Valhalla; Mark Boyle (Vocals & Guitar) Barry Monahan (Bass & Keys) and Luke Alford (Drums). have released their new single ‘Don’t You Ever Say’.Valhalla is an Alternative Rock trio from Dublin. 2019 saw the release of their debut EP “Big Men, They Fall” as well as numerous headline shows across Ireland & the UK. Valhalla is due to release their much-anticipated debut album ‘Primal Features’.
With biting dark undertones and tense soundscapes, ‘Don’t You Ever Say’ showcases Valhalla’s more intimate and icy blast of alternative rock. With eerie chiming guitars and punchy drums adorning the backdrop and ethereal soundscapes through the verses, the band create a tense and haunting atmosphere before erupting into the mighty chorus. In true Valhalla manner the track builds to a blazing dynamic chorus with crashing guitars slicing with relentless stamina through a pummeling bass and drum foundation. This, in turn creates a thrilling mosh ready frenetic atmosphere. The track spirals into an ominous crescendo before its dramatic and abrupt end.
Valhalla display a refined ability to channel both elements of fire and ice within this track as they create breezy cold tones between scorching explosive alternative rock outbursts to create a sublime intoxicating number. These guys are cultivating their sound magnificently, blending wonderful gritty elements seamlessly for a thoroughly satisfying listening experience.
Alternative rock band Faded Shades have released their latest single ‘She Left Yesterday’. This jangly indie pop track drifts cheerily over a buoyant guitar riff and punchy drum foundation as Faded Shades flesh out their heartfelt indie musicianship. With an upbeat melody, rich percussion and elastic bass groove the track oozes radiance and vigor. The zest laced guitar line saturates the song in glorious sunshine while the laid backed vocals and dreamy melody makes the track flow effortlessly. A heartfelt message of solace regarding a love lost to the allure of travel ‘She Left Yesterday’ is a charming and catchy new track from Faded Shades.
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From The Clockworks
Photo Credit: Oscar Ryan
The Clockworks are set to release their new single ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ via the Creation 23 label tomorrow Friday 12th June.Written by The Clockworks, ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ was produced by Michael Rendall and The Clockworks in Willesden, London.
The track has already grabbed the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac on her “New Names” showcase, as well as legendary Rodney Bingenheimer show in the states on Sirius XM, and even received day time radio play on RTÉ 2FM.
The Clockworks are a four-piece comprising James McGregor on Vocals/Guitar, Sean Connelly on Guitar, Damian Greaney on Drums and Tom Freeman on bass. Relocating to London in 2019, the quartet signed to Alan McGee’s new record label ‘Creation23’ almost overnight. They have since impressed audiences across Europe with live performances at festivals including Eurosonic and Electric Picnic, performing to a huge crowd at Sefton Park in Liverpool in support of Kings of Leon, as well as a head-turning televised appearance on Sky 1’s Soccer AM.
‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ is an accelerated slap of The Clockworks intense post punk in all its exhilarating glory. The band create a hyper sound that pivots around chiming guitar lines and blood pumping drums while a raw gritty bassline rumbles through the foundation. The track has a hypnotic metronomic rhythm that buries into the brain while the sweet guitar laments with a soothing quality. The rapid lyrics are delivered with a relentless stamina as James McGregor sings the catchy chorus and spits the verses with fiery angst. Blurring timelines past, present and yet to be, ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’, sees the band comparing the once optimistic visions of ‘the future’ of generations past, with the bleak reality that we currently live in. The band portray this through a palpitating tune that rushes through to its blistering almost asphyxiating crescendo.The instrumental glitches and itchy texture of the song create quiet the unsettled and almost frantic wall of sound as The Clockworks continue their real, honest and punchy musicianship with another absolutely fantastic tune.
About the track James McGregor explains: “This song is about trying to bring together two main ideas: The feeling that everywhere you look things are going wrong, to the point of cynicism, and the way that the idea of the future is better that its reality. Art and articles in the past would talk about 2020 and expect us to be driving flying cars in houses that clean themselves where nobody has to work. In reality we’re driving third hand Fiat Punto’s to 9-5’s that barely pay the rent. I guess the point is that the lifestyle may change but a lot of the problems are the same.”
‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ will be available digitally on 12 June 2020, via the Creation 23 label.
Watch the video for ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ below
Australian rockers Sotu have released their debut self titled album.The Australian five piece was initially formed in the 90s, and reformed in 2016 with a new drummer, new name, and a new drive for making music.Emerging partly as a lifeline for one of the band’s members as he climbed out of a dark place, Sotu’s debut album is a reflection of the joy of rediscovering music coupled with the intense journey of recovery and thriving in life after bouncing back from the brink of despair.
