HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS "Church of Flag"
Hayley and the Crushers new single/video “Church of Flag” is fun female fronted pop rock/punk from CA. Often this style of music can be weakened by a lackluster delivery but Hayley and the Crushers simply bring it, or should I say crush it. Solid thumping drums, great guitar tones and a superb vocal performance make the song stand out in a genre that at times can be oversaturated. You'll be nodding your head and pumping your fist, waiting to hear more from this intriguing band. Highly recommended!
DEEP WIMP “People Are Young These Days”
I feel like this band is young because the first lyrics take a few minutes to come in and I think older musicians realize “Let’s just get to the point and cut out the fat”. Jangly guitars play off the slightly off key vocals well in mish mosh of styles. The band feels like it’s inspired by the 90’s and you can definitely hear a little hint of early 2000’s punk, emo and indie. Songs like “Sweater” feel almost like a little bit of The Get Up Kids, Sunny Day Real Estate mixed with Grade or The Promise Ring. I don’t mind the rough edge that the production has, it makes the recording more endearing. This feels like a fun project that was recorded in a basement with a group of friends who just so happen to be competent musicians on the beginning of their musical journey.
EXPERT TIMING "Live in Stereo"
Self-described as a “bubble-grunge powerpop” band, Orlando Florida’s Expert Timing have released a 5-song live EP recorded at Shards in Bethlehem, PA in May of 2019, from better times before the covid era. I would describe their sound as more of a straight rock band with some pop melodies and grunge aesthetics, but regardless, this is a solid live recording and you get a good feel of the band but can’t help but wonder how these songs would sound properly recorded. Oh yeah, killer wild sounding guitar solos abound in these songs, and great male/female harmonies. Hopefully we’ll get to hear recorded versions soon.
GLASS HOUSE "Star Club"
Glass House’s new album starts with a very Weezer-ish feel but with vocals that are a little darker and in the vein of Interpol. The album “Star Club” is an interesting mix of musicians, you can kind of hear that they are all coming from different influences and then come together to add their touch to this group of songs. This band has elements of the 90’s band Wax and some of the weirder stuff I remember from that era, the vocals especially at times are almost Ken Andrews of Failure-ish as if he was fronting a power pop band. The vocal at times like on “Ignoring The Alien” feels almost sarcastic like the singer wants to scream but he’s being forced to sing over a pop song. The guitars jangle like The Smiths at times or heavier 90’s stuff like My Bloody Valentine with interesting bits of noise here and there. Overall, whether you were around in the 90’s or not if you are fan of eclectic bands that encompass that era you might really enjoy this.
RHONETTE SMITH “Phantasmic”
This is not a new album, in fact it’s almost 2 years old at this point but was sent to us to review and that’s ok, because of the pandemic we understand a lot of bands didn’t get the most out of their late 2019-2020 releases. This feels a little bit like a project where either the band has not been together very long or it is a singer/songwriter who invited studio musicians to play on their debut album. The music is great, the vocals are fun but it feels like it’s missing something like a clear identity. That is perfectly fine, because it’s something that usually takes a few releases to find. What I like most about this though is I can hear the potential of it. I could be totally wrong and maybe that’s because I’m not sure what I’d classify this type of music as except for the wide umbrella of Paramore-ish on some tracks, 90’s alternative on others, and modern indie pop on others. Some of this feels very Asbury Park pop punk in the vein of some of the bigger locals like Well Wisher. I hear a lot of good things on this release but I also hear a band that is trying to discover themselves and sometimes that makes for the best songs. Looking forward to more from Rhonette Smith.
- Sam Lowry/Joe Pugsley