The official start of festival season, the long awaited return of vaguely nice weather and a whole lot of summer infused music. No doubt, it's gonna be May. (Insert everyone's favourite N*Sync meme)

ALBUMS & EPs

THE big album this month is very obviously and very unsurprisingly Paramore's fifth full length, After Laughter. Before we start this journey, I suggest you forget everything you thought you knew about the Nashville trio - they don't sound a thing like they used to. The new and improved Paramore has eighties influences all over the place - the intro to Hard Times is reminiscent to Wham!'s Club Tropicana (sue me) and there are hints of Cyndi Lauper in sound and, sometimes, in the way frontwoman extraordinaire Hayley Williams uses her voice. After Laughter is a million miles away from the pop-punk/alt-rock sound they were known for, if you make an exception for No Friend, which is extremely different from the rest of the album, sort of works as an outro for Idle Worship and confuses me a lot with all the Paramore references. (I have seen a lot of theories about what the songs are about and not one on No Friend, which leaves me even more puzzled). When you hear the first three songs, you feel like you're in a pop dream, because Hard Times into Rose-Colored Boy and its cheerleader chants into Told You So IS a pop dream, and you will think this is an upbeat album. And it is an upbeat album until you listen to the lyrics closely. The pop dream is a deceitful one. After Laughter is an extremely honest album and largely deals with Hayley Williams' depression and the tough times she went through, and sooner rather than later, you realise that the upbeat and colourful exterior is a mask to disguise deeper, darker lyrics. 

After Laughter is, overall, a very good album. The transition from alt-rock to a poppier sound Paramore had started with their self-titled record is now complete, and it's been done in such a graceful, natural way that it feels right to hear the band who once made Riot! sound the way they do in After Laughter. The songwriting is absolutely fantastic, it's relatable without being cliché, it's imaginative and vibrant, and some songs (namely Caught in the Middle) hit home a little bit too hard to my liking. 

Still, despite all its qualities and despite the fact I could see myself dancing around to its songs, I feel like After Laughter is going to be a grower. It's too new, too recent for it to have a place in my life yet, it's too fresh for me to tell the world if I love it or not. I think I can just appreciate its objective qualities, for now. (I think that's the trouble when you love a band as much as I have loved Paramore at one point).


Linkin Park's frontman Chester Bennington has made the news recently as he told pretty much the entire planet to "move the fuck on" from the band's début album Hybrid Theory. What the Americans are offering us to make the move forward is their seventh full length, One More Light. I'm okay with them not releasing another nu-metal album - I have understood that the year wasn't 2001 anymore, and if they had released Hybrid Theory seven times in a row, I would probably be bored out of my skull. Yet, I'm still not entirely on board with the new album. Some of it is really good - I liked the first single, Heavy, as I felt it showcased Bennington's unique voice really nicely. Battle Symphony is a beautiful song and almost brought me to tears. I don't mind the rapping at all, I've always liked in in their music. But I can't help feeling the final result is blander than it should be. It could be such a good album, but it falls short in too many places. (Don't get me started on the chipmunk type voices here and there, I don't want them to be trendy anymore)

I am aware that Courage My Love's Synesthesia has been released in February, but I only stumbled upon that band recently, and its been released in Europe in May, so we'll pretend it's totally acceptable that I am three months late. If you're into a nice little mix of electro-pop and pop-rock, with beautiful vocals (courtesy of twin sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn) today is your lucky day - Courage My Love excel at that. With Synesthesia, you get forty minutes of extremely catchy songs, songs that clearly have the potential to make this band bigger than it is at the moment. Some tracks, such as Love Hurts, Need Someone or The Year I Disappeared, even have something anthemic about them. The lyrics deal with toxic relationships and the influence of mental health issues in dealing with other people, they're very honest without being cliché, and they're written in a way that can appeal to just about everyone. There is something quite liberating and exhilarating about that band's music. More than being catchy and almost anthemic, their songs make you feel like the painful times and the confusion are lifting off.


