up as much as Turnstile has these past four years follow up the breakaway success of Glow On? By simply going bigger, bolder, and recognizing that there is Never Enough Turnstile music in this world. Never Enough is now the fourth studio album from the Baltimore-based hardcore band, and the set was produced by lead vocalist Brendan Yates, veteran hitmaker Will Yip, and the English record producer A.G. Cook. You can feel a bit of each producer’s stamp on this record, with Yates’ influence coming in the strongest of the three. The promotional period of this new era of Turnstile kicked off in March when billboards around Los Angeles were donned with the album name of Never Enough paired with the sky-blue aesthetic of the cover art. The band announced a release date shortly thereafter of June 6th, 2025, and also recognized guitarist Meg Mills as a permanent member of Turnstile. Much like many other key artists have done recently, Turnstile accompanied Never Enough with a feature-length visual companion that hit theaters yesterday. While some of the highs of this record are not quite as breathtaking as what was found on Glow On, Never Enough re-solidifies Turnstile as the most creative band in the hardcore genre. The possibilities seem limitless for this talented artist who continues to find new and interesting ways to convey the right emotions and messaging through their unique music.
Read More “Turnstile – Never Enough”Review: Sarah Rose Project – Sarah Rose Project
”If I had to describe this album in one sentence it would read, ‘Musical Heaven for Theater Kids.’ Whether or not you identify as such this album will make you an honorary theater kid by the end of it,” shared Adam Gecking of Say10 Records about Sarah Rose Project and her self-titled solo record. Armed with a plethora of stylistic choices, vibes and key cameos from artists that Sarah Rose has worked with and respects, Sarah Rose Project plays out like walking into a dirty jazz bar from the 80’s and being instantly captivated by the music. For fans of Sarah and the Safe Word, you will likely still connect with the material found in this solo venture, as the music is still in the vein of cabaret, paired with some old school singer-songwriter craftsmanship. Sarah Rose shimmers and sways all over this record that is filled with lush self-production and breathtaking moments.
Read More “Sarah Rose Project – Sarah Rose Project”Review: JR JR – Back To The Land
On the latest offering from indie pop rock band, JR JR, the band sets the tone early on “Domino” that opens with the all-too-relatable lyrics of, “The world is a commercial for things I shouldn’t buy / Some days I can’t tell what’s dead from what’s alive.” The depth the band goes into on Back To The Land only speaks to the true artistry that JR JR put into their music on a daily basis. For those unfamiliar with the band, they are comprised of the duo of Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein, and they used to be called Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. (simplified to now JR JR). After their last LP, the sprawling 2019 double album called Invocations / Conversations, JR JR hone in on their songwriting with a concise ten-track effort on Back To The Land. Throughout the latest record, JR JR go through a lot of themes, topics, and thoughts that are brimming with great musicianship and insight.
Read More “JR JR – Back To The Land”Review: Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful
When I first heard about Miley Cyrus’ plans for her ninth studio album to be loosely inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall, I was immediately excited about the premise. Something Beautiful is an ambitious take on experimental music, and was promoted with a complete visual companion to coincide with the record as well. While I was expecting a big rock record similar to the style Miley Cyrus went for on her excellent Plastic Hearts album, this album leans much closer into the pop realm with only splashes of bombastic rock. The set was co-produced by Cyrus and Shawn Everett (Kacey Musgraves, The Killers), and this album has a nice sheen to it that plays out well from front to back, and still challenges listeners to take deeper dives on subsequent spins. Miley Cyrus sounds like a million bucks in her vocal approach on key singles like “End of the World,” while she ultimately comes up a little short in her ambitions for creating the next “classic.”
Read More “Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful”Review: FRND CRCL – JRSY FRSH
The fourth studio album from pop-punk band, FRND CRCL, called JRSY FRSH is a solid mix of nostalgia paired with some creative takes on the genre to keep it from feeling like a retread. The South Jersey band pays tribute to the area that they’re from, while still expanding upon what made their previous record (Suburban Dictionary) so charming and infectious. With a fresh sounding mix of eight new pop-punk tunes that clock in just under the 30-minute mark, JRSY FRSH will likely be a consistent part of everyone’s summer music rotation.
