New York City based band The Rassle - comprising of brothers Reed and Blair Van Nort from Austin, Texas - independently released their debut album Roll On last November, 2.

Roll On was co-produced by John O'Mahony (Metric, The Kills), mixed by Alex Suarez (Lorde, Lefti) and mastered by Chris Gehringer (Bleachers, CHVRCHES).

Influenced by such acts as Arcade Fire, Kasabian and, Imagine Dragons, The Rassle deliver guitar oriented, stadium-size anthems with a nice dose of electronic.

"We worked so long and so hard on this thing it was almost hard to let it go. Being in a band is hard like that. Putting yourself out there is not easy. Writing words that you hope might inspire people is pretty scary. But we felt like what we had to say and how we wanted to say it was an important enough message to not quit on ourselves. That's what this record is to us. It's a protest record. It's a never surrender record. It's a damn the torpedoes kinda thing. So we hope you dig it. We hope you share it. We hope you find something that will inspire and push you to do the things that you never thought you could do" said the brothers about Roll On.

Stream this brilliant album on Spotify or on SoundCloud now!

South African alternative rockers KONGOS return with an anthemic new single, Pay For The Weekend, the band's fourth musical release of 2018 leading up to their 1929 - Part 1 album release on January 18th, 2019.

Pay For The Weekend is in a way the title track from the band's upcoming album. When asked about the song, Jesse Kongos said, "It's about the up and the down and how they can't exist without each other. There's nothing like coming down from a big weekend to remind you that maybe today or maybe some time down the line the effect of every cause will eventually play out and start the cycle all over again."

Returning to blaring guitar riffs, gang vocals, South African drum rhythms, and a melodic chorus, Pay For The Weekend embodies the KONGOS sound they've become known for - and to quote the first verse, it will "make you want to party like it's 1929."

Jesse added, "We didn't hold back when it came to making the chorus and groove like an arena-ready chant, but at the same time we didn’t want to lose the sentiment and real meaning of the lyric. I think we were able to achieve that by using an upright piano and some of our dad’s vintage synthesizers like the Jupiter 8 amongst other things to bring out the underlying harmony which had a kind of pathos to it".

Watch the official lyric video for Pay For The Weekend clicking on the image and donwload/stream it on your favorite digital music service.

After releasing a plethora of amazing singles throughout the last years, Auckland, New Zealand hard rockers Written By Wolves decided it was time to drop a proper EP.

Prologue - that's the title of the EP - was released last November 9 and includes the band's earlier singles Oxygen, Timebombs And Hurricanes and Starlight plus the brand new single Promise Me and another new song, Affirmation.

"For the last few years we have been jumping between the chapters, now it's time to start from the beginning" said the band about the EP and its title, adding "Prologue sees us begin the story we've been planning for the last 3 years. It is a signal of intent for what is to come and a snapshot of where the band is at right now. It draws from everything they have experienced since the bands inception, yet intends to invite and excite fans about the future of the band."

Prologue was mixed by Thomas Oliver at BigPop Studios in Auckland, with Rich Bryan and the band themselves sharing production credits.

The new single Promise Me is a song "about one of those phone calls that changes everything. You can remember everything that was said down to smallest detail, yet can't remember anything that happened before or after it. This video is our visual representation of those moments."

Watcht the video for Promise Me clicking on the image and buy/stream the Prologue EP following this link.

Halflives released their smashing new single Fugitive last November 16.

Fugitive was written by Linda Battilani and Francesco Catitti, engineered by Nelson Martins and mixed and mastered by Dino Medanhodzic (Normandie, Imminence, Smash Into Pieces) at Radionika Studios.

2018 has been a great year for Halflives. The Italian alt pop-rock four piece has played shows all across Europe, picking up new fans wherever they have gone. The success of their last single Crown has pushed them to new heights, seeing the band championed by the likes of Kerrang! Magazine, Rock Sound, AltPress and Alex Baker on Kerrang! Radio just to name a few.

Now Halflives are aiming to finish 2018 off in true style with Fugitive, a song that sees the continued evolution of Halflives distinctive sound, melding synths and samples into more traditional rock elements to create some devastatingly catchy hooks and one of the biggest choruses the band has ever written.

It is also Halflives most personal song to date, as their frontwoman Linda Battilani explains: "It happened to everybody, or at least to many people, to feel lost at a certain point in their life, like they don’t belong anywhere, to wander lost in a city that is a stranger to them. It’s something that happened to me too, to travel far, to escape, looking for my place in this world, looking for a place where I could feel at peace. The further I went in my journey the more lost I got, almost forgetting there were people who loved me. Then I started to feel homesick, I started to ask myself if all that running away was the right thing to do, if it was worth something. I put a great distance between myself and my home country and just by doing so I could understand how precious were the small things and the bonds I had. After many years of living abroad I had the need to put all these feelings into my music and Fugitive is the result of it. After all there's no place like home, and I’m glad to know that no matter how far I go to find myself, I always have a place where to return."

Watch the official music video for Fugitive clicking on the image.

Austin, Texas native and Nashville, Tennessee based indie-pop singer-songwriter Jon Pattie released Reflections Vol.I - the first of a four-volume set - last November 7. The EP features three songs, including the single Won't Be Young.

