Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Thursday 25 February 2021

Carpool Tunnel – ‘Bloom’

Call up your friends, load up the convertible and throw away the map, because Carpool Tunnel are transporting us to sun-soaked California along the winding Mulholland Highway. Feel the wind in your hair as you look out over cliffs, snaking your way down to the pristine beaches

Wednesday 24 February 2021

Sydney Sprague – ‘maybe i will see you at the end of the world’

Based out of Phoenix, Arizona, singer-songwriter and self-confessed bedroom daydreamer Sydney Sprague kicked off her musical journey late last year with a run of singles from debut LP ‘maybe i will see you at the end of the world’. Lead single and album opener ‘i refuse to

NOFX – ‘Single Album’

There have been times during their almost 40-year career that a new NOFX record has all the hallmarks of a band going through the motions. A collection of songs that have seemingly been created merely out of an obligation of fulfilling a contract, leaving absolutely no lasting

Tuesday 23 February 2021

Timelost – ‘Gushing Interest’

Drawing instant comparisons to 90s royalty such as Hum and Sonic Youth, ‘Gushing Interest’ is the latest release from Philadelphia’s Timelost. Five tracks (and a cover), it’s more of an EP than it is an album proper – though when faced with the sheer weight and claustrophobia of the

Monday 22 February 2021

Julien Baker – ‘LITTLE OBLIVIONS’

When you have released two well regarded albums and you need inspiration for your third, what do you? Julien Baker went back to school. Not the most promising start, you might think, but her songs have always been deeply personal affairs. During her time learning, combined with two years

Friday 19 February 2021

nothing,nowhere. – Trauma Factory

Having reached an era of music where the concept of genre is slowly fading out of existence, it’s not uncommon to find albums made up of tracks that sound nothing like one another. And while the idea of ‘incoherence’ may be considered by some as a negative,

Thursday 18 February 2021

Normandie – ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’

The year is 2021, and genre is dead. Think of any of the most exciting releases you’ve heard recently, and chances are they don’t fit into any single pre-defined box, instead bringing a whole range of musical worlds together to create a new, dynamic sound. Since the release of

Wednesday 17 February 2021

Skywalker – ‘Late Eternity’

Czech metalcore heavyweights Skywalker have been sat atop brand new music, patiently waiting for the right moment to unveil it to the world. Four long years after the release of their EP ‘Sugar Horse’ and an even longer seven years since their last full length ‘Liberty Island’, the

Tuesday 16 February 2021

Icon For Hire – ‘Amorphous’

An album’s title is important – it should hint at the contents, it should pique your curiosity, it should make a statement. Icon For Hire chose ‘Amorphous’ for their new album, a word that sounds futuristic, but according to the Oxford English dictionary means either shapeless or ill-organised. One

Monday 15 February 2021

Pale Waves – ‘Who Am I?’

Could there be a more lovely Valentine’s weekend treat than a brand new album from our favourite Mancunian emos? The answer is, categorically, no. Whether you’re all loved up or really feeling the lockdown loneliness, there’s something to be found in ‘Who Am I?’ for everyone.

Friday 12 February 2021

Teenage Wrist – ‘Earth Is A Black Hole’

Nostalgia is big business these days – and when Teenage Wrist first came on the scene, they were one of many groups trying to recapture that 90s alt-rock sound. When the LA group released debut album ‘Chrome Neon Jesus’ back in 2018, they were widely praised for

Thursday 11 February 2021

The Pretty Reckless – ‘Death By Rock and Roll’

It’s been almost four and a half years since we’ve had a new album from The Pretty Reckless – a period of time that has been anything but easy for what might be one of the last remaining ‘pure’ rock bands in 2021. To talk about

Wednesday 10 February 2021

Cuffed Up – ‘Cuffed Up’

Forming at the beginning of 2019 after Sapphire Jewell and Ralph Torrefranca met at a party and bonded through their affinity for the UK punk scene, Cuffed Up have wasted no time in making enough noise to raise a few eyebrows. The LA four piece, completed by

Tuesday 09 February 2021

Drones – ‘Our Hell Is Right Here’

Maybe you like your punk with the power of hardcore. Maybe you like your vocals rich with barbed hooks and sing-a-along choruses. Maybe you like inspirational lyrics that lodge in your brain. May-be you are tired of waiting for Rise Against to get their act together. Maybe Drones are

Monday 08 February 2021

LIVE: Jimmy Eat World @ The Phoenix Sessions – ‘Futures’

We’re nearing an entire year of gigs being put on hold while the outside world undergoes the most intense round of fumigation it’s ever seen, and while it’s hard to grapple with the knowledge we’re still a while away from in-person events returning, it’s been fun watching

Friday 05 February 2021

Kid Kapichi – ‘This Time Next Year’

It’s been a busy few years for Hastings natives Kid Kapichi. Since the release of their phenomenal debut EP ‘Lucozade Dreams’ in 2018, they’ve been toiling to provide their brand of garage punk to a wider market, with big success. Having toured with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Slaves

Thursday 04 February 2021

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – ‘Shyga! The Sunlight Mound’

If you’ve never listened to a Psychedelic Porn Crumpets album before, ‘Big Dijon’ – the opening track to the Perth quintet’s raucous fourth outing – provides a rather hilarious orchestral moment of brevity that’s almost akin to a warning. The ominous last lines, “surrender to the render”,

Wednesday 03 February 2021

To Kill Achilles – ‘Something To Remember Me By’

Dundee’s To Kill Achilles have never been afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves and they’re about to make that clearer than ever with new record ‘Something To Remember Me By’ A concept record of sorts, ’Something To Remember Me By’ is incredibly honest and poignant, striking a chord

Tuesday 02 February 2021

Cult Of Luna – ‘The Raging River’

If you’re at all familiar with the post-metal genre, Cult Of Luna will need no introduction – since their inception in 1998, the experimental Swedish collective have pushed the boundaries of expansive, overwhelming heavy music. From seminal releases like 2004’s ‘Salvation’ and its successor ‘Somewhere Along The Highway’, to

Monday 01 February 2021

Cheap Meat – ‘People Are The Worst’

On the surface, Cheap Meat don’t take themselves completely seriously. Their debut outing, 2016’s ‘The Parts That Show’ EP, contained plenty of hook-filled moments that were reminiscent of Weezer, with lyrical cliches throughout. Since then, the London trio have taken time away to focus on individual personal issues; vocalist/guitarist