Review: Chvrches – Screen Violence

It’s been written several times over the course of music history that an artist’s most important album is their current one, since it has the potential to make or break their career depending on the commercial and fan reaction to their product. In a lot of ways, a band usually makes their next album as a reaction to the one that came before it, and that rings very true on Screen Violence. CHVRCHES released their third record, Love is Dead, to a mixed bag of reviews with some reviewers claiming it was a step back from their early magic found. I personally didn’t see Love Is Dead as a step back, but after hearing the major step forward on Screen Violence, I can at least see where some of those reviewers were coming from. Screen Violence is a direct reaction to society’s obsession with others reactions to social media posts, how the media portrays major news events, as well as keeping our own mental health balanced through all of the distractions that exist in our world. With so much “noise” in today’s world, it was only a matter of time before this band made one of their boldest artistic statements to date on their fourth full-length record that shatters even the highest of expectations for where they could take their sound.

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Review: Lovebreakers – Primary Colours

Lovebreakers - Primary Colours

On the debut record from the power-pop band Lovebreakers, they channel summer vibes and great guitar hooks into a crowd pleasing package. Primary Colours was produced/engineered by veteran Davey Warsop (Green Day, Foo Fighters, Weezer), and he gets a great performance on each of the ten tracks from this four-piece unit. The band plans to hit the road next year in support of punk rock legends Social Distortion. With such a tight-knit group of songs found on this debut, it should only be a matter of time before many others catch on to Lovebreakers’ greatness.

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Kitner – “Junebug” (Video Premiere)

Kitner

Today, I’m pleased to share the latest video from New England’s finest, Kitner, with their single “Junebug.” In this Dawson’s Creek-stylized summery video, the band wanted to capture the essence of the song taken from their October 1st release Shake The Spins. The band shared this about the video:

”Kitner Creek” came together over the course of a week in the best and brightest parts of New England. The warm and fuzzy “before times” gig was filmed at Big Nice Studios in Rhode Island on a 100+ degree day (thanks to owner Brad Krieger for the use of the space and the ice pops!) The meta “music video brainstorm Zoom” scene, and James going into the TV, were filmed at Brianne and James’s house in Merrimack Valley. The scenes of the band frolicking in and around the beach were filmed on Old Orchard Beach in Maine, which gave us the Dawson’s Creek-style vibes we were aiming for with director Cait Brown and DP Chris Tremblay. We hope the video gives you the same sense of nostalgia, friendship, and fun that the song “Junebug” evokes, and that the fun we had making this video with new friends and old shines through your screen.

If you enjoy the single as much as I do, be sure to pre-order it here.

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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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Review: M.A.G.S. – Say Things That Matter

When I last caught up with M.A.G.S. (the moniker for Elliott Douglas), his anticipation for his next album Say Things That Matter was utterly infectious. After hearing the rest of the material on this LP, it’s easy to see just why he would be so excited for the rest of the world to hear these songs. From the summer swagger of “Choked Out,” the pop guitar-driven rock brilliance of “Smile,” to the possible best song of his career in “Beg,” all of the singles connected with me on both a personal and spiritual level that I was not originally anticipating. M.A.G.S. is hitting the road this fall on a tour with The Happy Fits and Snarls, and it’s only a matter of time before the masses understand his brilliance in his songwriting.

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Interview: Jameson Ketchum

Jameson Ketchum

After the release of his popular book called Name Dropping: Seeking Creative Truth Through Trendy Altruism and Punk Rock, I was able to connect with author Jameson Ketchum for a great conversation. In this interview, we discussed how this semi-memoir came together, the bands he spent time with including Taking Back Sunday, The Used, and Fallstar, as well as what other projects he has in the works. Jameson Ketchum’s book is available now on Amazon for purchase, and I’d highly recommend everyone interested in what goes on during tours check out this great book.

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Interview: Lee DeWyze

Lee DeWyze

Recently I was able to chat with veteran singer-songwriter Lee DeWyze before he embarked on his US tour in support of his latest record, Ghost Stories. In this detailed conversation, Lee and I discussed how the pandemic influenced the material found on the album, his noticeable growth as a songwriter in songs like the title track, his recent TV/movie syncs he’s completed, and artists that he admires in today’s music scene. Lee DeWyze begins his 35-city Ghost Stories tour the day after the record is released on August 13th. Pre-orders are available here.

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Review: The Difference Between – Detach: Envenom

The latest emo/post-hardcore “supergroup” comes now in the form of The Difference Between on their debut EP Detach: Envenom. The band is comprised of the ever-familiar vocals of founding vocalist of Emarosa (Chris Roberts), guitarist Chris Wethington, bassist Garrett Harper (both of Softspoken), and drummer Cody Frain (of A Scent Like Wolves). On this heavy, yet incredibly moving EP, The Difference Between embrace their lofty goals for their aggressive sound, and utilize their past projects into a crowd-pleasing musical package on these three songs.

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Review: Lakes – Start Again

Coming off of the critically praised The Constance LP, Lakes have returned with another full length album called Start Again. For those unfamiliar with the UK-based indie rockers, they are comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Roberto Cappellina, vocalist/keyboardist/percussionist Blue Jenkins, drums/percussionist/guitarist Matt Shaw, bassist Charlie Smith, guitarist Rob Vacher and guitarist Gareth Arthur. Start Again was produced/mixed by Neil Strauch (Joan of Arc, Owls) and is a detailed exploration of topical themes like dealing with our mental health, the struggles with addiction, and making the tough decisions of getting rid of toxic friendships. Lakes are in the same realm of emo/indie bands like American Football, Stove, and Barely Civil. Your latest music obsession has arrived.

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The Metamorphosis Of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop To Global Phenomenon

Billie Eilish

Recently, I teamed up with my fellow contributors to discuss the latest album from Billie Eilish, called Happier Than Ever. Much like other comparative articles like the one on the recent Modest Mouse record, I provided a template of questions for each of the writers to respond to. Here is our conversation on Happier Than Ever, which we have affectionately titled: The Metamorphosis of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop to Global Phenomenon.

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Review: Punk Rock Factory – Masters of the Uniwurst

There’s an 80’s (or 90’s) kid inside of all of us, and Punk Rock Factory recognizes this and takes it to heart on Masters of the Uniwurst, a punk rock compilation of sped-up TV theme songs from yesteryear. The compilation takes the soul of the beauty of the 80’s and 90’s themes and adds a delicious punk rock twist to the mix that ends up being a hell of a lot of fun to listen through. While some may say it’s simply the nostalgia that makes these songs endearing, I’d beg to differ and state that these “jingles” were in need of a need outlet to really appreciate them for what they are. Your summer soundtrack to your childhood has arrived.

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Review: The Strokes – Is This It

It’s funny when you realize you’ve found an artist that you just know is going the change the landscape or rock, indie rock, and maybe music in general from the first time you hear that distinct sound. The Strokes released their debut record, Is This It, fairly under the radar, with the exception of RCA Records knowing they may have the next really big indie band on their label for the foreseeable future. The Strokes released an EP called The Modern Age in early 2001, which sparked an intense bidding war of major labels falling over themselves to earn the trust of the New York City-based rock band. Is This It was recorded then under the tutelage of producer Gordon Raphael (Regina Spektor) and was ultimately released 20 years ago today in Australia, first. The record would then gradually be released in several countries as their tours were being conducted across the world, and the physical version of the CD would hit the states in October (due to a delay after 9/11 and the label decision to exclude “New York City Cops” on the original sequencing. The vinyl version released on 9/11 still continues to have the track in the original tracklisting).

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Review: Pretty Awkward – Hang Out

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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