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LATEST ARTICLES - PAGE 14

Review: PONY – “Peach”

Adam Grundy

The latest single from indie pop rocker PONY is a blast of fuzzy guitars and vibrant vocals, called “Peach.” Singer/guitarist, Sam, mentioned this about “Peach,” “”I think Peach is probably the most vulnerable song I have ever written. After all, what’s more vulnerable than a Peach? Some years ago I found myself in a relationship with someone who initially treated me like I was so special. But little by little the love seemed more and more conditional. With every bit they tried to control what I wore, who I talked to, and what I did – I lost a part of myself. It took me years to realize I was completely gone and I mistook abuse and manipulation for love. ‘Peach’ is about realizing that someone who wants to have control over you is not someone who loves you.” Out of this vulnerability comes a great self-empowering anthem of overcoming the lowest of lows. With a sound that drifts somewhere between Bully, paired with the pop sensibilities of Olivia Rodrigo and Phoebe Bridgers, PONY is well on their way to becoming your next great musical discovery.

The song starts off with some soft vocals from Sam before breaking away into some grunge-pop power chords that speak to the conflict brought forth in the lyrics. At the surface, it feels like a nice, summery pop anthem that would be perfect for those long summer drives. The reality is PONY have created such rich conflict in the lyrics about losing a part of oneself along the way to discovering what makes us tick, that it’s really hard to distance yourself from these personal issues the artist is experiencing. Overall, PONY have created a worthy single that continues to keep the interest high in this incredibly talented artist.

A Farewell to mewithoutYou

mewithoutYou
Garrett Lemons

About eight years ago, I was sitting at a picnic table looking out at the lake near my house. I was listening to Catch For Us the Foxes, not a record for a sunny day, feeling the wood grain under my fingertips, in search of a little hope. It had rained so vehemently the night before that the level of the lake was up over ten feet. The sun shone so bright and the earth was so freshly washed that the greens of the trees and the blues of the water were the most vibrant I’d ever seen at this park. The water flowing through the dam was roaring loud enough to be heard over my music. The temperature was perfect in only the way a day after rain breaks the weather pattern can be.

“Tie me up! Untie me! All this wishing I was dead is getting old. It’s getting old! It goes on, but it’s old.”

I’ve written about my experiences with depression before and the albums that have helped along the way. But I’ve never written about mewithoutYou, or Aaron Weiss in particular, and how important they’ve been in that same journey. They were never a band I could easily talk about or explain; for me, they always had to be experienced to be understood. In large part, I think I’m having trouble finding the words because, quite frankly, I’m not saying goodbye. I’ll be listening to these records for the rest of my life. So I guess I’m saying thank you.

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Interview: Geoff Rickly of No Devotion

No Devotion
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to connect with lead vocalist Geoff Rickly, of No Devotion and Thursday, to discuss No Devotion’s upcoming record called No Oblivion. The new record is set to hit streaming services on September 16th via Velocity Records, and I also asked Geoff about the process for getting No Devotion’s incredible debut album, Permanence, back on streaming services. In this in-depth interview, Geoff opened up about his personal struggles, the departure of some members of No Devotion, his memories of producing My Chemical Romance’s debut LP, the difference in writing for Thursday compared to No Devotion, as well as his future goals for each musical project.

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Review: Unwritten Law – The Hum

Adam Grundy

Just like the famous quote from the character Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Part III of, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” can be directly re-applied to the case of Unwritten Law. The band seemed to have a tough time getting that “magic” back on the past few releases like Swan, and at-times Here’s to the Mourning, something appeared to be slightly out of sync in the band’s delivery. Enter the era of The Hum, and all appears to be heading back on the right course. The Hum is a cohesive and electric collection of songs that fit well from beginning to end, and feature several key songs that keep the listener coming back for repeat listens. While Unwritten Law doesn’t cover a ton of new ground here, getting the train back on the tracks is the most important thing that the band could’ve done here to re-establish their brand of music in the crowded pop-punk realm.

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Review: Momma – Household Name

Adam Grundy

The third studio album from Momma is an endearing collection of songs that they have affectionately titled Household Name. Mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Emily Lazar, Household Name captures a great indie rock spirit while still remaining true to the band’s core authenticity that came shining through the speakers on their first two records. The new songs drift in the realm of indie rock bands similar to Momma like Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, and Beabadoobee, yet some of the guitar tones breathe new life into this group of musicians with a sound similar to Smashing Pumpkins and early-Nirvana. On songs like “Speeding 72,” the lead single from the set, Momma are able to achieve a sound that transcends genre lines and conventional boundaries.

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Interview: Greyed Out

Greyed Out
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to catch up with the bassist from Greyed Out for an interview about the band’s new music, their recent live show appearances, as well as what the future holds for the band. Greyed Out is comprised of past members of This Time Next Year and recently released a great two-track single called ”Broken Like an Arrow” and “No Dice.” Greyed Out are planning to release a lot of new music in the next few months to come, and are signed to Negative Progression Records.

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Interview: John Feldmann of Goldfinger

Goldfinger
Adam Grundy

This past week I was able to catch up with the ultra-busy leader of Goldfinger, John Feldmann, to discuss the band’s recent re-release of Never Look Back (Deluxe). In this in-depth interview, John and I discussed the legacy of Goldfinger, as well as what lessons he has learned over the years of being a veteran producer. Never Look Back (Deluxe) features great re-worked versions of Goldfinger classics like “Superman” ft. Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro) and “Here In Your Bedroom” ft. Avril Lavigne, among many other great tracks in the 19-song set. Never Look Back (Deluxe) is available everywhere music is sold/streamed today.

