Adam Grundy
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Adam Grundy
An enthusiastic music blogger who lives in the Washington DC Metro area. My favorite bands are My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard, the 1975, and Paramore.
recommended
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
Night Riots – New State of Mind
Four Year Strong – Brain Pain
Vinnie Caruana
SORTED BY: REVIEWS

Review: Zebrahead – I

Adam Grundy

The countdown is complete for Zebrahead and they have finally released the exciting, concluding chapter in their trilogy of EPs, called I. I is the follow-up to the III (2021) and II (2023) EPs, completing the band’s III.II.I. series. “Finally, the last EP is here… this series represents where our heads have been during and since COVID,” shares bassist Ben Osmundson. “It’s been a trying time for everyone, and now it’s time for fresh starts. See you on tour!” Having already released a good number of singles leading up to I, culminating in today’s single release of “Puppet Stringers,” the band continues to be armed with an arsenal of slick tunes to take on the road. By getting back to the core values of what makes this band so damn special, Zebrahead leaves just the right taste in our mouths on this electric EP filled with passion and breakneck energy.

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Review: Koyo – Mile A Minute

Adam Grundy

The new EP from Koyo comes hot off the heels of their well-received debut LP, Would You Miss It?, and features two re-imagined songs from their catalog, plus a new song indicating where they can take their sound in the future. Mile A Minute impresses by showcasing what this band is capable of creating when they strip away most of the energy behind their songs and get to the core of what makes Koyo unique. “Ten Digits Away (Deluxe)” kicks off the record with an acoustic guitar-based approach, and vocalist Joey Chiaramonte dials back his trademark growl to a smoother approach that took me back a bit in its crisp delivery. The expanded song comes from a previous EP of the same name, and acts as a great companion piece to the original, while adding in some piano and other backing instruments to round out their sound.

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Review: The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World

Adam Grundy

The Cure are back, and it’s a dark and beautiful thing. Songs of a Lost World is the first new music from the band in roughly 16 years, and the long-awaited new LP doesn’t disappoint. In many ways, this new record feels like the direct successor of 1989’s Disintegration, what most fans consider The Cure’s finest work, and the comparisons in stylistic choices and the artistic direction can be felt on this concise 8-song album. The set of songs was composed entirely by goth rock icon, Robert Smith, and was co-produced by Smith and Paul Corkett (Tori Amos, Placebo). Each of these tracks are brooding with long intros to set just the right tone before Smith’s trademark vocals break through the wall of sound with veteran ease. Robert Smith sounds as confident and strong as he’s ever been, while his bandmates rally around his every word. On the opening track of “Alone” Robert Smith shared, ”It’s the track that unlocked the record; as soon as we had that piece of music recorded, I knew it was the opening song and I felt the whole album come into focus. that was the moment when I knew the song – and the album – were real.” By letting everything come flowing through him, Smith and The Cure have delivered a late-career masterpiece.

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Review: A Place For Owls – how we dig in the earth

Adam Grundy

The sophomore album from Denver emo band A Place For Owls is a great exploration from a group of musicians taking their time to get to the root of what makes us all human. The affectionately-titled how we dig in the earth is an album that was recorded over the course of one week at Coalesce Audio with producer Dave Wilton (A Boy & His Kite, Loud Harp), and finds the band showcasing what they are capable of creating when all the right parts click together into place. The band described their process as, ”We were digging deep into the arrangements, practicing songcraft as gardening: pressing dead seed gently into the soil, praying for rain.” By finding that other-worldly connection to music, while still continuing down the path of self-exploration, how we dig in the earth quickly becomes a defining moment for A Place For Owls.

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Review: robbietheused – robbietheused

Adam Grundy

I’ve always felt that solo projects are a healthy form of artistic expression. Especially if the music that an artist chooses to make in the solo effort sound vastly different than anything their main band would go for. Robbietheused, the moniker of The Used’s frontman, storms onto the pop scene with a rewarding solo effort. The set was produced by longtime collaborator, John Feldmann, and he lends a trusted hand in helping Robbietheused make his pop dreams come true. When I asked the frontman about what he likes best about this genre, he quickly quipped, ”I have always loved pop music; I grew up on Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and that kind of thing. My favorite thing about pop is just a catchy melody that you can sing along to.” By using this background as a blueprint for his pop debut, Robbietheused crafts a synth-laden world of wonders.