"The process of making Reflections Vol.I was a lot more emotional than I had anticipated. All of the songs on the EP tackle a hard truth from not being satisfied with my career path at the time to my search for true, internal happiness," explains Jon Pattie. "All three of the songs were written when I was struggling with depression but each one has a different energy to it. Music has always been a way for me to understand my own emotions and this is especially true for this EP. I'm excited to be able to share this music with others in hopes that they can connect with the songs like I have."

About the three songs: Reflections is a folkish and very personal slow number, while State Of Mind is an intimate indie-pop track with smart arrangements.

But the real winner of the EP is the aforementioned Won't Be Young: an indie-pop rock song with a late seventies/early eighties west-coast arrangement and a soul aura, that will see you instantly reach for the repeat button once the song is over.

Jon Pattie is a very promising artist and you should check him out now, if you still haven't: stream Reflections Vol.I on Spotify and stay tuned for news about the second chapter of the set.

I already wrote about CZARINA last June, when she released her debut single Silence & Surrender. Now the talented synthwave rocker has released her highly anticipated LP Painted Holograms.

All songs on Painted Holograms were written, composed, produced, arranged and performed by CZARINA, except for Burn which was originally written and performed by The Cure for The Crow Motion Picture Soundtrack. Joe Peretore led the production and synth design for both mixes of Silence & Surrender and provided additional arrangements on tracks such as the cosmically dreamy Gravity and electrically-charged Parallel Lines.

Leaving her final touches on all tracks, CZARINA meticulously formulated a bundle of songs that illustrate exhilaration through the emotionally charged lyrics and guitar-led singles that tread the line of traditional rock and innovative new wave synth pop.

Drawing inspiration from 80s tech noir film composers such as Vangelis and Clint Mansell, CZARINA embraces electronic instruments and pushes creative boundaries. "I really think synths are shaping the future of music, creating new sounds and dynamics through technology," she says.

Painted Holograms tells a story of rebirth through songs that fuse sonic lead guitars with hypnotic vocals. Diving into her natural rockstar persona, the album features heavy synth adaptations and groovy guitar riffs.

Posting about Silence & Surrender, I wrote that the single "echoes of Eurythmics strongest moments, Lisa Dalbello's most accessible songs and cult band Device's luscious synth-wave rock." Well, I'm happy to report that we can find those similitaries in most of the song of this excellent full-length album. Add some The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, modern-day Muse and heavy doses of strong personality, and the recipe is ready.

Painted Holograms is available for download and streaming on digital music platforms worldwide so, what are you waiting for?

Originally from Folsom, California, Celeste Tauchar started her musical project, "talker" just one year ago. Now at the youthful age of 23, Tauchar is already an accomplished artist. After earning a spot as a finalist in the highly competitive "Guitar Center Songwriter 5" competition, Tauchar performed at a concert headlined by City and Colour. Since then, she's played a number of shows with artists such as HOLYCHILD, Dan Sadin Colver, and  has extensive experience touring as a touring member of FRENSHIP.

Building on the stepping-stones placed by past grunge artists like Nirvana and Soundgarden, talker continues to innovate the genre of grunge-pop with her new single, Intimidated.

Showcasing a softer, more intimate style for this grunge-oriented artist, Intimidated begins with a beautiful acoustic introduction complimented by powerful, yet gentle, vocals. On top of the impressive vocal performance, the song's lyrics are a vulnerable confession about the struggles of feeling overwhelmed by failure. From the ballad-like introduction, to the head banging closing chorus, Intimidated is an emotional rollercoaster that can be, at times, eerily relatable.

While discussing Intimidated, talker details the process of creating what she considers to be her favorite piece of work; "Because I wasn't trying to write an amazing song, and was just trying to get my emotions out and help myself feel better, it ended up being really vulnerable and honest, and I think it's really relatable."

Written by talker, Intimidated was produced by Danny Schnair, who also played electric guitar, mixed by Jesse Ernster and mastered by Dave Harris. In the performance itself, talker provides vocals, acoustic guitar, and bass on the track, and percussionist Jake Reed plays the drums.

Intimidated is now available to stream and download on digital music platforms worldwide.
Stay tuned for news about a full EP release in the coming months.

VHS Collection is a talented New York based electronic rock band formed by three longtime friends: Conor Cook, James Bohannon, Nils Vanderlip.

VHS Collection are known for their powerful songwriting and high-energy live performances. Their music has been streamed over 40 million times on Spotify and three singles have charted on the US and Global Viral Charts. They have performed at major festivals including Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits and have sold out headline shows across the country. 

After two EPs and a bunch of singles, VHS Collection released their full-length debut album last Friday, November 2.

Titled Retrofuturism, the album was expertly produced by Chris Zane (Passion Pit, St. Lucia, Nelly Furtado) and Tony Hoffer (The Kooks, Phoenix, Beck).

As the title of the record suggests, Retrofuturism is a "modern vintage" album, with 80's synth-wave and pop influences and a modern production.

Try Retrofuturism on your favorite digital music service clicking on the image.