Purple Stone – Spacetime

It has been a while since we had a chance to write about a duo that sounds this good, and when they’re exploring music genres we love from the bottom of our hearts, every listening session becomes such a treat. As you probably already know, the psychedelic rock scene has thrived over the last couple of years, with many new bands and acts delivering high-quality music. It seems like many of them are overly experimenting, exploiting their influences to the max, or mimicking something that the greats recorded and performed decades ago. Thankfully, there are still music outlets capable of writing, composing, and recording unique tracks, rarely heard or seen today. Purple Stone, a duo hailing from northern Sweden, brought “Spacetime,” their second full-length offering that carries a comprehensive collection of fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting compositions that will unquestionably appeal to all those music enthusiasts who are looking for cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music. Lyrically and conceptually, this material is self-explanatory. It explores space and time, and their power to shape the universe and everything that surrounds us. Through their music, they cover various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making this material such a deeply resonant listening experience. Sonically, “Spacetime” dominatly explores psychedelic rock sound, as it carries the fundamental elements of this style, but it also goes beyond mere aesthetics of the genre by incorporating other complementary music genres, directions, techniques, and approaches. During these moments, their dedication to the craft truly shines because their compositions are packed with so many details, nuances, layers, elements, and hidden sonic surprises, ready to be revealed with each new listen. You’ll notice how they implemented some of the finest properties from krautrock, synth rock, art rock, alternative, stoner, indie, cinematic ambient, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon more along the way. Although their songs carry qualities that meet all the trends in modern music production, you’ll also notice a subtle touch of nostalgia, evoking eras of psychedelic rock music when this particular music genre ruled the airwaves. Still, these touches of nostalgia are subtle enough not the spoil their initial sonic direction. It’s such a pleasant listening experience packed with so many qualities, suitable for even those listeners stumbling upon psych-rock music for the first time.

As soon as you press play, you’ll hear that Purple Stone dedicated themselves to crafting luxuriant soundscapes that immediately invite you to join onto epic sonic voyage and never look back. It’s an amalgam of songs that wraps around your listening apparatus, grabs by the collar, and never lets go, proving that even contemporary psych-rock music can still sound addictive, hypnotic, and irresistible. Take “Come On Come On Come On” as a perfect example. Perhaps this introductory piece showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the material, but it also demonstrates Purple Stone’s tremendous creative genius. With all those subtly fuzzy guitar works, lush synth layers, intricate warm-sounding basslines, and profoundly detailed beats, it packs all the qualities you wanna hear in a modern psych-rock. But wait until you hear those soulful vocal harmonies; they’re undoubtedly stealing the show here. We already talked about “I’m The One” in our previous writings. It further expands Purple Stone sounds with even more thoughtfully arranged instrumentations, yet it certainly carries its own, distinctive ambiance worth checking out over and over again. Blending seventies synth sequences with commanding basslines is one of the Purple Stone’s strengths, and “Alright” proves how a rock-solid rhythm section and a couple of beautiful synth layers can do wonders. But the band has not forgotten the guitars. Quite the contrary, in this particular scenario, guitars accentuate carefully picked segments with catchy leads, themes, and other sonic maneuvers. Once again, the vocal harmonies decorate and elevate everything while the harmonious sing-alongs provide a more anthemic, hypnotic, meditative feel. “Get High” calms things down with its moderate pace, cinematic ambient pads, marvelous reverby guitar works, and soulful vocal lines. This particular composition carries almost bluesy, soulful, psych-rock vibes, and the band crafted a masterpiece that further showcases their dedication to the craft. “Moods” continues in nearly the same style, but it’s more focused on repetitive sonic and percussive sequences that create hypnotic, ethereal, otherworldly vibes. With tracks like “Adrift” and “Unidentified Flying Space Machine,” Purple Stone gets back to the primary sonic direction, delivering more vocal harmonies that serve as a centerpiece, jangly yet subtly distorted chord progressions, riffs, and other sonic delicacies. Beneath these vocals and guitars, there is a low-end undercurrent offering more heaviness, clarity, and depth while binding everything together. The beats remain steady, groovy, and dynamic, with all those detailed accentuations and subtle fills announcing each upcoming segment. The duo expertly crafts multilayered soundscapes, and “Late Night” is more than a rock-solid proof of how all those layers articulate together without overwhelming each other. In this track, the guitars play a significant role by emitting all those calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, and other sonic maneuvers. This epic sonic journey comes to an end with a title track, a fine piece of sonic artistry that pretty much sums up everything Purple Stone intended to achieve with this material while simultaneously inviting you to spin this wonderful album all over again.

https://youtu.be/BvkdwsHxE-Y?si=V0FfQ1Euhz3ZaXkf

If you are looking for a modern psychedelic rock album where each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver works harmoneously in building an addictive, hypnotic, irresistible, fascinating, and luxurious soundscape, “Spacetime” will be right up your alley. This album is a psych-rock masterpiece, thoughtfully written, composed, and recorded by two brilliant songwriters and musicians, whose tremendous experience, knowledge, talent, skills, and ideas shine from start to finish. You should immediately place “Spacetime” on your radar, because each song is packed with so many mesmerizing moments that will assure this is one of the finest albums you’ll hear in a while. Head to your favorite streaming platform and check it out.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1RCzin7My0zyFdaIvqFQPJ?si=_1a1wViwRby5BXGpJNiYMw

#ALTERNATIVE #AMBIENT #ARTROCK #CINEMATIC #INDIE #INDIEROCK #MUSIC #PSYCHROCK #PSYCHEDELICROCK #PURPLESTONE #REVIEWS #SYNTHROCK

