2017 : the gift that keeps on giving, the June edition.
ALBUMS
Despite its exterior, Hey Violet's From the Outside is not your typical bubblegum pop. Don't look at the artwork and expect it to sound like the soundtrack to your average, mid-2000s teenage rom-com. From the Outside is a take on the mind and concerns of a young woman trying to figure out the world around her, trying to figure out relationships, love, sex, what she wants out of it all, and maybe what she doesn't want either. All these topics are dealt with in a very open, honest way, and tracks like Guys My Age (a slick, definitely modern pop tune on how unsatisfying dating guys your own age can be) could almost sound as if they were part of a conversation in between friends, with no filter whatsoever. From the Outside is a modern pop album with 80s influences (Brand New Moves, Where Have You Been (All My Night)), cleverly used EDM sounds (All We Ever Wanted) and tunes (Break My Heart, Hoodie, Unholy) that somehow can't help but reminding me of The Veronicas. The record's standout tracks are definitely Like Lovers Do, the theatrical and bittersweet story of a relationship that's doomed from the start and the lyrical equivalent of knowing you're going to crash, but accelerating anyway, and Fuqboi, an extremely catchy anthem for a generation of women who are trying to understand men who keep treating them like dirt. In a world where traditional pop culture feeds us some outdated ideals on relationships without taking into account the fact that the world is changing at break neck speed, Hey Violet's From the Outside offers a refreshing (sadly not always pleasing) take on relationships and love, and closing with a track like the über-catchy This Is Me Breaking Up With You and its shouted "Too many movies, I've had enough" sums this up quite well. Women want more than fairytales and settling down, and these are our anthems.
If you're looking for this summer's feel-good album, don't look any further than Broadside's second full-length, Paradise. The title-track and opener is a true summer anthem, and the perfect embodiment of "start as you mean to go on" - you got it, Paradise is filled to the brim with thirty-six minutes of pure feel-good summer anthems. All through the album, the key is positivity. Hidden Colors (one of the best singles of 2017) is all about empowering women, Paradise encourages you to chase your dreams and Disconnect wants you to live your life the way you want to instead of comparing yourself to someone whose life you're seeing filtered to fit Internet popularity standards. Paradise is unmistakeably a pop-punk record - just listen to Miss Imperius (a catchy tune about being controlled by someone who pinpoints your weaknesses, and yes, this is a Harry Potter reference in the title) or marvel at the drumming in Who Cares?, and you'll notice it. What needs noticing, though, is that Broadside are a pop-punk band who are never afraid of putting genuine pop elements in their sound. Every chorus is bigger than the last, and frontman Oliver Baxxter has one of the most versatile voices in the game, easily going from screams (in Laps Around a Picture Frame) to perfect RnB vibes. Puzzle Pieces, the album's first single, perfectly showcases the album's vibes and the fact that Broadside are a socially conscious and aware band who aren't afraid to stray from the typical pop-punk themes to discuss the hard truths and strive for a more tolerant and equal world. Paradise is a feel good album through and through, filled with lovely intentions, a social conscience and wonderfully satisfying pop choruses, perfect for my terrible dance moves.
When I was seventeen, I had a crippingly embarrassing indie phase. My music taste revolved around French indie-rock bands, The Beatles, The Kooks, early Arctic Monkeys material and whatever Peter Doherty would do, and the rest I deemed "mainsteam" and, therefore, not worth my time. Ten years down the line, I still listen to some of those artists and bands, but my indie phase is dead and buried, and for me to find interest and excitement in an indie-rock band is getting rarer by the day. That was, of course, until Royal Blood came along. I was dragged to see them at Download 2014, then saw them again at Reading 2014, and then proceeded to listen to their debut album on repeat. My tiny mind was blown, and, for once, an indie-rock band had grabbed my attention enough for me to want to see them live, and for me to be eager to listen to their sophomore record. How Did We Get So Dark doesn't hit you like a brick at full speed the way the self-titled album does, but every song satisfyingly gets under your skin, seeps in. There is a clear continuity with the band's previous music, How Did We Get So Dark is a logical next step, one with more nuances and less urgency - which is a wonderful thing when it brings songs such as Where Are You Now and its complicated structure, or Hole in Your Heart, a personal favourite. There is still the Royal Blood touch everywhere, and a song like I Only Lie When I Love You is the pure, unmistakeable essence of what this band is all about. With How Did We Get So Dark, Royal Blood have managed, once again, to produce a stunning, perfect indie-rock record without relying on typical, classic indie music tropes. There is no obvious lead song like there usually is in indie-rock albums, every song could be the next single and get daytime radio plays. It's all killer, no filler - which might just be the reason why it got to number one in the charts, why they played the set of a lifetime at Glastonbury last weekend, and why they're only going to get bigger, and bigger.
