Back to 10 new, up and coming bands for your consumption today.
Kerchief – ‘Erase Me’
Kicking us off slowly we have ‘Erase Me’ from American rockers Kerchief. From their second LP the track is a soft burning track that entices you in with the female vocals before the chugging riffs kick in. This is the sort of track you can put on in the background as much as the sort of track that will be huge live. The vocals are the highlight here really as they ebb and flow through the song in a sort of post-No Doubt Gwen Stefani style. An enjoyable song all around.
Caveat Empire – ‘Army Men’
From the new album Glass Jar Specimens, ‘Army Men’ is Caveat Empire towards their heaviest. Kicking off a mid-album track with a 30-second intro isn’t always the best idea and I’m not really sure what it adds to the album, for a single though it’s intriguing enough, though I get the feeling the siren-like noises will infuriate those driving. The track features some ferocious drumming along with its fast-paced riffs and rough around the edges vocals. The track isn’t all trimmed around the edges, it’s not perfect, but that adds to it instead of taking anything away. It’s a track that rewards your attention.
Dirty Rugs – ‘Glimpse’
Slowing things back down, Dirty Rugs have all the hallmarks of bands like The Strokes and The Dandy Warhols. The vocals could easily be mistaken for those style of bands and musically it isn’t a million miles away. The highlight of ‘Glimpse’ is the guitar for sure. Slow and steady for the most part and seeming to hide behind the bass somewhat, they come to the fore after each chorus to full effect. This is a Summer song.
Marcus: The Apex Predator! – ‘The Fury Of Almost’
‘The Fury Of Almost’ is the title track of the debut album from Marcus: The Apex Predator!, an American band that will likely find fans alongside those of bands like Max Raptor and Touché Amoré. The vocals feel similar to the former in that their punky style that doesn’t quite fit alongside the music but for some reason works. It’s musically where the band excels though with several massively differing elements binding together cohesively, At The Drive-In style. It’s a complex song that gets better with multiple listens.
Dar.ra – ‘Heart-Shaped Pill’
Dar.ra is a Brighton based artist that has just released ‘Heart-Shaped Pill’ from the new EP Dirty Lil Secrets. The track is a funky combination of pop-esque vocals with a strong bassline, powerful drums and big riffs. If you think about Clutch being a pop band then you’re somewhere near what ‘Heart-Shaped Pill’ sounds like, the drumming is intricate and the vocals have strong variation to them. The bass is where it’s really at though, strong throughout but coming alive around the 1 minute 25 mark. A truly fun song.
Profiler – ‘Burn’
Taking things a fair bit heavier are Profiler, a British band harking back to early Nu-Metal musically and vocally. This isn’t Slipknot rip-off though. You can hear elements of a lot of those trendsetters but most importantly modern influences too. The vocals sip from being almost Fred Durst in style to having echoes of Architects to them. Musically the guitars are big throughout and some Mr Hahn effects throughout. It’s an interesting attempt at blending old and new and it works well. Expect a lot from these guys.
The Crooked Kings – ‘Mind The Gap’
Sticking in the UK we have The Crooked Kings and their track ‘Mind The Gap’ which was released at the back end of July. It’s a proper rock track that would be at home on mainstream radio with its pretty simple guitars initially and catchy vocals, especially during the chorus. It’s a track that has echoes of older Indie bands but has the tone of some of the newer British rock bands, sandwiching itself nicely. The solo at around 2.45 is satisfying but the end is a tad too abrupt.
Jamie Shelly – ‘Sadie’
‘Sadie’ is a track written by Jamie Sadie about the trials and tribulations of being a parent and lyrically this couldn’t be clearer. The track as a whole is rocky and catchy in abundance and the variation of guitars, piano and QOTSA style vocals is a joyous thing. It’s the kind of track you can listen to on repeat several times and then not go back to until you need reassurance that the annoyances in life are usually worth it in the end. One for parents new and old.
Deathtrap – ‘Gravestepper’
Heading back to 11 we have ‘Gravestepper’ from Deathtrap. No prizes for guessing what style of track this is. Kicking off like early 80s garage thrash, the track builds into a KSE-hardcore hybrid that you wouldn’t even consider being from the Netherlands. At just 2 and a half minutes it’s the perfect length for an explosion of energy before a breakdown (musically and physically) takes you back to an admittedly rather repetitive riff. If KSE and Pantera had a lovechild, Deathtrap could well be its name.
The New Pacific – ‘Blackout’
Closing us out today we have ‘Blackout’ from The New Pacific. This LA-based have been around for about 6 years and their experience is now starting to tell. ‘Blackout’ is a well produced, well-written rock anthem. The choruses are the sort that would be blasted out by all at a festival and the claps accompanying the drumming are a great way of getting your feet moving. There are some elements of the track that feel a little bare but the musical prowess makes up for this easily. These are a band that more people should know about for sure.
V3 is upon and as a result a new playlist is born. Make sure you check out the previous two as well though as there are some brilliant tracks in there.
To get your band into the ‘Singles Only’ feature, please head to submithub.com.