Tag Archives: alternative rock

Indie, New Music, Pop Punk

Ocean’s Avenue ‘Overdo$ed’

Isle of Man’s Ocean’s Avenue have released their second single ‘Overdo$ed’. Written after seeing a friend leaving a toxic relationship which resulted in turning towards alcohol and drugs, ‘Overdo$ed’ carries relatable images of hitting rock bottom, trying to get over someone. Collaborating with Ben Donaldson (VooDoo Bandits), Jamie McIntyre and Graeme of Two Zero Nine Mastering has allowed Ocean’s Avenue to unlock their sound and achieve their vision. Ocean’s Avenue formed in March 2020, just days before COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were implemented. Despite the subsequent challenges that followed for the whole music industry, Ocean’s Avenue have already secured several live shows, delivering electrifying performances that have allowed their fan base to grow.  The boys are currently hard at work recording their first album, consisting of songs they have written together over the past year.

‘Overdo$ed’  is an energetic blast of indie punk that fleshes out Ocean’s Avenue’s catchy and buoyant sound. The band create a bubbling soundscape of elastic bass grooves and driving rhythms with sharp lacerations on guitars that gash throughout. The track is an impressive display of musicianship and a joy to listen to. Filled with an infectious melody and sing-along chorus ‘Overdo$ed’ is a vibrant and energetic tune from Ocean’s Avenue.

Stream ‘Overdo$ed’ below 


Author: Danu

Alt Rock, EP Review, New Music

SamSeb Kierkegaard ‘Luna: Fantasy Named Happiness’ EP

SamSeb Kierkegaard has released his new EP ‘Luna: Fantasy Named Happiness’ which tells a whirlwind story of a boy from the city of Reality, Luna Moonlight the heroine, and Uncertainty the Monster. South Korean Alt-Rock artist SamSeb Kierkegaard is an exceptionally exciting creator, who explores the polarities of life through his incredibly intricate songwriting talents.

‘Luna: Fantasy Named Happiness‘ is a passionate collection of alternative rock tunes that boasts the atmospheric and mighty sound of SamSeb Kierkegaard. The EP ventures between exhilarating anthems like ‘Luna: The Invisible Irony’ to darker tracks such as ‘Luna: Luna Moonlight’ which is reminiscent of 90’s rock with metal flirtations. The EP is well crafted and cohesive as Kierkegaard takes the listener on a rollercoaster journey of emotions through expressive musicianship. His sound is theatrical and explosive with shredding guitar lines that move between warm chimes and soaring refrains while pounding drums and ethereal melodies keep the listener hooked on every note. With moments of jaunty rhythms flickering between eerie tones in ‘Luna Dependent Personality Disorder’ and light shoegaze psychedelia in ‘Luna: The Myth of Sisyphus,’ this genre-blending anthemic EP is a satisfying listen and a glimpse into the thrilling sound of SamSeb Kierkegaard.

Stream ‘Luna: Fantasy Named Happiness’ below 


Author: Danu

Album Review, Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music

Cory Pensa ‘Night Light’ Album

Cory Pensa has released his debut album ‘Night Light’. An album which has taken 3 years in the making to be released, Cory created the entire album himself, playing each instrument and mixing the album afterwards. Using his own home studio in Northern NJ, Cory has been able to build his album from the comfort of his own home.

‘Night Light’ is a blazing album of alternative rock that boasts the tight, cohesive and mighty sound of Cory Pensa. Pensa takes catchy melodies and backs them with shredding guitar hooks, pounding drums and vibrant bass grooves to create an album that explodes with an array of pop-punk anthems, rock smashers and dark brooding grunge moments. The album flows seamlessly to create a satisfying listening experience. From the heavy onslaught of thrashing drums and soaring guitars in ‘Satisfied’ to the gritty rush of  ‘Afraid Of The Dark’, the album surges with adrenaline and vigour. As ‘Night Light’ rolls through themes of resilience, youthful fun and hope the instrumentation remains tight throughout and with heavy outbursts and little anthemic gems such as ‘Bonfires’ keeping a sing-along vibrance. It’s a thrilling album to listen to.

Cory Pensa has created an impressive mosh ready album brimming to the seams with rich, dynamic musicianship.

Stream ‘Night Light’ below


Author: Danu

Alt Rock, New Music

InRetrospect ‘Safe Haven’

UK metalcore band InRetrospect have released their fourth single ‘Safe Haven’ from their new EP.InRetrospect have shared stages with Lastelle, Invisions, Death Blooms, Graphic Nature, Blood Youth, Monasteries, Gassed Up and more, and also played at Burn It Down Festival in 2021. The band’s previous singles have deservedly garnered support from BBC, Amazing Radio, Primordial Radio, Distortion Radio, and more. Furthermore, the band have had support from Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, Pandora, Tidal and Apple music, surpassing 200,000+ streams on Spotify alone. 2022 sees the band continuing to tour intensely, sharing stages with the likes of We Struck Gold, Tyrants and more.

