Review: PHNTMS – “Paper Flowers”

Adam Grundy Oct 1, 2021

I’m thrilled to introduce everyone to PHNTMS, a great female-fronted pop-rock band from Philadelphia, PA that seems poised for breakout success. Their latest single, “Paper Flowers,” is a bombastic blast of alternative rock with a pop polish that is ready for radio dominance. The band has opened for huge bands like Kings of Leon, The 1975, and Bastille, and it’s clearly evident of why these bands would chose PHNTMS to get their crowds ready for a great night. Their yet to be announced EP should only further solidify the direction the band is going for on this great-sounding song.

Adam Grundy Sep 27, 2021

The funny thing about debut albums is that they’re filled with so much promise, blissful ignorance, and a full beating heart filled with the utmost purpose. Washington, DC’s The Slang are able to capture that early magic that bands would kill for at this stage of their career. Divide, in a lot of ways, investigates where we are as a society today, but it’s vibrant guitar tones and uplifting choruses keep the material from sinking into the abyss. When I last caught up with the band for an interview, the band appeared to be completely flattered by my early praise of their album that I got an advance copy of. After explaining to The Slang (comprised of John Bobo and Felix Nieto) just how great their debut is, I hope I was able to instill some new-found confidence in this band that I feel everyone should turn their immediate focus onto.

Adam Grundy Sep 23, 2021

The word that most closely comes to mind when talking about Thrice is consistency. The second word that I most closely associate with this legendary band on their 11th studio album, Horizons/East, is variety. They simply do not make the same record twice; a true marking of an artist that is uncomfortable with the comfort that comes with creating similar sounding material. On Horizons/East, Thrice are able to embrace the change that comes with pushing themselves to their artistic limits, and much like that famous Lindsay Lohan meme; the limit does not exist.

This picturesque record opens with the sprawling “The Color of the Sky,” as Dustin Kensrue sets the stage with, “My first and foremost memory / Is staring up in wonder at the wall / It circumscribed the city / They said beyond it nothing dwelt at all / But I came to wonder if the stories all were true / So one night I made my mind up / I resolved that I would find a passage through” before drummer Riley Breckenridge explodes into one of my favorite drum fills in recent memory. Kensrue’s closing lyrics of “I don’t know the way, but I know that I belong out here / On this journey that I never thought I’d make / Setting out across a new frontier / A new horizon with each eager step I take,” seems to encapsulate everything that I love about his top-notch storytelling on my favorite opening tracks in their discography since Vheissu’s “Image of the Invisible.”

Adam Grundy Sep 20, 2021

If you’re looking for solid pop-punk with a heartbeat, you’ve come to the right place. Right On, Kid are a five-member band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and have crafted an album worthy of early recognition and praise. Their first EP called When Words Are Enough announced their arrival to the scene, whereas Life Is A Movie welcomes them into the fold with open arms. This album is filled with everything we all love about the genre: great sounding hooks, uplifting vocals, well thought out lyrics, and plenty of excellent drumming. With a sound similar to Hit the Lights, Mayday Parade, and All Time Low, you may need to thank us later for introducing you to your latest pop-punk obsession.

Adam Grundy Sep 17, 2021

The circumstances that led to New York City’s-own January Jane being signed to a major label record deal, and also getting the stamp of approval from veteran music guru Matt Pinfield are quite unique. In the interview I conducted with vocalist Pat Via, guitarist Mitch Mitchell, and Pinfield, they described the path that led them to each other, and their bond continues to be a major success story to this day. Their debut EP, Your Drug, is a solid blast of energetic pop rock built for instant radio success. The lead single, “Versions of You,” has already charted on the Adult Top 40 National Airplay Billboard barometer of popular music. Rounded out by keyboardist Peter Scalia, January Jane might just be the band that we need to get us through this dark period in history.

