New music from Marcus Christ this summer brings an exhilarating whirlwind of pop-punk distortion, anthemic energy, softer verses, and a generally creative but angst-driven, impassioned dose of scorn.
Pop Punk
Alternative rock performer, storyteller and multi-instrumentalist Primordial Alien reaches the pinnacle of his creative output this year, delivering an album of conceptual weight, musical diversity, skill, playfulness, genre-fusion and cool but cutting narratives, as we dive into the brilliantly eclectic pop-punk and progressive rock vibrancy and shadows of Casus Belli.
Channelling rock sub-genres from throughout the ages, but leading with Sarah Beth Rose on gentle to gritty vocals, along with a clear sense of character and unrelenting passion and pace, Born To Break Even has the anthemic, engaging qualities of bands like Green Day, The Distillers and Lagwagon.
Euphoric pop-punk, with the colourful energy and tempo designed to bring nostalgia and optimism back to the live band scenes of the UK. 3TL (Third Time Luckie) inject a certain heartfelt poetry into modern rock, and capture the riff-strong vibrancy and band unity of a simpler era, with the catchy and evocative Heart Break Summer.
Great energy, catchy hooks and a classic pop-rock band set-up that’s indicative of the freedom, fun and thoughtfulness of youth. West Coast rock four-piece Satellite Eclipse deliver a colourful earworm of a track, with the brilliantly satisfying indie anthem one hot minute.
Modern pop-punk with emotional vulnerability and unfiltered passion. Mira’s Age brings through an album of energising riffs, licks, live drums and hooks, whilst diving into stories that reflect on issues like anxiety, attention craving, accountability, mental anguish, and heartbreak.
Be Happy cries out loud for you, its chorus resounding and looping in the mind, and it’s the perfect antidote to the trivial fakeness of forced joy and overproduction from much of the recent music realm.
UK pop-punk is refreshing in itself, but here we get a fast-paced and catchy guitar riff at the forefront, vocals born to perform in this way, and a hugely anthemic earworm of a hook. Say Less blend nostalgia and character quite seamlessly, for the simple and infectious single Go To Hell.
Another new album to the brand and a familiar style now elevated by a deeply provocative conceptual core. Alternative rock powerhouse Sybilanta launched the biblically inspired album Still Naked last month, and here we dig into the creative inspiration, production, storytelling, and intentions of the project. * * * Hello again – great to catch … Continued
Explosive new music from the creative force of Syblianta brings further clear development of structure, sound, and substance. The debut was impressive in itself, and this project seems to all the more boldly balance intensity and melody, story and sentiment, across a series of tracks inspired by Bible stories and events.
Indie rock guitarist and songwriter Jake Vera brings uniquely moving vocals and sentiments to the scene, with the intimate to explosive, all-consuming new album Lost.
Lifelong songwriter and creative Raging Depths has written a multitude of projects over the years, from journals and songs to stories, books, and even DnD campaigns. The style is always honest but eclectic, covering topics close to the heart, with mental health and emotional depth often acting as the beating heart of each new piece.