Purple Stone – Spacetime

It has been a while since we had a chance to write about a duo that sounds this good, and when they’re exploring music genres we love from the bottom of our hearts, every listening session becomes such a treat. As you probably already know, the psychedelic rock scene has thrived over the last couple of years, with many new bands and acts delivering high-quality music. It seems like many of them are overly experimenting, exploiting their influences to the max, or mimicking something that the greats recorded and performed decades ago. Thankfully, there are still music outlets capable of writing, composing, and recording unique tracks, rarely heard or seen today. Purple Stone, a duo hailing from northern Sweden, brought “Spacetime,” their second full-length offering that carries a comprehensive collection of fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting compositions that will unquestionably appeal to all those music enthusiasts who are looking for cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music. Lyrically and conceptually, this material is self-explanatory. It explores space and time, and their power to shape the universe and everything that surrounds us. Through their music, they cover various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making this material such a deeply resonant listening experience. Sonically, “Spacetime” dominatly explores psychedelic rock sound, as it carries the fundamental elements of this style, but it also goes beyond mere aesthetics of the genre by incorporating other complementary music genres, directions, techniques, and approaches. During these moments, their dedication to the craft truly shines because their compositions are packed with so many details, nuances, layers, elements, and hidden sonic surprises, ready to be revealed with each new listen. You’ll notice how they implemented some of the finest properties from krautrock, synth rock, art rock, alternative, stoner, indie, cinematic ambient, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon more along the way. Although their songs carry qualities that meet all the trends in modern music production, you’ll also notice a subtle touch of nostalgia, evoking eras of psychedelic rock music when this particular music genre ruled the airwaves. Still, these touches of nostalgia are subtle enough not the spoil their initial sonic direction. It’s such a pleasant listening experience packed with so many qualities, suitable for even those listeners stumbling upon psych-rock music for the first time.

As soon as you press play, you’ll hear that Purple Stone dedicated themselves to crafting luxuriant soundscapes that immediately invite you to join onto epic sonic voyage and never look back. It’s an amalgam of songs that wraps around your listening apparatus, grabs by the collar, and never lets go, proving that even contemporary psych-rock music can still sound addictive, hypnotic, and irresistible. Take “Come On Come On Come On” as a perfect example. Perhaps this introductory piece showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the material, but it also demonstrates Purple Stone’s tremendous creative genius. With all those subtly fuzzy guitar works, lush synth layers, intricate warm-sounding basslines, and profoundly detailed beats, it packs all the qualities you wanna hear in a modern psych-rock. But wait until you hear those soulful vocal harmonies; they’re undoubtedly stealing the show here. We already talked about “I’m The One” in our previous writings. It further expands Purple Stone sounds with even more thoughtfully arranged instrumentations, yet it certainly carries its own, distinctive ambiance worth checking out over and over again. Blending seventies synth sequences with commanding basslines is one of the Purple Stone’s strengths, and “Alright” proves how a rock-solid rhythm section and a couple of beautiful synth layers can do wonders. But the band has not forgotten the guitars. Quite the contrary, in this particular scenario, guitars accentuate carefully picked segments with catchy leads, themes, and other sonic maneuvers. Once again, the vocal harmonies decorate and elevate everything while the harmonious sing-alongs provide a more anthemic, hypnotic, meditative feel. “Get High” calms things down with its moderate pace, cinematic ambient pads, marvelous reverby guitar works, and soulful vocal lines. This particular composition carries almost bluesy, soulful, psych-rock vibes, and the band crafted a masterpiece that further showcases their dedication to the craft. “Moods” continues in nearly the same style, but it’s more focused on repetitive sonic and percussive sequences that create hypnotic, ethereal, otherworldly vibes. With tracks like “Adrift” and “Unidentified Flying Space Machine,” Purple Stone gets back to the primary sonic direction, delivering more vocal harmonies that serve as a centerpiece, jangly yet subtly distorted chord progressions, riffs, and other sonic delicacies. Beneath these vocals and guitars, there is a low-end undercurrent offering more heaviness, clarity, and depth while binding everything together. The beats remain steady, groovy, and dynamic, with all those detailed accentuations and subtle fills announcing each upcoming segment. The duo expertly crafts multilayered soundscapes, and “Late Night” is more than a rock-solid proof of how all those layers articulate together without overwhelming each other. In this track, the guitars play a significant role by emitting all those calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, and other sonic maneuvers. This epic sonic journey comes to an end with a title track, a fine piece of sonic artistry that pretty much sums up everything Purple Stone intended to achieve with this material while simultaneously inviting you to spin this wonderful album all over again.

https://youtu.be/BvkdwsHxE-Y?si=V0FfQ1Euhz3ZaXkf

If you are looking for a modern psychedelic rock album where each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver works harmoneously in building an addictive, hypnotic, irresistible, fascinating, and luxurious soundscape, “Spacetime” will be right up your alley. This album is a psych-rock masterpiece, thoughtfully written, composed, and recorded by two brilliant songwriters and musicians, whose tremendous experience, knowledge, talent, skills, and ideas shine from start to finish. You should immediately place “Spacetime” on your radar, because each song is packed with so many mesmerizing moments that will assure this is one of the finest albums you’ll hear in a while. Head to your favorite streaming platform and check it out.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1RCzin7My0zyFdaIvqFQPJ?si=_1a1wViwRby5BXGpJNiYMw

#ALTERNATIVE #AMBIENT #ARTROCK #CINEMATIC #INDIE #INDIEROCK #MUSIC #PSYCHROCK #PSYCHEDELICROCK #PURPLESTONE #REVIEWS #SYNTHROCK

Tricky Business By Ruby Dee Phillipa (Earth Island Books)

Ruby Dee Philippa’s Tricky Business is a brilliant, unfiltered continuation of her vivid portrayal of San Francisco’s early 1980s punk scene. Picking up where Bag of Tricks left off, the book once again places the reader inside a moment in time when chaos, art, rebellion, and self-destruction collided in ways that shaped an entire generation. The book follows familiar faces, Val, Sophie, Amy, Babs, Annie, Carla, Marco, and The Shits, as they navigate the clubs, basements, alleys, and cheap apartments. Each chapter feels experienced to the max, drawn deep from the memory. Philippa’s writing carries the quickness of someone who was there, who understood what punk meant to the young and restless of San Francisco, and not simply music, but identity, rebellion, survival. Her approach is journalistic in its clarity, yet deeply literary in rhythm and tone. She avoids romanticizing the past, instead offering a grounded depiction of the scene’s realities, poverty, addiction, violence, and joy. At the same time, she captures something essential about punk rock’s magnetism, the sense of belonging it gave to people who had never belonged anywhere. Philippa captures San Francisco as a living force, unpredictable, seductive, and sometimes cruel. The fog, the neon signs, the cracked sidewalks, the endless hum of the underground scene, all of it builds an immediate world. You can almost hear the music bleeding through the walls, smell the sweat and beer in the clubs, and feel the exhaustion that follows every late night.