Read More “FRND CRCL – JRSY FRSH”Review: Grace Gardner – After Knowing
When you attend a concert early, you open yourself up to new opportunities to discover artists that you may have not have ever come across otherwise. Such was the case this week when I attended a concert in DC for Eliza & The Delusionals and witnessed a charming opener by the name of Grace Gardner. Throughout her set, she captivated the audience with sultry vocals, great poise, and excellent stage presence with her bandmate Lonnie Davis. The setlist included several songs from her new record, After Knowing, as well as an on-point cover of Lady A’s “Need You Now.” Grace Gardner has a warm approach behind her vocals, and that comes through well live, as well as on her record that finds the artist in the same realm as Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers. After Knowing is a great introduction to this indie artist who has all the makings of a star.
Read More “Grace Gardner – After Knowing”Review: Alkaline Trio – Crimson
Crimson had all the makings of a big rock record. It had great production (courtesy of Jerry Finn), larger than life art and imagery in the music videos and record packaging, a great narrative throughout the album, and improved songwriting from Alkaline Trio. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that this classic record didn’t get certified as gold by the RIAA. Crimson was the fifth studio album from Alkaline Trio, and would be the last time that the band would work with Jerry Finn before he passed away in 2008. The set would spawn three singles in “Time To Waste”, “Burn”, and “Mercy Me” and the album is still adored by many Alkaline Trio fans and even casual fans who got wind of the music through compilations and more. The album was recorded at Conway Studios in Los Angeles, California and even had an early album title of Church and Destroy. The band would continue to gain a loyal following of fans in key support tours with My Chemical Romance, Rise Against and others during the promotional period of Crimson. The LP still holds up to this day with its slick songwriting, big hooks, and a stellar vocal performance from Matt Skiba.
Read More “Alkaline Trio – Crimson”Review: Arrows In Action – I Think I’ve Been Here Before (Side A)
The first part of the new Arrows In Action record, called I Think I’ve Been Here Before (Side A), is a slick collection of six songs that highlight the new direction that the band took during these sessions. The band consists of Victor Viramontes-Pattison (Vocals, Guitar), Matthew Fowler (Guitar), and Jesse Frimmel (Drums), and their great chemistry of playing music together continues from their great 2023 full-length debut, Built To Last. The themes on the first part of their new album range from anxiety, to blissful romances, all the way to feelings of familiar places to help tie everything together. Arrows In Action will be supporting the new record with several new tours, including Download Festival, the resurgence of the Vans Warped Tour, and the Summer School Tour with Taylor Acorn. With tons of positive momentum going in their favor, 2025 is poised to be a big year for Arrows In Action.
Read More “Arrows In Action – I Think I’ve Been Here Before (Side A)”Review: Arm’s Length – There’s A Whole World Out There
There’s A Whole World Out There is the sophomore effort from Ontario’s own Arm’s Length and it takes the listener on a thrilling journey of self-discovery, while still honing in on relatable themes like self-doubt, anxiety, and more. Anton DeLost is once again at the helm as the band’s producer, and he lets the band expand upon what made them so charming on their earlier releases. After having extensive touring experience under their belts from their solid debut, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, Arm’s Length continue to impress with a unique repertoire here of slick hooks, improved musicianship, and a knack for descriptive songwriting.
Read More “Arm’s Length – There’s A Whole World Out There”Review: Safari Room – “Cut Out”
”Would it be better just to cut you out, become a ghost and never speak to you again?” are the haunting words in the chorus of the latest single from Safari Room called “Cut Out.” The song is largely about falling head over heels in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same way. Safari Room is the solo project of Alec Koukol and he quickly showcases his songwriting improvements on this acoustic single. The song comes from Safari Room’s new forthcoming EP, Kindling, and the campfire-esque delivery of the track hits its intended target in its delivery.
The song reaches its crescendo on the pointed-bridge of “You’re like a never ending siren / You are famine and you are feast / You’re the monster underneath my bed, a mosquito on a leash / A bad penny always turning up / I will never shake you loose / I’m a ticking bomb when you’re around / You’re the match, and I’m your fuse / You’re like a tattoo on my mind,
you are the one that I can’t have / Every time I think I’m healing, you’ll find me picking at the scab.” It’s really hard to not be impressed by the songwriting found here, and it reminded me a lot of Thrice front-man Dustin Kensrue’s solo work, with equally-pleasing results. Safari Room is developing his sound in such a majestic way, and I’m really excited about the direction this solos project took here.
