Review: Broadside – Into the Raging Sea

Adam Grundy Jul 27, 2020

The Richmond, Virginia pop-punk band Broadside have been through some intense changes in their lives, and they are still alive to tell the tale on Into The Raging Sea. Lead vocalist Oliver Baxxter looked inward for inspiration on this latest chapter on his band’s journey to finding their own voice in the crowded punk scene. The themes of overcoming the odds, growing up, and finding inspiration for a “rebirth” of sorts are prevalent on this record. When asked about his plan for overcoming all of the past heartache and the current state of his life, Baxxter said, “From the very beginning, my attitude was: I don’t have shit to look forward to, and everything behind me is trash, so I’m going to make myself the hero of my own story. I’ve always known struggle. As I get older, it’s more mental than physical, but it’s always there.” By taking his own lumps and persevering through it all, Baxxter becomes an instantly relatable presence for the misplaced army of his followers. Into the Raging Sea is a sprawling collection of songs that teeter on the edge of epic proportions, and every now and then Broadside meet their lofty goals on this expansive record.

Adam Grundy Jul 20, 2020

On their sophomore record, Under My Influence, The Aces have fully come to terms with who they are as people as well as artists. Led by the trio of singles such as “Daydream,” “My Phone is Trying To Kill Me,” and “Kelly,” The Aces have rounded out their sound that they introduced to the world on their debut, When My Heart Felt Volcanic. As great as their debut LP was, their second record feels more authentic, raw, and present. The most noticeable difference between this record and their debut is their improved songwriting. Also, in recent interviews, the band mentioned their conscious effort to embrace who they truly are by using the proper pronouns in the lyrics to describe their relationships. “Having not used pronouns, I don’t know if we could have gone as deep and personal on this record as we did. That is really just the truth,” Cristal Ramirez remarks. “It was this obvious thing that had to go hand in hand. To get more personal, you have to get more specific and actually bare your soul. Those were the stories of our life. We were dating women, and I was having a lot of different relationships start and end. It had to happen to make this album.” What we are left with is The Aces most honest artistic statement to date.

Adam Grundy Jul 16, 2020

Every once in a while you come across a band whose evolution takes you by surprise. When I last sat down to write about their EP called Evolution, I could tell that the band were at the cusp of greatness. On their third full-length album, Sunset on this Generation, Amarionette have achieved a stunning accomplishment by releasing their most fully-rounded record to date. The Las Vegas, Nevada quartet is comprised of the charismatic vocalist Issy Berry, guitarist Nick Raya, bassist Ron Wells, and drummer Joseph Arrington, and the band turned to producer Brandon Jones to round out their vision for this record. With a sound reminiscent of scene staples such as Anberlin, Sleeping With Sirens, and Mayday Parade, Amarionette are ready for their moment in the limelight on this LP.

Adam Grundy Jul 14, 2020

On their fourth full-length studio album, the Oregon-based punk band Broadway Calls have put together their strongest collection of songs to date. Produced by a longtime admirer of the band in Scott Goodrich, Sad in the City is a record that does a good job of reacting to the world we live in right now. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Ty Vaughn had this to say about his latest record; “Sad In The City is about navigating the end of the most violent empire the world has ever seen. Making your way home to the ones you love while trying to avoid the police. Finding love and realizing how it still needs to be celebrated even as we burn the world. Dealing long overdue fatal blows to the state and the corporations they serve. It is a violent record for a violent time. This isn’t dystopian fiction. There’s a stain on the road, shaped like a kid. There’s a target on your back where it’s always been. And now everyone is Sad In The City.” With so much pent up aggression loaded into this record’s context, it’s no wonder why the album plays out as well as it does.

Adam Grundy Jul 9, 2020

The sophomore album from Maryland-based hardcore rockers Sharptooth wastes little time getting down to business. Fronted by vocalist Lauren Kashan, it’s pretty cool to hear hardcore music through the lens of a woman. Transitional Forms tackles the themes of going through changes in life, and the aftermath of feeling like you’re not the one in control. Kashan mentioned this quote about the new record: “Ultimately, the record is about a paradigm shift, from hopelessness to self-compassion, and the fundamental realization that nothing in this world or in ourselves is ever black and white. It’s the story of my personal struggle with the societal, interpersonal, and internal constructs that have left me feeling small, afraid, broken, and utterly hopeless.” Their brutal approach to heavy themes is felt far and wide on this album that hits as heavy as it was intended.

