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. ALBUMS
The Almost “Fear Caller” The Almost has released his latest record, titled “Fear Caller.” There are a lot of upbeat tracks found on the album, such as “I Want It Real,” “Ain’t No King” and “In God’s Country” all of which have captivating vocal performances that can really grab the listener’s attention and are some of the most vocally impressive tracks on the record. “Over And Underneath,” “Fire” and “I Think I Am” show the more rock and alternative rock influences in The Almost’s sound through equally as captivating vocal performances, energetic instrumentals and anthemic choruses, and “Tame A Lion” adds in a few extra elements, such as electronics, synths, and horns to show the variety of influences The Almost has, and it makes the song one of the biggest standouts on the album. On the other hand, the other half of this record shows a contrasting side to The Almost’s music through songs that are a lot slower and/or softer compared to the rest of the album, from the dark and intriguing single “Chokehold” and emotional “Life to the more laid back, yet still catchy “I Won’t Miss.” Title track “Fear Caller” is acoustically driven, the added piano and violin fit perfectly with the vibe of the track, and the song transitions very well into the closer, “Why Do You Bother Me,” which is also acoustically driven at first, but harder hitting instrumentals come in later for bigger choruses and a bridge that delivers just as much power, passion and emotion. With the incredible performances and the passion and emotion shown through them, “Fear Caller” is a very powerful and interesting album. Confessions Of A Traitor “Guided” Confessions Of A Traitor have released their debut album, titled “Guided.” A handful of the tracks on here show the band at their heaviest, starting right away with the introductory track “Kansas,” where the shouted and screamed vocals show tons of emotion, and the breakdown ending the track brings some impressive instrumentation to the table. “Fearless” and “Churchill” (which features Scott Kennedy of Bleed From Within) both mix the band’s hardcore and metalcore influences well, “Collateral” has some of the heaviest vocals on the record, and the energetic “A Truthful Heart” also brings some extremely impressive instrumentation, especially in the guitar work. Other songs on here mix those heavier aspects of the band’s sound with some more melodic ones, such as “White Whale,” with a chorus that mixes clean and unclean vocals, “Ocean Air,”and “Myra,” two very catchy singles with some powerful vocal performances, and “Early Hours,” a song that mixes many of the various different elements and influences found throughout the entire record. The remaining tracks are some of the biggest standouts on the album, from “Twelve,” a track that adds in a spoken word section amidst the prominent melodic hardcore and metalcore influences, and the vocally impressive “Design Me” to “Rai,” a track that really tells a story through the captivating vocals and dynamic instrumentals accompanying them. Confessions Of A Traitor combine various influences and different styles of heavier music to create a pretty good debut. The Menzingers “Hello Exile” The Menzingers have released their latest record, titled “Hello Exile.” A lot of the songs on this record bring a lot of energy. “Anna” has some very catchy riffs and an equally as catchy chorus, “Strangers Forever” is such a fun song to listen to and is one oft the most memorable on the entire record, and “Strain Your Memory” and “Strawberry Mansion” both incorporate harder hitting instrumentals that help drive the more energetic rhythm, as well as raw vocal performances that are really captivating and easily grab the listener’s attention. However, a lot of these tracks are on the slower side and stand out quite a bit from the rest of the record. Title track “Hello Exile” is acoustically driven, and one of the biggest standouts on the record with the darker composition and a performance that really lets the vocals shine yet again. “Last To Know” and “I Can’t Stop Drinking” both incorporate those two things as well, and the vocal performances in those two tracks so show much emotion, and closing track “Farewell Youth” brings one of the most passionate and impressive vocal performances that the entire record has to offer. A few of these tracks land more in the middle, such as the memorable opener “America (You’re Freaking Me Out),” which starts off the album strong, the very well-written fan favorite “High School Friend,” which shows the more alternative influences, and “Portland” and “London Drugs,” two tracks where the vocals really get to shine, and where the melodies are just as catchy as the instrumentals accompanying those vocal performances. “Hello Exile” is a captivating listen from start to finish, and is a very memorable record from The Menzingers. Rival Town “Useless Hands” Rival Town have released their debut album, titled “Useless Hands.” Opener “The Room Was Quiet” and following track “Useless Hands” begin much softer and slower until energetic instrumentals and catchy melodies come in. There’s a little bit of aggression found in the vocals on “Useless Hands,” and the same thing goes for “Castaways,” yet another very memorable track., especially with the guitar riffs in the beginning and the chorus later on in the song. “Hide” brings so much energy, and the more raw vocals match the more energetic and slightly more aggressive vibe of the song very well, and the darker composition and punk and post-hardcore influences found on “Soaring On” make that track a standout as well. “Bridges” leans way more towards the pop punk genre, but adds some screamed and shouted vocals here and there, and mixes those with catchy melodies and instrumentals to create a pretty good track. The end of the record is where the band slows things down a bit, as “A New Normal” is way slower than a majority of the tracks on the record. The vocals show off a bit more, delivering some more