The lightness of indie shoegaze is quickly elevated by passionate and bold vocals, soon evolving into a wholly unexpected hard-rock realm as that passion rises further still – Torch The Hive provide the essential escapism we need right now.
Alt Rock
Rather than actually being the decade compilation it often sounds like, this album from multi-instrumentalist R John Webb is a consistently unpredictable, modern solo record, and proves ultimately refreshing and fascinating of its own accord.
The song gathers momentum with grace and precision, evolving through the ferocity of hard-rock during its central section, with fast-paced guitars and drums colliding to bring us into another creative shift; that of a mildly psychedelic overtone.
Introducing a musical project as eclectic, chaotic and colourful as its artwork – Campfire Sigh confront modern life and all of its quirks, with a series of imagery-heavy stories and sentiments, for Different Peninsulas.
Creatively unpredictable, imaginative and perhaps undefinable in the same instance – Ten Years Without Rami Holding depicts an array of stories relating to a photographer’s long-awaited return to Cheap City.
Captivating listeners with a supreme balance of finely-honed musicianship and outright creative expression – the UK’s own Kanoo set the mood beautifully, with the instrumental rock album Deleted Years.
Washington alt-rock outfit The Timely Tragedy deliver a mighty hit of escapism, with the bold and beautiful Etherealize.
Soaring instrumentals blend organic and electronic realms with intention and passion combined – Ozurie’s self-titled, two-track release is an alt-rock fan’s dream.
Washington DC’s Grimm Winter reignite the poetic escapism and pace of nostalgic emo-rock and pop-punk united, with this contemplative deep-dive into the all-consuming turmoil that is anxiety.
Beautifully capturing the vastness of the space, with ideally produced vocals and guitars introducing what proves to be an epic and emotively rooted journey, Bridges Ablaze deliver an intense and immersive new-metal classic.
Refreshingly bass-led to begin with and somewhat capturing a fine balance between freestyling and a catchy set of riffs – BATES energise with chaos and calm united, for Catalyst.
Fearlessly autobiographical but also poetically vague enough to feel relevant to the modern listener – Ben Lazarus shifts the narrative and fuses genres in the process, with the eclectic and extensive project Ayy.