Adam Grundy Jul 8, 2020

Prior to the meteoric success of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington was the lead vocalist of a grunge-inspired rock band known as Grey Daze. The band released two albums (Wake Me and …No Sun Today) before Bennington joined Linkin Park, and the songs from those releases have been re-recorded and re-imagined for an album known now as Amends. The band is comprised of longtime members Sean Dowdell (drums, backing vocals), Mace Beyers (bass), as well as Cristin Davis (guitar) who have affectionately raided their vault of unheard vocal takes from Bennington to recreate this record. Although Grey Daze disbanded in 1998, Bennington took to social media in 2017 to announce a reunion of his former band, yet due to his untimely death, he never got a chance to see the final product through. Amends is a proper time capsule of the brilliance of Bennington’s vocal prowess at such a young age, and it’s easy to see the rock influences that he wears proudly on his sleeve on this album.

Adam Grundy Jun 30, 2020

Coming off of the success of their sophomore album, Something to Tell You, which spawned a Top 40 hit in “Little of Your Love” all eyes were focused on the three sisters in HAIM to see what they would come up with next. What they have created is a sonic achievement of great songs that they have affectionately coined Women In Music Pt. III. The promotion schedule of this record was kicked off with a short an intimate tour of delis in the US that was halted due to the pandemic. The sisters also decided, like many other major artists, to delay the release of their album until now. Who would have known that they would release the best record of their career with an expansive collection of tunes that features new musical styles, tones, and sounds to further round out their artistic statement. The album was produced by Danielle Haim, Rostam Batmanglij, and Ariel Rechtshaid, who each put their unique stamp on this record that directly rewards the listener on each repeat spin.

Adam Grundy Jun 25, 2020

Very rarely do you come across a band who can convey so much raw emotion in an album without a single vocal, but enter Align In Time, the musical alias of John Boles. On his second album, On A Spiral, Boles is able to convey a wide range of emotions in a storytelling approach similar to a film score. It’s a perfect album to throw on in the background while you want to escape from all of the other outside noise of the world. With rich influences that range from the post-rock elements of Circa Survive to the emo-tinged guitars of Jimmy Eat World, Align In Time is perfectly in tune with who they are and have created a soundtrack worthy of immediate praise and consideration.

Adam Grundy Jun 24, 2020

Vincent “Vinnie” Fiorello is a man of many talents. Readers on our site may know him best as the co-founder and a prominent lyricist of Less Than Jake, however, Fiorello has also made a name for himself in the business world by founding the record labels Fueled By Ramen, Sleep It Off Records, and most recently Paper + Plastick. In Fiorello’s second book, 6/19, he comes to terms with what he self-describes as “being lost and being found.” The book is a collection of short stories that read very quickly and have a lyrical bounce to it in this part-memoir, part-brain attack of thoughts poured out affectionately on paper.

Adam Grundy Jun 10, 2020

”This is my dance floor, I fought for” Lady Gaga proclaims on the Chromatica track, “Free Woman.” With this collection of club-ready anthems, it’s hard not to take her statement more seriously than right now. Coming off of a successful acting stint in the A Star is Born film, the interest in her music couldn’t have been any higher. Lady Gaga has answered the call in a big way with one of her more immediate records to date and has taken full advantage of the spotlight. This album was produced by BloodPop (Michael Tucker) and Gaga herself, and the singer’s return to pop music feels as refreshing as ever. The record also features several A-lister collaborations with Ariana Grande, Elton John, and BLACKPINK that further enhance the synth-pop direction Gaga was going for.

Adam Grundy Jun 3, 2020

Now that we’ve had some time to digest the latest album from The 1975, I thought it was about time that we started the discussion on everything that makes up Notes on a Conditional Form. I’ve seen several posts online about the album being too long, and at 22 tracks, it’s a warranted argument. Some people have even gone as far as cherry-picking individual songs from the album to make their playlist that better fits their tastes and listening preferences. While I am usually against the idea of skipping tracks during the listening experience that the artist intended, I found myself just as guilty as everyone else with navigating around some of the songs that didn’t seem to flow in the full album. Typically when there is an album that invites so much dissecting to enjoy the material, it’s a clear sign of an imperfect record. The 1975 had a lot going for them leading up to this LP, having already released three bona fide classic records before NOACF. This album is arguably their most polarizing to date, and while some may write off this record as a rare miss, the good far outweighs the bad in their latest artistic statement.