The writing is lean and direct. Philippa has a gift for moderation. She doesn’t overanalyze or overexplain. Her prose moves with confidence, letting the moments speak for themselves. Dialogue feels natural and unforced, reflecting the rhythms of real conversation, clipped, often funny, occasionally brutal. Her characters are not romanticized antiheroes, because they are simply people, young and desperate, chasing meaning in a city that embraces and devours them. Philippa doesn’t judge or excuse her characters, but she undoubtedly observes them, resulting in an intimacy that few writers achieve over their writing careers. When her characters stumble or collapse, the reader feels the weight of those moments, not because they’re dramatized, but because they’re written with honesty. As a follow-up to Bag of Tricks, Tricky Business feels sharper, more cohesive, and more confident. Philippa expands her scope without losing any focus. The stories are interconnected yet distinct, unified by tone and place rather than plot. The continuity between the two volumes lies in her steady, unsentimental, and deeply human voice. In this book, she also blends personal memory with cultural history. Philippa doesn’t set out to document a scene, but recreates it from the inside, resulting in a piece of literature that could also serve as a historical record. For anyone curious about what San Francisco’s punk underground really looked like, beyond myth, beyond aesthetic, Tricky Business provides a rare, authentic window.

Her depiction of the early 1980s punk community is particularly impressive because it avoids cliché. This isn’t the Hollywood version of punk, no stylized rebellion, no performative angst. Philippa’s world is populated by ordinary people living extraordinary, difficult lives, waitresses, squatters, musicians, drifters, held together by music, friendship, and defiance. Punk, in her telling, isn’t about fashion or ideology but about surviving in a world that offers you nothing and still finding beauty amid the wreckage. The structure of the book, a series of interlocking stories, suits the material perfectly. Each chapter reads like a snapshot, a fragment of a larger mosaic. By the end, you feel like you’ve lived through a time and place. The stories bleed into one another, shows blur into hangovers, faces blur into memories. Philippa’s tone throughout is calm, observational, and deeply respectful of her subject. She writes as someone who understands that truth doesn’t need embellishment. Her restraint gives the book a surprising emotional impact. Without resorting to melodrama, she conveys the full range of human experience: joy, exhaustion, anger, longing, confusion. Philippa doesn’t rely on sentimentality to make her point, but she relies on experience. This book arrives like the work of someone who has spent decades reflecting on a past she can neither escape nor entirely explain, and has finally found the words to tell it honestly.

Philippa writes about darkness without romanticizing it. The drugs, the violence, the despair, they’re all there, but they’re not the story’s center. The heart of Tricky Business lies in its humanity. These characters are damaged, but they are not broken. They fight, love, hurt, and keep going. There’s dignity in their persistence, even when they fail. It’s also a deeply musical book. Philippa’s prose has rhythm, a pulse that mirrors the energy of punk itself. She captures the physical sensation of sound, the collective rush of being in a room where everything feels possible. It’s not a book about punk, but it’s a book that feels punk, raw, fast, uncompromising, full of life. Ruby Dee Philippa deserves recognition not only as a writer but as a cultural documentarian. Few authors capture subculture with this much accuracy and care. She writes as someone who understands the movement and the human stories beneath it. Tricky Business is a deepening expansion of Bag of Tricks. Philippa refines her voice without losing her edge. It’s the work of a skillful writer who knows exactly what she wants to say and says it with absolute clarity. Tricky Business stands out as an honest, human, real body of work. With this book, Ruby Dee Philippa doesn’t just tell us what San Francisco looked like during the eighties, she makes us feel what it was like to be there. This book is an essential read for anyone who cares about punk, literature, or simply great storytelling. Head to Earth Island Books for more information on ordering.

#BOOK #BOOKS #EARTHISLANDBOOKS #LITERATURE #MUSIC #PUNKROCK #REVIEWS #RUBYDEEPHILLIPA

Audio Graffiti Society – Nope

“Nope” is the recent release by Audio Graffiti Society, an outstanding American independent artist based in Lincoln, California. It represents the first track from “Human Ponzis,” a debut full-length released on October 17th, and a perfect example of what you might expect from the remainder of the material. Lyrically, “Nope” serves as a critique of modern social media culture, exposing the endless cycle of validation, comparison, and digital dependency with raw honesty and intensity. It’s a meaningful, highly relatable composition that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. Sonically, Audio Graffiti Society skillfully combines various approaches, techniques, directions, and styles to depict a luxuriant sonic imagery. Perhaps modern rock comes to mind first, as this genre dominates the mix the most, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from progressive rock, hard rock, alternative rock, and melodic metal lurking around. Audio Graffiti Society uses all these additional sonic ingredients as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to uplift this catchy, memorable, engaging track to an entirely new level while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with many various approaches, techniques, directions, and music genres resulted in an outstanding composition that will not only resonate with the rock and metal fans but anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music.

As soon as you press play, you’ll notice that Audio Graffiti Society poured heart and soul into this track. “Nope” arrives with a perfect structure, garnered with many profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and super orchestrations. Each vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver has its place and purpose here, making this track such a pleasant listening experience worth repeating over and over again. You’ll notice how the excellent vocal performance elevates the entire composition to new heights, commands attention, and guides listeners through each segment from scratch to finish. His impressive vocal range seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything he intended to achieve with this track. Besides decorating all those segments and instrumentations, these vocal harmonies bring melody, contribute more than necessary emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate structure. In the meantime, the guitar interplays play a significant role in shaping such a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. You’ll notice how all those profoundly heavy, powerful, raw guitar riffs resonate on one side while the other shines with all those leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic maneuvers. Besides heavily distorted layers, Audio Graffiti Society also incorporated chord progressions delivered on acoustic guitar for a much soothing, relaxing, ethereal ambiance during those calmer segments. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these layers articulate together without overwhelming each other. The guitars also perfectly pair with vocal harmonies, demonstrating Audio Graffiti Society’s tremendous dedication to the craft.

