REVIEWS
There’s plenty of music released every single month, and with each Monthly Music Roundup article, we share some quick reviews of several releases from throughout the month that we personally enjoyed and want to cover. EPs
The Arbor “All At Once” The Arbor have released their debut EP, titled “All At Once.” The EP opens up strong with “Should’ve But You Didn’t,” which shows some really powerful and impressive vocals right away in the vocals and pre-chorus, building up to a much more upbeat chorus where the drums and guitars really kick in, and the song overall is very catchy both vocally and instrumentally. “Solid Ground” brings so much energy, driven by catchy guitar and bass riffs and fast paced drums in the beginning of the song. The instrumentals stand out a lot on here, and the vocals do the same during the chorus. “Too Close” closes out the first half of the EP and shows the more indie, alternative and pop rock influences in the band’s sound, making it a huge standout. “Calm Down” is another very upbeat one. Similarly to the opener, the instrumentals really stand out on here as they lead the verses and build up to a much bigger chorus, which has some of the most emotional vocals on the EP. “Summer Romance” is a lot slower and softer, primarily driven by vocals and guitar, and both of those show off very well throughout the track, and closer “Feel It All Again” is one of the overall biggest standouts on the EP, from the indie, alternative, and pop rock influences it incorporates to the darker instrumentals and very memorable and interesting melodies and the impressive riffs and solos towards the end. With “All At Once,” The Arbor combine a variety of influences to create an interesting debut. Exit Emergency “From The Grave” “I Go To Seek” instantly brings a lot of energy in the instrumentation (especially the impressive guitars), and the vocals found on the track deliver some very catchy melodies all throughout during the very emotional and passionate performance. “The Great Perhaps” is pretty similar, but there are still aspects of the song that make it stand out a bit. The bass and guitars show off a lot more on this track, and there’s a tempo change around the much softer bridge, where I feel the instrumentation overall really shines. Closing the EP is “From The Grave.” The song is easily the most energetic one on here, with that energy being driven by the extremely impressive drums. The melodies on here are catchy as well, especially in the choruses, and the song also includes a great feature from Post Season’s Dan Tippery during the bridge, whose voice fits perfectly with the voice of this band’s vocalist. "From The Grave" brings a lot of energy and emotion in all three tracks and makes a great release from Exit Emergency. Sounds & Scenarios “While You Roam” Sounds & Scenarios have released their latest EP, titled “While You Roam.” The EP starts off perfectly with the incredible single “Better Off Without You,” bringing a huge and very memorable chorus and showing off their different influences very well. “Never Out Of Reach” has a slightly darker vibe to it, and shows off the more emo and pop punk influences of the band’s sound, especially through the vocal style. “Something To Take The Edge Off” really focuses on the pop punk influences in particular, bringing tons of energy and another big, memorable chorus with passionate vocals that continue on into the second verse, where the instrumentals show off a lot. “Can’t Sleep At Night” is very similar to the opener, being just as memorable and a bit more reminiscent of older pop punk, emo and alternative music. Closer “Alone Tonight” is acoustically driven, but I love the simplicity of it and how much it allows the vocals to show off. “While You Roam” is a great EP that shows influences of both older and more modern music from quite a few genres in this scene, and that mix is what makes this release stand out as much as it does. Staircase Wit “I’m Doing My Best” Staircase Wit has released his latest EP, titled “I’m Doing My Best.” “I’m Not Good” brings really catchy riffs and melodies instantly, and the vocal and instrumental performances only get even better as the song continues. “Helpless” is acoustically driven at first before the harder drums and guitars kick in, making the song a lot more reminiscent of earlier pop punk. “Easier” is an interlude, driven by much cleaner guitars and softer vocals that match perfectly. “The Last Time” is acoustically driven, the violin and simpler percussion that are added in work very well on the track, and the vocals in the chorus bring a lot of emotion. Title track “I’m Doing My Best” starts