Trash Boat @ G2, Glasgow, 15/09/19

And my horrible track record of missing support acts due to shitty public transportation continues! I was kinda bummed about that because, while I had seen Woes in June, I really was looking forward to seeing them again. I managed to catch their last song 'Worst Friend', which is one of my faves, and it looked like the crowd was pretty into it and the band seemed like they were enjoying themselves. The main reason I like seeing Woes live is because they always look like they're having fun, and the crowd can feed off that energy.

Next up was Doll Skin, who I was quite excited for. I only knew a couple of their songs, but I'd never seen an all-female band live before. And honestly, after these girls, I never want to see a single male performer again. They were absolutely incredible! The quality of their performance was amazing and I really enjoyed their whole set. Unfortunately they had some problems with their sound during the first couple songs, but they didn't let that affect their performance at all. I'm definitely going to be checking out more of their music, and you'll probably catch me out at their next UK tour!

They were followed by Capstan, who I honestly didn't enjoy as much. There was nothing wrong with them - they gave a perfectly good performance, their songs were all decent - I don't have any complaints at all, I just wasn't feeling them as much. It was possibly because they followed Doll Skin, who were so good, but honestly there was just nothing about them that really stood out to me. They just seemed like another generic pop punk band, but maybe I just didn’t give them enough of a chance.

Then we got to the main event: Trash Boat. You might know by now that I'm a massive fan of these guys - one of my first posts on this blog was a review of a Trash Boat gig. This was the eighth time I'd seen them live, and I was really expecting to maybe be a little bored, having seen it all before, but my boys never disappoint. They just keep getting better. I had just as much fun at this show as I did the first time I saw them. I loved seeing more of the tracks off Crown Shyness, especially 'Undermine', which is probably my favourite song off that album. The crowd was absolutely the best I've ever seen for Trash Boat. The venue had no barricade and I've never seen so much stage diving in my life. Everyone seemed like they were having the best time, and you could tell the band were enjoying the crowd's energy. During the final song, 'Strangers', a bunch of people from the other bands and from the crowd joined the band on stage, which was really fun to see. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next time I can see them.

Khalid @ SSE Hydro, Glasgow, 20/09/19

I made a spontaneous decision earlier this week to go to this show, having previously thought that it was sold out. Frankly, I spent way more than I should have on the ticket but it was definitely worth it. Up first was RAYE. I wasn’t familiar with any of her music, apart from her last song ‘You Don’t Know Me’, which was pretty popular last year, if I remember correctly. I was really impressed with her performance though. She had a really great energy and presence and interacted well with the crowd, and her live vocals were incredible. Overall, she was a fantastic start to the night.

Mabel was next on the bill, and honestly I found her set a little disappointing. I don’t really know any of her songs that well either, but I really enjoyed them and she’s clearly a very talented singer. However, I thought she was a bit boring to watch. She had a group of dancers on stage with her which helped a bit, but unfortunately I found myself watching them more than her. I felt like she warmed up a bit as she got further into the set, but as she only played 6 or 7 songs, there wasn’t enough time for her to get properly into the groove.

I have slightly mixed feelings about Khalid’s set. I really love his music and I’ve been a fan of his for a couple of years now, and I had a really great time during his set, but I kind of felt like some of his songs didn’t really translate that well into a live setting. Obviously he’s got quite a lot of slower, more ballad-y songs, which isn’t what I’m used to seeing at shows, and for me some of them fell a little flat. There was a moment in the middle of his set where he played several of these slow songs back to back, which I felt impacted the pace and the energy of the set quite a bit. He played an absolute monster set of 31 songs (including a couple of spoken word interludes and cut down collaborations), which came to almost 2 hours, and I thought that it would have been more effective if he’d spaced out his slower songs a little more. That being said though, he’s a great performer. His live vocals are phenomenal and he’s a lot of fun to watch, because he looks like he’s having fun. He managed to keep the crowd’s energy up through the whole set, especially during his more upbeat tracks, which were just a blast. I loved the graphics he had on the screen, which were all really well designed and definitely helped keep focus during the down moments of the show, and his dancers were all great as well. All in all, I really enjoyed Khalid’s set, even if I felt it had it’s flaws, and I would 100% recommend checking out his live show if you have the opportunity.

