James Sebastian’s latest single, Looking for a Sign, erupts with the fervour of rock’s golden age, packing an electrifying punch that makes it clear he’s owning the proverbial stage. As a prodigal son of rock ‘n’ roll, Sebastian channels the spirit of iconic acts from The New York Dolls to The Strokes to The Beach Boys, yet his sound remains unapologetically rebellious and tantalisingly original. Looking for a Sign insists you get swept up in its compelling hooks and Sebastian’s natural frontman charisma, reminiscent of a cult leader’s magnetism. This track roars through speakers with an energ ..read more

Now onto their third single, El Greasy is proving their capacity to carve out a pastiche-free niche with their sleazily revolutionised sonic signature. Forget the rock n roll you knew; this modernised slice of rock reverence exhibits a band that knows exactly where to push innovation into the production and revisit the past with debauched devil-may-care uninhibition; the kind of uninhibition gained from downing your favourite black label bottle. The guitar lines are cut with all the raunch and swagger you could ever desire and the rhythm section knows exactly where to bend brutal volition in t ..read more

For their standout single, On the Run, the Welsh three-piece Hazard filtered psyched-up shoegaze-y post-punk through a grungy and intensely evocative lens, resulting in an emotionally tumultuous outpour of despondence. With vocals spilling into the middle ground between the haunting timbre of Placebo and the sharp confronting antagonism of Angels & Airwaves as the monochrome guitars carve a chill into the mind-bending production, On the Run unravels as a dark narrative that tears into the soul and triggers empathy as a dual-sided vignette of loneliness and displacement pours across the alc ..read more

If any up-and-coming band can kick Royal Blood off their throne, it’s the Cambridge-hailing three-piece LAY / BYE with the polished hooks, fiery intensity, and unflinching resonance in their debut single, ACTIVE! The debut holds no prisoners when holding the worst archetypes of the human experience to account; the flaying lyrics pick up more volition through the catchy delivery that forces you right into the electrifying nucleus of the single that stands as a testament to the trio’s ability to vindicate the masses. After a Velvet Revolver-esque intro, the buzzsaw riffs and snarling basslines r ..read more

I may be late jumping on Yur Mum’s scuzzy punk rock bandwagon, but after feeling how deep the unique angle to their visceral edge cuts while they played in support of The Battery Farm and witnessing how they can merit the title of their latest LP, Duality, I discovered a duo that’s criminal to sleep on. The way their Brazilian roots pull through the complex fusion of frenetic percussive rhythms creating a thunderous heartbeat pulsating through rapid and intricate cadences against the snarled basslines incited a riot of distinctly augmented annihilation. Affectingly authentic to the core and so ..read more

“There Is Always a Dawn” by Judas Goat & The Bellwether pours the ardour of the Neoclassical Romantic Era into a vessel of arcane folk-rock. In a similar vein as William Blake’s evocative poem, Jerusalem, which became an influential precipice for the duo to lyrically jump off, the duo’s aura reverberates around morality while keeping a finely tuned balance of rationality and emotion in the evocatively conjured performance which is a call to arms against the impending threat of ecological collapse, with religious iconography replacing the more direct climate-conscious conversations. The pow ..read more

Make no mistake, the only thing spectral about Pan de Muerto’s single “Shadow Woman” is the ephemeral female protagonist that will cast her spell on any listeners who sink into this scintillating synthesis of alt-rock, metal, and gothic post-punk. The grungy Eddie Vedder-esque vocals over an atmosphere that could easily have been of Sisters of Mercy’s conjuring is affecting from start to finish. Darkwave singles rarely come as rhythmically heavy as this immersively beguiling rejection of material reality which pulls you into its haunted core, leaving you aching to bear witness to more installa ..read more

The disbanding of Columbia was a bitter pill to swallow in 2022, but if anything can sugar it, it is the debut single from frontman Craig Lewis, who has lost none of his strength as a one-man powerhouse in his new project, Those Heavy Souls. “Everything’s Changing” is a far more lyrically intimate exhibition of Lewis’ artistic edge, whereas the alt-90s and 00s indie aesthetic, inspired by Kasabian, The Stone Roses, and Doves, remains just as infectiously robust. As you mourn the pace at which our society is disintegrating from recognition, you’re caught up in the kinetically tight, flawlessly ..read more

In a world frequently captured by the ephemeral allure of modern pop, Solemn Pledge’s latest single, Roaring Berlin, from their ninth rock opera concept album, is a formidable monument to enduring artistry. Maria Genevieve Elia and Michael Justin Lee, together as Solemn Pledge, dive deep into the historical decadence of Berlin, echoing the vibrant, tumultuous youth of German-born movie star and celebrated war hero, Marlene Dietrich. Roaring Berlin is a narrative powerhouse draped in the rich, robust textures of hard rock and cabaret glamour. The single serves as an opening act to a saga that t ..read more

With the release of “Scared for the Climate“, the independent artist, Love, Builder of Worlds, delivered an electrifying DIY alt-rock anthem that captures the essence of punk rebellion with the precision of a seasoned artist. The single encapsulates a raw, urgent message wrapped in the infectious energy of funk-drenched synth punk—a stylistic nod to the dance-punk vibes reminiscent of Kathleen Hanna’s work in Le Tigre. The track’s short, snappy runtime is no barrier to its impact; instead, it enhances its punchy, protest-driven ethos. The lyrics hit hard and fast, their pseudo-hip-hop delivery ..read more