With kinetic energy bursting from the seams Sotu provides a powerful rock album filled with infectious grooves and swagger. The band pack oodles of slick guitar and passionate bass lines into their debut album.
‘Killing Me’, ‘Don’t Feel So Bad’ and ‘Cornflakes’ all rush through with adrenaline inducing instrumentation and fluctuant groovy rhythms. It’s not all rock and roll though ‘Eyes To Dry’ and the piano led ’World Turns’ showcase the bands emotional, more rock ballad – esque persona. There are plenty of visceral jolts throughout the album with melancholic guitar melodies, haunting backing vocals and sombre themes about dealing with cancer, domestic violence and relationships.
‘Gods Of Humility’ and ‘Alive’ are a joy to listen to. The tracks thrive on raw sharp guitars which meander between crashing lacerations, slinky flirtations and soft twinkles while animated drums and bass groove create the songs buoyant backbone.
Sotu present a sound filled with 90’s rock elements with a nod to Foo Fighters at times.The tracks are dripping in passion with shredding solo’s, blistering licks and powerful rasped vocals. Sonically the band weave between scorching alternative rock with some grunge elements and even a glimmer of jazz and funk. It’s within the sublime guitar work and ground shaking bass lines where this band shine at the moment.Gritty tracks such as ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Black Hole Cryptic’ showcase the bands darker side while ‘Timmy’ has a twanging country bounce. However these tracks blend seamlessly with the softer ballads within the album.
Sotu’s self-titled debut album is a thought provoking collection of tracks displaying fine musicianship and artistic promise. Oozing maturity and mosh-ready frenzy swirling beneath infectious grooves and dizzying psychedelia ‘Sotu’ is a well rounded debut album.
ALRIGHT brother has released his latest Post Punk Album ‘REDEEMER’.ALRIGHT brother is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and visual artist living in LA. His music comes with short hand drawn animated promos that ALRIGHT brother creates himself. Receiving recognition for a lofi cover of a Kendrick Lamar track, ALRIGHT brother has been steadily building up his portfolio of music, taking inspiration from punk, hardcore and grunge.
Mangled between raw post punk and alternative rock ‘REDEEMER’ displaysALRIGHT brother’s coarse unadulterated musicianship in a unique collection of tracks. ALRIGHT brother smudges pop melodies through a harsh, bombarding backdrop in ‘The Last of the Famous International Dirtbags’ and ‘Redeemer’ to create a full bodied striking sound. This full bodied sound is carried throughout the album with ‘Lounge Act’ taking a more grunge-like stance.
There is a lot going on in each song with entwining key refrains mangled beneath bombarding punk, crashing guitars and drums. These moments provide wonderful embellishments throughout the album. However ALRIGHT brother provides some release from the frenzied onslaughts with the melancholic cool tones of ‘Cold Falls’.
The tracks are well layered as the fuzzed backdrops are embroidered with frenzied and sometimes ethereal synths. ‘REDEEMER’ exposes the paranoia and frustration of the modern condition and ALRIGHT brother conveys this superbly with intense synths and bass moments coiling beneath rowdy explosions.The vocals throughout are very distracting they sort of contrast the sweeter moments with a clamorous outburst while a sublime guitar flourishes beneath. From the sprightly jog of ‘Last Watch’ and sweet lament of ‘The Daily Star Mirror’ there are nimble and glorious guitar elements sprinkled throughout while ‘Random Access Misery’ brings an angsty rap quality to the album with a thrilling rumbling bass line.
‘REDEEMER’ is a tight album and a whirlwind journey through onslaughts of emotion and soundscapes. For me it’s the instrumental arrangements where ALRIGHT brother excels. He ferments harsh post punk with bittersweet grunge stained pop elements and huge, sometimes epic moments of rock to create a striking album which tells short stories with a different perspective on life.
Derry/Belfast based quartet Sugarwolf have released their new single ‘Changes’. Led by front woman Emma Gallagher the band previously secured a reputation as one of Ireland’s most exciting rock outfits and plan to continue to do so. Sharing the stage on tours with the likes of Fightstar, Black Peaks, Queen Zee, Employed To Serve and Skindred helped earn the band the reputation as one of the best live acts in the country and have since gained the support and endorsement deals with Jägermeister, Orange Amps and Ruach Music.