Of course, this composition wouldn’t sound complete without an equally impressive rhythm section. You’ll notice how all those vividly hearable, warm-sounding, intricate basslines rumble beneath all those luxuriant guitar works, offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while simultaneously acting as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. All those rich, deep, dense, and heavy low-ends contribute more groove and warmth, making this track even more detailed. The exceptional drumming performance, based upon cleverly arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, energetic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, keeps the remainder of the orchestrations in line while dictating groove and depth with such precision and finesse. Each hit of the snare, kick of the bass drum, accentuation on the hi-hat, and splash over the cymbals cuts through the ambiance, offering more groove and complexity. As you can see, Audio Graffiti Society thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing his latest track. “Nope” is a meaningful, wisely assembled composition that breaks all the rules and shapeshifts the boundaries of modern rock and metal music. It vividly showcases Audio Graffiti Society’s experience, knowledge, creativity, talent, and skills, inviting you to take a deep dive into “Human Ponzis,” his debut full-length album that promises a tremendous listening experience. If you’re looking for progressive, complex, expertly crafted modern rock or metal music, “Nope” will be right up your alley. It’s available on all streaming platforms. Do not miss it!

https://youtu.be/CgPIVkOICRo?si=7vLBdN7CcYUjYtlh

https://open.spotify.com/album/4ojpT44bNJfpCWdgMCAz6B?si=FhQGl428TCmmGtpsow0NVQ

#ALTERNATIVE #AUDIOGRAFFITISOCIETY #HARDROCK #METAL #MUSIC #PROGRESSIVEMETAL #PROGRESSIVEROCK #REVIEWS #ROCK

Kallai – We Are Forever

Kallai returns with another excellent release that will immediately resonate with anyone who appreciates cleverly written, thoughtfully composed, and flawlessly performed music. “We Are Forever” is their debut full-length album, arriving after a self-titled extended play released last year. Heavily promoted with “Falling” and “The Wave,” two excellent compositions that vividly showcase what you might expect from this material, “We Are Forever” carries eight marvelous tracks that will unquestionably satisfy even the pickiest listeners. The band wrote the entire material in a span of two months, so lyrically it explores the turbulence of life in a time of rising authoritarianism against while pointing out the beauty and joy found in community and self-awakening. It tackles socio-political themes, but also deep dives into various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making it a highly relatable material that will resonate with the broader audience. Kallai are known for their experimentations with various approaches, directions, techniques, and music genres, and on this particular collection of songs, the band expertly blends all of them in order to depict a lush sonic imagery. Perhaps you’ll notice how shoegaze dominates the most, as all the fundamental elements of this genre lurk around from start to finish, but the band incorporates some of the finest properties borrowed from dream pop and post-punk. These styles suit them well, as they craft calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, otherworldly, mesmerizing soundscapes, immediately wrapping around the listening apparatus and transporting the listener to a completely different realm. Kallai expertly incorporated all those qualities that meet the trends of modern music production, yet there’s a subtle touch of nostalgia lurking around and evoking the eighties and nineties, eras when shoegaze, dream pop, and post-punk music scenes thrived and ruled the airwaves the most. Therefore, all these experimentations with various styles, techniques, directions, and approaches resulted in a collection of catchy, memorable, engaging, hypnotic, addictive, and irresistible songs that will not only resonate with shoegaze fans but anyone who appreciates music performed straight from the heart.

This epic sonic voyage commences with “The Hymn / The Beautiful Ones,” a perfect introductory piece that vividly showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the material. Kallai demonstrate their tremendous songwriting and composing abilities by crafting a colossal ambiance, based upon luxuriant chord progressions and riffs, intricate basslines, excellent drumming performance, and profoundly melodic vocal harmonies. The generous servings of reverby, echo, and delay further elevate the cave-like ambiance, making this track such a fascinating introduction to a thrilling sonic journey. “Amor Occidit Omnia” dives deep into the fundamentals of post-punk sound, with all those vividly hearable, warm-sounding, intricate basslines and well-accentuated, flawlessly performed rhythmic sequences, reverby chord progressions and melodies, and another marvelous vocal performance that contributes emotional depth and more complexity to an already intricate structure. This style suits them well, as the band delivers one of the finest modern post-punk songs in recent years. “Protector” is more than a rock-solid proof that these experienced musicians are masters in crafting ethereal, cinematic, dream pop tracks, adorned with all those heavy shoegaze moments. Each upcoming soundscape seems like a logical move, further improving and extending listening pleasure to the max. The way those tender moments transform into raw, heavy, powerful segments goes beyond comprehension so many times during the entire track. “Another World” merges everything you ever needed from shoegaze, dream pop, and post-punk music. You’ll notice how all those thoughtfully assembled interplays between guitars shape a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. The vocals shine in the limelight with all those whispery yet commanding harmonies balancing low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse. In the meantime, the complex basslines offer more warmth, heaviness, clarity, and depth to the song while the steady, flawlessly performed beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics cut though the calm ambiance, providing more groove and pace. Like in their previous tracks, Kallai slowly builds a soundscape that immediately penetrates your ears and refuses to let go long after the last notes and beats end.

https://youtu.be/c0WP-CmzOj0?si=HiMGaUWPHzc3ji3r

“Always/Never” is another standout from this material. You’ll be immediately pulled into a whirlwind, built upon fuzzy riffs, warm low-ends, moderate rhythmic patterns, but what makes this song so memorable is the vocal performance. You’ll hear how all those beautiful harmonies levitate around, uplifting the song to an entirely new level, commanding attention, and contributing emotional depth to an already luxuriant ambiance. In the meantime, particular segments of the song resemble something noise pop bands would eventually record, but Kallai showcase their signature moves here by fully stacking this track with more memorable themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic delicacies. If some song could explain how dream pop should sound nowadays, that would be “The Wave.” As a first standalone single that announced this album, it showcases all the experience, knowledge, creativity, skills, and talent of these brilliant musicians. The song seamlessly levitates between the eighties and contemporary dream pop sound, but ti still carries some of the finest properties borrowed from alternative, indie rock, and showcase. It’s nearly mindblowing how Kallain incorporated all these styles together without overwhelming the initial sonic direction. “Falling” is another perfect track that combines lush dream pop and shoegaze soundscapes with post-punk aesthetics. With a powerful, groovy, dynamic rhythm section acting as a backbone and lush guitars serving as a backdrop, the marvelous vocal performance floats around, making this composition even more appealing. This epic sonic voyage ends with “As Night Falls,” another longevious composition adorned with cinematic soundscapes, luxuriant layers, majestic instrumentations, and other orchestral decorations that define Kallai’s tremendous, fascinating, ethereal sound. It’s a perfect closure that sums up everything Kallal’s sounds stand for, and one of those tracks that will immediately convince you to spin “We Are Forever” all over again.

