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: The Killers – Pressure Machine

“I never really gave up on breaking out of this two-star town.”

When Brandon Flowers sang those words back in 2006, he completed a rock ‘n’ roll rite of passage: that of penning a great escapist anthem. The album he was working on at the time, the sophomore Killers LP Sam’s Town, was in part an homage to Bruce Springsteen, so it made sense for there to be a song like “Read My Mind” that channeled some of the pulling-out-of-here-to-win energy of Born to Run. When Flowers sang that song, you could hear in his voice the yearning to get out and find something better. You didn’t know where he was going, but you felt like he was probably never coming back.

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Interview: The Slang

The Slang

Recently I was able to schedule a Zoom interview with DC rockers, The Slang (John Bobo and Felix Nieto) before they release their debut LP called Divide. In this interview, I asked them about the songwriting process for their debut record, the comparisons some have made to their slick pop-rock sound, how genre lines continue to blend, and also what went into their music video shoot for “Nothing Lasts Forever.” Pre-orders are now up for Divide.

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