‘Safe Haven’ roars with the intense and compelling sound of InRetrospect. The band take their heavy metalcore sound and flourish it with melodic choruses and raw brooding verses to create a thrilling listening experience. With gravelly vocal screams over jagged guitar riffs and pummeling drums, the track boasts a heavy and thunderous wall of sound. The song travels at a neck-snapping speed up to the soaring emotive chorus which provides a slight release from the dense instrumental onslaught. Blending angst, rampant basslines and emotive lyrics; “An event so disturbing even earth began to give, What happened to love, What happened to peace” with expressive soundscapes ‘Safe Haven’ is a fantastic new single from InRetrospect.

Stream ‘Safe Haven’ below 


Author:Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music

Mark Daly & The Ravens ‘Gotta Run’


Mark Daly & The Ravens have recently released their new single ‘Gotta Run’. From performing at the MTV EMA Awards with The Voodoos, hitting #1 on the Scottish New Music charts with his Autism Awareness charity solo single ‘Your World’ to his songwriting work with Geoff Tate-led supergroup, Operation: Mindcrime; and recently performing on the Monsters of Rock Cruise 2022 alongside the likes of Alice Cooper, Buckcherry and more, Irish Rock musician Mark Daly’s career has been as varied as it has been exhilarating. His last single, ‘Don’t Look Back’, was the first with a new line-up of like-minded musicians that joined him to create Mark Daly & The Ravens. In the summer of 2021, Mark teamed up with Avantasia guitarist and world-renowned producer Sascha Paeth to begin work on a brand new Hard Rock album called ‘Peace in the Panic’ which is set for a release this year.

‘Gotta Run’ is a fiery, swagger-filled tune that boasts the colossal rock sound of Mark Daly & The Ravens. The band take a brawny drum foundation and douse kinetic guitars, riveting bass lines and blues sprinkled panache on top to create a tune that is a glorious assault on the senses. The song is well crafted as the band blend classic rock elements with earworm melodies to create that big arena rock sing-along before the song unfolds into a swirling frenzy for the manic crescendo. With rasped vocals and dynamic energy pulsing throughout ‘Gotta Run’ is a satisfying rock stomper that displays the magnificent sound of Mark Daly & The Ravens. 

Stream ‘Gotta Run’ below 


Author: Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music

Forty Foot ‘IDNA’

Dublin band Forty Foot have released their new single ‘IDNA’.  Forty Foot is a three-piece band from Dublin, composed of Mark Dillon (Guitar) and cousins Sam Coffey (Guitar/Vocals) and Ezra Mullen (Drums). The band was formed in 2019 following the sudden death of a friend and previous collaborator, with much of their initial work written and inspired by the bands’ loss. Their debut release ‘Drugs’ was recorded during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic at Yellow Door studios. This was followed by their sophomore release “Zeros” which received radio play across Ireland, the UK, and also America.

Forty Foot returns with ‘IDNA’ – a thrilling and blustery grunge rock assault. The track pulsates on a resounding bassline while sharp frenzied guitars pierce throughout. The tune is richly layered in expressive swirling soundscapes that briskly turn into a dizzying trip of distortion as the song reaches its dynamic crescendo. With rasp-filled vocals haunting over an infectious melody, Forty Foot quenches our thirst for raw grunge rock with this exciting, ravaging new tune. Press play and enjoy.

Speaking about the single ‘IDNA’ Guitarist and Vocalist Sam Coffey said: “The lyrics only came together really when we hit the studio. I don’t think I had the chorus written at all actually. For me, it’s a call to arms. Ireland’s been through a tough time with COVID and with an unaccountable government that is just ticking boxes. It’s been rough for many. Despite this there is an inherent pride and togetherness we all share, it is in our DNA. All the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, lovers, had to keep each other going. I think I was just tapping into that feeling, it was certainly how I felt and how I still feel.”

Stream ‘IDNA’ below

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Author: Danu

Alt Rock, New Music

Betty’s Nuklear ‘Bleeding the Summer’

Betty’s Nuklear have released their debut single ‘Bleeding the Summer’. Established in 2021, Betty’s Nuklear are a South African based band comprised of Chad Abnett (Lead Vocals), Dean Clarke (Lead Guitar), Shane Carew (Drums), Anthonie Botha (Bass Guitar).

