Aster Tracks

New York pop rock trio Against the Current have presented us with a new set of songs, which are promised to be the first in a double EP. I wanted to take an in-depth look at this release as the band’s mix of synth-pop and rock didn’t really work for me before. (See Past Lives and In Our Bones. ) However these new songs have really been standing out to me. There were three singles preceding this seven track project starting with “weapon,” a track I feel very strongly about. It has that pop sensibility but does a lot with it. The gang vocals that still feel in tuned to a DIY sound despite how big the EP itself is trying to be, we change up an instrumental bridge to all acoustic at a point. There is a very cool moment vocally where all music stops and, isolated, Chrissy Costanza sings; “I always say I hate the way you look at me now” Basically by herself and it kicks right back in just before the line ends. Which is such a short moment but adds so much to the song and how interesting it c...

Attila - Closure Attila’s been around for awhile and hasn't been known for well respected albums in the past few years. While I can’t deny that the musicianship is there, this is just another dud. The personality that this band puts up was fun at first but it’s just overstayed its welcome and is never presented in a fresh way. That and there’s just a lot of awkward decisions going on. Fronz coughing once if it fits the song? Fine probably would work. Multiple times? It got old before even the first listen through of thirty minutes was up. Brojob - THE HEAVIEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME (Hallowed Records) There’s a lot of hype around deathcore at the moment between all the huge releases and Lorna Shore having a top 10 song on streaming services. That’s all great! It’s just not a genre I usually cover as it’s not one I go to myself. Brojob is the brutal riffs and other heavy music associated with the genre but in a laid back, comedic way that just makes it for me easier to swallow and doesn’...

  Just when I thought; “summer is here, these coming couple of months won’t really be packed,” we hit a week like this. There are so many releases that came out last week to check out. Did many stick with me? Well let’s look into that! July also has some heat left so make sure you stay tuned for the next couple weeks as well. Boys Night Out - Nevermind 2 Canadian post-hardcore classics in Boys Night Out have taken to re-record some material from their early demos and EPs and packaged it together with the original versions! If you’ve never heard their stuff and want a place to start, this new release could do that for you. chloe moriondo - blood bunny (acoustic , Fueled by Ramen) Blood Bunny is currently my second favorite record of 2020 so far and if you’ve followed along you’ve heard me talk to death about it. This EP is just a fun little project where chloe and Cavetown take 4 of the 13 tracks from there and offer acoustic renditions. It’s a fun little EP if you liked it origina...

Mel Stone is set to release Princess Part 1 on September 24th of this year. The release serves as the first in a double EP with the second slated to be released in March of 2022, and the two to eventually be combined into a full record. In the meantime though we have been promised two singles “Cat's Song” and “Simone,” the first releasing the day after you’re reading this on Mel’s bandcamp, as well as being added to streaming services one week later. “Cat's Song” opens with a drum fill that sort of carries this track in a good way. The other pieces of the instrumentation are just subtle enough to add a lot of depth but still letting the percussion shine. That of course is not to dismiss the harmonies in the back of the leads that make the whole thing grand. The somber, yet sort of uplifting mood fits well with the lyrics, which narrate a person’s mental health struggle from a third party perspective. The second verse, still the same instrumentally, takes on a similar melody to...

Michael Swank formerly of Myka Relocate is back! This time he’s fronting Phoenix, AZ’s Foxera, who prior to Swank’s joining up only had one single to their name; “Memories” feat. Tilian. Friday the band released “Picture Perfect” to usher in their new vocalist. The track itself has an intro that’s cut into two sections. The first bit opens with a really nice riff leading into some drum fills before some vocal cuts are added in and all that really gets your blood pumping, gets you ready for the main course. The second section is sort of a reintroduction and is short, sweet, takes us into the lead vocals and Swank’s return. Before we get to the verse though I do have to nitpick that the double intro feels a bit long. If this is an opening track to a project and that first half a minute is really an intro track in itself I don’t think that would really fail to stick the landing. Finally we get into the verse, which is pretty lowkey and haunting. I feel that what they’re trying to do here ...

  Two very major album releases this week and a whole lot of singles. The Maine - XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time (8123 / Photo Finish Records) I 100% do not have to report that The Maine has a new record. Their fanbase is one of the most dedicated I have ever seen and it shows that they really do this for the fans at this point. Even if you look at the Spotify graphic with some of the tracks it reads; “A band called The Maine made this for you.” Bouncy, yet heartfelt pop rock that’s great for a summer drive into the sunset. Vince Staples - Vince Staples (UMG Recordings) On the total opposite spectrum from The Maine we have this short hip hop record with a chilled out groove. Vince gets really personal here with his history growing up in North Long Beach, CA and the struggles that came with it but it’s certainly not an experience I want to spoil for you. Clown Core - 1234 Jazz-funk act Clow Core has released another one of these under 10 minute EPs. Not a crazy amount I ...

  As we enter the throes of summer, releases other than singles will largely die down until the fall. This is mainly because it’s wiser for numbers to release early in the summer. With that said, expect these posts to mostly talk about just songs, with I’m sure some expectations, until the explosive September we have coming up. Eidola - Counterfeit Shrines (Rise Records) Unless you’ve been living under a rock on the alternative side of Twitter for the last year and a half, you’d know the situation with Eidola’s upcoming record The Architect . To sum up, the record has been ready for a long time, Rise Records withheld it, meme culture took over. Suddenly, however, fans started questioning the situation and the very next day this single dropped. This track is good, like really good, like it’s hard to see a label holding this for so long. I urge you to check this out and pre-order if you can. I’ve only scratched the surface of the situation Eidola is in and Rise Records seems to be p...