‘Changes’ is a robust, raw number dripping in Sugarwolf’s coarse and ferocious musicianship as the band swirl exhilarating soundscapes into abrasive rock to create an electrifying new single. There are rich and explosive elements packed into this fiery track however the band manage to rein it in and control the eruption within their masterful thrilling soundscape. The pulverising demonic rumble on drums splinters the track while the darkly smeared guitars soar, crash and ricochet off the merciless backdrop.
There is a The Prodigy feel to this frenetic track. Emma Gallagher’s vocals are powerful, she bellows, coos and screams through the catchy melody. This band exude scorching swagger while maintaining a cool yet mysterious aura as they present a song with oodles of power both sonically and vocally. The turmoil and frustration presented within the music is complimented by the lyrics which depict emotions of loneliness, yearning, heartache and anger “I need somebody somebody to love You’re alone like me…Wish i, wish i could hate you” . It’s utterly mind blowing.
Sugarwolf have a full bodied, relentless and savage sound. They merge the gusto of Bring Me The Horizon with clever ambient soundscapes reminiscent of Wolf Alice with some Within Temptation sprinkled on top. I love how this band build and layer the track for maximum impact. The raw strikes on guitar teamed with wriggling bass create a superb ominous atmosphere as the track flourishes into a frenzy of mammoth alternative rock. The deft musicianship within this song is outstanding. Sugarwolf are ones to keep an eye on. Their ability to flood a track with so much angst and emotion with rich textures and shimmering undertones is a joy to the listeners ears and impressive to say the least.
Jon Wilkes, formerly the drummer in The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has released his new single ‘Burn’ under the name KOU, his new musical revolution. Wilkes was a key member of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, recording albums with hit producers such as David Bendeth (Paramore, Papa Roach, Underoath), Howard Benson (Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, The All-American Rejects) and John Feldman (Goldfinger, Good Charlotte, The Used). With WILKES on drums, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus released 3 full-length records: Don’t You Fake It (2006), Lonely Road (2008) and Am I The Enemy (2011).Don’t You Fake It featured the hit single “Face Down” and was certified gold in November 2006 by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies and in June 2016 was certified platinum for selling over 1,000,000 copies.
Ignited with passionate and raw alternative rock ‘Burn’ is a wholly immersive and explosive track from KOU. Wilkes uses light twinkling soundscapes to begin the track, swirling airy synths into a flashing beat, creating a delicate intro before erupting into a mammoth outburst of pounding drums and sharp guitars. His powerful vocals express painful emotion as they bellow and coo the heartfelt lyrics.
There is plenty of verve, emotion and instrumental prowess in this track to make it relatable and a feature on every alternative rock playlist. The lyrics depict how cruel humans can be and how hatred can consume everything. Wilkes calls for everyone to revolt against this bitter hate and as he does so the song becomes more intense and animated. With an acute rough wall of sound battering the backdrop with alternative rock,Wilkes portrays the raw unadulterated hatred while using majestic guitars and ethereal synths to create tender delicate moments between the chaos. Lushly intricate and well layered ‘Burn’ is a beautiful fusion of electronic and alternative rock.
About the track and his new project Wilkes said : “KOU Stands for “Kingdom Of Us” and The idea of running a (KOU)coup in defense of our livelihood as humans and anything that holds us back. It’s about following your dreams no matter the cost.“BURN’ is about how as humans we have let hatred and the media consume us for decades and it’s time for a transformation.”
I had a chat with Jon Wilkes about his new musical revolution KOU and his new single ‘Burn’ which is set for release this Friday.
Wilkes was a key member of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, recording albums with hit producers such as David Bendeth (Paramore, Papa Roach, Underoath), Howard Benson (Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, The All American Rejects) and John Feldman (Goldfinger, Good Charlotte, The Used). He told me what sparked his decision to begin KOU.
“ So I started this at the back of a tour bus when I was still touring with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2009. We would travel from city to city and I would just be writing songs and I never really did anything with it. I continued my career as a drummer all the way up until 2015. I was with Red Jumpsuit until about 2012 and then I started touring with other bands and I went out with Monster Jam and did their halftime show. I did all this fun stuff as a drummer and I always had these songs just sitting on a back burner since 2009 and I have constantly been writing songs since then and finally I woke up one day and thought what am I doing, I need to transform and come out as a frontman. So now we have KOU”.
Wilkes is known for his energetic drumming style and larger than life persona however he found the frontman role of his new project daunting at first.