I have only started listening to Tigers Jaw this year (I know, it was long overdue), and I have one very, very important question : where has this band been my whole life? I have just listened to spin for the very first time, and it is a beautiful treasure, the loveliest indie-rock record, tinted with emo here and there, especially when the lyrics start dealing with the perception of oneself and how to deal with pain. The first word that came to mind when opener Follows kicked in was dreamy - everything in this album is a dream. The mixture between Ben Walsh's and Brianna Collins' vocals is beautiful and adds to the loveliness spin oozes, as both voices are delicate and delightful. The stand out track of the record, for me, is June - it's just gorgeous, positive and oh so satisfyingly catchy. If my life was a movie, I would like spin to be the soundtrack to my moments of chosen solitude - and considering how much I love and value them, I think you'd understand that it is a compliment of the highest form.


Two years after the beautiful Skydancer, In Hearts Wake are back with the, well, at least equally as beautiful Ark. The album is opened by a self-titled intro full of seagulls and wave sounds, and it's the calm before the storm - because Ark is a stunning metalcore storm waiting to happen. There's always been something about the metalcore scene in Australia (Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, Northlane ringing any bells to you) and, thanks to their fourth full-length, In Hearts Wake are showing, if this was necessary, that they are a force to be reckoned with. Ark is wonderful because it's not a heavy record just for the sake of being heavy. Its heaviness has a purpose and it's meant to be hard-hitting ; I don't think it's a coincidence that the heaviest songs on the record are the most politically charged ones (Passage, Warcry). As always, the Australian outfit are here to remind the world we need to take care of this planet we're lucky enough to call home, thanks to their lyrics, obviously, but also thanks to the promoting campaign that surrounded the lyrics of the album. Indeed, instead of doing regular record store signings, the band has organised meet ups in the form of cleaning beaches all around Australia. (I'm honestly so up for more bands doing that in the future, let's all save the world and listen to metalcore together). While listening to Ark and while appreciating the environmental message behind many of the songs, I had a feeling all the mentions of the sea, the ocean, the coast and the Earth were a metaphor for something less literal and more personal. The stunning Frequency felt like it was about a relationship that doesn't quite work out, when Flow, a personal favourite, seems to be an uplifting track with motivational lyrics ("Move into the flow, let it all go, shed the dead weight of your shadow, be the light that you've always known"). If you've always been on board with In Hearts Wake's work, you won't be disappointed by Ark - it is a beautiful work of art, a politically engaged, yet positive record, it has great melodies and Jake Taylor's and Kyle Erich's vocals are out of this world. The band has just announced a European tour for October and I, for one, can't wait to hear how this album sounds on a stage. (Is it too early to request Flow or?)


After making a name for themselves through relentless touring (notably with the likes of Jimmy Eat World and You Me At Six), The Amazons are releasing their self-titled début album. Let me tell you, that record is indie-rock banger after indie-rock banger finished off with Palace as the heartbreaking cherry on the cake. My question is, now, could The Amazons be a breath of fresh air in a UK rock scene who is begging for it? Could they blow up the way bands like Kings of Leon or The Kooks did back in the day? Could they get themselves that legendary status? I say why the hell not - I mean, their album is already a top ten ordeal, and they're booked on every single festival you can think of. Seems plausible. Music wise, they definitely have everything in their power to get there. Their record is a collection of incredible indie-rock riffs (don't dare telling me Black Magic's intro isn't one of the best pop-rock tracks we've heard in a while), and their sound comfortably navigates from straight up rock to heavier things (In My Mind), and even has emo influences dotted here and there (Junk Food Forever). I'm now eager to see what the Amazons' next move is going to be, and as long as it includes anything as excellent as this record, I'll be along for the ride.

Mallory Knox have released the Unwired EP, a selection of songs extracted from their excellent third album Wired, but played acoustically. There's not much I can say apart from the fact that I really, really do love a bit of acoustic, and Mallory Knox do it really well.


PS : Check out Gnarwolves. You know you want to.

