James offers his favourite singles submissions from this past week. Please check out the bands, and let us know what you think via our Social Media channels!
False Heads – Help Yourself
Up first we’ve got False Heads and their latest single ‘Help Yourself’, which in it’s simplest form is an Indie Rock banger dragged through a heap of sleaze and dirt. Not necessarily reinventing the wheel, but I’ve been to plenty of rock clubs and cheap shite Uni nights to know this chorus would be an absolute head turner. What excites me about False Heads is that they’ve got the grit to stay firmly in the underground, but the potential and ambition to head to higher places. Definitely one to stick on your radar in the near future.
Unfound Reliance – Cowards & Heroes
Okay, so anyone out there who knows a single thing about Swedish Metal will instantly recognise Unfound Reliance have sought their influences predominantly from bands within their birthplace, and that’s not a bad thing at all. ‘Cowards & Heroes’ throws together old school Melodeath and mashes it together with contemporary Metalcore, it’s slick and simple, but that’s all you need to absolutely crush. I loved that ‘Cowards & Heroes’ didn’t overwork itself, and aside from some really imaginative guitar work, it sticks to a formula and pummels you with it. For fans of In Flames, Shadows Fall and Bleeding Through, crushing stuff.
The Matchstick Skeletons – Told Ya So
The Matchstick Skeletons sound almost too experienced for their own good, there’s ridiculous amounts of experimentation that caught me off guard on ‘Told Ya So’. Around the halfway mark the track transitions from a funky swagger to almost complete bedlam, with the pacing of the song doubling behind what can only be described as an air raid siren. I’m struggling to explain this on paper, just listen to the damn track, it’s this level of dynamism which really stood out for me, not to mention I’m a slave for basswork being kept to the forefront of a song, something contemporary rock bands fail miserably at doing these days.
Phantom Phunk – No Hard Feelings
Speaking of bass work being kept to the forefront of a track, Phantom Phunk must’ve cloned their own version of Flea and recruited him for ‘No Hard Feelings’. I love how playful this track sounds, it’s Funk but it’s Punk, it has nods to Ska and Hip Hop, and it’s more than worthy of your dancing shoes. Phantom Phunk are yet again, a band who’s influences are blatantly obvious but have still managed to sound wonderfully cutting edge and unique. ‘No Hard Feelings’ sounds like it could appeal to just about everyone, and for that reason I implore you to give it a chance.
Atari Ferrari – Born In The Wrong Time
I don’t really know what Atari Ferrari are, but I did know that listening to them cheered me up a ton. It’s kinda Indie, kinda querky, and kinda reminded me of Weezer. I loved that I could kick back and listen to ‘Born In The Wrong Time’ when looking for music to chill too, but in parallel also felt like picking up my skateboard and trying to perfect doing kickflips that I still haven’t managed to do since 2009. Atari Ferrari are a band for feeling good, and in today’s world, that’s all that I need.
Coke – Deku
Ask yourself, do you need a stripped back, two minute skate punk song featuring a video of a dog running around with a GoPro on it’s back? Of course you fucking do, and that’s why Coke have valiantly provided something that I never knew I needed before. It’s like two great things for the price of the one, the song is wicked, like a contemporary spin on Circle Jerks/Dead Kennedys, but with a music video that features a dog. Did I mention the dog yet? And then it all ends before you’ve even had a chance to blink. What’s two minutes of your life to watch this video?!
Coyote Tango – Chilly Bear
Last but certainly not least is the thudding grooves of Coyote Tango and their latest track ‘Chilly Bear’. What I loved about this track was it felt like a bunch of buddies really just throwing their influences on the table and seeing what they came up with. Not to say that it isn’t cohesive by any stretch, but it comes keeps coming back to really solid riff throughout it’s entirety before blossoming into experimental guitar work towards it’s conclusion. It’s this level of variation that kept me glued to ‘Chilly Bear’, some really wicked stuff packed into five minutes of music.
That’s this weeks singles reviews, please feel free to check out the tracks above on the usual formats, or alternatively you can access them on our embedded Spotify playlists below. Thanks for reading!