Grayscale - Nella Vita

6th September 2019 // Fearless Records

If you've been following this blog for a while, you may be aware that I am a huge fan of Grayscale. Adornment was my album of the year in 2017, and 'Atlantic' came in at number three on my songs of the year list. So you can imagine how excited I was for Nella Vita, Grayscale's second full length album, despite the fact I didn't think they could get any better. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was wrong though.

Nella Vita kills start to finish. It's a slightly more mature sound than that of Adornment, with some interesting and unexpected poppy twists, while still retaining the anthemic emo style and poetic lyrics so synonymous with Grayscale. The first half of the album is, in my eyes, flawless. It kicks off with possibly my favourite track from the record, 'Just Right', an upbeat lament for a young love which has me grinning ear to ear every time I hear it. We then get 'Baby Blue' and 'In Violet', the third and second singles respectively, which keep the energy right up, despite having more sombre themes. 'Baby Blue' is a complete joy to listen to and probably one of the more pop sounding tracks, while 'In Violet' is maybe more 'classic' Grayscale, with huge choruses and a much stronger almost stadium rock sound. 'YOUNG' follows next. This track really surprised me, as it's probably the furthest from the Grayscale sound we're familiar with. The intro genuinely sounds like the start of an EDM track, and there are electronic effects the whole way through the song, giving it a really unique sound. 'Twilight (My Heaven)' is another more typical Grayscale song, and is also just an absolute bop, although it doesn't really do anything new or different. That's not a complaint though - I genuinely love this song. Next are the other two previously released tracks, 'Old Friends' and 'Painkiller Weather'. 'Old Friends' is really the first breather we get on this album. The energy comes down a little on this more chilled and ambient track, before ramping back up instantly on lead single 'Painkiller Weather', which is a strong contender for my favourite song of this year. The contrast between the darker lyrics about drug addiction and the dance-y, sunny music is truly incredible. The first time I heard the 'she liked to do heroin' lyric was honestly shocking, as I initially thought this was just a fun summer song. The next track, 'What's On Your Mind', is the album's turning point for me. In my opinion from here on the songs aren't quite as good as the earlier tracks. 'What's On Your Mind' is another fun, electronic-inspired song, although with a more chilled out emo vibe. 'Asbury' is the obligatory emotional acoustic song, which I honestly don't think works that well. I love a good acoustic track, but this one just falls a little flat and I personally find it quite boring. 'Desert Queen' is possibly the most noticeably upbeat Grayscale have ever sounded lyrically. It's a super fun song about - surprisingly! - a girl, with more electronics and an almost All Time Low-esque chorus. 'In My Arms' is also incredibly fun, with an interesting pop vibe. It kind of reminds me of The 1975, but it also has an 80s-ish sound, which is really unexpected from these guys, but works surprisingly well. The final track is 'Tommy's Song', a moving homage to a friend who passed away. It starts off with simply the vocals and a keyboard, which gives me strong Mayday Parade vibes, but eventually the full band kicks in along with a choir and it sounds absolutely fantastic.

Nella Vita is pretty much exactly what I wanted from Grayscale for a second album. It's interesting in all the best ways - unexpected at times, while still being recognisably Grayscale - with some incredible writing and brilliant performances. I'm looking forward to seeing some of these tracks live, and I can't wait to keep jamming this album for a while to come.

- Listen to Nella Vita here. -

Super Whatevr - ‘better.’

26th August 2019 // Hopeless Records

I can’t say I’m a ‘fan’ of Super Whatevr, but I’ve heard a handful of their songs and I take notice whenever they release something new, even if I don’t always actually listen to it. That being said, when I saw that yellow thumbnail of the music video for ‘better.’, I couldn’t resist checking it out. And I’m glad I did, because I truly love it.

‘better.’ sounds slightly poppier than the few Super Whatevr tracks I’m familiar with, but it’s a sound I think really works for them. This is a fun and upbeat bop, with an incredibly catchy chorus and a earworm quality that lends it to repeat listens. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to hear this on the radio alongside the likes of Young The Giant or Hippo Campus. However, despite the cheery melody and the jaunty, dance-y beat and the repeated use of the word ‘better’, this song is not as positive as you might initially believe. The chorus features lyrics like ‘I hate the words I’m holding down in my throat’ and the final section tells us ‘I’ll push away the people that I love most / I’ll lose my friends and everyone that I know’. I do love the fact that this track upholds the grand emo tradition of hiding sadness under the guise of a fun song. I really feel like ‘better.’ would appeal to many young people nowadays as it also has lyrics like ‘I’m so messed up, we’re all messed up’ and ‘I gotta be something that I thought I would be by this age’. In a way it speaks to the disconnectedness and hopelessness that many young people feel. I don’t know if that was the band’s intention, but it definitely reads that way to me.