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Review: 311 – Full Bloom

Adam Grundy

The fourteenth studio album from Alternative Rock legends, 311, is a strong collection of songs that longtime fans of the band are sure to enjoy, and there’s plenty of new vibes brought forth for casual fans to check out as well. Full Bloom was produced by Collin Brittain, with some additional producer credits from Scotch Ralston and Tim Pagnotta. The band described Full Bloom as “311 on steroids,” and it’s hard to not agree with this assessment. 311 goes bigger and better than they have in quite some time and delivers the right mix of nostalgia paired with artistic growth for a strong musical statement. The set was preceded with their highest charting single in 13 years, breaking into the Top 15 on Alternative radio, with lead single “You’re Gonna Get It.” The concise ten-track album features some of the band’s strongest material in years showcasing that the veteran rockers have plenty left in the tank.

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Review: Holy Pinto – “Death Is In The Air”

Adam Grundy

The latest single from Aymen Saleh, better known as Holy Pinto, is bursting with raw emotion and painstaking detail in the songwriting process. Bartees Strange also contributes on “Death Is In The Air” by adding some well-placed guitars and synths to the mix. The track itself tackles the theme of searching for love, complete with all of the messy details that make this emotion so complex.

The song builds momentum as it sways from the cautious opening verse, to adding in more instruments in the chorus, while Saleh’s vocals remain consistently captivating in his delivery. The single takes the listener on an epic journey of lyrical twists and turns, all with a beating heart towards Holy Pinto’s self-discovery as an artist. The epic conclusion of the song features some well-placed hand claps and an Americana sound to keep interest high in this ultra-talented songwriter. Holy Pinto is back, and he is quickly re-cementing himself as a key artist to watch.

Review: Real Friends – Blue Hour

Real Friends - Blue Hour
Adam Grundy

”Here’s to new beginnings” is a popular toast at weddings, job promotion celebrations, and retirements, and yet most bands don’t get the opportunity to experience this feeling themselves when it comes to reinvention. Real Friends are back with a slick emo-tinged pop-punk sound on Blue Hour, their fourth full-length studio effort to date, and their first LP with vocalist Cody Muraro at the helm. The 13-song album is packed with raw emotion, songs about relationships, and in many cases the theme of starting anew is prevalent. The band, whom have been around since 2010, seem to lock into a new groove on Blue Hour with a sound leaning closer to The Wonder Years and The Menzingers, rather than pop-punk bands like The Starting Line and New Found Glory. Real Friends are making the most of their opportunity to reinvent themselves on this record that is filled with depth, rich lyrical imagery, and hard-hitting tracks that demand to be taken seriously.

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Review: Various Artists – Red Scare Industries: 20 Years of Dreaming and Scheming

Adam Grundy

Starting a record label isn’t for the faint of heart. So much can go wrong, really fast, if you’re not equipped with the right people around you to make it thrive. Luckily, Red Scare Industries isn’t in this category of failing labels, as they are now celebrating 20 Years of Dreaming and Scheming, the cool new compilation that features key artists like The Menzingers, Laura Jane Grace, Sludgeworth, Heart & Lung, No Trigger, and so many more great bands on this 17-track disc. Red Scare Industries has reliably introduced fans near and far to bands that they feel are worth their time, put on killer live shows, and have the musical chops to make you want to reach for that repeat button. While some various artists compilations are good for a spin or two to discover a new band every now and then, this particular collection of songs feels like a punk rock party that is sure to make you wonder just how Red Scare was able to pull this off.

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Review: Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell – Deryck Whibley

Walking Disaster
Adam Grundy

Trauma can come in many forms. Whether it’s watching a loved one going through a tough time, or experiencing the difficulties in our own lives, this trauma is never easy to face head on. Deryck Whibley bravely comes forward in sharing his multiple instances of trauma on his gripping new memoir entitled Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell. Whibley is a gifted songwriter, and while most of us know him for his lifelong work in Sum 41, I was surprised to hear just how deeply involved he was as the primary songwriter for the band. He mentions several times in the book instances where he recalls many fans and critics alike crediting Dave “Brownsound” Baksh as the main writer of Sum 41’s material, when that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Whibley remains poised and positive as he weaves an epic tale of the rise of Sum 41, the backstage shenanigans, key relationships he made in his life, all with an overarching narrative of the alleged abuse of his band’s former manager Greig Nori. The memoir is told in chronological order, while Whibley hints at the future tales that led to his highest of highs (Heaven) and the most dramatic of lows (Hell). Much like a Ying and Yang, Whibley needed to experience both polar opposites in order to determine what he values most in his young life that is starting to regain momentum for the next steps in his blossoming career.

