Wayside Loop – Big Blue
Kicking us off tonight we have Wayside Loop with their track ‘Big Blue’ from their 2010 album ‘Anti-Logic’. The track on the whole has help up pretty well, though it does sound a little like a nu-metal band trying their hand at a straight up rock track. The vocals are the highlight with a Sevendust sort of style to them. The guitars wouldn’t go amiss on many of the ‘nostalgia’ tours that are doing the rounds, this is a band that were missed by most when they were originally around – go and give them some love now.
Wyves – Mar-a-Lago
Going a bit softer now we have Wyves with their recently released track ‘Mat-a-Lago’, a track written from the perspective of Donald Trump. The track has the feeling of early 00s indie rock to it, but mixed with a bit of Rolling Stones (obviously!). The track is as upbeat as the President is ridiculous and it will get you bopping along before you focus on the lyrics. Sadly, the mix isn’t perfect and it can be hard to pick out some of the lines with the vocals being hidden a little. Still, it’s an enjoyable track with a satirical message.
Thursdays In Suburbia – Against Us
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On to a bit of teen punk-rock from America in the shape of Thursdays In Suburbia. The song has all the hallmarks of school rock with its punchy guitars and rough around the edges recording style, but there feels like there’s a bit more depth to this band. It feels like they’re evoking the spirit of so many of the early 90s bands, driven on by the already spectacular vocals of Serena Tario. Having hit Warped Tour this Summer it’s easy to see these making a big impact both locally and further afield.
The Provisioners – Everyone & Me
From the EP of the same name, ‘Everyone & Me’ is a classic rock style track from The Provisioners. Fans of bands like Kula Shaker will be quite at home here, with the soft, flowing vocals and fuzzy guitars throughout. This is the sort of song you want to be on in a bar at the end of the night when you’re sipping on some whiskey and waiting for your Uber to turn up, it’s a soul searching track that will have you tapping your foot talking about the good old days.
The Virgin Tongues – Who Cares Right Now
Coming in at just shy of six minutes, ‘Who Cares Right Now’ is a slow paced, emotional roller coaster from The Virgin Tongues. Musically there isn’t really too much going on, pounding drums in a fairly predictable pattern are supported by guitars that seem to have one focus and that’s to enhance Duncan McKnight’s vocals. Ranging from soft and pretty tones through to shrieking wails, he provides the highlights throughout and takes the track to a level it wouldn’t get anywhere near otherwise.
Strange Neighbours – Ghost
Any track that combines an element of grunginess and horror movies is a winner in my book and ‘Ghost’ from Strange Neighbors does just that. The track is a relatively slow affair that excels lyrically if not elsewhere. The track feels like it could easily be a Placebo cover, especially vocally, and at just over 3 minutes is about the right length. Musically it isn’t pulling up any trees but it’s an all round enjoyable track.
The Fangs Of The Dodo – Please Don’t Feed The Vultures
Winning today’s ‘best band name’ award are The Fangs Of The Dodo. I mean it couldn’t be anyone else really could it? ‘Please Don’t Feed The Vultures’ is the latest single from a band that start of sounding a little Evanescence before dropping in some riffs bigger than Evanescence could even dream about. With influences from Radiohead to QOTSA and beyond it’s easy to see where they got their surreal sound from. The female lead vocals are powerful and steal focus throughout the track in all honestly but the backing vocals create an air of the supernatural pushes the whole track onwards. This is a band to get excited about.
Headspacer – Burnt Out
One man punk-rock outfit Headspacer pump up the pace with a quick and punchy two minute British punk romp. Musically the track has all the hallmarks of 70s punk brought up to date with a catchy riff and quick drumming. Vocally it’s not up to the mark of some of it’s punk-rock compatriots, but with the track being about burn out and reaching the end the vocals add to that feeling instead of detracting from it. Overall, the tone of the song is what pulls it through.
Eyes Eat Suns – Fix Me
LA based Eyes Eat Suns have recently released ‘Fix Me’, an alt-rock track that will be a delight to fans of bands like Paramore and will have a lot of mainstream crossover appeal. The track immediately has you feeling like you’re lying on a quiet beach with the sun blaring down on you with headphones on and the waves lapping at your feet. Not that you’d be able to just lie there though the song as it’s the sort of song that will get you on your feet dancing like no-one’s watching.
Yonaka – Waves
Having released their latest EP on Friday, Yonaka are continuing to make a name for themselves having played Pukklepop already this Summer and an appearance at Reading & Leeds coming next weekend. ‘Waves’, the second track on the EP Teach Me To Fight is a riff filled pop-rock track that sets its stall out early. Vocally it would be easy to drop the riffs and just write some pop tracks but they add a darkness to the track that emphasises the vocals and takes the track to the next level. Yonaka are a band you need to check out if you’re at R&L this weekend as this song will be huge live.
Here are the playlists featuring all the songs covered on Singles Only.
To get your band into the ‘Singles Only’ feature, please head to submithub.com.