In my opinion, ‘better.’ really sounds like it could be a crossover indie hit for Super Whatevr, and I have a feeling that if they continue with this sound, they could gain a solid mainstream following. But for now, they’ve won me over and I couldn’t feel better about it.

- Listen to ‘better.’ here and here. -

Woes @ The Attic, Garage, Glasgow, 28/06/19

First of all, I’d like to express my delight at returning to this absolutely tiny venue, after a solid stint of bigger shows. It had been 3 years to the day since I first went to The Attic, and it’s still one of my favourite venues, because of the relative intimacy. It’s a great space for crazy, sweaty gigs, and that’s definitely what we got at this show.

First up was (I’m assuming) a local band called Glorious Failure. I had never heard of these guys before and only caught the last two or three songs of their set, but I was quite impressed. Their music sounded really good and they looked like decent performers, but I regret not seeing more of their set to form a better impression. They really got the crowd energised and pumped for the rest of the night though.

Next was another presumably local band, Crashes. I actually really enjoyed these guys a lot! I wasn’t familiar with them either prior to this show, but their whole set was just wall-to-wall bops and they had a really great energy, which definitely transferred to the crowd as well. I can definitely see myself checking out their music!

Finally, we had Woes, in their first ever sold out headline show on the day of the release of their first album - definitely a big night! I had seen Woes three times before, I think, playing support sets, and I was really looking forward to seeing them headline a gig. I’ve always been really impressed with their live show and they did not disappoint this time. They always have an incredible energy and always look like they’re having a load of fun performing, which is great to see. They really got the crowd going and the energy was kept up during their whole hour-long set - there was never a down moment - not even during the couple of Mii theme music soundtracked catch-your-breath moments. The setlist they chose was also really well put-together, and the new tracks from the album sounded incredible! All in all, it was a really fun evening with some really great sets, and I would definitely recommend coming out to a Woes show if you can.

Neck Deep - ‘She’s A God’

27th June 2019 // Hopeless Records

OK, so, Neck Deep are back apparently. And boy are they back! The out of the blue release of their new single ‘She’s A God’ is an enormously pleasant surprise, even more so because it is a genuinely phenomenal song.

‘She’s A God’ is a beautifully sentimental banger. It’s very much a love song about essentially worshipping your partner, and viewing them as a holy being. It also goes hard as fuck. It’s everything we know and love about Neck Deep - catchy melodies, punch-the-air choruses, killer instrumentals - with a little something new thrown in the mix. There’s a very clear progression from their last album, The Peace and the Panic. The similarity in the sounds is there but ‘She’s A God’ is a slightly more mature and grown-up version of that sound. Lyrically, I wouldn’t say this is their strongest work - it’s a little corny but it is perfect for conveying the theme of the song. Sonically, however, this is Neck Deep at their best.

I’m already a huge fan of ‘She’s A God’ and I absolutely adore this sound. Hopefully, Neck Deep will continue to pursue this direction, but for now all I can say is it’s good to have them back!

- Listen to ‘She’s A God’ here. - 

The Story So Far - ‘Let It Go’

18th July 2018 // Pure Noise Records

The Story So Far are one of my absolute favourite bands, so I was ridiculously excited when they dropped ‘Let It Go’ after announcing their new album Proper Dose. While I’ll admit I didn’t quite get it the first time I listened to this song, it has really grown me in a very short amount of time.

The main thing that kind of threw me about ‘Let It Go’ was the weird autotune sounding effect we can hear in the verses. I still haven’t quite got used to it or figured out what it is, but it definitely doesn’t hinder one’s enjoyment of the song at all. I’ve always been a big fan of the way TSSF plays with rhythm, especially on The Story So Far and more recently ‘Out Of It’, and they do it wonderfully on this track, particularly in the verses. For me, the best thing about this song has got to be the fact that I can actually understand what almost all of the lyrics are. The only complaint I’ve ever had about TSSF is that Parker has terrible enunciation, and I’m so happy that he’s clearly been working on that and it really shows on this song.