If you're looking for this summer's feel-good album, don't look any further than Broadside's second full-length, Paradise. The title-track and opener is a true summer anthem, and the perfect embodiment of "start as you mean to go on" - you got it, Paradise is filled to the brim with thirty-six minutes of pure feel-good summer anthems. All through the album, the key is positivity. Hidden Colors (one of the best singles of 2017) is all about empowering women, Paradise encourages you to chase your dreams and Disconnect wants you to live your life the way you want to instead of comparing yourself to someone whose life you're seeing filtered to fit Internet popularity standards. Paradise is unmistakeably a pop-punk record - just listen to Miss Imperius (a catchy tune about being controlled by someone who pinpoints your weaknesses, and yes, this is a Harry Potter reference in the title) or marvel at the drumming in Who Cares?, and you'll notice it. What needs noticing, though, is that Broadside are a pop-punk band who are never afraid of putting genuine pop elements in their sound. Every chorus is bigger than the last, and frontman Oliver Baxxter has one of the most versatile voices in the game, easily going from screams (in Laps Around a Picture Frame) to perfect RnB vibes. Puzzle Pieces, the album's first single, perfectly showcases the album's vibes and the fact that Broadside are a socially conscious and aware band who aren't afraid to stray from the typical pop-punk themes to discuss the hard truths and strive for a more tolerant and equal world. Paradise is a feel good album through and through, filled with lovely intentions, a social conscience and wonderfully satisfying pop choruses, perfect for my terrible dance moves.
When I was seventeen, I had a crippingly embarrassing indie phase. My music taste revolved around French indie-rock bands, The Beatles, The Kooks, early Arctic Monkeys material and whatever Peter Doherty would do, and the rest I deemed "mainsteam" and, therefore, not worth my time. Ten years down the line, I still listen to some of those artists and bands, but my indie phase is dead and buried, and for me to find interest and excitement in an indie-rock band is getting rarer by the day. That was, of course, until Royal Blood came along. I was dragged to see them at Download 2014, then saw them again at Reading 2014, and then proceeded to listen to their debut album on repeat. My tiny mind was blown, and, for once, an indie-rock band had grabbed my attention enough for me to want to see them live, and for me to be eager to listen to their sophomore record. How Did We Get So Dark doesn't hit you like a brick at full speed the way the self-titled album does, but every song satisfyingly gets under your skin, seeps in. There is a clear continuity with the band's previous music, How Did We Get So Dark is a logical next step, one with more nuances and less urgency - which is a wonderful thing when it brings songs such as Where Are You Now and its complicated structure, or Hole in Your Heart, a personal favourite. There is still the Royal Blood touch everywhere, and a song like I Only Lie When I Love You is the pure, unmistakeable essence of what this band is all about. With How Did We Get So Dark, Royal Blood have managed, once again, to produce a stunning, perfect indie-rock record without relying on typical, classic indie music tropes. There is no obvious lead song like there usually is in indie-rock albums, every song could be the next single and get daytime radio plays. It's all killer, no filler - which might just be the reason why it got to number one in the charts, why they played the set of a lifetime at Glastonbury last weekend, and why they're only going to get bigger, and bigger.
