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Review: Landmarks - Fighting Gravity (EP)

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Fighting Gravity is the sophomore release from Manchester pop-punks, Landmarks. The follow up to 2013’s Running On Empty, the five-song EP is one that shows Landmarks striving for bigger things, and is overall a release that is sure to please even the toughest of music fans.

Spanning five tracks, Fighting Gravity features an encompassing pop-punk sound that incorporates everything from alternative to punk rock. Starting off with lead single, “40mg”, an honest track about vocalist Brad Shea’s issues with anxiety, it leads into tracks filled with soaring guitars, upbeat melodies and well-written lyrics. 

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Review: Halsey - Room 93 (EP)

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Newbie Halsey truly rose to the occasion with her EP, Room 93. The new face of indie-pop, the New Jersey native showcases her distinct style with the release, which features popular tracks like “Ghost”.

Opening track “Is There Somewhere” demonstrates Halsey’s suave and distinct voice, along with her unique indie/electronic sound. She maintains a laid-back, yet fast-paced tempo throughout with tracks like “Ghost” and “Empty Gold”, but slows down things with “Trouble” and showcases a softer side with the track’s piano accompaniment.

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Review: The Early November - Imbue

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Imbue is The Early November’s newest album since 2012′s In Currents. With a release date of May 12th, Imbue is said to be frontman Ace Ender’s favourite release. The album as a whole was written and recorded in a very erratic way. The story of Imbue shows a band who wants to put aside their fresh reunion to create music with as much energy as they had when they first appeared on the scene. Every song is said to have its own personality, which adds a special feel to the record as a whole.

The entirety of Imbue shows the band’s talents to the best of their abilities. Songs such as “Narrow Mouth” and “Magnolia” will get you up and rocking out, especially throughout their choruses, while other tracks like “Digital Age” and “The Negatives” take the beat to a much slower, serenade-like tempo. Imbue as a whole is an album to rock out to in your car, to listen to while you contemplate life or to reconnect old flames.

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Review: In Hearts Wake - Skydancer

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Skydancer is the latest album from Australian metalcore quartet, In Hearts Wake. The surprise second record of an ambitious two-part release that began with last year’s Earthwalker, Skydancer features a strong and hard-hitting sound that shows In Hearts Wake as one of Australia’s strongest heavy acts.

Skydancer carries on with the same concept-driven material that Earthwalker brought to the table, but does so in a way that’s darker and a lot more pressing. With anthemic lyrics and aggressive vocals, the album manages to bring a heavy sound (”Badlands”) while only occasionally delving into the generic (”Cottonmouth”). 

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Review: Dance Gavin Dance - Instant Gratification

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Since post-hardcore quintet Dance Gavin Dance released their debut studio album, Downtown Battle Mountain, in 2007, the band has switched up member upon member while experimenting with their sound on almost every album. The release of 2013′s Acceptance saw the introduction of clean vocalist Tilian Pearson and the band placing, for the first time, an album’s production in the hands of someone other than Kris Crummett. This worked to DGD’s benefit, as it brought them more success than they’d previously seen, with the record peaking at #42 on the Billboard 200 and the band being offered numerous headlining tours. They’d finally achieved fame and not for scams or member changes - but for their music! This founded the stability the group holds today has led to the creation of arguably the best album of their career.

Instant Gratification can definitely be seen as a Dance Gavin Dance album, with its crazy guitar, insane growls, screams and, not to mention, Pearson’s vocals. This album does a superb job at expressing different sounds, as well as introducing a new level of intensity while keeping the relevant sound found on 2009′s Happiness. A look inside Instant Gratification, I believe the title of the album stands to its word. Opening song “We Own The Night” is composed of strong rhythm guitar and heavy drums, which continue throughout the track to go along with throat-grottling screams. It also grasps soft parts, with smooth clean vocals and light guitar patterns over a lighter drum beat.

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Review: All Time Low - Future Hearts

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Future Hearts is the eagerly awaited fifth full-length album from Baltimore pop-punks, All Time Low. Nearly three years after the release of Don’t Panic, the guys have come back with something a little different. Overall, it shows a great deal of progression by the entire band, particularly with vocalist and guitarist Alex Gaskarth, as his skills as both a lyricist and vocalist have improved greatly compared to the band’s previous work.

The opening track is titled “Satellites”. Starting off slow with a sort of chant, it builds slowly, considering its short duration. It’s clear that the main intention of the song is to set off the album, to slowly build the listener’s tension as they draw closer to the main body of the album they’ve waited so long for.

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Review: The Maine - American Candy

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American Candy is the eagerly anticipated 5th studio album from renowned alternative rock quintet, The Maine. The band have a very distinct sound they’ve been able to maintain over the past eight years. But while their albums sound similar to a certain extent, each comes with a newfound sense of growthand maturity. While the progression from Forever Halloween has not been drastic, American Candy is overall a much more upbeat release compared it’s fairly sombre predecessor, and is sure to please both old and new fans alike.

Second single “Miles Away” is the opening track. Melodious and upbeat, it’s nice and catchy all the way through. It subtly shows what to expect from the rest of the album, as it doesn’t vary much from the sound of Forever Halloween, but also presents a newfound development. “Same Suit, Different Tie” follows and showcases a 90s rock influence through the opening melodies. It’s a slight alteration of what the band has done previously, as it’s definitely funkier, but still includes an element of their somewhat pop sound.

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Review: MisterWives - Our Own House

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New York-based indie-pop band MisterWives are at it again with the release of their latest album, Our Own House. The trio, consisting of leading lady Mandy Lee, William Hehlr and Etienne Bowler, have brought together a mix of easygoing pop songs with a retro indie sound to create this latest release.

The twelve-song album appropriately starts with title track, “Our Own House”, offering a glimpse into the band’s signature old-time, fun lovin’ feel. Popular songs like “Reflections” and “Vegabond” follow. The majority of Our Own House consists of quick tempo’d, feel-good tracks, and the almost preppy attitude would be overwhelming without the addition of “Coffins” and “No Need for Dreaming”, which manage to slow things down a bit.

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Review: Defy You Stars - In The Meantime, In Between Time

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In The Meantime, In Between Time is the long-awaited debut from Denver, Colorado trio Defy You Stars. An album filled to the brim with infectious and melodic alternative rock, In The Meantime, In Between Time is a strong release that’s sure to expand the band’s horizons.

The album begins with lead single, “Like Glass”, a track that allows listeners a peek into what to expect from the rest of the release. Carrying with it a Divided By Friday-esque sound, it’s lyrically and musically one of the record’s best showings, and showcases one of a variety of genres heard throughout. In The Meantime, In Between Time carries with it a constant alternative rock sound mixed with occasional rock (”Rest”), pop-punk (”Morning Talks, Late Night Walks”) and pop (”Eventually) sentiments, and allows listeners to hear the band’s ability to incorporate a diverse variety of genres into their music.

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Review: Speak Low If You Speak Love - Everything But What You Need

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Everything But What You Need is the Pure Noise Records debut from State Champs bassist Ryan Scott Graham. An updated version of the 2013 album of the same name, Everything But What You Need is an all-encompassing release, one that is sure to garner Graham the attention of many.

The album overall is one that carries a cohesive and well-developed sound throughout, with Graham’s vocals often taking on a comforting and soothing tone. The simple acoustic guitar, which is sometimes accompanied by an electric counterpart and the occasional drum, creates a release akin to one of an early Ed Sheeran or Into It. Over It., especially with tracks like “A List Of Things” and “Have My Head”.

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