The Test Drive: Ada Marques – Creature of Habit
Ada Marques has today released her new EP titled 'Creature of Habit'. Songs of solitude filled with choruses of comfort and originality abound, 'Creature of Habit' offers enough diversity to spark the interest while...
The Test Drive: Friends Of Our Youth – That Was Then
Friends Of Our Youth have released their new album titled 'That Was Then'. Almost like an injection of fresh Mancunian-born fresh musical air, or an aura of originality, take your pick. Whatever it is, it permeates the sound around me at this very moment. We get that fuel-fired set of songs that have Loche Ness lyrics over monster-magnet hooks that add flavor to that perfectly seared steak.
The Test Drive: Roger O’Donnell – 7 Different Words For Love
Roger O'Donnell has today released his new album titled '7 Different Words For Love’, on his label 99X/10 (pronounced Ninety-Nine Times Out Of Ten).
The Test Drive: Cara Louise – Wholesome Dread + Q&A
The world has become a much different place in the past two years. Some artists have chosen to lean into the massive shift in perspective and circumstance. One of those artists is Nashville songwriter Cara Louise. Holed up and writing songs during the pandemic, she has released a soulful, vibrant debut album aptly titled Wholesome Dread.
The Test Drive: The Battery Farm – FLIES
The Battery Farm are set to release their new album titled 'FLIES' on November 18th. More a lucid concept than an album, you get a journey within the collective tracks and a feeling that you've discovered something you will take with you in that other journey known as life.
The Test Drive: Superdestroyer – Goon + Q&A
Sometimes, the best artists hide a lot of themselves in order to create something universal. It’s easier to be honest with strangers every once and a while. By maintaining anonymity, Columbus City’s Superdestroyer is able to create music about the human condition that feels unhindered by a creator’s persona. All we know of Superdestroyer is the music, and what’s here on this newest record GOON should endear this artist to us forever.
The Test Drive: Dream Dali – Letters From The Light
Dream Dali have today released their new and debut album titled 'Letters From The Light'.
The Test Drive: The Flycatchers – Letters
“Letters is a story of love lost, brutal uncertainty, and fighting through the waves. I had nothing to lose when we made this record because it was written in 2020. Everything we had worked for, I felt was gone. At the time, there was nothing more that could hurt me. It was the purest example of unbridled expression with some of the best people I know and love. This record is a deep and intrusive look inward.
The Test Drive: Blueprint Tokyo – Cinema Sounds
Blueprint Tokyo has premiered their new EP 'Cinema Sounds' on Jammerzine, set to release this Friday (October 28th).
The Test Drive: Dusty Durston – Manchester Music
Dusty Durston has today released his new EP titled 'Manchester Music'. Infectious as well as reflective, 'Manchester Music' is a groove-tastical piece of magnum opus inspired sonic delicacies.
The Test Drive: Goldpark – Goldpark 2
Goldpark has today released thier new EP titled 'Goldpark 2'. Being a follow-up, or sequel, if you will, to 'Goldpark One', we get that continuation and evolution of the original sound of a true indie band.
The Test Drive: Red Valley Nursery – Red Valley Nursery
Red Valley Nursery have today released their new eponymous album via Pop Riot Music. While that initial listen will give you the impression that Red Valley Nursery is a straight up guitar band, that just shows that you need to expand your horizons (sorry). This is a band that puts originality at the forefront and shows you what, not only the guitar can do, but the musician.
The Test Drive: Zeeteah Massiah – Wat A Ting
Zeeteah Massiah is set to release her new album titled 'Wat A Ting' on November 18th. Zeeteah is an artist that, while she needs no introduction, she also has that reputation that keeps her solidly in the cool kids section.
The Test Drive: Toluca Lake & overtheweather – Food Fight + Q&A
Toluca Lake and overtheweather recently released a seamless and riveting split EP playfully titled 'Food Fight'. Overtheweather is a Pittsburg-native group self-described as a “Chex-mix bag of punk, emo, alternative and yinzercore”, whereas Toluca Lake is an emo trio brought up in the college basement scene of Lowell, MA. They are currently based in and around Boston.
