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Single Reviews - PAGE 3

Review: Sarah and the Safe Word – “Solstice”

Adam Grundy

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: Tempoh Slow – “Villains In Love”

Adam Grundy

I’d like to introduce you to a great pop, rock and rap-based band out of L.A. called Tempoh Slow. The band, who reminds me the emo-tinged rap/rock of Twenty One Pilots and the atmospheric feel of The Neighbourhood, are onto some great things on “Villains In Love.” The performance-based music video features vocals from LUNA AURA, and the band rallies around the catchy chorus to make for a memorable single.

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Review: PHNTMS – “Paper Flowers”

PHNTMS - "Paper Flowers"
Adam Grundy

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.

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Review: Out of Service – Shelter

Adam Grundy

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: Pretty Awkward – Hang Out

Adam Grundy

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 – I Don’t Mind (To Get A Little Hurt Sometimes)

Adam Grundy

The latest single from the Charleston, West Virginia pop rock band A Story Told is taken from their upcoming album, American Made (out everywhere on July 16th), and has a great bounce to it in the same vein of bands like Twenty One Pilots, Smallpools, and the electronica-tinged brilliance of AWOLNATION. “I Don’t Mind (To Get A Little Hurt Sometimes)” is a great re-introduction to a band who are trying new and interesting elements in their sound to keep themselves on the cutting edge. The band is comprised of vocalist Alex Chaney, guitarists Josh Allen and Jason Lieser, bassist Zach Holley, drummer Casey Hardman, and their new sound feels ready to explode into the mainstream sooner rather than later.

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Review: Ethan Gold – Alexandria and Me / In New York

Ethan Gold - Alexandria and Me / In New York
Adam Grundy

The latest single from singer/songwriter and composer Ethan Gold explores the unique vibes that two cities brought out in him. The Los Angeles-based musician made his solo debut in 2011 with Songs from a Toxic Apartment, and Gold has also brought his unique approach to songwriting in film scores such as 2019’s Don’t Let Go. Gold’s next solo album is entitled Earth City 1: The Longing and will be released everywhere music is sold on May 14th of this year. The stark contrast between the two singles only speaks to the ability of Gold to convey a wide range of emotions in his music.

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Review: David Cook – Reds Turn Blue

David Cook - Red Turns Blue
Adam Grundy

The former American Idol Season 7 winner, David Cook, is back with a great new single and video for “Reds Turn Blue.” In this track, Cook dives head first into the manic highs and lows of anxiety, and lyrical material solidifies his path to dealing with his anxiety in therapeutic modes such as songwriting. In a recent interview with People, he mentioned that, “This song became a therapeutic process for me, as a way to personify my anxiety and make it something other than me — which in an odd way has helped me navigate my relationship with it.” David Cook is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on his yet to be named next full-length record.

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Review: Cowboy Diplomacy – The Get Down

Cowboy Diplomacy - The Get Down
Adam Grundy

On the lead single from Cowboy Diplomacy, “The Get Down” rocks with the urgency of roots-rock bands such as The Revivalists and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, with mostly favorable results. The song itself is built around the guitar licks of lead guitarist Billy Boswell and lead vocalist/guitarist Ian Cochran, and some foot-stomping percussion from drummer Matt Whilden. After the introductory lyrics kick in, a blast of horns and good vibes fill out the single introducing Cowboy Diplomacy to the world.

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Review: Night Riots – Loyal to the Game

Night Riots
Adam Grundy

The recently released single by Night Riots is a synth-laden and sonically expansive song called “Loyal to the Game.” The track comes from the band’s sophomore album New State of Mind that will be officially released on July 26th via Sumerian Records. The track is ripped right from the wheelhouse of electronica-styled bands such as The Neighbourhood and No Devotion, with mostly favorable results.

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Review: Culture Wars – Let Me Down

Culture Wars
Adam Grundy

On the latest single from the Austin rock trio, “Let Me Down” finds Culture Wars navigating through a difficult relationship that is starting to drift astray. Lead vocalist Alex Dugan wears his heart on his sleeve with lyrics such as, “I don’t want to fight no more/Voicemail right away/I know how this goes.” His vocal delivery comes across as earnest, heartfelt, and powerful all at the same time.