MY FAVOURITE ARTIST 

My favourite new artist this month is New Jersey's Best Ex, formerly known as Candy Hearts. Earlier this month, the extremely talented Mariel Loveland has announced the name change and released a new track called Girlfriend, an extremely catchy pop song that has managed to stay stuck in my head for hours on end, and that was tailor made for Loveland's delicate voice. I adore Girlfriend and am now eagerly waiting for new Best Ex material, I am delighted to know that Candy Hearts songs will still be played live, I am hoping for European shows of some sort and I think I've come to the conclusion that as long as Mariel Loveland keeps making music, everything will be alright.
(Listen to Girlfriend here)

THE PLAYLIST

• This month, we found out Chris Cornell, singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave, had passed away aged 52, and I just wanted to add an Audioslave song to this, one of my favourite songs in the world.
• Mallory Knox have covered Coldplay's classic song Yellow as part of the Torch Songs campaign, in support of the mental health charity CALM. What they have to say about it is also really cool (not to mention that the cover is just lovely). Since we're on the subject of Mallory Knox, they have also released a music video for their new single California.
• And yet another song for State Champs - Hurry Up and Wait has mad The Finer Things vibes and is part of the deluxe edition of their sophomore record Around the World and Back. Speaking of deluxe editions, the new and improved version of blink-182's California is there, and new track Wildfire is there to channel the band's Enema of the State era.
• I think we can all safely say that this month, Don Broco have become kings of creating buzz around a new project. Their offer to watch bass player Tom Doyle's wedding in Las Vegas turned out to be a gory music video for new single Pretty. Have Don Broco ever released a bad song? Absolutely never. Catch me in the pit at Slam Dunk and Alexandra Palace.
• Only a tiny month left before we get to hear Broadside's new record, Paradise. They have recently released two new songs off it : one called Hidden Colors and the album's title track, Paradise, and they might just be this month's feel good tracks. I love the fact that they aren't afraid of putting actual pop elements in their pop-punk sound, and both songs are yet another proof of this. Both tracks also come with super colourful and joyous music videos complete with frontman Oliver Baxxter's killer dance moves - what's there not to love.
• Lots of things happening in the Milk Teeth camp! The band has signed to Roadrunner Records, is going on tour in July with Wallflower and Employed to Serve, and will be releasing a new EP, Be Nice, on the 28th of July. Owning Your Okayness is the first single from it, and it's excellent (like everything else Milk Teeth ever do)
• PVRIS ARE BACK! The American trio has announced their new album, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, out on August 4th, and there's a single called Heaven to keep us waiting. Great stuff? Great stuff.
• Tonight Alive's Jenna McDougall features on Australian rapper Illy's new single Oh My, and what can I say? I might just be on board with everything this woman does.
• At this point in time, no one really knows what the future holds for American pop band The Summer Set, which makes me deeply unhappy. Frontman Brian Dales, though, has released his first solo song this month. It's called Young for the Summer and it really, really reminds me of Bryan Adams' classic Summer of '69.
• This month was an endless game of Spot the Cha in live music videos, and I'm happy to say I made it in two of them ! I look very fascinated by Simon Neil in Biffy Clyro's Friends and Enemies (2:54), and I look utterly confused in Empire of Silence by While She Sleeps (1:58). Other live moments that do not feature my face include Take on the World by You Me At Six, recorded at their Alexandra Palace headliner and Come and Get It by I Prevail. If you need your heart broken (who doesn't), The Maine are here for you with this version of Raining in Paris, recorded during the Lovely Little Lonely tour.
• In other music videos you might have missed : Kevin Devine releases a powerful music video for the excellent Daydrunk, Greywind retrace their first year as a band in Safe Haven, Plum Island shows you life on the road with Waterparks and Courage My Love get emotional in Need Someone. Finally, because there is no such thing as too much The Winter Passing, have a look at the lovely video for Significance, maybe. 
• Neck Deep have announced a third record for August 18th. Entitled The Peace and the Panic, it includes absolute bangers Where Do We Go When We Go and Happy Judgement Day (which includes a key change, my dudes, A KEY CHANGE), and will feature Architects' Sam Carter. Someone hold me.