Review: Sarah and the Safe Word – “Solstice”

You have to love a band that maps out their content just perfectly. On the first day of the winter solstice, Sarah and the Safe Word have returned once again with an expansive and heavy single called “Solstice.” From the opening lines of, “A little crow, he came to me / And asked what to do with the snow / We tried and tried to sweep it clean, but the cold / It continued to blow,” the band immediately transports the listener to the world created by them, and it matches the cover art nicely. It also ends up being one of the longer songs in Sarah and the Safe Word’s discography, and yet it makes for a thrilling listen for every single beat.

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Review: Nathan Gray – Rebel Songs

Just when you thought all the great releases were done for the year, Nathan Gray (of BoySetsFire) is back with a great-sounding collection of punk rock tracks ready for your ears. Nathan Gray and The Iron Roses have released Rebel Songs today, and it features some pulsating songs filled with marksmanship passion and poise. The title track features Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath, and there really is so much great material to be found on Rebel Songs. When asked about the direction he went with on this record, Gray mentioned, “Well for one, it is wildly more vulnerable and nerve wracking to sing these lyrics as opposed to screaming them. There’s no place to hide the words. It’s no longer range induced. It is a very exposed feeling, but it is exactly what I needed, and what my music needed – to be stripped back down to its core, and put a focus on the message itself. In my own journey through healing, I started to understand that no one can influence change in the world without turning that inward to heal themselves first. As such, what we do in our own lives influences our political leanings and world view.” His improved songwriting pays major dividends as Gray has released yet another career-defining album in his discography.

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Liner Notes (December 18th, 2021)

It was a relatively slow music week for the industry and in my life last week, but I did watch a bunch of holiday films and start working on my end-of-the-year list. As always, there’s a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed last week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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