Overall, ‘Let It Go’ is a surprisingly vibey song in an interesting new direction, but I’m stoked that it still maintains that classic TSSF sound. If the rest of the album sounds anything like this, I’d say we’re in for a real treat.

- Listen to ‘Let It Go’ here. -

- Proper Dose is released 21st September on Pure Noise Records. Preorder it here. -

With Confidence - ‘Jaded’

18th July 2018 // Hopeless Records

For the past couple years, With Confidence has been my go to cheer up band for their insanely fun and catchy pop punk bops. With their new single ‘Jaded’, off their upcoming second album Love And Loathing, they’ve completely affirmed their place in my affections, while not really doing anything extraordinary.

‘Jaded’ is undoubtedly a super fun song - it’s bouncy and the melody is catchy - but it’s also a thoroughly good song. It’s not anything new from With Con, and in fact wouldn’t sound out of place on their first album Better Weather, but it’s clear that they were intending to highlight their pop punk roots on this track. This is quite a punky fast paced song, with a very poppy melody but surprisingly sad lyrics about a failing relationship. It’s ridiculously hype, and makes me want to go outside and run around. I feel like this is what the inside of my dog’s head sounds like when she’s loose in a big field. My favourite aspects of this track have got to be the opening bass line just before the guitar kicks in, and the pre chorus lyrics.

While ‘Jaded’ is not exemplary of the type of musical progression you’d expect from a band’s second album, it’s still a really solid track, and has only increased my anticipation for Love And Loathing.

- Listen to ‘Jaded’ here. -

- Love And Loathing is released 10th August on Hopeless Records. Preorder it here. -

Real Friends - Composure

13th July 2018 // Fearless Records

I’ve never really been a fan of Real Friends, as you may have picked up on in my past reviews of ‘Get By’ and ‘From The Outside’. However, those tracks honestly gave me a lot of hope for this album and my future relationship with this band. That being said, I awaited Composure with fairly low expectations, and I can honestly say it absolutely exceeded all of them. 

My main expectation for this album was that, like The Home Inside My Head, the singles would be decent and the rest of the album would be a let down. The simultaneous relief and disappointment I felt when I heard ‘Me First’ and realised it’s an utter bop is almost indescribable. ‘Stand Steady’ is possibly slightly more positive than a lot of Real Friends’ songs, with lyrics like “it’s good that I’ve grown”. I said in my review of ‘From The Outside’ that it was never going to be one of my favourite songs, and I’d like to retract that. By this point this song has become an integral part of my summer soundtrack, and far and away my favourite RF track. ‘Smiling On The Surface’ seems to me a little too similar lyrically to FTO, but I’m a big fan of the melody and I really like the short acoustic section. Honestly, ‘Hear What You Want’ is the track that made me realise I now like Real Friends, and while I’ll never forgive it for that, it is a bop. I’ve always liked RF’s slower tracks more than the others, and ‘Unconditional Love’ is no exception. While it’s not quite as chill as, for example, ‘I’ve Given Up On You’, I still love the vibe of it. The title track ‘Composure’ is definitely one of my favourites off this album, as it’s probably the most fun and upbeat. I can 100% see myself jamming this a lot this summer and busting out some terrible dance moves. I don’t have much to add to my previous thoughts on ‘Get By’, other than that it has really grown on me these past few months, and is something I’m still consistently rocking out to. ‘Ripcord’ is another fave - the rhythm and melody work perfectly together in my opinion, and I love how the instrumentation works under the vocal line in the chorus, although the brief section before the last chorus really threw me for a loop. In my brief notes about ‘Take A Hint’, the final track, I wrote “this song made me a Real Friends stan”, and honestly, was I wrong? This whole album is fantastic and this track is a perfect cherry on top to complete it.

I was honestly blown away by Composure. At this stage it’s looking to be one of my favourite albums of the year - which is impressive for a band I hated so much for so long. Well done, Real Friends, you achieved the impossible: you made me a fan of your music. I look forward to our future together.

- Listen to Composure here. -

- Buy Composure here. -

Trash Boat - ‘Old Soul’

June 9th 2018 // Hopeless Records

I have been a fan of Trash Boat for going on three years now, and somehow ‘Old Soul’ - the third single off their upcoming sophomore album, Crown Shyness - is the first song I’ve ever sat and properly listened to like this, and honestly, listening to it this much, I picked up on new stuff that blew me away each time.