“We Are Forever” is a shoegaze masterpiece that not only showcases Kallai’s brilliant ideas and marvelous musicianship but also redefines the genre by incorporating many fresh, unique, innovative moves that will undoubtedly become a staple on the scene. Their tremendous experience, knowledge, creativity, talent, and skills are on full display here, as they deliver one of the best shoegaze albums in recent years. Kallai deserves your utmost attention because their music breaks all the rules and shapeshifts the boundaries. Therefore, head to your favorite streaming platform and check “We Are Forever” out!

https://youtu.be/8GhUd_7-bXc?si=4m7TkzrvufMG7xTo

https://open.spotify.com/album/601RANmw5QscpB2niyO4GA?si=VfZJbdzsQGmZtswQmAX-gQ

#DREAMPOP #KALLAI #MUSIC #POSTPUNK #REVIEWS #SHOEGAZE

Fore Father – Great Pretender

“Great Pretender” is the latest release by Fore Father, an outstanding American music outlet based in Los Angeles, California. Arriving after “Chrysalis” and “All I Ever,” two exceptional singles released earlier this year that vividly showcase what you might expect from the remainder of the material, “Great Pretender” represents their debut full-length album, packed with ten incredible songs suitable for anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music. Operated by Stephanie Carlin and Carey Clayton, two profoundly creative songwriters whose ideas and musicianship go beyond comprehension many times throughout these tracks, this album represents a remarkable triumph of their collaboration. Sonically, “Great Pretender” carries so many qualities that it’s nearly impossible to grasp them all in one listening. The duo uses various approaches, different techniques, unique directions, and many complementary music genres to illustrate such a luxuriant backdrop that immediately wraps around the listening apparatus, grabs you by the collar, and refuses to let go even after the last notes and beats end. Perhaps alternative rock comes to mind first, as fundamental elements of this style dominate the most in the mix, but you’ll unquestionably notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from indie rock, indie pop, dream pop, and cinematic ambient music found their way into this sonic equation. Fore Father use all these additional sonic ingredients as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to uplift these songs to an entirely new level while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. You’ll notice how each composition carries qualities that meet all trends in modern music production, yet there’s a subtle touch of nostalgia lurking around and spicing things up. This level of dedication to the craft is rarely heard on a music scene nowadays, but it seems like Fore Father assembled all these tracks with such ease. Therefore, these experimentations with various styles, approaches, and techniques resulted in a comprehensive collection of marvelous songs that will satisfy anyone into soulful, wisely assembled, and flawlessly performed music.

As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how Fore Father expertly blends cinematic ambiance with alternative and indie rock sounds, crafting a calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, dreamy atmosphere that immediately transports you to a different realm. Each composition arrives with a perfect structure, garnered with profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and marvelous orchestrations, perfectly stacked for maximum listening experience. With the introductory palm-muted notes and synth pads included within the opening composition “Let The Light In,” Fore Father invites listeners on an epic voyage through an expansive sonic universe. The duo employs hypnotic, addictive, catchy vocal harmonies and minimalistic yet addictive beats for maximum impact. It’s a perfect opening track that vividly showcases what you might expect from the remainder of the material. With tracks like “All I Ever,” “Firestarter,” and “Great Pretender,” Fore Father further expands their sound by implementing a collection of memorable synth leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, pads, and other sonic maneuvers. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these layers articulate together without overwhelming each other. The transition from various segments gives the feeling of transitioning through different worlds and passages, creating a psychedelic listening experience worth repeating over and over again. On tracks like “Firestarted” and “Great Pretender,” the song gradually builds a slightly heavier, complex, abrasive atmosphere by incorporating various chord progressions and riffs delivered on acoustic and electric guitars. You’ll also notice how warm-sounding basslines rumble beneath the mentioned instrumentations, contributing more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth, while the carefully crafted percussive segments offer groove, dynamics, and even mode detail. With songs like “Holy,” “Pendulum,” “The Rains,” “The Chrysalis,” the duo leans towards more dreamy, indie, classic, and contemporary pop waters, bringing even more calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, and otherworldly ambiance upfront. It’s nearly mindblowing how they stack all those instrumental layers together without overwhelming each other. Depending on the mood and ambiance of the current composition, Fore Father includes apreggiated or regular chord progressions, intricate low-end maneuvers, and complex rhythmic patterns. These beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keep everything in line while basslines bring more warmth. The guitars and synths are solely responsible for an otherworldly, psychedelic, cathartic atmosphere, moments where your listening apparatus with deep dive and get lost in perfect instrumentations.

Still, Stephanie Carlin and Carey Clayton’s majestic harmonies act as a centerpiece of each composition, elevating everything to new heights, commanding attention, and leading listeners on this epic sonic journey. Whether exploring low-end registers, levitating somewhere in mid-range, or experimenting with high-end notes, their vocal performances go beyond comprehension by emphasizing everything they intended to achieve with this material. Besides decorating all these compositions, they contribute more than necessary emotional depth and complexity to already intricate structures. Everything is so carefully, thoughtfully, expertly assembled, achieving perfection with such ease. With such a calm song like “Eternal Waters,” Fore Father gradually announces the closure of this material. It’s one of those tracks that arrives like a passage, yet its dominance has a significant impact, thanks to a perfectly composed structure and performance. “Luminous” sums up everything Fore Father intended to achieve with this debut album. It carries every bit and piece that defines their lush sound. From marvelous vocal harmonies, luxuriant synths and guitars to detailed basslines and minimalistic yet effective percussions, it closes this material with such elegance. It has been a while since I had an opportunity to witness a full-length debut like this one. “Great Pretender” goes beyond comprehension so many times. With a perfectly structured soundscape, thoughtful arrangements, and profoundly poetic lyricism, Fore Father crafted a dreamy, cinematic alternative rock masterpiece rarely heard or seen nowadays. It’s a deeply soulful, emotive, honest collection of songs that not only tackles all the senses but also demonstrates Fore Father’s tremendous experience, knowledge, creativity, talent, and skills. You should immediately place “Great Pretender” on your music radar, because these wise, talented, magnificent musicians deserve your utmost attention. The album is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!

