From intriguing verses of boldly distinct, crackling vocals and meandering bass, to the full-throttle intoxication of a soaring rock chorus, complete with equally striking guitar solo riffs, Lucious prides itself on this fierce musicality and groove united.
Rock
Troy Petty’s music always stands tall in its own right, the songs feel rooted amidst nostalgic rock but ultimately connect for their poetic contemplation and the quiet but clear passion brought to the stage. In this case, short yet effective outburst of volume and weight, distortion and change, elevate the progression and feeling of the song. And this is then contrasted by the gentler follow-up moments of melody and easy rhythm.
A personal favourite rock act from the UK scene this year – great songs, great sounds, great energy. If you get the chance to catch a live show – don’t miss out.
Devoted Welsh rockers Waterpistol are drawing in an increasing number of listeners right now. Their nostalgic style and original songwriting consistently blend laid-back vocals, catchy melodies, and infectious grooves, with structural songwriting that’s both satisfying and again links back to the psych rock era of the sixties.
Complex artistic sculpting akin to the days when each single was a creative ode to a story and sense of intention. Jared Hara builds up the presence and depth of The Chase brilliantly, evolving from these dreamy trip hop beginnings of quietly whispered vocal melodies, to the full-throttle pace and weight of pop punk and new metal at its peak.
That’s the key these days, songwriting that balances the quirky and the commonplace, to engage and stand out all at once. It’s a simple psychedelic combination of musicality and playful, cat-like guitar sounds, but it all feeds into the beast that is Radioactive Cat. An angry celebration of sorts – one that will no doubt go down brilliantly at live shows.
The deciding factor is not always just my enjoyment of the track, sometimes it helps to note the response of others who hear it playing. My three-year-old son is not easy to please musically, but as I turned this one up loud, he ran into the room dancing, and openly declared it ‘his favourite song’. Strangely enough, it quickly became mine, too.
Neatly-packed as ten original tracks with a fiercely anthemic opener, With Friends & Imperfections is a classic rock album at its core, but offers a fresh leading character, an often hyper sense of pace, and a series of unexpected stories.
The UK’s own Kath Moskvina, an indie-rock musician with a twist of electronic and cinematic design to her sound, stands tall on the strength of contemplative and grunge-like integrity and depth, throughout the engaging and impressively unique single Outsider.
Conceptually personal in its intimacy and contemplation, there’s something also quite familiar about these reflections and ideas – as well as about the instrumental build. We approach the mid-section and the track switches gears entirely – a new leading riff, a clear vocal passion and grit, and an overall sense of sudden hard-rock inspiration to really bring home the changing emotions of the song.
A progressive journey but one well-rooted by the unmistakable vocal hook and character found throughout, Symmetry is perhaps Coda Nova’s most ambitious track yet, a quirky exploration of particle physicists who find themselves in deep water, and an instrumental explosion that’s immense; but the band have mastered that process
Featuring the additional talents of Rick del Castillo, Hello Houston is an upbeat earworm at its core – a timeless kind of Bruce Springsteen-inspired ode to the melodic and distorted passion of rock from a simpler era.