A condensed look at the tracks/EP’s/albums sound-tracking the past three months.
SINGLE: Mexico City – Ørmstons
Bright and summery, perfect for sipping cocktails by the pool – a festival worthy anthem.
SINGLE: Jank (This Dirty Broken Town) – Glossii
Glam-filled punk rock for raging down country roads.
SINGLE: spend some time alone inside my head – Philip Brooks
Dreamy sunset pop drizzled with cloudy vocals – a tune like a gentle summer breeze.
SINGLE: BEST THINGS – The Boston Shakers
Splintering riffs over heavy hip-hop-esque beats – think Kasabian meets Fun Lovin’ Criminals.
SINGLE: Non Believer – Joel Stewart
Peaceful acoustics and raw vocals, with honest and sincere lyrics.
EP: Pink Skin / Blue Bruise – Little Grim
From the vivid colours of ‘Exit Light’, to the beautifully melancholic ‘Hoodie’, Little Grim describe themselves as ‘music you can dance and cry to’ – and that’s exactly what they are. The juxtaposition of sombre lyrics and energetic riffs works fittingly – developing into a chilled-out, yet danceable sound ideal for Summer. Meanwhile, ‘Silence’ is a standout track – it certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the top of the charts.
ALBUM; Future Dust – The Amazons
Moving on from their chart-hitting debut, the sophomore record from the Reading four-piece takes their music from radio-friendly festival anthems, to arena filling rock and roll.
A 40 second drum intro forces its way into the opening track ‘Mother’. Standing like a broad-shouldered giant, it enraptures the listener with commanding vocals – enforcing a kind of musical authority.
The racing heartbeat of ‘Fuzzy Tree’ takes you on an adventure of blood-pumping riffs, distorting and fading before erupting into a final 7-second guitar lick, leaving you with a yearning for more.
‘25’ lights the record on fire, smouldering ashes accumulate into engulfing flames – a clear album highlight. Further down the tracklist, ’25 (Reprise)’ is darker, twisting the song into an almost haunting light, with echoing vocals declaring “There’ll be gnashing, there’ll be biting // And the truth won’t be invited”.
Subtly led in by interlude track ‘The Mire’, ‘Doubt It’ surrounds every corner of the room, tearing the walls apart and propelling through the roof. Exceeding the boundaries of headphones and stereos, it’s destined to be played live.
The calmer notes of ‘All Over Town’ and ‘End Of Wonder’ are a welcome lull in the storm – before the winds pick up once again into the tornado of ‘Dark Visions’. A barrage of thundering riffs, pelted with roaring drums and resounding vocals, it’s a reminder of just how far The Amazon’s have advanced since their debut.
The slow build-up of ‘Warning Sign’ develops into a fierce, air-punching anthem, cultivating into raucous torrents of guitar and bass, before fading away into the final track of the album, ‘Georgia’. A standout track, the acoustic set-up quickly grows into never-ending riffs, then drifting back to acoustic once again.
In a world of formulaic riffs and lyrics, ‘Future Dust’ is a breath of fresh air. An indication of the constant so-called ‘revival’ of rock music, The Amazon’s have proven ‘second-album syndrome’ clearly hasn’t affected them.
LDOI 