Review: January Jane – Your Drug

January Jane

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.

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Review: Thrice – Major/Minor

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.

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Review: Longsleeves – Joyrider

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.

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Review: Chvrches – Screen Violence

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.

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Review: Lovebreakers – Primary Colours

Lovebreakers - Primary Colours

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.

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Review: Out of Service – Shelter

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.

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

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.

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Review: The Difference Between – Detach: Envenom

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.

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Review: Lakes – Start Again

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.

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Review: Punk Rock Factory – Masters of the Uniwurst

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.

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Review: The Strokes – Is This It

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).

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Review: Pretty Awkward – Hang Out

This Seattle, Washington band called Pretty Awkward is on to some great new things, with their electric new single, “Hang Out.” The four piece-band consists of vocalist Austin Held, bassist/backing vocalist Nichola Wiggins, guitarist/backing vocalist Jake Jones, and drummer Damien Ward, and their unique band chemistry is contagious on this bouncy new track. The band is able to channel a lot of the vibes that are popular from other pop-rock bands like Twenty One Pilots, Foster the People, and Walk the Moon, into their own package.

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Review: A Story Told – American Made

On the third full-length record from pop-rockers A Story Told, called American Made, they channel all of the best elements of their band and their past work into a refreshing mix of great tunes. The first single released, “I Don’t Mind (To Get A Little Hurt Sometimes)” does a nice job of re-introducing the band to their fans, and brings some new elements into the fold for those just getting to know A Story Told. This record of 12 songs clocking in at just over 36 minutes, are punchy, to the point, and a hell of a lot of fun for this summer season. With so much great momentum going in the band’s favor, it’s no wonder why there is significant buzz surrounding these rockers.

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Review: The Maine – XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time

Just when you think that The Maine are hitting a groove in their musical delivery, they decide to take it up just a notch further and better. XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time is the perfect soundtrack to this summer of getting back to some sense of normalcy after the dumpster fire of this past year and a half. The Maine are able to channel everything that I love about their band into a crowd-pleasing package of ten songs that clock in at just over 30 minutes. With so much great momentum being carried forth from their last two records (Lovely Little Lonely and You Are Ok), the band are able to do the near-impossible of following up those amazing albums with a record worthy of being caught in the same breath of them.

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Review: Taking Back Sunday – Taking Back Sunday

Looking back at the abruptly quick 10 year anniversary of Taking Back Sunday’s self-titled record was an incredibly joyous task. At first, this record got lost in my listening shuffle of so many other great albums that came out in 2011, but I thought it would only be fair to write a retrospective in case others have made the same mistake I did and not come to fully appreciate this album. Taking Back Sunday is the fifth studio album of the band’s career, and having gone through a few lineup re-shuffling over the years, this record found John Nolan and Shaun Cooper returning into the fold after some time away from TBS. The band chemistry is absolutely majestic on these songs that sound even better than they did when I first heard them. With great singles like “Faith (When I Let You Down)” and “This Is All Now,” I’m kicking myself for not revisiting this legendary album sooner.

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