Filled with hefty guitar riffs, pummeling drums and lusty bass lines, ‘Bleeding the Summer’ presents Betty’s Nuklear’s mighty sound in all its glory. It is quite the thrilling experience as the band blend moments of alternative rock with blues undertones alongside rasp-filled vocals and a catchy melody. The track beckons repeat plays and is one to blast loud through the speakers. Enjoy.

Stream  ‘Bleeding the Summer’ below

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Author: Danu

Album Review, Alt Rock, New Music

Vaquelin ‘Where Dreams Hurt’ Album

Kicking off 2022 with a bang, the York-based four-piece rock band Vaquelin have just released their debut album, ‘Where Dreams Hurt’. The band have been gigging locally for a few months now but already have a global audience spanning multiple continents. The group are looking forward to getting back on stage and performing songs from their new record – along with some other unrecorded sneak peeks into the future. Over lockdown, the band hasn’t slowed down, with second and third records already in the works. They have been writing and recording demos while waiting for their mixes and masters. 

‘Where Dreams Hurt’ is a diverse collection of tracks that boasts Vaquelin’s genre-blending sound and eloquent songwriting. Oozing dark undertones, shredding guitar solos and driving rhythms ‘Soliloquy,’ ‘The Garden’ and ‘Though the Heavens Fall’ all exude the refined and mature musicianship of the band as they lace heavy rock elements with ominous tones and eerie instrumental outbursts. Throughout the album, the band drench their songs in classic rock bravado however, there are lighter moments within the album as well. A fine example is ‘Iridescent Streetlights’ which is filled with bright guitar elements, buoyant rhythms and dreamy tones.

The album packs one heck of a punch as Vaquelin take their shadowy lyricism and couple it with a shredding alternative rock backdrop. ‘Hyperdepressant’ displays this superbly: with smooth eerie vocals crooning “angle living in a snow globe all smashed up on the kitchen counter oh no, how sad. Glass in your mouth does it hurt, now I feel bad” beneath volcanic guitar riffage and monstrous bass grooves, the band create a sleek tune that showcases the bands swagger and impressive musicianship.

‘Where Dreams Hurt’ is a polished and melodically lush album from Vaquelin that beckons repeat plays.

Stream ‘Where Dreams Hurt’ below 


Author: Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, New Music

James Hooker & The Hallows ‘Don’t Slow Me Down’

Australian indie-rock band James Hooker & The Hallows have released their debut single ‘Don’t Slow Me Down’, from their second studio album. Recorded at ‘Head Gap’ recording studio in Melbourne, the punchy track demonstrates ‘not allowing yourself to be held back by anyone or anything, being true to yourself’. 

Filled with light guitar and hazy indie rock soundscapes ‘Don’t Slow Me Down’, is an infectious new single from James Hooker & The Hallows. Warm tones on guitar chime through an energetic wall of sound to create a bright and easy-listening experience for listeners to enjoy as the band display their expressive songwriting and evocative music through this charming song. ‘Don’t Slow Me Down’ is a catchy and invigorating tune to indulge in again and again.

Stream ‘Don’t Slow Me Down’ below 


Author: Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, Indie Punk, indie rock, New Music, Post Punk

Scattered Ashes ‘This New Will’

Scattered Ashes have released their new single ‘This New Will’. The track follows The ‘Parallel Lines EP’, released on blood red vinyl,  selling out in its first week in Rough Trade stores throughout the UK. 2021 ended with sell-out Dublin and London shows, alongside support with Sprints and THUMPER. Scattered Ashes come straight out of the Dublin post-punk underground that birthed Murder Capital and Fontaines DC. The four-piece rapidly developed a name for themselves with their debut single ‘Love Is Not An Option’ receiving immediate support and airplay from Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6) and KEXP over in the states. The band are now set to embark on a series of Irish & UK shows in support of the single, including dates in Dublin, Galway, London, Manchester and Leeds.

With a glorious guitar refrain peering above a heavy rhythmic wall of sound, ‘This New Will’ is an exciting new single from Scattered Ashes. The song deals with the topic of disintegration and rebirth. Eloquent swirling instrumentation creates moments of innocence within the track’s overwhelming sense of melancholy while a lamenting melody and deep vocals express the song’s poetic lyrical depth, “there’s a price for pain, it’s so much different than before”. Showcasing majestic guitar work between outbursts of distortion and psychedelia, ‘This New Will’ is a compelling new tune from Scattered Ashes.

About the track, frontman Robert Dalton remarks that “A lifetime of self-denial leads to a dramatic overhaul of character: a new hope, a new urge, a new will. This is our most poignant song yet.” 

 Stream ‘This New Will’ below


Author:Danu