The first thing that struck me about ‘Old Soul’ was the structure. The opening stanza serves as an intro which stands apart from the rest of the song musically, although the third and fourth lines are repeated throughout the song, at the start of each verse, and are followed by the lyric ‘I had a lot to learn about respect’ each time. Conversely, the closing lines of the song, although lyrically different from the chorus, continue the same melody. The chorus is incredibly powerful and has a huge impact after the softer verses and a brief lull between the two sections, including the first few words of the first chorus being sung a cappella and then simply having a single guitar line played underneath them the second time round. The verses have very simple and stripped back instrumentation, particularly in the first verse, with the drums being the standout. ‘Old Soul’ also showcases the immense improvement in Tobi’s vocals over the past couple of years. His clean vocals in the verses are beautifully soft and well enunciated, and in the chorus are more aggressive with a great deal of power behind them. They also contrast wonderfully with his screaming which has also really come along.

Every time Trash Boat releases new music, I wonder if this will be the time they finally disappoint me, but I am pleased to say that day is yet to come. ‘Old Soul’ is yet another in an impressive catalogue of incredibly well written songs, and I would definitely say that it’s one of the best of the lot. I can’t wait for Crown Shyness and would 100% recommend giving it a listen when it drops, as well as checking out Trash Boat next time they’re touring near you.

- Listen to ‘Old Soul’ here. -

- Crown Shyness is released July 20th on Hopeless Records. Preorder it here. -

State Champs - Living Proof

15th June 2018 // Pure Noise Records

I had been eagerly awaiting the third album from State Champs for quite a while, and while I wasn't exactly disappointed, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Living Proof is a comprehensively fun pop punk album, which is what I love State Champs for, while also having a slightly more mature sound than previous album Around The World And Back.

Living Proof opens with ‘Criminal’, which honestly took me a while to get into, but it’s super cute and upbeat. It’s near impossible for me to not smile when I’m listening to it, much like the following track, ‘Frozen’, which I loved from the first listen. This song has a ridiculously catchy little riff and chorus melody. This track basically sums up everything I love about State Champs: fun pop punk music you can dance to that still has interesting little musical quirks and a strong vocal melody. ‘Crystal Ball’ is another one that took a minute to grow on me, but it’s now a solid favourite State Champs track. I’m a huge fan of the almost lilting guitar riff and verse melody. This was an excellent choice for a single as it represents the super fun vibes of the album perfectly. ‘Dead and Gone’ I have to say is my absolute favourite track off the album, and the perfect lead single. It’s definitely one of my favourite songs of the year so far. There hasn’t been a time I’ve listened to it and not danced and headbanged like mad. In my opinion, this is the type of song that State Champs does best. I’m still unsure of ‘Lightning’. It’s very State Champs, and I like it more the more I listen, but there’s nothing really about it that stands out that much for me. ‘Our Time To Go’ is a similar situation. It’s not a bad song - in fact it’s quite a strong rock ballad - and it’s growing on me, but it’s the kind of song that you can kind of zone out listening to. I really like ‘Safe Haven’ - it’s just a simple, summery pop punk bop. It’s insanely catchy and a really solid performance from the whole band. ‘Something About You’ is another very fun, very catchy bop. There’s nothing about either track that really stands out to me as being hugely impressive, but they’re just both so ridiculously fun I can’t help but love them. ‘The Fix Up’ is a similar type of song to ‘Our Time To Go’, but just much more entertaining. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why I prefer this song so much, but it just caught my attention instantly and managed to hold it for the full runtime despite still being quite a laidback track. ‘Cut Through The Static’ is another very catchy song that has a very radio friendly sound. It’s got a really good groove and I can definitely see this becoming a very popular track for State Champs. To be honest, I had no memory of third single ‘Mine is Gold’ when I listened to this album the first time, and it absolutely blew me away. I genuinely believe this is the best song off this album, and the only song that I actually like more than this one is ‘Dead and Gone’. ‘Time Machine’ is far and away my least favourite song from this record. It’s thoroughly boring, and the only thing about it that caught my attention was the incredibly weird and slightly misplaced guest vocal spot from Mark Hoppus of all people. I just cannot wrap my head around his appearance on this song. The album closes with ‘Sidelines’, which I don't think works as a closer. It doesn’t quite have the punch of a good closing song. It’s similar to ‘Lightning’ in that it’s a good song, but there’s not really anything special about it.