The song is masterfully crafted around a guitar riff through the verses and builds up to a great pre-chorus that eventually explodes into a catchy hook. Lead guitarist and electronic musician Mic Vredenburgh allows the song to brood with confidence at he provides a vast, yet dark landscape to complete the picture of Dugan’s vision. Drummer David Grayson knows just when to give delicateness to the beats in the verses, and provides pulse-pounding fills in the chorus to allow the track to soar to new heights. It’s there on the chorus where Dugan confesses, “I’m just waiting for you to let me down/So get all the way, get all the way down.” The track itself allows for thoughtful reflection in the verses, while still allowing the listener to dance their cares away in the chorus.

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Review: Dave Grohl – Play

Dave Grohl - Play
Adam Grundy

Does Dave Grohl ever sleep? The near 23-minute instrumental song, “Play,” features Dave Grohl playing all of the instruments and is chaotic enough just in its concept alone. The “album” itself was recorded at East/West Studios in LA with the audio recorded by Darrell Thorp. The project came together to help promote music education in schools (so hell yeah to Grohl for doing this).

I highly recommend using a nice set of stereo headphones to fully absorb this entire work of art, rather than streaming it through a crappy pair of standard earbuds. This massive prog-rock odyssey is tailor-made for Dave Grohl, and has all of his many influences rubber-stamped over this opus. That being said, Grohl is precise in mastering the art of changing tempos, styles, and genres and knows exactly when to crank it up, or turn it down. The composure he plays with on “Play” is nothing short of a masterpiece.

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Review: Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit/Nico and the Niners

Twenty One Pilots - Trench
Adam Grundy

After months of teasing brief, unexplainable, clues about when new music would be coming from the ultra-popular group, Twenty One Pilots just casually dropped two great songs in “Jumpsuit” and “Nico and the Niners.” These two blazing tracks come from the upcoming album, entitled Trench, due out on October 5th.

Starting with the lead single, “Jumpsuit,” this dynamic duo have evolved their sound a bit from the multi-platinum certified Blurryface LP, while still keeping the core elements of what makes them who they are on this song. The song starts off with a faint alarm sound, and the trademark drumming of Josh Dun, signaling a call to arms as Tyler Joseph sings, “I can’t believe how much I hate/Pressures of a new place for my weight/Jumpsuit, jumpsuit cover me.” It’s almost as if the two artists know just how much pressure is on them to produce a significant work of art for the rabid fan-base that has been clamoring for a taste of what they had cooked up in the studio.

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Review: The 1975 – Give Yourself A Try

Give Yourself a Try
Adam Grundy

On June 1st, 2018, The 1975 finally announced that the name of their new album would be A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and released the brilliant single, “Give Yourself a Try.”

The first and most recognizable part of the song is the looped Adam Hann guitar riff that sounds almost abrasive, however the lyrics and Matt Healy’s vocals quickly bring the listener in with his trademark croon. The drum beat from George Daniel is precise and consistent, with very little variation. This beat is likely intentionally simplistic to bring the attention back to the lyrical content and soaring choruses. The bass line from Ross MacDonald complements the drum beat, however it’s not in the forefront as much as it was on the band’s previous two full lengths. The guitar and vocals are clearly what propel this song.

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Review: Coheed and Cambria – The Dark Sentencer

Coheed and Cambria
Adam Grundy

Coheed and Cambria have returned with the expansive, space epic-inspired song “The Dark Sentencer.” The track itself has been broken into two unique parts: a short prologue and the aforementioned track itself. The prologue sets the stage for where this story takes place in the universe that Coheed has created through a multiple album series.

The prologue begins with a gentle piano playing, and then eventually the silences breaks for the narrator to say:

Know now there is no time, space between the Well & Unknowing. Our story starts there. Well into our future, yet far beyond our past. In a romance between a pair of Unheavenly Creatures. The Five Houses of the Star Supremacy have privatized the detention zones of the galaxy. These planetary prison pits reassembled from the cracked worlds of the Great Crash. Which brings us to our stage. Where the light must learn to love the black. The Dark Sentencer. It begins with them, but ends with me. Their son, Vaxus.

Still with Coheed on this one?

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