“Absolutely, because I was a very charismatic, crazy drummer that would spit water in the air, jump up and down and jump over things and you know it’s weird to not have drumsticks in my hand. It’s a lot of fun. “
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus released 3 full-length records: Don’t You Fake It (2006), Lonely Road (2008) and Am I The Enemy (2011).Don’t You Fake It featured the hit single “Face Down” and was certified gold in November 2006 by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies and in June 2016 was certified platinum for selling over 1,000,000 copies. But Wilkes didn’t feel a lot of pressure following up on the success of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. He took it in his stride in true rock ‘n’ roll style
“ I feel like it’s just another chapter. Because Red Jumpsuit is still a band and still doing really well and I feel like this is another path for the fans to go check out.”
Wilkes released his single ‘Time Is The Enemy’ in 2018. It’s a unique track with immersive layers of mysterious synth-driven elements and genuine lyrics. He described to Indie Buddie his song writing process and how he created the lush intricate and passionate explosions within his tracks
“I do a lot of programming myself in Ableton. I will make the entire skeleton and then add the real instruments afterwards.It kinda creates a soundscape and I demo everything out and I write all the lyrics and melodies and then I always team up with another up and coming young producer.So it’s me and one other guy, because I believe in collaboration. So I would team up with them and that person will bring it all together with me musically. I’m always down for the collaboration. All of these KOU songs, the ones that are out and the ones that are coming later this year, all of them just started as ideas but none of them sound exactly like the demo because of collaboration.”
Wilkes is gearing up to release his new single ‘Burn’ which is set for release this friday 22nd May. It’s a powerful song that has intense mosh ready moments that are kinetic and engaging through wonderful emotive genre blending soundscapes.
“ Oh man that track. When I wrote that track there was so much hatred going on in the world. It felt like there was a shooting every other week. There was an arcade that got shot up in my home town in Jacksonville Florida and I just felt like the world was going almost evil. There was so much bad going on, we had this shooting thing in Vegas and all these people just hating on each other and I wrote ‘Burn’.The idea is that as humans we have lost our way and we need to find love again, we need to find each other again. The passion in the track was the way that I felt about the world at the time, because day to day you feel so much love, you see people caring for each other, you see people stopping if a kid falls off his bike to help him up and get back onto his bike, but then also its like the media has pumped fear into us and has exaggerated the bad things and they don’t feel the good things.Its kinda like standing up to the media but then also unifying us to love each other again”
There are many ways for artists to break through and reach their desired audience through social media. Wilkes has experienced the music industry before the rise and influence of social media, when it was perhaps more tricky for an artist to get their name out there and recognised. However there is a slight paradox in the present world. It’s easier to reach people but now it can be more difficult to stand out.
“Now there are ten thousand doors that you can open really easily .But yes it’s hard to stand out because when I first started I was with Red Jumpsuit and all of that, we had a marketing campaign, our CD was sold in stores so yes its very very different but its great. The reason it’s great is because not only can an artist like me be independent right now and release a single world wide but any young artist can do exactly what i’m doing. The doors are wide open now for all musicians and that’s what makes it great. Thank you, the internet. It’s a great time for music now. Even though there is a pandemic people are still passionate if not more passionate about music than ever before.”
KOU plan to bring their energetic and sonically rich tour to Europe when everything settles down. I asked will they come to Ireland
“Absolutely once the pandemic situation calms down Europe is definitely where I need to go properly first, because we have such a pull there right now. I love Ireland by the way when I toured over there it was one of my fondest memories.I was in ireland in 2009 or 2010 and it was amazing.Im really looking forward to going back to Ireland because ‘Time Is The Enemy’ the first single when it came out last year did very well in that market.”
Wilkes’ emotive vocal ability is impressive.This to my surprise was not a gradual learning process or training of his voice but more like giving in to the moment and his emotions and allowing his passion to pour forth.
“I think it’s the project KOU that brought it out. I sang backup in The Red Jumpsuit, I would play drums and sing harmonies here and there but KOU definitely brought out my voice. I woke up one day and I was like, this is the moment. I need to transform into this and actually the first recording I did was a remix – a Björk song and I released the video of it on Youtube. I put it up for free on soundcloud, that was nerve-racking because that was the first time I actually heard my voice recorded and it wasn’t that long ago it was in 2016. I was surprised when I heard my voice for the first time. I kinda stopped and the engineer and I looked at each other and we thought ‘’we have something here’’. He was like there is something going on, you should definitely continue writing songs and that’s what I did.There wasn’t a whole lot of experimentation either. It was just going in and letting myself be consumed by the emotion of what was being said and really giving into it. If that means crying in the studio,or screaming that’s what happens.”