While Living Proof didn’t give off the best first impression, the more I listen to it the more I fall in love with it. It’s definitely a better and more mature album than the previous two State Champs releases. The standout tracks for me are definitely ‘Mine is Gold’, ‘Dead and Gone’, ‘Something About You’, and ‘Safe Haven’, while the weaker ones are ‘Sidelines’, ‘Time Machine’, and ‘Lightning’. However, overall it’s a very strong album and it’s definitely some of the music that will define my summer.

- Listen to Living Proof here. -

5 Seconds of Summer - Youngblood

15th June 2016 // Capitol Records

I’ve been an intermittent fan of 5SOS since late 2014, but I didn’t properly get into them until the end of last year, just in time for the release of ‘Want You Back’. Since then I’ve been eagerly awaiting Youngblood, and I have to say it far exceeded my expectations as well as the standard they had set with their first two albums.

Youngblood opens with the title track and second single from the album. I don’t think there’s been a single day since this song came out that I haven’t listened to it at least once. It’s the perfect opening track and really sets the tone for the rest of the album with its alt rock sound and talk of lost love. It is followed by lead single ‘Want You Back’, which I really think was the perfect choice for the first release off the album. It really shows how 5SOS have matured in the years since Sounds Good, Feels Good. The musical style is different to any previous 5SOS releases and the lyrical content also shows how the band has grown up in the past few years. ‘Lie To Me’ is the first tearjerker on the album. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful song, with some of the best harmonies and gang vocals on the album. The lyrics tell a story of a toxic relationship, a theme that will reappear throughout the album, along with heartbreak. ‘Valentine’ is one of my favourite tracks from this record. It’s slightly darker and moodier than the rest of the album, with a sound reminiscent of the more recent Arctic Monkeys records, particularly in the chorus. Another favourite is ‘Talk Fast’. This song sounds like a dark ‘80s pop song and I couldn’t be more here for it. It really showcases how the band’s writing and their range has improved. ‘Moving Along’ is my absolute favourite track from Youngblood. It’s a super upbeat bop about still being hung up on your ex. My only criticism of this track is that the enunciation in the pre-choruses is truly abysmal. ‘If Walls Could Talk’ is an honest to god banger with an amazing beat that’s perfect for walking to. It features some killer vocals from Ashton as well, and I’m glad the album didn’t follow the singles’ route of Luke having all the vocals. ‘Better Man’, while definitely my least favourite song on the album, is still a very strong track, that reminds me ever so slightly of some of Ed Sheeran’s songs. It’s a more laid back interlude between the album’s hardest hitters, ‘If Walls Could Talk’ and ‘More’, which is another favourite of mine. It’s a very early 2010s alt rock sounding track with a mosh pit worthy post chorus instrumental. ‘Why Won’t You Love Me’, as you can probably guess from the title, is another sad one about a relationship breaking down. For some reason the vocals sound more like SGFG era 5SOS than current, which is an interesting listening experience. ‘Woke Up In Japan’ is a groovy slower track. It's not one of my favourite tracks but I still really like it. I love how the pre-chorus melody and harmonies sound almost like something you might hear on a later Beatles record. ‘Empty Wallets’ is another one I don’t like as much, but it’s undoubtedly the catchiest song on the album - I’ve had it stuck in my head for the past two days. ‘Ghost Of You’ is the most heartbreaking song on the album, which honestly sounds like it could almost be a ballad from a musical. There’s something about the simplicity of the melody that’s weirdly emotional. ‘Monster Among Men’ is easily the most fun song on the album. It’s basically a summer indie pop hit, and if you really think I’m going to be listening to anything else until September, you're sorely mistaken. It also features the album’s strongest vocal performance from Michael. I honestly have no idea how to describe ‘Meet You There’. It’s kind of a dance track, but it also sounds quite similar to Blurryface era twenty one pilots musically? Either way I absolutely love it. Youngblood closes on one of its strongest tracks: ‘Babylon’. Calum takes lead vocals on this song and his voice is the perfect fit for it. This is the perfect song to absolutely lose your mind to, and if they don't play it on tour, I’m suing.

