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Reviews
18 posts
Review: Lip Critic – Hex Dealer
I’ve longingly read about (but sadly not yet experienced) Lip Critic and their wildly frenetic live shows. The two, yes, count them…two drummers – Danny Eberle and Ilan Natter – play facing each other with vocalist Bret Kaser and Connor Kleitz on samplers in the middle. Their intense electro-punk/metal sound with a bit of dance thrown in has deservedly got them a fast army of fans and they are already the band to see before the venues get any bigger.
Review: Big Special – Postindustrial Hometown Blues
On occasion there comes an album that speaks to the times, resembles the present moment and captures the emotions of a generation. ‘Post Industrial Hometown Blues’ does exactly that, it gives the words to describe the shared malaise, the perils of precarity, daily drudgery and pharmacological escapism.
Review: The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know
A very quick follow up to last year’s ‘Everything Harmony’, The Lemon Twigs return with yet more perfectly pleasant do-wop pop rock harmonies on ‘A Dream Is All We Know’ on Captured Track Records.
Review: Porij – Teething
The indie dance sound, once a well worn crumpled leather jacket on top of a pile of stranger’s coats on a dance floor of a club that’s probably become a Co-op, now makes a striking and very fashionable return with the release of Porij’s debut album 'Teething' on Play it Again Sam Records.
Review: Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow
Pillow Queens, the Dublin based four piece, haven’t been short of accolades since forming in 2016 and certainly since their 2020 debut ‘In Waiting’. Their previous two albums have seen this indie rock, all-female quartet nominated twice for Irish album of the year and they’ve performed twice on The Late Late Show with James Corden. No pressure then for the release of their third, ‘Name Your Sorrow’, especially when they’ve decided to massively change their sound from something quieter and introspective to one that growls and bares its teeth.
Review: The K’s – I Wonder If The World Knows?
Although The Ks are one of the newer bands on the UK Indie music scene, they are fast becoming one of the most highly regarded bands of this time. With high energy performances and catchy singles, they have already found themselves to be gracing the main stage at many of the UKs largest festivals, such as Reading and Leeds and Isle of Wight Festival.
Review: Chalk – Conditions II
Having only recently come across the Belfast trio, I had not even had a chance to stumble into their 2023 EP, Conditions to build any opinions off. This follow up EP opens with a quasi industrial-electro-punk number. The Gate is, for me, an odd opener if you’re trying to listen to Chalk for the first time. It’s full of high adrenaline, static and deep and pained vocals from vocalist Ross Cullen all of which has you on the fence trying to dance off a panic attack.
Review: The Libertines – All Quiet On the Eastern Esplanade
When the release of a new album by The Libertines was announced back in October it felt like receiving an unexpected call from an old friend that you haven’t seen for years (well, nine years to be exact since the release of ‘Anthems for a Doomed Youth’). Like anyone in those moments, it’s just nice to hear that your mate is doing alright and anything else seems like a bonus.
Review: Blu DeTiger – All I Ever Want Is Everything
The self-produced debut album from New York’s homegrown talent Blu DeTiger is exactly what you’d expect – combining relatability with danceability.
Review: Nadine Shah – Filthy Underneath
It feels beyond comprehension for one person to have gone through so much in such a short space of time. Grief, addiction, recovery, the breakdown of her marriage and an attempted suicide, but Nadine Shah, on her fifth album Filthy Underneath, continues her offering to skillyfully master bold, yet humorous storytelling, which although difficult to listen to at times, is neither glorifying nor crass, but profound and honest.