Aster Tracks

Badflower - THIS IS HOW THE WORLD ENDS ( Big Machine / John Varvatos) I am very unsure what to make of this. On one hand it’s sonically very strong, good songwriting and keeps that radio rock vibe without sounding like just another band at the alt fest. On the other hand there's some themes here that are a little unhinged and I do understand that they’re being presented in an ironic way but once in a while it feels not so jokey and maybe as a bit harmful. Poppy - Flux (Sumerian) Normally Poppy is a huge artist for me and I really look forward to each release. The three singles leading up to this left me less than excited. The first listen through of the album left me pretty underwhelmed but second and on I enjoyed it more and more. I think part of the disappointment here is coming off of great projects like Am I a Girl, I Disagree and Eat a project that’s just good and not great can be a bit disappointing. Appreciating the album for what it is, a cool indie rock record, it has a lo...

On the surface of social media, Sincere Engineer is a bit of a hard project to dissect. They’re put into just about every punk facet you can think of without arriving at hardcore but I feel that bit is fair as the band mixes pop punk and midwestern emo elements into their music. The most puzzling part though is if this is a band or a solo act, seeing as the representation between it being either is fairly equal. In actuality it started as one and became the other. The band is fronted by Chicago native Deanna Belos and was orchestrated totally by her prior to this album before Red Scare records owner Toby Jeg helped her get off the ground and find bandmates. All history aside though, this new record Bless My Psyche has been turning a lot of heads in the past couple of weeks. We hit the ground running immediately on “Trust Me.” Drums kick the record off but it’s not even two seconds in before the rest of the band kicks in and Belos gives their “grand introduction.” The percussion overall...

Eidola - The Architect (Rise) Truly a shame that this record got held back two years. It’s clear this got passed around behind the scenes and had it been released when it was supposed to it would be a clear game changer. Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Columbia) Lil Nas X’s long-awaited debut record is here and it’s a solid release. I would say it’s a little ballad heavy and some of the features can come across as misses but it’s overall a good record. Spiritbox - Eternal Blue (Rise) Another long awaited first. A seamless record that makes even it’s whopping six (out of twelve) singles feel fresh. Every time I had an ounce of an expectation Spiritbox threw me for a loop. Maybe premature but this might just be my album of the year. Mel Stone - Princess, Part One Part One of a two part EP series, for my full thoughts see here. Real Friends - Torn in Two (Pure Noise) The return of Real Friends with a new vocalist and an interesting approach. Side A is the typical pop punk stylings of the band with S...

Princess, Part One is finally here. I have covered and followed this since all the way back in July having reviewed both singles, “Cat’s Song” and “Simone.” If you need a quick refresher as to what this project is though this is the first is a set of double EPs by independent singer, songwriter, internet presence Mel Stone. Mel has been pretty busy musically over the years having released a long string of six stripped back minimalist EPs leading up to the more grand scheme full band project Coast from last year. This undertaking however sees things in a much grander sense with Mel needing two EPs across this and Part Two sometime next year to get everything in this narrative out. As I said, we’ve already covered the singles to this point and they are right at the top of the tracklist but I will give them a once over. First to be released was “Cat’s Song,” the laid back telling of a deep seeded battle with depression. Then there was “Simone,” which is actually track one, the upbeat, dan...

Hot Milk, a band that up until researching for this review I thought was a duo, has released their new EP I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD. In actuality they are a “four-piece power pop movement” from northern England that’s just dual-fronted and leaves a lot of PR focus on their vocalists. Spotlights aside they have been turning a lot of heads getting internet success and playing festival dates without even an album to their name. It is normally my style to talk about the singles first then dive into the deep cuts but I feel that isn’t necessary here as all five of these tracks are crafted in such a way that they could have all been released and stood by themselves with maybe an exception to “Woozy.” The title track (I’m not gonna make you read that a third time) is a minimalist nu metal cut dressed in an intro and chorus sequence that is heavily emo inspired, The Used comes to mind every time I turn this on. What I mean by “minimalist” is just that these verses very much ...

Andrew W.K. - God is Partying (Napalm) Andrew painted a picture of a progressive metal record with the singles leading up to this in contrast to his usual party rock sound. It’s not quite what I expected but it’s a really solid release, Andrew puts out some emotional stuff in here and I’m hoping he continues to make whatever it is he wants. The Band CAMINO - The Band CAMINO (Elektra) This was a really fun pop rock record sort of in the vein of things like The Maine. What shocked me the most here was that this band has sort of been around for a long time (2015) and this the debut! Really good place to “start” and turned my attention to them. Hawthorne Heights - The Rain Just Follows Me (Pure Noise) It’s another Hawthorne Heights album. It’s not any different than the last but it’s just as good. Still wish they would just not have a scream-vocalist anymore as screams in a Hawthorne song add absolutely nothing but it’s a solid release. Sincere Engineer - Bless My Psyche (Hopeless) Our mos...

Blind Equation - LIFE IS PAIN New record by “emotional cybergrind” act Blind Equation and this may be my take away of the week. I don’t want to equate this to 2010s crabcore cause that isn’t really correct but it’s a similar concept to explain in that it’s heavy music with electronic elements. As opposed to pounding riffs and smooth choruses though the songs are just brutal through and through backed by some straight-up synth riffs. Shan Vincent de Paul - Made in Jaffna The journey this record puts you through blew me away. It starts describing a truly dark place and in it wanting to give up on your passions and along the way you hear about successes, injustice, reaching out to former friends. Anice little surprise in the week. New Found Glory - Forever and Ever X Infinity (Hopeless) Last week I liked a Halsey record, this week I like a New Found Glory project, my entire life is on its head. In all seriousness, yes I am in no way a New Found Glory fan so when they were working toward a...