Youngblood features the strongest and most varied writing we’ve ever seen from 5SOS, ranging from alt rock (’Valentine’, ‘More’) to indie pop (’Monster Among Men’) to ballads (’Ghost of You’) to dance music (’Meet You There’). This is absolutely my favourite release of the year so far, and it’s likely that it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

- Listen to Youngblood here. -

Real Friends - ‘From The Outside’

June 4th 2018 // Fearless Records

If you’ve been following this blog for a while and read my review of ‘Get By’ in November, you probably know that I’m not really all that fond of Real Friends. That being said, I really do like their new single ‘From The Outside’.

This new track is not really like any Real Friends I can think of, and that’s probably why I love it so much. I said a similar thing about ‘Get By’ and I’m super happy that Real Friends are continuing to stray a bit from their typical sound. ‘From The Outside’ is still very obviously a Real Friends song (I don’t think you could ever mistake Dan’s voice for anyone else) but there’s something much more unique about it. The vocal line is fairly similar to a lot of their previous work, but the instrumentals sound, to my ear, very different. I honestly can’t pinpoint exactly what the difference but this track is much more upbeat than the vast majority of Real Friends’ discography. If it weren’t for the lyrics, one would probably assume this was a happy song. I was surprised when I first heard the intro and genuinely thought for a moment that finally Real Friends had written something positive, but the lyrics stick to the same themes as always.

While ‘From The Outside’ is definitely not going to be one of my favourite songs, and it still kind of sounds like a typical Real Friends song, it has achieved the impossible and actually made me care about this band - I can’t wait to see what their future releases will sound like. 

- Listen to ‘From The Outside’ here. -

WSTR - ‘Bad To The Bone’

June 4th 2018 // Hopeless Records

While WSTR may not be the best or the most original pop punk band out there, there’s no denying that they are one of the most fun, and they’ve proven it again with their new single, ‘Bad To The Bone’, the first track to be released off their upcoming second album Identity Crisis and their first release on Hopeless Records.

‘Bad To The Bone‘ is a typical WSTR lad-rock summer bop, that you just can’t help but enjoy, if only superficially. It has a very straightforward beat, perfect for nodding your head or jumping around, and a catchy melody (I’ve had it stuck in my head since I first heard it) with lyrics that you’ll have learnt after the second listen. My personal favourite part of this track is the almost anthemic bridge, perfect for yelling out in the crowd on WSTR’s next tour, which is followed by a guitar solo that I honestly didn’t see coming from these guys but that I love even more because of that.

You’d be hard pressed to say that ‘Bad To The Bone’ is the next great pop punk song, but it’s definitely going to be one of the definitive releases of this summer. At least, you can catch me blasting this track all summer long, and probably long after that.

- Listen to ‘Bad To The Bone’ here. -

Identity Crisis comes out August 31st 2018 on Hopeless Records. Preorder it here.

Woes - ‘High On You’

14th March 2018 // UNFD

Woes are without a doubt the leaders of the Scottish pop punk scene, what with there being very few other bands making the same kind of moves as them. Their new single ‘High On You’ showcases the kind of fun, punchy music that has gained the band such a following.

‘High On You’ is a song about missing someone, presumably an ex-lover, and the way that emotion is evoked in the listener through the music is truly impressive. This song is undoubtedly a banger, but through the clever use of some slower, quieter sections, it has you feeling an unexpected melancholy. The lyrics obviously also contribute hugely to this sensation. The instrumentals are certainly very well written and well played, and while I’ll admit that the vocalist definitely doesn’t have the best voice, the rawness of his performance adds hugely to the overall atmosphere of the song, and as his vocals come across slightly better in a live setting, I can imagine that this song will sound amazing live.

Overall, ‘High On You’ is a fairly typical pop punk banger, but that doesn’t negate in any way the quality of the song, and I’m certain that this is a tune I’ll be blasting for some time to come. Make sure to keep an eye on Woes because I’m sure they’ll be blowing up any day now.

- Listen to ‘High On You’ here. -

As It Is @ Garage, Glasgow, 11/03/2018

To be perfectly honest, Grayscale were the only reason I went to this show, despite being a huge fan of As It Is. As such, I was very upset when I arrived slightly later than intended and heard them finishing ‘Atlantic’, my favourite of their songs. I got to the room just as they started ‘Let It Rain’, and it was all uphill from there. I had never seen them before, as this was their first ever show in Scotland, but I had heard good things about their live shows, and they more than lived up to the hype. They had an amazing amount of energy and really got the crowd going. I also got to speak to them briefly after the show, and they were absolutely lovely guys. I’m hoping to see them again at Slam Dunk festival in May, and I’m really looking forward to hopefully seeing their whole set this time.