Review: Cellar Dwellar – “Digital_Drive_By”
The latest single from experimental/prog-rock band Cellar Dwellar scratches that itch for fans of bands like The Mars Volta, NIN, and Stabbing Westward. “Digital_Drive_By” takes the listener on an epic journey over its plus six-minute running time that the Columbus, Ohio based band expand upon the possibilities of their unique music. The band shared, “The lyrics of the song come from the current political climate of queer people being targeted by the state along with my heavy interest in the Act Up movement during the AIDs crisis of the 80s and my personal connection to family who were impacted during that time.”
Cellar Dwellar have started to gain a loyal following in the Ohio area, and have opened for bands like The Jesus Lizard, among others. “Digital_Drive_By” is a cool mix of styles that demands be listened to on a good pair of headphones to fully wrap your head around all of the sounds being pulled into the mix.
Review: Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface
The game-changing fourth studio album by rock band Twenty One Pilots is turning ten years old over the weekend, so it’s only fitting for us to take another look at what made Blurryface so special. The Fueled By Ramen release was an immediate success. The record debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, it was the first album in Billboard history for every song on the record to be at least Gold certified, and it has since been certified as 4x Platinum by the RIAA. Putting a fresh pair of ears on Blurryface in 2025 brings back a flood of good memories for me. I had become a fan of the band from a friend sharing the band’s third record, Vessel, with me, but I was floored by the artistic development found on Blurryface. Tyler Joseph had a hand in co-producing each of these tracks with a handful of other producers gently adding some insight and their experiences to make sure the songs really shined. From the frenetic opening drum sequence by Josh Dun on “Heavydirtysoul” all the way to the somber reflection of “Goner” that slow-builds to a dramatic crescendo, Blurryface has a little bit of everything in it for fans of all genres to enjoy. Fueled By Ramen would happily release six singles from the 14-track effort, and each of these infectious songs are as immediately gripping as the first time I heard them.
Read More “Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface”Review: The Starting Line – Based On A True Story
Most bands wouldn’t survive the label turmoil that went on during the promotional period of Based On A True Story, the sophomore record from The Starting Line. Despite reaching as high as #18 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in May of 2005, the album was basically shelved once Geffen Records decided that they were not going to make the LP one of their priorities. It’s a shame that only one single (“Bedroom Talk”) was released from this album since there really are a lot of gems to be found in The Starting Line’s songwriting here. Tim O’Heir produced the majority of the songs on Based On A True Story, but the label wasn’t thrilled with the sound found on the songs they were hoping would take off on radio, so they recruited veteran hitmaker Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance) to provide some guidance on “The World” as well as “Bedroom Talk.” A third producer, Eric Rachel, was enlisted for “Making Love To The Camera”, which would explain some of the unbalanced production elements when played from front to back. The Starting Line battled with their label to the bitter end to ensure they could release the record that the band wanted to make, even if it led to them forfeiting the rights to the recordings themselves. Ultimately, this is what happened, leaving some uncertainty to the future of the album for vinyl represses and so forth. With so much drama going on behind the scenes, it’s truly a miracle that this record saw the light of day, yet fans have adored Based On a True Story for a reason: the songs are really great.
Read More “The Starting Line – Based On A True Story”Review: Out Of Service – Devastation Awaits
The fifth LP from Out Of Service, called Devastation Awaits, finds the band expanding upon their unique sound while still finding ways to add new elements to their music. The set was produced, mixed and mastered by vocalist Mike Capuano, and the now-independent New Jersey band is self-releasing the record today. One of the first things that longtime fans of Out Of Service will notice on Devastation Awaits is the addition of more screamed vocals from Capuano, as evident on the aggressive opener of “Devastation” as well as the second track, “Secrets and Daggers and Mirrors.” After the more somber and acoustic-driven effort found on Reflections & Refractions Volume One, Devastation Awaits is the polar opposite to that previous record by providing a direct reaction to the world around us.
Read More “Out Of Service – Devastation Awaits”Review: Catbite – Doom Garden
The ska genre may have fizzled out a bit over the past few years, but Philadelphia’s own Catbite is injecting some serious new life into the genre with their latest EP called Doom Garden. Catbite manage to simultaneously break down the walls of what can be considered ska, while also furthering their own artistic development. When I last caught up with the band for an interview, I could tell that they were poised for breakout success on this record. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have an excellent cameo on “Tired of Talk” by Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump to boost their own streaming algorithm and alert new fans to the magic that comes through the speakers when Catbite play their captivating music. Doom Garden is brimming with new possibilities for this band that continues to improve on their songwriting.
Read More “Catbite – Doom Garden”