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Review: Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience

Adam Grundy

One of the many fun things about revisiting albums, like this one, is learning out new things about the record that most may have missed when it first came out. For example, while researching the context surrounding Gin Blossoms and their second studio album called New Miserable Experience, I never knew there was an alternate cover that was released for this record. In fact, the first cover for the album depicts an Arizona desert, which would later be replaced with the current image after A&M Records decided to push the record hard at radio outlets. With singles like “Lost Horizons,” “Allison Road,” “Until I Fall Away,” and arguably their biggest breakthrough single called “Hey Jealousy,” Gin Blossoms had everything you’d like to see in a band trying to make a name for themselves. The set was co-produced by Gin Blossoms and John Hampton (The Raconteurs, The White Stripes), and this LP holds up surprisingly well after 30 long years. By the time the promotional cycle would wrap up on New Miserable Experience, Gin Blossoms would earn a 4x Platinum record on their sophomore effort.

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Review: Maggie Rogers – Surrender

Adam Grundy

Her talent is undeniable. Maggie Rogers seemed to be destined for this type of breakthrough success after catching an early break when her song “Alaska” caught the ears of Pharrell Williams in a class he taught at her school in 2016. This would allow the floodgates to open with opportunities of major labels wanting to sign Rogers on the spot. Heard It In A Past Life, Maggie Rogers’ debut, would continue this breakthrough success with marquee support tours with Mumford & Sons, Haim, and Kacey Musgraves before doing an extensive word-wide headlining tour to solidify her status as a name to watch, and she would even get nominated for a Grammy award for Best New Artist along this same timeline. Since the release of her debut album, Rogers decided to go to graduate school at Harvard Divinity School, where she would graduate with a Master of Religion and Public Life degree. This worthy path back to education still allowed Maggie Rogers some time to focus on her music and record what would become the Surrender sessions with producer Kid Harpoon. This set is co-produced by Rogers, and it’s a remarkable achievement in her musical journey. With an album filled with great vibes, soul-wrenching lyrics, unique beats, and the songwriting chops similar to a young Joni Mitchell, Maggie Rogers has created the record she may have only dreamed of making in her youth.

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Review: Andrew McMahon – Three Pianos: A Memoir

Three Pianos
Adam Grundy

Andrew McMahon sounds like a man who’s been through some really tough situations. From a childhood filled with several moves to different parts of the country, to his dad’s battle with addiction, and his steadfast love for the music that got him through it all, McMahon crafts a tangled web of stories that he divides up into three book sections based on three pianos that have meant something to him at different points of his life and career. Three Pianos: A Memoir is a fairly quick reading experience, especially for those familiar with McMahon’s musical references in his bands of Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, and lastly Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness. This only speaks to his ability as an author to convey such rich, vivid memories from an emotional standpoint that led him to be the man that he is today. As McMahon puts it in his memoir, referencing the transition between Jack’s Mannequin and the start of a new adventure in The Wilderness Years, “Starting over at twenty is easy. At thirty it’s a test of your mettle.” Battling through a leukemia diagnosis, to navigating through several starts and stops in his musical journey, McMahon never lets his difficult story seem hopeless. Instead, he provides a beacon of hope for others to keep pressing on when we reach our own breaking point.

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Review: Anberlin – Silverline

Adam Grundy

It feels great to have Anberlin back in the music fold. The band seemed very comfortable walking away from the music scene after the release of their last (and at the time, final) album called Lowborn and an accompanying farewell tour, yet fast forwarding to the band’s reconciliation in 2018, where Anberlin would perform several concerts and then in May of 2020, the band announced they would be working on some new music once again. Add in a few livestream concerts during the pandemic, and Anberlin regained their band chemistry and appear to be re-invigorated in the path that lies before them. This passion was felt first-hand in lead vocalist Stephen Christian when I interviewed him about Silverline. Hearing Christian’s take on how these songs came together with producers Tim McTague (Underoath), Chad Carouthers, and JJ Revell only brings further context to the rich tunes that came together on this EP.

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Review: Between The Echoes – “Phantom Limb”

Adam Grundy

Every now and then you come across a band or a song that makes you feel fortunate to be a music writer. This feeling come in strongly with Between The Echoes and their new single entitled “Phantom Limb.” The track even features some guest vocals from Anberlin’s Stephen Christian towards the end of the song to add to the layers of complexity and conflict within the song’s lyrics. The band is comprised of Chad William, Katie Jean, Marvin Albert, and their unique band chemistry pays off majorly with a crisp pop-punk delivery. With a sound that drifts somewhere between the darkest parts of Finch, paired with the pop sensibilities of Broadside, Between The Echoes are well on their way to making the best use of their moment.

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Interview: Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Anberlin
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to catch up with the lead vocalist of Anberlin, Stephen Christian, for an in-depth interview about the band’s new EP entitled Silverline. We chatted about the legacy of Anberlin, the memories Stephen has from visiting each city as they go on tour, as well as what the band learned about their storied discography through each of their livestreams during the pandemic. Silverline will be released July 29th via Equal Vision Records.

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Interview: Oh Lonesome Ana

Oh Lonesome Ana
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to catch up with a talented alternative rock band called Oh Lonesome Ana right after they released a new record. This band would be perfect for fans of Jets to Brazil, The Weakerthans, and Pedro the Lion, while still adding a unique twist to their own music. In this interview, I asked the band about their core influences, what continues to keep them motivated as artists and musicians, as well as how their songwriting has continued to evolve.

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