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Review: October Man – “Dandelion”

October Man - "Dandelion"
Adam Grundy

I’d like to introduce everyone to a cool new indie rock band called October Man. The band features Ethan Bodner (guitar), JD Leidersdorff (guitar/vocals), Ian Neill (bass), Anthony Abboud (keys/drums), and Joey Murphy (keys/drums). Most of the band has been playing together for nearly a decade, with Neill being a recent addition. Their latest single, called “Dandelion” is a catchy blast of indie rock that would be perfect for fans of The Strokes, Cold War Kids, and the guitar groove of Franz Ferdinand.

The song opens up with a steady beat courtesy of Anthony Abboud while the dual-guitar attack embraces the groove of the track with a poise not usually seen in a band this young. Vocalist JD Leidersdoff has a great croon throughout the song and he remains as captivating as possible. October Man have created the perfect launch pad to success in the indie rock genre with this song that is sure to be added to many playlists for the foreseeable future.

Review: Hippo Campus – Flood

Adam Grundy

Over the course of music history there have been several cases of a band not being happy with the material they are creating, and then in turn deciding to scrap that material in favor of a different direction. This exact situation happened to Hippo Campus. The band were sitting in the green room of a sold-out amphitheater show at the start of the Summer of 2023 when they realized their fourth LP simply wasn’t good enough. This realization led to them re-thinking their approach to what would be the sessions for Flood, their latest studio effort that comes pouring through the speakers with the most polished, professional, and ultimately most complete version of the band to date. Hippo Campus had reportedly penned over 100 songs during the five-year span between LP3 and Flood, with only the best material making the cut for the 13-track fourth studio album. What we’re left with is a completely realized vision for the band’s music that shimmers as much as it makes their audience think about what they’ve listened to. Flood is an appropriate title in that it took a complete brainstorm of ideas all at once to see what stuck and the aftermath is a brilliant collection of songs that play off of each other in a cohesive work of art.

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Review: Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue

Adam Grundy

Black Gives Way To Blue proved that grunge was still alive and well in 2009. Alice In Chains decided to reboot themselves after the tragic death of original lead singer Layne Staley (in 2002) by beginning to play shows again in 2005 and start crafting what would be the material found on the band’s fourth studio album. Now getting the 15th anniversary vinyl re-press treatment via Craft Recordings, Black Gives Way To Blue gets another fresh makeover as audiences new and old can rediscover what made this band so legendary. The record was the first one to feature co-vocalist/guitarist William DuVall and he does a nice job of complementing the lead vocals from founding member Jerry Cantrell. The set would spawn four singles, with two of them earning Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance. Picking up the pieces after losing a band member is sadly all-too-common in the music industry, but Alice In Chains were able to honor the legacy of Staley in this vivid collection of songs that still highlight their staying power to this day.

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Review: Sophia Dashing ft. Manda Malina – “Raindrops (On Your Pillow)”

Adam Grundy

The latest single from Sophia Dashing featuring Manda Malina, called “Raindrops (On Your Pillow),” has that classic 90’s pop sound that is reminiscent of Destiny’s Child paired with TLC. The track was produced by Jason Quinones and co-written between Malina, Dashing and Quinones. The collaboration pulls off as each artist/writer shines on the track that is built for those heartfelt evenings of longing for a better relationship.

Sophia Dashing commands the song throughout her dynamic vocal performance while Manda Malina adds in some great vocal takes of her own. The song reminded me a bit of the style of TLC’s “No Scrubs” and hits its intended target more often than not. The final bars of music highlights the two vocalists trying to outshine each other through some great vocal highs that mesh well together for a crowd-pleasing pop single.

Review: Neon Trees – Sink Your Teeth

Adam Grundy

Consistency is hard to come by in the music industry. Times change, sounds change, and stylistic choices over time can evolve into something completely different than what was popular a decade ago. The great thing about music, however, is that if you can write good songs you can find sustainable success in the music business, regardless of genre. Neon Trees have been one of the most consistent pop rock bands since they debuted in 2010 with Habits, and found early success in singles like “Animal” and the karaoke favorite of “Everybody Talks.” Having now released their fifth studio album, called Sink Your Teeth, Neon Trees’ sound still feels as refreshing as ever as they return to the music scene. The band released the first taste of the new record back in June of 2023 with lead single “Favorite Daze.” As great as Neon Trees are at writing a catchy chorus, this particular single features some of the best verses of their career to date. The rest of the material that surrounds the track feels like a sonic evolution of the band that continues to showcase their staying power in the pop rock scene.

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