https://open.spotify.com/album/6AIYG0m5Z4l4p4gm1x5HNF?si=01trwTfSQ2ObpZjiveL5yg

#ALTPOP #ALTERNATIVE #AMBIENT #CINEMATIC #CONTEMPORARYPOP #DREAMPOP #INDIE #INDIEPOP #INDIEROCK #REVIEWS

The Family Battenberg – Spider Rock Forever EP

The garage rock scene has thrived in recent years, with many new music outlets delivering excellent music. Still, it seems like the majority overly exploits their influences, experiment too much with various music genres, or try to reinvent the same old wheel by mimicking something the greats recorded and performed decades ago. Thankfully, there are bands like The Family Battenberg whose music brings fresh, unique, innovative ideas and sonic maneuvers to the table. With “Spider Rock Forever,” their debut extended play, released on October 10th, this marvelous quartet vividly showcases a brand-new, improved, and charming garage rock sound. Heavily promoted with “Foggy,” “Spiders,” and “Anteater,” three exceptional singles released earlier this year that vividly demonstrate what you might expect from the remainder of the material, “Spider Rock Forever” carries everything you ever needed from this longstanding music genre, plus many, many more. Perhaps The Family Battenberg dominantly relies on this style, as many fundamental elements are present from start to finish, yet they have incorporated other complementary genres along the way. You’ll notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from psychedelic rock, alternative, classic rock, rock ‘n’ roll, and folk lurk around, enhancing, decorating, and accentuating these songs while the band simultaneously remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. They also incorporated various techniques, approaches, and directions, making “Spider Rock Forever” such a pleasant listening experience worth repeating over and over again. Perhaps The Family Battenberg showcases all those qualities that meet the trends in contemporary music production, but you’ll notice how they added a subtle touch of nostalgia, evoking sixties and seventies music, two eras when garage rock sound ruled the airwaves. This dedication to the craft is rarely heard or seen nowadays, and these experimentations with various approaches, techniques, and complementary music genres resulted in one of the finest garage rock recordings you’ll hear in a while.

This epic sonic voyage commences with “Foggy,” a perfect introductory piece that sets the tone for the remainder of the extended play. The entire composition is decorated with excellent vocal performance, uplifting back vocals, fuzzy guitar works, equally impressive basslines, and flawless drumming performance. “Foggy” arrives with a perfect structure, adorned with many profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and marvelous orchestrations that elevate this song to new heights. These are the moments where The Family Battenberg demonstrates their tremendous dedication to the craft, creativity, talent, and skills. “Gwyllgi” expands their sound even more, with all those heavily distorted guitar riffs and chord progression shaping a perfect ambiance for all the vocals to shine upon. The guitars continuously levitate from calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal to more raw, abrasive, gritty, powerful, and aggressive. These sonic levitations construct a dynamic, detailed, luxuriant sound which immediately wraps around your listening apparatus and refuses to let go. The Family Battenberg expertly balances noise with melody, calmness with aggression, emotion with grit. Besides guitars, there are all those complex low-end notes, helping out the mentioned instrumentations by contributing more heaviness, clarity, and depth, which the drumming performance keeps all the orchestrations with thoughtfully assembled rhythmic sequences, providing dynamics, groove, and pace. “Friend Of Mine,” the third song on this material, showcases The Family Battenberg’s admiration for folk rock music. It’s a stripped-down, semi-acoustic composition where carefully assembled chord progressions and tambourine craft a soundscape for a soulful, passionate, sincere, emotive vocal performance. The band keeps this composition as hypnotic, addictive, irresistible, and catchy as possible, letting the listener dive deep into a soothing atmosphere. It’s a beautiful composition that will immediately grab your attention thanks to its ethereal, otherworldly nature.

With “Spiders,” The Family Battenberg brings back heavy rock atmosphere, capable of satisfying even the pickiest listeners. They fully stacked this song with some of the finest guitar works, which immediately constructs a colossal, expansive, fascinating ambiance. These chord progressions and riffs are so thoughtfully paired with all those intricate, semi-distorted basslines for some extra punch, while another barrage of tasteful beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics accentuates and uplifts the entire song on an entirely new level. The vocal harmonies give this track more emotion and soul, as they serve as one of the main sources of melody, besides the guitars. “Anteater” carries a fine blend of some of the finest elements borrowed from hard rock, classic rock, and garage rock, merged together with such precision and finesse. You’ll immediately notice how The Family Battenberg infused even more fuzz into those guitar works, making this song as raw, abrasive, and dirty as possible while retaining a decent dosage of melody intact. It’s a wise move, considering that this track almost solely relies upon sheer power, energy, and aggression, also delivered through low-end burst and wild drumming performances. This epic sonic voyage comes to an end with “Ghouls! Conga Line!,” a marvelous psych-infused garage rock composition that sums up everything you ever needed to know about this incredible band. It carries all the traits that make The Family Battenberg such a fascinating band. It’s packed with a comprehensive collection of heavy riffs and additional themes, heavy beats, powerful basslines, and catchy vocal lines. Such a treat for every loyal garage rock fan!