Next up was WSTR, which was a very pleasant surprise as I was under the impression that Like Pacific was playing next. I’ll tell you though, I’ve never been more hype than when WSTR came on and started playing ‘Featherweight’. I first saw these guys almost two years, supporting Trash Boat, when I’d never even heard of them, so it was great to see them again when I actually know and like some of their stuff. They put on a really solid show and the energy in the crowd was great. I didn't realise prior to the show that they only had one guitarist, so I was very impressed at the sound they managed to create live. Additionally, I really thought the vocals came across better live than they do on the recordings. Since Sunday night I’ve pretty much been listening to WSTR non-stop, and I’m definitely going to be seeing them next time they’re in Glasgow.

Third on this impressive line-up were Canadian band, Like Pacific. I saw Like Pacific about a year and a half ago, supporting ROAM, and I’ll be honest they didn’t really make a huge impression on me. Since last I saw them, I haven’t really listened to much more of their music, so I spent most of their set just observing. The only song of theirs that I properly know is ‘Distant’, so I was very happy when they closed with that, after I’d spent the whole set worrying they weren’t going to play it. They played their set very well, and I definitely feel they have improved a lot since I saw them the first time as they actually made much more of an impression this time around.

Then, finally, on came As It Is. I hadn’t seen As It Is in a year, and this was the first time I’d seen them play as headliners. Even though they haven’t released anything new since I saw them, it was definitely worth going to see them, as they put on a very impressive headline set. They played a really good variety of tracks off Never Happy, Ever After and okay., as well as ‘Often’ and ‘Bitter, Broken Me’, which was really cool to see. The energy remained high throughout the set, and the performances were also consistently amazing. It was very interesting to see how they performed without Andy - it worked a lot better than I had expected. I couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like they were just playing recordings of his parts, most noticeably during his ‘Pretty Little Distance’ solo. As It Is has always been an incredible live band, and it was really great to finally see them playing such big headline shows, and I look forward to seeing them do even more in the future.

Moose Blood - I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore

March 9th // Hopeless Records

I’m going to be upfront and say that I’m really not the biggest Moose Blood fan. That being said, I was still kind of looking forward to this album, because the previous two were honestly very good. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed by I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore. 

It’s really impossible to listen to this album without comparing it to I’ll Keep You In Mind... and Blush, and it really just doesn’t come close to either of them. My main complaint is that there’s no obvious progression or growth on this album. When a band comes out with a new album, you kind of expect them to have maybe tried something new, and it doesn’t seem like Moose Blood did. There’s not a whole lot of diversity in the writing on I Don't Think..., and a lot of the songs did kind of blend into one when I first listened to them. There’s a lot of the same themes as many other Moose Blood songs: love, especially lost and unrequited love, heartbreak, general sadness, and while the topics do get a bit samey after a while, at least they’ve found their niche. Additionally, Eddy’s vocals seem to be more grating than usual on this record. He’s never had the best voice and his tone has always been dreadful, but it’s been at least tolerable up until now. One would think that after several years of singing professionally, he’d have improved by now but, alas, apparently not.

There are a few positives that I feel I should comment on. I really like ‘All The Time’, ‘Can We Stay Like This’, ‘Promise Me’, and ‘It’s Too Much’. On my first listen, the only ones that really grabbed my attention were the latter two, but I think it’s the kind of album that grows on you the more you listen to it. The instrumentals are also, as always, pretty damn good, and the melodies are really catchy.

Even though I am disappointed that I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore is basically I’ll Keep You In Mind... 3.0, I definitely feel like I can grow to like it a lot more after further listening, and I’m holding out hope that eventually Moose Blood will try to create something outside of the box they’ve put themselves in. Unfortunately, this album isn’t that.

Side note: When I was trying to find out Eddy’s name, I came across the allegations that have been made against him, and the band’s response, and I just want to make it known that I started this post before I was aware of them, and only completed it because I worked hard on it, and Moose Blood, frankly, can choke.