Wilkes has toured all over the world I wondered had he experienced anything bizarre or extraordinary in his time on the road
“There have been so many amazing experiences. It was pretty intense when we were in Indonesia. I think it was 2008 or 2009.We were playing inside of a mall. That was insane because there was not a whole lot of security and there were probably,18,000 people there and they hid us in a tiny room that was probably 12 ft by 12ft and we just sat there for hours until we went on to play. We also went over and played for the troops for the USO and that was an experience. That was in Afghanistan and Iraq and that was during the war so there were bombs going off.I also went to Stockholm Sweden in 2014 I think and I did the halftime show for Monster Jam. So this was after Red Jumpsuit and that was probably one of the craziest experiences I’ve ever had.It was about 30 to 40 thousand people and I did a halftime show where I was dressed up like a power ranger, I had a light up suit on and it was for kids and we did EDM dance music and I drum soloed for seven and a half minutes and that was the half time show.It was amazing!”
A lot of people dream of living the life of a musician and playing their tracks to an audience. Wilkes has some words of wisdom
“My advice for up and coming musicians is to never give up on your dream. If you can finish your song go and find the closest studio to you to finish the song and give it out to the world.You never know what’s going to happen. Artist’s like Macklemore, you know he had a song called ‘Thrift Shop’ that came out, now 10 years ago.But when he released that song he just put it up on the internet and he didn’t promote it, he didn’t do anything and that song was out for almost a decade before it went to radio and became a huge single.So you never know what’s going to happen, especially in the world that we live in now and the industry that we are in now.So release your music be passionate about it and don’t ever give up on your dreams.”
Wilkes has an exciting year planned ahead with KOU and is gearing up tour next year
“The plan is to release singles the rest of the year.Right now we are releasing ‘Burn’ this week and then we will have another one that drops soon with some special guests. There are some things that we are lining up now and the plan is to release singles for the rest of this year and then start touring in 2021.”
Wilkes is an ambitious artist. His passion for music radiates from him through his animated and energetic persona.Exciting times lay ahead for him and all who are blessed to hear his music.
Alternative rocker and songwriter Chris Birdsall has released his latest single ‘Deaf, Dumb and Blind’. Coming from a string of bands in his youth, Chris Birdsall struck out on his own and released his debut solo album ’13 Songs’ in 2015. With his sound influenced by Eric Clapton and John Martyn, he continues to explore the bounds of his musical talent, pushing it further each time. ‘Deaf, Dumb and Blind’ is the first single to come from his upcoming album.
‘Deaf, Dumb and Blind’ is a slick rock track that thrives on a bluesy refrain and Chris Birdsall’s raw musicianship. With a stomping beat, swagger drenched guitar and powerful vocals the track is brimming with oodles of brawn.Birdsall builds the track from a groove infested sultry number into a ballsy power anthem. With a twanging western-esque guitar creating scorching fragments of delight between the muggy humid beat the song’s simplistic approach is quite versatile and striking. The mighty crescendo and sheer swagger dripping from this track is impressive. ‘Deaf, Dumb and Blind’ is catchy, fine blues rock tune sure to be stuck in your head for days.
Atticus are set to release their new single ‘Tony’ on May 22nd. Atticus are a four piece alt rock band from Dublin, comprised of Dan Wigglesworth, Steph Comiskey, Daragh O’Connor, and Paul Gleeson. They strive to take the best aspects of pop, rock, metal and rap to create an energetic and intriguing sound that is brought to life with riveting live shows. They have released 2 EPs to date: “Coherence” and “Deadlines”, both of which were self produced and recorded by the band themselves.
With a swarm of raw alternative rock Atticus present their most invigorating release to date with ‘Tony’. This track was destined to be blasted from the speakers. With dark murky soundscapes swirling through a crashing hyperactive wall of sound, Atticus have created one heavy mosh smothered anthem. The band pummel and pulverise with ground shaking drums and a dynamic dirty bass line that could summon the dead while harsh guitar lacerations cut shreds into the beefy backdrop. The band create wonderful tension through the acute luring verses while the explosive chorus erupts with a harsh shrill and enraged fury. Showcasing their refined majestic side the band embellish the song with rich rhythms and slick precise guitar maneuvers that boasts the quartet’s musical bravado in all its glory. Blending swagger saturated rock with moody grunge hues, dynamic rasped vocal howls and alternative rock anarchy, Atticus have created another thrilling banger.