Adam Grundy Jun 1, 2020

The new live album from Vinnie Caruana is a career-spanning set of 15 songs that covers material from his great new solo release Aging Frontman, as well as material from his other projects such as The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche. The album was recorded live in the UK at The Black Heart on December 15th, 2019, and the record is a full sounding listening experience to it, making it seem as if Vinnie is performing these songs just for you. Caruana had a nice remark regarding this album by saying, “It was the last show of a life-affirming tour. We took in many a Christmas market, and we drank around 100 Guinness each. Being able to travel around a foreign country, only to see friends, some of whom I met nearly two decades ago, will never be something I take for granted. Every show was special in its own way, and this one was just the cherry on top. The crowd didn’t know we were recording, and the result is a real and organic experience. I fucked up a few songs, but, as you know, that is par for the course. Long live the UK. Long live the connection we share together. Somebody in New York loves you (it’s me). Please enjoy.” The album is streaming now on Bandcamp for a “Pay What You Want” price that directly benefits the artist, or you can pre-order the vinyl here.

Adam Grundy May 28, 2020

Let me introduce you to Tooth & Nail Records’ latest great find in Red Hook, New York’s own Off Road Minivan. This five-piece band is led by charismatic bassist/vocalist Ryan Tuck O’Leary and features a triple-guitar attack of Melvin Brinson, Dave Trimboli, and Miles Sweeny. Rounding out the band is an underrated drummer in Evan Garcia Renart. On their debut full-length album, Swan Dive, Off Road Minivan described this record as a love letter of sorts to the bands that influenced their sound. “For us, this album touches on the sounds that made us want to play in the first place – an alternative rock landscape from early 00’s emo to grunge influence,” the band shares. “We aren’t here to teach any defining life lesson, just trying to sing about the ones we’ve experienced.” Their debut features flashes of greatness and is reminiscent of bands such as Anberlin, Hawthorne Heights, and Young Guns.

Adam Grundy May 19, 2020

New Jersey emo quintet Loyalty To Me have burst onto the scene with their debut EP Clash // Coexist. With vibes and styles that range from pop punk sensibilities of Cartel to the punchy guitars of New Found Glory, this band has made a catchy collection of songs on their introductory record. Led by charismatic vocalist Wil Jackson, Loyalty To Me created a solid mix of alternative rock, emo and pop punk that is sure to give them a loyal following in the months to come. While not covering too much new ground in the scene, they still hone in on their influences and work with their strengths as artists for a pleasing and breezy set of five songs on this EP.

Adam Grundy May 13, 2020

Mike Henneberger just wants you to listen. Whether that entails listening to that voice inside your head that tells you what’s right from wrong, the music blaring through the headphones that connect with you on a deeper level than you could ever begin to describe to someone, or by taking some of his advice so eloquently written in the new memoir he has affectionately titled Rock Bottom at the Renaissance: An Emo Kid’s Journey Through Falling In and Out of Love in and With New York City. We process our journeys through this crazy thing called life in all different shapes and forms, and that’s the beauty of it. No one has the perfect pill or cure for navigating through life, but music seems to be the closest miracle for a lot of us to deal with the shit that comes up daily.

In this “mixtape memoir,” Henneberger carefully crafts his thoughts on living in New York City and how it’s easy to fall somewhere in the void of being in love with the city and loathing it just as often. Henneberger also shares his struggles with mental illness and the music that kept him alive throughout it all. By connecting each of these chapters in his book to a different song in this mixtape, he has created a clever work of art in his own right by making sense of how music can truly save us from the darkest of thoughts. I feel that everyone will be able to take something special out of this memoir by reading how Henneberger describes his emotions in painstaking detail in his quest for understanding what makes him tick. Not to mention, the music he outlines each chapter with is very near and dear to my heart as well, and I’m sure it will hit the right notes with many of us who frequent this site. The playlist can be found on Spotify and Apple Music. Pre-orders are now up, and the book will be available everywhere starting on June 9th.

Review: Broadside – Into the Raging Sea

Review: The Aces – Under My Influence

Review: Amarionette – Sunset On This Generation

Review: Broadway Calls – Sad In The City

Review: Sharptooth – Transitional Forms

Review: Grey Daze – Amends

Review: HAIM – Women In Music Pt. III

Review: Align In Time – On A Spiral

Review: Vincent Fiorello – 6/19

Review: Lady Gaga – Chromatica

Review: The 1975 – Notes On A Conditional Form

Review: Vinnie Caruana – Live At The Black Heart

Review: Off Road Minivan – Swan Dive

Review: Loyalty To Me – Clash // Coexist

Review: Rock Bottom at the Renaissance: A Mixtape Memoir – Mike Henneberger