Adam Grundy Sep 8, 2021

Is there a more reliable rock band than Thrice? The band was consistently delivering landmark album after landmark album in the wake of Vheissu, the ambitious The Alchemy Index, and one of my all-time favorite Thrice albums in Beggars. The band approached their eighth studio album, Major/Minor, with veteran poise under the leadership of producer/mixer/engineer Dave Schiffman, who also oversaw Vheissu (audio engineer) and Beggars (mixer). Vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue described their choice of producer in an Alternative Press interview where he said, “We had him come down to our practice space when all the songs were kind of being played and [he] just kind of listened through and talked about them and made a couple changes based on little things said here or there, but it was really minimal in that regard. He was mostly just bringing his experience as an engineer and mixer, just knowing how to get the sounds nailed down. We’re really comfortable with him.” This comfort that Thrice felt with Schiffman pays major dividends as the band continued their mean streak of solid-sounding albums.

Adam Grundy Sep 6, 2021

It’s commonplace for me to be pitched new bands looking for my thoughts on their music, and I can’t help but feel flattered by the number of submissions I’ve received since I started writing for this site. It makes my job that much easier when being presented with music that immediately shimmers through the speakers as it does on Longsleeves debut EP, entitled Joyrider. The band is comprised of vocalist/bassist Austin Fontenot, guitarist Curtis Allison, guitarist Kyle Bauer, and drummer Matt Francis, and their charming debut is somewhere between a mix of early-Hawthorne Heights emo mixed with the polished grunge of 90’s rock acts like Smashing Pumpkins all blended with the radio-ready hooks of Gin Blossoms. The Norfolk, Virginia band has plenty to like on Joyrider, and Longsleeves are one of my “bands to watch” as their career in music seem poised for future success.

Adam Grundy Aug 30, 2021

It’s been written several times over the course of music history that an artist’s most important album is their current one, since it has the potential to make or break their career depending on the commercial and fan reaction to their product. In a lot of ways, a band usually makes their next album as a reaction to the one that came before it, and that rings very true on Screen Violence. CHVRCHES released their third record, Love is Dead, to a mixed bag of reviews with some reviewers claiming it was a step back from their early magic found. I personally didn’t see Love Is Dead as a step back, but after hearing the major step forward on Screen Violence, I can at least see where some of those reviewers were coming from. Screen Violence is a direct reaction to society’s obsession with others reactions to social media posts, how the media portrays major news events, as well as keeping our own mental health balanced through all of the distractions that exist in our world. With so much “noise” in today’s world, it was only a matter of time before this band made one of their boldest artistic statements to date on their fourth full-length record that shatters even the highest of expectations for where they could take their sound.

Adam Grundy Aug 25, 2021

On the debut record from the power-pop band Lovebreakers, they channel summer vibes and great guitar hooks into a crowd pleasing package. Primary Colours was produced/engineered by veteran Davey Warsop (Green Day, Foo Fighters, Weezer), and he gets a great performance on each of the ten tracks from this four-piece unit. The band plans to hit the road next year in support of punk rock legends Social Distortion. With such a tight-knit group of songs found on this debut, it should only be a matter of time before many others catch on to Lovebreakers’ greatness.

Adam Grundy Aug 19, 2021

The last time I sat down to write about one of my favorite and newest emo bands called Out of Service, I fell head over heels with being enamored by their debut Burden. Fast forward to 2021, and I am given a massive clue of new music on the horizon when I tagged the band in a post about new and exciting emo bands that pack plenty of musicianship, and none of that nasty controversy. Once I had this single for “Shelter” fall into my lap, I must’ve played the track at least three of four times to appreciate its slow-building beauty and great song structure. Now that the single has been released into the world as of yesterday, I can only imagine how everyone will be receiving the news of this band’s triumphant return. Out of Service are back, and sound as focused and as poised as they’ve ever been.

