Super Saturdays, July 29, 2017

What's up everyone? It's time for Super Saturdays! Today we present to you: Paper Monsters, Hey Girl Slow Down, and Why A Fox! So hold on tight because these guys are about to blow you away.

Paper Monsters are an alternative rock band from Manchester, NH. If you like your music fast and catchy, then you'll like these guys. Here's a song called "Red Light", enjoy!

Hey Girl Slow Down are from Brooklyn, NY. They want to share with you a song called "Alvin" from their recently released EP Tumbling Down the Up Escalator. If you're a fan out there who loves Panic At The Disco and My Chemical Romance, you're going to want to listen to this because this band will bring the best of both worlds! 

Why A Fox is a one man band from Adelaide Australia! "On The Ledge" can be best decsribed as edgy yet smooth at the bottom.

Well thats a wrap, I hope we blew you away with these amazing bands. See you on the next Super Saturdays!

Triple Tuesdays, July 11, 2017

Hey, hey, hey! What time is it? It's time for Triple Tuesdays! Today we have Slo Motions, Rare Monk, and ESTHER, all waiting for you to check them out, so lets go!

For starters, Slo Motions, a classic rock band from Hamilton, ON, will uplift your day with their recent new single called "Leaving With Nothing". Rocking guitar tones and enjoyable harmonies, you won't be leaving with nothing after you listen to this song!

Next is Rare Monk! They are an indie rock band from Portland, OR. "Happy Haunting", a single off of their new album A Future, talks about the choices in life we usually face.

Last but not least, we welcome back ESTHER, an amazing rock band from the UK! Some of you may remember we shared them back in January. Today we share their new single "Wild One". The song is full of powerful vocal melodies that will reel you in. If you haven't heard of these guys yet, now is your chance! 

That's all for Triple Tuesdays folks, thanks for listening!

Energy – Under the Mask

After a few years of minimal activity, Energy is back. They completed a UK tour as a support act for Creeper earlier this year, and are now preparing to embark on their first headlining UK tour ever. To coincide with the tour, Energy are releasing their EP Under the Mask on July 21st, 2017.

Featuring vocalist Tank’s signature haunting vocal over a dark bed of music, “The Witching Hour” kicks off the EP. The chugging rhythm guitar and squealing lead combine forces to drive the song forward over a pounding drum arrangement.

The title track, “Under the Mask”, begins with a slow buildup in the intro. Energy finds a way to keep song after song dark, but not let it get old. The dual-guitar leads add a nice touch to the song.

“A Pray for Rain” seems uncharacteristically upbeat for Energy, as far as the music goes. Lyrically, the song maintains Energy’s dark atmosphere. While Tank’s voice suits most of Energy’s songs very well, I feel that this song would lend itself more to a pop punk style vocal sound.

Another poppy song, “I Killed Your Boyfriend” sounds very stereotypical, and almost like a Green Day or Alkaline Trio song from a musical standpoint. This might be because it’s the only song on the EP not written by Tank himself, but rather by Mike Rendini, and is re-recorded from Energy’s first release, Children of the Night.

Closing out the EP is the track “Leave Me Alone”. Starting off with a haunting acoustic intro vaguely reminiscent of 3 Doors Down, the song quickly builds into a more driving horror-punk song that we’ve come to expect from Energy. With a few production changes in tone and vibe, I could almost hear Bayside playing this song, it’s just that good.

Overall, Under the Mask is a decent EP. I must say I prefer Apparition Sound but we can’t expect an artist to re-release the same music over and over, and I do look forward to hearing more new music from Energy. My one gripe with the new EP, as a whole, is that the vocal level seems to be a bit high throughout the entire release.

Under the Mask will be available digitally and on CD on July 21st. You can find more information on Energy’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and official website.

Triple Tuesdays, July 4th, 2017

Welcome back for yet another Triple Tuesdays! Since summer is well underway, I've picked a few bands that you could conceivably hear at a future iteration of Warped Tour.

Hailing from Finland, Blind Channel hits hard with their single "Alone Against All". The song brings memories of Fall Out Boy, Falling in Reverse, and Sick Puppies. The production is pristine, both when it comes to arrangement and the mix, which is crystal clear. Color me impressed, guys.

Keeping with the theme of European bands (happy July 4th, 'Murika), here's Hightower and their song "The Party" from Paris, France. Though the song definitely has elements of newer punk to it, the influences of late 90s and early 2000s pop punk are quite present, and appreciated.

Ok, ok, enough of that. Happy fourth of July for real. This band's from Cleveland. Years Before and their song "Live Forever" provide another example of a solid summer anthem pop punk song.

Until next time for another Triple Tuesdays, folks! Try not to blow off any appendages today.

K.Flay @ Camden Assembly 27/6/17

The last time I saw K.Flay play was in 2016, supporting megastars PVRIS on their UK tour at London’s O2 Forum.  Being one of the largest club venues in the city, this was a perfect introduction to the K.Flay live experience, which certainly did not disappoint. Tonight’s show takes place in the comparatively modest Camden Assembly; with a capacity of only 400, I was excited to see this artist in a more intimate setting, a room which the artist has sold out for two nights in a row. K.Flay and her backup instrumentalists took the stage to roaring applause before running straight into the set with ‘Giver’ taken from the artist’s latest LP Everywhere Is Somewhere. What followed was a diverse selection of tracks from K.Flay’s considerable back catalogue, albeit heavy on new material, all of which the sold out room showed passionate appreciation for. Whilst the room tonight was decidedly cosy, the energy of K.Flay and her band was definitely not attenuated. Huge crowd pleasers such as ‘High Enough’, ‘Wishing it Was You’ and ‘FML’ generated the best reactions from the assembly of hardcore fans, with ‘Flay herself head-banging and using the full amount of space available, with the lack of barricade enabling for a much more unfiltered experience. K.Flays’ between-song segues were also very enjoyable, proving herself to be both comical and topical and often providing background information to ideas being particular songs in the set; something I see rarely at shows. After ripping through tonight’s set, the voracious crowd chanted for several minutes hoping for an encore which the band acquiesced to with a rendition of two more new tracks: ‘Mean It’ and Everywhere Is Somewhere’s ‘Blood In The Cut’. Even after this, the crowd wanted more, and ‘Flay herself was able to enter the venue floor itself afterwards, thanking each and every member of the crowd for attending; again something rarely seen from artists of her calibre.

In closing, the fact that K.Flay was able to sell out a venue such as this for two nights in a row so quickly, along with the reception from the crowd tonight tells me that her next visit to UK shores will inhabit larger and larger venues, and perhaps sooner rather than later she may even headline the likes of the O2 Forum on her own… I am surprised this has not happened already.