Kicking off with the explosive blues-rock swagger of Killing Heroes, Initial Mass leave their mark pretty quickly on this latest album, fusing the raw rock energy of bands like The Black Keys with a more traditional, performance-based rock hook and rise-up to it.
Alt Rock
“Today’s music is so lacking in melody and harmony. There’s not a lot of innovation anymore. Anyone can sit in their home studio and use some electronic beats and sounds and make a song, but after a while it all sounds the same.”
Some Kind Of Voodoo opens up the playlist and kicks things off with a bang, seeing the band fuse a structurally complex and somewhat grunge-like aura with a melodic development and leading vocal that feel way more prog-rock and performance-based than anything else.
Color and Contrast is a really strong collection of rock tracks, making for a playlist that feels something like a greatest hits album. There’s a striking sense of identity and confidence to Underwood’s delivery, and his songwriting is easily captivating and often familiar enough that the songs feel like slept on classics.
Troy Petty has evidently mastered being musically true to his own artistic and expressive needs, offering up an album of original songs that pour through with absolute creative freedom yet a clear passion for and connection to the very process of writing and performing.
Songs like Pale Blue are the sort that have been so meticulously and considerately crafted, that the track in full, and indeed repeated a fair few times afterwards, is where the real magic of the experience lies.
Whether you were once swept away on the raw rock passion of bands like Pearl Jam or Audioslave, or you’re simply a contemporary rock fan who craves that fine balance between melody & grit – the opening moments of Seventh Sea, and indeed the rest of the track as it entrancingly pours through, make for a quickly engaging, increasingly addictive audio experience.
The song offers an underlying sentiment that seems fairly inspiring and of depth – the poetic references intertwine with the inclusion of ‘you’, inviting the listener to consider these ideas, these instances of advice, and to feel the embrace of the music as its weight and intensity fills the room.
Love Ghost are fast becoming one of the most interesting and engaging rock bands to emerge during this re-igniting of the genre. Nothing speaks more in favour of that than this latest single.
Manchester’s Plato are quick to impress with this distinctly emotional and creatively fascinating new song. Showcasing a touch of influence from the likes of Half Moon Run, the band drive with uniquely interesting lyrics, organic and expressive musicianship, and stunning vocals.
Entering a Parallel Eruption paves its own way creatively, giving the band an alternative and optimistic edge that’s refreshingly freeing right now.
There’s a driving force about this that would let it suit the long road home as much as the early morning start – the calling card of a songwriter with strong audience awareness yet still a clear & concise sense of self identity.