Adam Grundy Aug 16, 2021

When I last caught up with M.A.G.S. (the moniker for Elliott Douglas), his anticipation for his next album Say Things That Matter was utterly infectious. After hearing the rest of the material on this LP, it’s easy to see just why he would be so excited for the rest of the world to hear these songs. From the summer swagger of “Choked Out,” the pop guitar-driven rock brilliance of “Smile,” to the possible best song of his career in “Beg,” all of the singles connected with me on both a personal and spiritual level that I was not originally anticipating. M.A.G.S. is hitting the road this fall on a tour with The Happy Fits and Snarls, and it’s only a matter of time before the masses understand his brilliance in his songwriting.

Adam Grundy Aug 10, 2021

The latest emo/post-hardcore “supergroup” comes now in the form of The Difference Between on their debut EP Detach: Envenom. The band is comprised of the ever-familiar vocals of founding vocalist of Emarosa (Chris Roberts), guitarist Chris Wethington, bassist Garrett Harper (both of Softspoken), and drummer Cody Frain (of A Scent Like Wolves). On this heavy, yet incredibly moving EP, The Difference Between embrace their lofty goals for their aggressive sound, and utilize their past projects into a crowd-pleasing musical package on these three songs.

Adam Grundy Aug 9, 2021

Coming off of the critically praised The Constance LP, Lakes have returned with another full length album called Start Again. For those unfamiliar with the UK-based indie rockers, they are comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Roberto Cappellina, vocalist/keyboardist/percussionist Blue Jenkins, drums/percussionist/guitarist Matt Shaw, bassist Charlie Smith, guitarist Rob Vacher and guitarist Gareth Arthur. Start Again was produced/mixed by Neil Strauch (Joan of Arc, Owls) and is a detailed exploration of topical themes like dealing with our mental health, the struggles with addiction, and making the tough decisions of getting rid of toxic friendships. Lakes are in the same realm of emo/indie bands like American Football, Stove, and Barely Civil. Your latest music obsession has arrived.

Adam Grundy Aug 3, 2021

There’s an 80’s (or 90’s) kid inside of all of us, and Punk Rock Factory recognizes this and takes it to heart on Masters of the Uniwurst, a punk rock compilation of sped-up TV theme songs from yesteryear. The compilation takes the soul of the beauty of the 80’s and 90’s themes and adds a delicious punk rock twist to the mix that ends up being a hell of a lot of fun to listen through. While some may say it’s simply the nostalgia that makes these songs endearing, I’d beg to differ and state that these “jingles” were in need of a need outlet to really appreciate them for what they are. Your summer soundtrack to your childhood has arrived.

Adam Grundy Aug 2, 2021

It’s funny when you realize you’ve found an artist that you just know is going the change the landscape or rock, indie rock, and maybe music in general from the first time you hear that distinct sound. The Strokes released their debut record, Is This It, fairly under the radar, with the exception of RCA Records knowing they may have the next really big indie band on their label for the foreseeable future. The Strokes released an EP called The Modern Age in early 2001, which sparked an intense bidding war of major labels falling over themselves to earn the trust of the New York City-based rock band. Is This It was recorded then under the tutelage of producer Gordon Raphael (Regina Spektor) and was ultimately released 20 years ago today in Australia, first. The record would then gradually be released in several countries as their tours were being conducted across the world, and the physical version of the CD would hit the states in October (due to a delay after 9/11 and the label decision to exclude “New York City Cops” on the original sequencing. The vinyl version released on 9/11 still continues to have the track in the original tracklisting).

Review: PHNTMS – “Paper Flowers”

Review: The Slang – Divide

Review: Thrice – Horizons/East

Review: Right On, Kid – Life Is A Movie

Review: January Jane – Your Drug

Review: Thrice – Major/Minor

Review: Longsleeves – Joyrider

Review: Chvrches – Screen Violence

Review: Lovebreakers – Primary Colours

Review: Out of Service – Shelter

Review: M.A.G.S. – Say Things That Matter

Review: The Difference Between – Detach: Envenom

Review: Lakes – Start Again

Review: Punk Rock Factory – Masters of the Uniwurst

Review: The Strokes – Is This It