“Spider Rock Forever” is a perfect debut release, carrying everything you ever needed from garage rock music. The Family Battenberg poured heart and soul into this material, resulting in six impressive sonic explorations that will immediately grab you by the collar and transport you into a completely different realm. It’s surely one of those recordings you do not want to miss. “Spider Rock Forever” is available on all streaming platforms. Listen to it loud!

https://open.spotify.com/album/5rzGyjP6fJoznfkPlYnbG4?si=QJ_-sCYAQDmfDF8du89IFQ

#CLASSICROCK #garage #HARDROCK #MUSIC #PSYCHROCK #PSYCHEDELICROCK #REVIEWS #ROCK #ROCKNROLL #THEFAMILYBATTENBERG

Casual Drag – The Master

“The Master” is the latest release by Casual Drag, an outstanding Scottish trio based in Glasgow. It’s their first piece of work this year, arriving after “Can You Hear Me Now?” and “Revolution Will Eat Itself,” a standalone single and extended play released in 2024 and 2023 that you should also check out as soon as possible. Their latest effort arrives with many innovations in songwriting, composition, arrangements, and production, showcasing a natural progression of an already incredible band. Lyrically, “The Master” talks about not struggling against the obstacles in life and not letting the trauma rule or limit you. It encourages taking control over the trajectory and fighting against everything that trauma imposed on us. Casual Drag tackles various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances through “The Master,” making it a highly relatable song that will immediately resonate with the broader audience. Sonically, there are a lot of things going on in Casual Drag’s music. They employ various approaches, techniques, and styles to depict a lush sonic imagery that immediately wraps around the listening apparatus, grabs by the collar, and refuses to let go long after the last notes and beats end. Perhaps garage rock comes to mind first, but you’ll unquestionably stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from post-punk, punk rock, noise rock, grunge, alternative, and indie. The band uses all these elements as more than necessary enhancements, uplifting the entire new song to new heights while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with various approaches, techniques, and music genres resulted in a catchy track that will immediately resonate with anyone looking for raw, energetic, and powerful music.

From the onset, it becomes apparent that these skillful musicians have poured heart and soul into their latest track. “The Master” carries so many brilliant moments that you’ll gladly spin this garage rock gem all over again. It arrives with a profoundly detailed structure, adorned with all those profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and catchy instrumentations, thoughtfully packed to satisfy even the pickiest music enthusiasts. As soon as you press play, you’ll hear that guitar play a main role in shaping a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. This composition is fully stacked with all those catchy, memorable, addictive, hypnotic chord progressions, riffs, and themes, heavily drenched in generous servings of fuzz distortion. The guitar sounds raw, abrasive, and gritty from scratch to finish, bringing more detail to the ambiance, yet you’ll hear every note delivered through this particular instrument. Perhaps Casual Draw solely relies on heavy, powerful, and aggressive sound, but they also implemented some melody and harmony, which, in this case, acts as a counterbalance, providing even more detail to this track. The lead vocal performance acts as a centerpiece of this sonic equation, commanding attention, elevating the entire song to new heights, and leading listeners on an epic journey through the noisy universe. Whether exploring lower and calmer registers or delivering powerful shouts that provide even more aggression to the song, the vocals seamlessly balance everything the remainder of the band intended to achieve with this track. Besides decorating all those segments and orchestrations, these vocal harmonies also contribute more than necessary emotional depth and detail. You’ll also notice all those additional vocal layers, back vocals, and sing-alongs, giving more power and an anthemic feel to the particular segments. It’s such a nice and effective addition that works to the advantage of this excellent track.

Of course, this composition wouldn’t sound complete without an equally impressive rhythm section. Beneath all those lush guitar works, the vividly hearable, intricate, warm-sounding basslines rumble, contributing more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while serving as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. These rich, deep, dense, and heavy low-ends contribute even more groove and detail, making “The Master” even more complex. The exceptional drumming performance, based upon energetic, thoughtfully arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, keeps everything in line while simultaneously dictating groove and pace. Each kick of the snare, kick of the bass drum, accentuation on the hi-hat, and splash over the cymbal cuts through the ambiance, providing more power and dynamics. As you can see, Casual Drag thought about everything while writing and composing their latest standalone single. “The Master” expertly blends only the finest properties of garage, punk rock, post-punk, noise rock, and grunge music, demonstrating that even longstanding music genres like these can still sound innovative, fresh, unique, and exciting. Causal Drag crafted an excellent song, packed with tremendous rawness, aggression, and power, vividly showcasing their skills, creativity, talent, knowledge, and experience. Therefore, if you’re looking for a catchy, memorable, engaging listening experience packed with meaningful lyricism and outstanding musical performance, “The Master” will be right up your alley. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!

https://open.spotify.com/track/1t6tGXrIyCAvXGCM7TYTp8?si=9cae018c1b5344f0

#ALTERNATIVE #CASUALDRAG #garage #GRUNGE #INDIE #INDIEROCK #MUSIC #NOISEROCK #POSTPUNK #PUNKROCK #REVIEWS

ESTRADA – You’ll See All The Things I Say

“You’ll see all the things I say” is the latest release by ESTRADA, an excellent Scottish solo music outlet based in Glasgow. Fully operated by a singer, musician, and producer, Alejandro Javier Estrada, it vividly showcases what you might expect from the upcoming full-length album, coming out very soon on all streaming platforms. Arriving after “You need to go first,” “I love when you see through my eyes,” “W/L(Waitinglist),” “You are not alone,” “We are not God,” and “What can I say?,” five incredible standalone singles released earlier this year that you should also check out as soon as possible, “You’ll see all the things I say” futher showcases ESTRADA’s outstanding songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abiltiies. It’s one of those songs that vividly demonstrates a natural progression of an already excellent artist while remaining grounded in all signature moves and aesthetics that define his sound on previous recordings. Lyrically, “You’ll see all the things I say” explores themes such as love, relationships, various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making it a highly relatable song that will immediately resonate with the broader audience. Sonically, ESTRADA blends several complementary music genres, various approaches, and different techniques to vividly depict a lush sonic imagery that immediately wraps around the listening apparatus, grabs you by the collar, and transports you to a different realm. Perhaps alternative rock dominates the most, but you’ll notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from art rock, indie rock, synth rock, and synth pop found their way into this sonic equation. In these moments, Alejandro Javier Estrada showcases all his songwriting and composing abilites by using all these additional styles as more than necessary enhancements that make “You’ll see all the things I say” even more pleasant to the ears. It’s a catchy, memorable, engaging alternative rock composition that will not only resonate with the fans of this genre but anyone who appreciates cleverly composed and flawlessly performed music.

