independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
For a song about missed connections, "Talk To Me" by New York's Blonder is pure pop fun--from its slick beginning to its sizzling electronic-infused choruses, a listen to this tune is like riding in a top-down convertible down a streetlight-lined road on a hot night, when there's nothing in front of you except possibility. See,... Continue Reading →
“Hometown goes wherever you go”, sings alt-rocker Haley Bonar in the reverb-laden opening track of her brand new album Impossible Dream, out August 5th via GNDwire Records. It’s true, you know, no matter how much distance you try to put between yourself and your roots, you always carry at least a little of it with... Continue Reading →
I have to admit, I was intrigued by the very title of this little ditty--for those who haven't read East of 8th's "About Us" page, yours truly just so happens to be a lawyer, and I can safely speak for my fellow barristers and tell you that "I Love My Lawyer" isn't a phrase we... Continue Reading →
Teeming with the masses and implicitly alive via bustle and noise, big cities have so much to offer; unfortunately, this offering can also include soul-crushing loneliness and isolation. Devlin McCluskey, frontman for California rock outfit The Dead Ships, was moved by the idea that individuals who commit suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge... Continue Reading →
"Chain Smoking” will be on The Big Bend’s fourth album Celebrate, out July 22nd via Misra Records. The band is led by Chet Vincent, a long-standing fixture of Pittsburgh's quietly thriving music scene who has established a reputation as one of the city’s most dedicated figures. Celebrate has all the hallmarks of a career milestone, calling to mind early-‘70s... Continue Reading →
The Wild Jays are a psychedelic rock band conceived from the minds of three friends who got their start in the Nashville basement scene. Trevor Willmott creates washy soundscapes on guitar with dreamy vocal melodies and introspective lyrics, while drummer Ryan Usher and bassist Mike Walker provide a complex and driving rhythm section. These elements... Continue Reading →
Following the release of his acclaimed single “2 Heads” and self-titled EP which garnered over 100 million streams across platforms, Coleman Hell returns with new single “Fireproof”. Released today on all digital platforms, the track was produced alongside electronic artist La+ch and will appear on his forthcoming debut album via Columbia Records. Revered for his genre-defying fearlessness, the singer/songwriter/producer has developed... Continue Reading →
Being a child of the 90s, I came of age wearing combat boots and flannel while wielding a 5-disc CD changer brimming with Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and Dinosaur, Jr.; there was a special place in my musical heart reserved for those dark and emotive female-fronted grunge bands like Garbage and Veruca Salt, and the... Continue Reading →
Young The Giant have shared "Amerika" from their upcoming album Home Of The Strange which will be out August 12th through Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic Records. This is splendid news for YTG superfans across the globe, yours truly included. I may or may not have squealed out loud. Don't judge. The wildly adventurous Home Of The Strange, the band's... Continue Reading →
British alt-rock/pop outfit The Crookes call their music “pop with a backbone”. “We have loads of influences, and we’ve always considered ourselves a pop band,” explains bassist and lead vocalist George Waite. “‘Pop’ is a dirty word to some, but not for us. I’m a big fan of ABBA; no one is in the same... Continue Reading →