On the 2nd of June, All Time Low have come back with their eighth (already!) studio full-length, Last Young Renegade. When the band premiered the first single, Dirty Laundry, frontman Alex Gaskarth said they were out to "explore new things", and it doesn't take a long time to the listener to realise that Last Young Renegade isn't a traditional, pop-punk orientated All Time Low album. The sound all through the record has more pop than punk, and tracks like Good Times feature almost electronic vibes. Having worked with pop duo Tegan & Sara (on Ground Control, one of my favourite songs out of the record) also sends a message towards whatever it is you were expecting from the Baltimore four-piece : times are changing. Still, Last Young Renegade is undeniably an All Time Low record, their touch and their unique songwriting is instantly recognisable. Far from me the idea of comparing it to any of their previous work, but some parts and some songs (namely the opener, Last Young Renegade, and Good Times) reminded me of the Nothing Personal era. I feel the 2010 record is the one closest in sound and vibe to Last Young Renegade as it was their most sonically diverse... until Last Young Renegade came in and stole the crown, that is. Lyrically, Last Young Renegade is about changing, saying goodbye to the past, while still retaining the band's trademark positivity and optimism. By change, maybe All Time Low didn't mean a complete U-turn, maybe it was just all about saying goodbye to your demons and to what haunts you. Last Young Renegade is this month's pleasant surprise and one of All Time Low's best records. The change of sound they were aiming at is gracefully done and this new direction shows maturity on their part as much as it showcases their undeniable talent. It's a refined, slick album that experiments left, right and centre (notably with Gaskarth's voice, which has never sounded better), and I like that better than if they had tried to rehash a tired pop-punk formula. I feel like Last Young Renegade has a better chance of making a mark than some of All Time Low's previous records. It is a strange thing to say about a band who has released an album less than a month ago, but All Time Low have sparked excitement in me again, and I want to know where this album is going to take them next, which direction they are going to head for.
THE PLAYLIST
This month's playlist includes :
- The best of the albums that have graced our ears.
- That Trash Boat song that absolutely, desperately refuses to get the hell out of my brain.
- The first two tasters of the upcoming Punk Goes Pop, vol 7. I know the year is 2017 and I genuinely should, as a grown adult who knows better, want the Punk Goes Pop series to be over, but I definitely don't. So far, Dance Gavin Dance's take on Bruno Mars' That's What I Like and The Amity Affliction's cover of The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face have been released. I like Dance Gavin Dance's cover, and the video is funny as hell. I still haven't figured out what to make of Can't Feel My Face. I suppose it won't go down in Amity history. (Full album out on the 14th of July. I'm more excited than anyone should be in this day and age)
- Trippy new music videos in the form of Summertime Gladness by Dance Gavin Dance (again!) and Cu by Boston Manor.
- Fall Out Boy redeeming themselves with Champion. This one's quite alright. There's no chipmunk voice.
- Paramore's beautiful Live Lounge session with single Hard Times and a cover of Drake's Passionfruit.
- Manchester Orchestra being back and lovely as usual, which, coincidentally, also works with Turnover. Other great bands providing us with equally exciting new material include Hands Like Houses, Silverstein, Counterparts, Foo Fighters, The Front Bottoms and PVRIS.
- With Confidence ruining the Spot the Char game I was getting so good at in live music videos.
- Beartooth being heartbreaking and wonderful as always in King of Anything.
- Carly Rae Jepsen being back at it again with the perfect pop bangers.
- Northlane making me realise that there's not much I want more in this world than them releasing a full acoustic album.
- The best singles with Allison Weiss, Good Charlotte, The Plot In You, Deaf Havana, Thy Art Is Murder or The Devil Wears Prada (honestly, the list is long).
- Some French goodness, courtesy of Tahoe.
- And, as always great new bands that you should check out : Fresh, Holding Absence, Best Ex, Estrons, Normandie, Thousand Below, Fangclub, Jule Vera.
MY NEW FAVOURITE ARTIST
As I said in March's post, the greatest thing about going to multiple shows of the same tour is that you have a shot at making the support bands your new favourite bands. Before following the Set It Off/With Confidence co-headliner tour, I knew of the Americans in Too Close To Touch, had listened to them, even. Seeing them live turned out to be a game changer and I have found in them another post-hardcore band with brilliant vocals - aren't I a sucker for that. The less great thing about following a tour is that you find yourself missing everything about it when you come back home, and I am now sadly sat at home, eagerly waiting for Too Close To Touch's return to the old continent. In the meantime, you should all treat your ears.