out acoustically as well, before harder hitting drums help drive the rhythm. The melodies on here are very memorable and these last two tracks both make pretty good ballads and close out the EP well. “I’m Doing My Best” is not only a very meaningful and memorable EP, but a very impressive release as well. ALBUMS Acres “Lonely World” Acres have released their debut album, titled “Lonely World.” A handful of the tracks on here begin on a softer and/or slower note, and show off the more melodic aspects of the band’s melodic hardcore sound. Title track “Lonely World” and ballads “Lullaby” and “Skin Over Mine” all start out this way, bringing a nice change of pace to the record, and eventually leading up to some huge and really catchy choruses. “You Are Not” brings some emotional vocals, which only get better as the song gradually gets louder, and the bridge and chorus of “Be Alone” do the same. A couple of the songs on here show the band’s more aggressive tendencies, such as “Hurt,” which has one of the most emotional vocal performances on the album, gets louder and heavier as it continues and builds up to the chorus, and has a breakdown with heavy vocals and instrumentals that fit perfectly with the vibe of the track. “Talking In Your Sleep” is one of the more upbeat songs on the album, and also brings a huge intro, powerful vocals, some heavier vocals that blend perfectly with those, and a great balance of softer, louder, melodic and heavier sections. Some of the biggest standouts on here are the interesting introductory track “Deathbed,” the fantastic second track “Medicine,” with a lot of raw emotion in the performances, and second to last track “Sharpen Your Teeth,” with some of the most impressive vocals and lyrics on the whole album. My favorite thing about Acres’ newest release is how it’s filled with emotion from beginning to end, which shows very well throughout the performances, and this record as a whole is such a great debut. Bad Omens “Finding God Before God Finds Me” Bad Omens have released their sophomore record, titled “Finding God Before God Finds Me.” The band gets very experimental on this record, with the radio rock influences in the strong opener “Kingdom Of Cards” and emotional “Careful What You Wish For,” and the way more melodic tracks, such as the extremely catchy “Said & Done,” anthemic “Burning Out,” and emotional closer “If I’m There.” That being said, the band does go back to their post-hardcore and generally heavier roots a little bit on this album. “The Hell I Overcame” is a great example of this, with its more aggressive vocals and instrumentals, and “Dethrone” is arguably the heaviest song on this record, showing that part of their sound very well all throughout. The remaining tracks on the record mix pieces of the band’s older material with the new elements they start to experiment with on this record. “Running In Circles” brings a lot of aggression in the instrumentals and vocals in the verses, leading up to a huge chorus with some fantastic melodies. “Mercy” also includes those heavier vocals and instrumentals, and “Blood” mixes practically everything on this album, from the raw vocals in the chorus to the anthemic intro that mixes synths and harder hitting instrumentals. With their sophomore effort, Bad Omens start to experiment a bit while still incorporating elements of their older material, and they combine all of that very well. In Good Nature “Alone In The Dark” In Good Nature has released their debut album, titled “Alone In The Dark.” The band’s heavier influences show on quite a few of these songs, from the darker and instrumentally impressive “Dusk Till Dawn” to the post-hardcore influenced “Ritual” and “Three Thieves” and “Royal Blood,” one of the most energetic and easily one of the heaviest songs on this entire record. They also incorporate some other styles on this album, showing influences of more aggressive pop punk in songs like the energetic opener “Hollow,” the alt-rock tinged “Too Close For Comfort,” and the emotional “Clever,” a track that shows the band’s heavier side a bit as well. The band slows things down a little bit for a couple of very emotional ballads, the powerful “Sleepwalker” and acoustically driven “Tired Son,” and that same emotion is shown in the hard hitting instrumental interlude “Night Terrors” and captivating closing track “Shattered Mind,” which has some of the most impressive and emotional vocals on the whole album. “Alone In The Dark” is a perfect combination of various genres in this scene, and In Good Nature have created a unique and overall incredible record.
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