The Test Drive: Seth Adam – Fits and Starts and Stops + Tour Info
Seth Adam has today released his new album titled 'Fits and Starts and Stops'. In true songwriter fashion, we get the gamut spanning music that covers styles and crosses genres. Heavy on that diverse guitar and unique phrasing with original chord changes, Seth Adam builds a stage for his voice and lyrics in a true and masterful form. Taking nods from vintage radio and Americana, Seth douses that with the fuel of rock and the penchant for classic alternative. This is a lesson for songwriters.
The Test Drive: Vanishing Shores – Dead Language
In the history of recorded music, some of the most prolific releases include KISS’ “Alive!” (1975), Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive!” (1976), and The 1975’s DH00278 (Live From The O2, London, 16.12.16) (2017). What do they all have in common? They’re all live albums, capturing the essence of a band’s live performance in both stage dynamics and crowd approval. Live albums aren’t as common as they used to be, which is nice when an artist takes the effort to put one out in today’s musical landscape. Such as the case from the latest effort by St. Francis Records artist, Vanishing Shores.
The Test Drive: Johnny Stanec – Sunrise Sunset
Johnny Stanec has released his new album titled 'Sunrise Sunset'. As heartfelt as it is heartwarming, Johnny sends up 16 tracks of solid rock/Americana wrapped up into a bundle and sent via the love and passion of a true artist. Each track tells a story and that story is relatable coming from someone whose lived it as much as they wrote about it.
The Test Drive: Beauty In Chaos – There Is Always A Light 2018-2022 +...
Beauty In Chaos has today released their new compilation retrospective titled 'There Is Always A Light 2018-2022'.
The Test Drive: Lara Taubman – Ol’ Kentucky Light
Lara Taubman is set to release her new album titled 'Ol' Kentucky Light' this Friday (September 16th) via Atomic Sound Record Company.
The Test Drive: Imaad Wasif – So Long Mr. Fear
Imaad Wasif has today released his new album titled 'So Long Mr. Fear' via Sonic Ritual. A product of the pandemic and the isolation brought on to all of us, we get an overall sense of clarity and recognition with that first listen. Recognition that we were not the only one. And, within that, we can hear a bit of ourselves in each track. The best musicians take the world around them and set that to music. Imaad has done that brilliantly. He conveys what we are and what we went through in a broad and multi-genre way.
The Test Drive: Blake Morgan – Violent Delights + Q&A & Tour Info
Indie-music iconoclast Blake Morgan’s highly-anticipated fifth album Violent Delights is out now on ECR Music Group. The native New Yorker, artist, producer, multi-instrumentalist, label owner, and activist is riding high from the critical and commercial successes of his breakthrough singles and music videos of recent months.
The Test Drive: 93FEETOFSMOKE – GOODGRIEF
93FEETOFSMOKE has today just released his new album titled 'GOODGRIEF'. A solid genre hopping opus as big in scope as it is plentiful in hooks. Bits and pieces of all those things that make...
The Test Drive: Donny Love – Meeting of the Dons
Donny Love has today released their new album titled 'Meeting of the Dons' via Holiday Maker Records. Considering that this album took four years is beside the point, what we have here is timeless. Timeless in the fact that we have a truly signature sound from a band that really loves what they're doing.
The Test Drive: Fatal Vision – Once
Fatal Vision have today released their new album titled 'Once'. Classic rock has a new home with 'Once'. All the flash, flair, and fire are there with those classic styled riffs and MTV regalia. What we get in addition to that is that originality and creativity meant for the stage as well as the speakers with hooks and fills respecting the past while looking towards the future.
The Test Drive: Scattered Melodies – Culture (Side A) + Makin’ Love Is Easy...
Scattered Melodies is a soulful alt/reggae/funk/fusion band that originally started up as a rhythm section back in 2012. Over the years, the drum & bass duo has evolved into a full lineup with Killa Maus on vocals & keys, Haley Green on vocals & acoustic guitar, Kazton Boone on guitar, Phelan Parker (aka DeeJay P-Phunk) on saxophone, and Billy Sutherland on guitar.