memorable melodies, and harder hitting instrumentals kick in, pairing with some emotional vocals to bring powerful performances to the track, and the acoustically driven “Movement” is pretty memorable as well. The variety and experimentation found on “Useless Hands” makes it stand out in the pop punk scene and makes it a good debut LP. Thousand Below “Gone In Your Wake” Thousand Below have released their sophomore record, titled “Gone In Your Wake.” A large amount of the songs on here show the more melodic side of the band’s sound and show the new direction they went in overall, such as the catchy single “Alone (Out Of My Head)” the memorable ballad “The Edge Of Your Bed,” which is very strong in the vocal department, and the emotional and meaningful “The Other Side Of Things,” one of my favorites on this whole record. “Learn To Lose And It All Gets Easier” and the beautifully written closer “Gone In Your Wake” are two of the softest songs this record has, but they still fit well with the overall vibe of this record. That being said, the band did incorporate some of their heavier roots on this album. “Disassociate” is extremely energetic and is easily the heaviest song on here, especially regarding the vocals and how often screamed vocals are featured in the song. “Vanish” brings more of a balance of the aggression and melody found on this record through both the vocals and instrumentation in the verses, leading up to a huge chorus with an emotional and phenomenal vocal performance, and “Lost Between,” which features Marcus Bridge of Northlane, adds some aggression towards the end of the track amidst the catchy melodies and instrumentation found throughout the rest of the track. A few of these tracks are more in between these two different “sides” of the record and combine various aspects of both of them. Lead single “Chemical” is the perfect example of this, as it has some of the most memorable hooks and melodies from the verses to the choruses, and a breakdown towards the end that shows how they still kept some of the more aggressive elements of their sound. “Fake Smile” also includes some very catchy hooks, followed by poppier percussion in the verses, harder hitting instrumentals that assist in building up the pre-chorus, and another heavier bridge with some harsher vocals, and “171 xo” shows this balance through the dynamics, from the harder hitting intro to the softer verses and much louder chorus. Thousand Below’s new record shows them mixing new and old influences together to create another great record that also shows them going in an interesting direction. EPs Breather “The Blue” Breather have released their latest EP, titled “The Blue.” The release opens up with its title track, which immediately shows the dark composition and alternative influences in the band’s sound through the vocals and instrumentals in the intro. The instrumentation really kicks in as catchy guitars and drums build the song up to its much bigger chorus, which brings some pretty intriguing melodies delivered through a great vocal performance. “Hollow” continues to show those alternative influences through the instrumentals that instantly kick in, and those instrumentals get more intense as the song builds up to its huge and very memorable chorus. “Diamond Bones” is very similar to “Hollow,” as it’s also a very catchy and memorable track, but it still has that darker composition that makes the band’s sound stand out, as well as another massive chorus, which delivers one of the strongest vocal performances on the EP. “Your Body Separates” is also on the much darker side, and is very similar to the opener, as the vocals and instrumentals shine and show off that darker composition pretty quickly, and the same can be said for the second to last track, “Cut The Rope,” where the captivating vocals in the pre-chorus do such a great job at building up to the song’s much bigger chorus. “Golden Soul” finishes out the EP, and it’s a very powerful single with raw and very impressive vocals, upbeat instrumentals, and the unique composition that helps make up the unique overall sound of the release. Breather has a very distinct sound that has made them stand out to me quite a bit, and this EP is a good debut because it’s further proof of that. Driveways “Skeletons” Driveways have released their latest EP, titled “Skeletons.” “Motions” quickly brings lots of energy driven by the drums and guitars in the intro, and the bass and drums do the same in the verses. Very catchy melodies are found throughout the entire track, and more aggressive vocals are added in during the chorus and at the end of the song. “Skeletons” is much more melodic compared to the opener, the extremely catchy melodies and riffs show influences of pop punk and alternative rock rather than punk rock, and the slightly darker composition makes the track stand out even more. Closing track “Ravens” is much slower than the past two, and each instrument gets the chance to shine, from the drums and bass driving the rhythm to the cleaner guitars leading up to the much bigger chorus, which brings harder hitting instrumentation and memorable melodies once again. With these three tracks, Driveways have created a short, yet sweet EP that’s still a pretty memorable release for them. Forgotten Sons “Angst & Apathy” Forgotten Sons have released their sophomore EP, titled “Angst & Apathy.” The EP opens up with the piano driven “Tiden Leger Alle Sar,” which translates to “Time Heals All Wounds,” and the song transitions perfectly into the next track, “Time Heals All,” a pretty upbeat song with emotional vocals and a very memorable chorus, and the added piano fits very well on the track. “All By Myself” is a bit more energetic, showing the more punk leaning influences found in the band’s sound, while “Cold As A Stone” is more on the pop punk side, and also delivers some raw, emotional vocals through one of the most memorable choruses on this EP. The EP concludes with an acoustic version of the band’s song “Blackened Heart,” and the simple