As soon as you press play, you’ll notice a tremendous effort invested in this composition. ESTRADA thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing “You’ll see all the things I say,” proving his dedication to the craft. It arrives with a perfect structure, adorned with many profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and superb orchestrations, making this song worth spinning over and over again. Estrada’s voice acts as a centerpiece of this composition, elevating everything to new heights, commanding attention, and leading listeners on an epic voyage through the expansive musical universe. The way he navigates sincere emotions through soulful, honest, powerful performance goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire track. He seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything he intended to achieve. Besides decorating all those segments and instrumentations, he contributes emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate song structure, proving his dedication to the craft. Also, you’ll hear all those additional vocal layers and back vocals, making the lead vocal performance even more dominant and striking in the mix. In the meantime, the interplay between guitar shapes a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. You’ll hear how all those catchy, memorable, engaging chord progressions delivered on acoustic guitars resonate on one side, while the other offers more apreggiated, jangly, angular, reverby chord progressions delivered on subtly distorted yet clean electric guitars. ESTRADA also included synth pads, harmonies, and leads, perfectly pairing guitar works and futher decorating this epic sonic journey. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these layers articulate together without overwhelming each other, showcasing how ESTRADA thoughtfully stacked everything together while composing this catchy alternative rock song.

Of course, this composition wouldn’t sound this good without an equally impressive rhythm section, which, in this case, uplifts all those guitar and synth works on an entirely new level by contributing more groove, detail, and pace. You’ll hear how all those vividly hearable, warm-sounding, intricate basslines rumble beneath the guitars and synths, offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while simultaneously acting as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. In the meantime, the excellent drumming performance based upon tastefully arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, dynamic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keeps the remainder of the orchestrations in line while dictating groove and pace. Everything sounds top-notch from scratch to finish. With is addictive, hypnotic, irresistible, catchy ambiance, “You’ll see all the things I say” is one of those songs that instantly penetrates your listening apparatus and refuses to let go long after the last notes and beats end. ESTRADA has crafted an alternative rock masterpiece, expertly decorated with some of the finest ideas and outstanding instrumentations you’ll hear in a while. With this marvelous track, Alejandro Javier Estrada proves that even the lonstanding music genres like alternative rock music can still sound innovative, fresh, and unique. Therefore, you should immediately place this exceptional composition on your music radar. “You’ll see all the things I say” is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!

https://youtu.be/warmffIMofw?si=9F5aYS09XuRvB0PT

https://open.spotify.com/track/73g6jHVjL7yu4Yoo8wCCCb?si=b372c59f4b3547ef

#ALTERNATIVE #ESTRADA #INDIE #INDIEROCK #MUSIC #REVIEWS #SYNTHPOP #SYNTHROCK

Kaleb Hikele – Slowly

“Slowly” is the latest release by Kaleb Hikele, an outstanding Canadian singer-songwriter based in Toronto. It’s a debut single from “Storytelling,” his upcoming solo full-length album, and a third standalone single in 2025, arriving after “Fire Fighter’s Son” and “Weather This War,” two excellent compositions released earlier this year that you should also check out as soon as possible. Arriving with such calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal notes and beats yet resonating with powerful instrumentations when necessary, “Slowly” is suitable for anyone who appreciates cleverly written, tastefully composed, and flawlessly performed music. Lyrically, “Slowly” is a love song that narrates the early stages of falling in love. It explores relationship, various sentiments, mood, situations, and circumstances, making it a highly relatable composition that will resonate with a broader audience. Sonically, Kaleb Hikele combines a singer-songwriter approach with various styles to depict a luxuriant sonic imagery. Perhaps indie dominates in the mix, as its subgenres like indie folk, indie pop, and indie rock lurk around the most, but you’ll also hear how some of the finest properties borrowed from classic folk and alternative rock found their way into this sonic equation. Kaleb Hikele uses all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to uplift his music to an entirely new level while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with many various approaches, techniques, and music genres resulted in a fascinating composition that will not only appeal to singer-songwriter and indie folk fans, but also to anyone who appreciates music performed straight from the heart.

There’s something about Kaleb Hikele’s vocal performance that makes “Slowly” so catchy, memorable, addictive, hypnotic, and irresistible. Whether he’s exploring those low registers during the verses or leaning toward high notes during the choruses, his voice delivers sincere emotion that tackles all the senses. His voice perfectly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything he intended to achieve with this composition. Besides decorating all those segments and orchestrations, elevating everything to new heights, and acting as a centerpiece of this sonic equation, his vocal performance also delivers more than necessary emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate structure. “Slowly” is packed with the finest vocal performance you’ll hear in years, and it vividly shows how much Kaleb Hikele has fully invested himself in this track. In the meantime, the guitars shape a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. You’ll notice all those jangly, angular, thoughtfully arranged chord progressions lurking around and constructing a delicate soundscape that becomes even more detailed, luxuriant, and fascinating as the song progresses. There’s a subtle touch of reverb incorporated over these orchestrations, giving a colossal feel to the overall ambiance. Of course, as the song approaches the chorus, Kaleb Hikele incorporates generous servings of distortion spiced with a touch of spring reverb for some extra detail. These heavier moments contribute more groove, power, details, and dynamics, yet the song retains the same emotion this clever artist intended to convey.

This composition wouldn’t sound complete without the rock-solid rhythm section. You’ll notice all those vividly hearable, warm-sounding, intricate basslines, rumbling beneath the guitars and offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth to this composition while simultaneously acting as a binding element between the mentioned instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. These low-ends are rich, deep, and heavy, offering even more groove and detail. In the meantime, the excellent drumming performance based upon tastefully arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, moderate beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keeps everything in line while dictating the groove and pace. You’ll hear how each hit of the snare, kick of the bass drum, accentuation on the hi-hat, and splash over the cymbals cuts through the ambiance, making this song even more powerful and complex. Each instrument has its place and purpose here, proving that Kaleb Hikele thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing this composition.

“Slowly” is one of the finest love songs in recent years, performed by an outstanding singer-songwriter who unquestionably knows how to convey honest emotions through soulful, meaningful, and powerful vocal, sonic, and rhythmic performance. You should immediately place it on your music radar if you’re looking for indie music performed straight from the heart. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!

https://youtu.be/peEXfRWXiW8?si=qdpKLpvYLxHYH0VX

https://open.spotify.com/track/53tQfyqkJomoOsSTxIhpgl?si=18fca18ad5a048fc

#INDIE #INDIEFOLK #INDIEPOP #INDIEROCK #KALEMHIKELE #MUSIC #REVIEWS #SINGERSONGWRITER