acoustic guitar allows the vocals to show off once again, and the vocal harmonies really add more to the overall vocal performance. Filled with energy and emotion, “Angst & Apathy” is a great sophomore release for Forgotten Sons. Love Like Fiction “Sounds Of City Streets” Love Like Fiction have released their debut EP, titled “Sounds Of City Streets.” Opener “Subject To Change” kicks off the EP very well with catchy melodies and instrumentation, an interesting vocal performance that shines all throughout the track, and a spoken word section that makes the song stand out a bit in the pop punk genre. “Kiss Me, I’m Contagious” brings some slightly darker composition and combines the more pop punk influences with alternative rock ones, showing a new side of their sound, and “Sad Soundtrack,Pt. 5” does the same, as it starts out softer and more acoustically driven before the vocals get louder and the song as a whole becomes a bigger and harder hitting ballad. “Branded On His Chest” also starts out on a much softer note before leading up to a bigger chorus and a catchy guitar solo before the end of the song, and “Summer Daze” mixes some synths in and brings a very catchy chorus that makes it stand out on this EP and makes it an interesting closer. Love Like Fiction bring a perfect balance of pop punk, alternative rock, and everything in between with their debut EP. No Home “Living In Hallways” No Home have released their debut EP, titled “Living In Hallways.” Opener “Swallowing Teeth” instantly shows the band at their heaviest with some of the most chaotic instrumentals and some of the harshest vocals found on this album. The vocal performances show the different vocal styles that this band’s vocalist can do, and the breakdowns are just as captivating as those performances. “Separation” shows the various styles of heavier music that the band incorporates in their sound, particularly melodic hardcore and metalcore, and especially through the vocal performances. This song and “Narrative” both bring tons of energy and some of the most melodic and catchy choruses offered on the record. “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” “Forgive Me,” and “Dependency” are all pretty similar to each other, as they all also bring tons of energy, show tons of emotion through both the clean and unclean vocals, and add some spoken word sections into the mix that show just as much emotion. Closing track “All I Am Is Alone” combines a lot of the elements found on the previous several tracks on this album, from the energetic instrumentals to the more melodic bridge and captivating, impressive vocals in the chorus. No Home have created a very strong debut EP that’s full of emotion from beginning to end and shows why this band stands out in the hardcore scene. PVRIS “Hallucinations” PVRIS have released their highly anticipated new EP, titled “Hallucinations. Opener and title track “Hallucinations” is a good example of the new sound the band have created with this EP. Cleaner guitars allow the vocals to show off (especially during the pre-chorus) and the harp in the background adds more to the song before the much more upbeat and pop influenced choruses and bridge come in. “Nightmare” is one of the most fun ones to listen to, from the very upbeat rhythm to the vocally impressive post-chorus, and it’s one that really embraces the poppier aspects of this band’s sound, something that the following track, lead single “Death Of Me,” does as well. These pop influences really shine in the verses through the instrumentation and production on the vocals, but the softer first half of the chorus lets the vocals show a bit more, and the second half does the same in regards to the instrumentation. “Things Are Better” is one of the most impressive songs on the EP vocally, and the harmonies make the vocal performances even better, and closer “Old Wounds” has a darker vibe that makes it stand out from similar tracks on the release, as well as a good balance of softer sections that show off the vocals and harder hitting ones where the instrumentation really kicks in. While this may be a bit of a different direction for PVRIS, the EP is full of a lot of memorable moments found in some really enjoyable tracks. Vinnie Caruana “Aging Frontman” Vinnie Caruana has released his latest EP, titled “Aging Frontman.” Catchy riffs and melodies start off the opening track “Better,” which foreshadows the darker composition found on some of this EP, and also brings a very raw, emotional, and overall very impressive vocal performance in the chorus that really captivated me and blew me away on first listen. That darker vibe is also found on the second track, “Alone,” which shows some pop and alternative influences at first before the chorus, where the instrumentals really kick in and the vocal performance is a lot more raw once again, and the chorus as a whole also contrasts from the much darker verses. “Dying In The Living Room” is acoustically driven to begin with, but more raw vocals and even some shored vocals are incorporated during the verses and continue on during the chorus, and the guitars get their chance to shine not long afterward. Opening up the second half of the EP is the instrumental “I Love You, Please Watch Over Us,” another one that shows off the guitars, and although it’s purely instrumental, it’s still a pretty interesting track. The last two tracks, “Providence” and “Tex The Rock Johnson,” are both acoustically driven, but I like the simplicity of both of them. “Providence” is a little bit darker, becoming similar to the first two tracks on the EP in that sense, and it gradually becomes a much bigger ballad with powerful instrumentals and vocals, while “Tex The Rock Johnson” adds in some ukulele parts with the acoustic guitar to make it stand out compared to the previous track. Throughout these six tracks, “Aging Frontman” brings some interesting and pretty impressive performances, all of which show off Vinnie Caruana’s talent as a musician.
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