blink-182 maintains a firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week with their heartwarming “ONE MORE TIME”, while Måneskin‘s boisterous gem “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” holds at #2 for a second week. I’ve fallen in love with Black Pumas‘ soulful “More Than a Love Song”, which jumps eight spots to #3 this week. The song has now spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard AAA chart. The sensuous “Loving You” by LA dream pop trio Cannons moves up two spots to #4, and Paramore‘s rousing “Running Out of Time” – which could be my theme song – moves up two spots to #5. Foo Fighters climb four spots to #6 with “Under You”.
Three songs debut this week: the ethereal beauty “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski, from her wonderfully-titled latest album The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We, at #28; “Wild”, the cool title track from the new album by prolific Texas singer-songwriter Brian Lambert, featuring contributions by Harmoni Kelly and Marc Schuster, at #29; and the enchanting “All I Die For” by Toronto, Canada indie rock trio SWiiMS, at #30. I was introduced to the song by fellow blogger The Alternative Mixtapes, a terrific blog worth checking out.
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING) – Måneskin (2)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (11)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (6)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (7)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (10)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (8)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (3)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (4) 20th week on chart
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
BAD IDEA RIGHT ? – Olivia Rodrigo (12)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (13)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (14)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (15)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (16)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (17)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (18)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (19)
EVICTED – Wilco (20)
KISSES – Slowdive (9)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (22)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (23)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (24)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (27)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (28)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (29)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (30)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (N)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelly & Marc Schuster (N)
On this week’s chart, the beautiful and poignant autobiographical “ONE MORE TIME” by Blink-182 remains on top for a second week, while Måneskin‘s bombastic gem “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” slides into second place. “Under You” by the Foo Fighters enters the top 10, and “More Than a Love Song” by Austin, Texas neo-soul duo Black Pumas leaps 10 spots to #11. Making their debut are “”Good Old Days” by New Orleans roots rock band The Revivalists, (which is currently at #1 on the Billboard AAA Chart) at #29, and “Atomic City” by legendary Irish rock band U2, who’ve been putting out music for nearly 45 years, at #30.
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING) – Måneskin (4)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (2)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (3)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (7)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (8)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (10)
KISSES – Slowdive (6)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (12)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (21)
BAD IDEA RIGHT ? – Olivia Rodrigo (11)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (13)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (14)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (16)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (18)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (19)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (20)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (22)
Though I’ve liked some of their songs, I’ve never really followed nor been a big fan of pop-punk band Blink-182. But like most people, I love happy endings, so even I am thrilled to see the original line-up back together again and still making music. Formed in 1992 by guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Scott Raynor, the Southern California act was originally named Duck Tape, then Figure 8, then Blink. Unfortunately, an Irish pop-rock band already had that name, and rather than engage in a legal battle, the band agreed to change their name by adding the number “182” – which they’d picked at random – and from that point forward, they’ve been known as Blink-182. Rayner was dismissed from the band in 1998 and replaced by Travis Barker, who remains the drummer to this day.
Despite their commercial and popular success, they’ve had more than their fair share of ups and downs over their 30-year history. After releasing five albums, three of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, as well as scoring two number one songs on the Modern Rock/Alternative charts, the combination of family commitments (all three guys now had children), the toll of touring and increasing artistic differences were causing tension among the band members. Consequently, they decided to go on a hiatus in early 2005 that ended up lasting nearly four years, with the band members not speaking with each other until October 2008, after Barker was involved in a plane crash that killed four people, leaving he and his collaborator Adam Goldstein as the only two survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns which ultimately required sixteen surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, and numerous skin grafts, and also resulted in him developing PTSD. Barker’s brush with death prompted him, DeLonge and Hoppus to come together, which led them to put aside their differences and reunite as a band.
Following their reunion, the band toured extensively and in 2011 released their sixth studio album Neighborhoods, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Nevertheless, tensions between the three persisted, with this period of Blink-182’s history characterized as dysfunctional by both Barker and DeLonge. Hoppus commented in a 2016 interview with Rock Sound: “Everything was always very contentious. There was always just a strange vibe … I knew there was something wrong.” DeLonge decided to leave the band indefinitely at the end of 2014, at which point Hoppus and Barker continued Blink-182 with Matt Skiba, of punk rock band Alkaline Trio, on lead vocals and guitar. That iteration of Blink-182 released two albums, California and Nine, the first of which reached #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and earned the band a Grammy nomination. One of the album’s singles “Bored to Death” also became their third song to hit #1 on the Alternative chart.
In June 2021, the band was hit with yet another setback when Hoppus confirmed that he’d been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and had been receiving treatment in secret for the previous three months. This led to him, Barker and DeLonge coming together yet again in response to a crisis, and the three decided to reunite for a second time in late 2022. Both their latest album One More Time and its heartwarming and poignant title track touch on their history and the challenges that brought them back together. In a sense, “One More Time” is a kind of successor to their 2004 hit “I Miss You”, which they name-drop in the lyrics. “I wish they told us, it shouldn’t take a sickness, or airplanes falling out the sky. Do I have to die to hear you miss me? Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye? / I miss you, took time, but I admit it. It still hurts even after all these years. And I know that next time, ain’t always gonna happen. I gotta say, “I love you” while we’re here.” The beautiful ballad, on which all three members sing, is my new favorite and #1 song on my Weekly Top 30.
In other notable chart developments, “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin moves up two spots to #4, “When We Were Close” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit enters the top 10, and charismatic British pop-rock band Wild Horse debut with their sweet new song “Attraction”, which I think is one of their finest songs yet.
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (4)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (2)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (6)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
KISSES – Slowdive (3)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (8)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (9)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (7)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (12)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (13)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (14)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (15)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (16)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (10)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (20)
OVERRATED – dwi (11)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (19)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (21)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (22)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (23)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (24)
Virginia singer-songwriter The Frontier holds the top spot for a second week with his beautiful and uplifting pop-rock gem “Walk Through the Fire”, while “Francesca” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier moves up a notch into second place. Blink-182‘s “ONE MORE TIME” moves up three spots to #4, and “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin continues its rapid upward trajectory, entering the top 10 at #6.
Three songs make their debut this week: Entering at #28 is “Angry” by TheRolling Stones, a pretty solid banger that shows the legendary rockers still have what it takes. Who would have ever imagined that Mick and Keith would still be going strong at 80 and 79, 60 years after they released their first single “Come On” in 1963.
The second debut is “Your Side of Town” by American alt-rock band The Killers, entering at #29. The synth-driven song was intended to be included on their next album, however, band frontman Brandon Flowers nixed that project. In an interview with British news publication The Sunday Times, he explained “Halfway through recording I realized, ‘I can’t do this’. I think this will be the . . . I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music anymore. This is the crisis I’m in. The Killers are my identity, and our songs fill seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like ‘Pressure Machine’ [their 2021 roots rock album]. I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for! I’m as proud of ‘Hot Fuss’ as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.”
The third debut is “Run Away With Me” by L.A.-based indie rock band Cold War Kids (who I saw in concert in August when they opened for Tears for Fears), at #30.
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (1)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (3)
KISSES – Slowdive (2)
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (7)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (4)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (11)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (8)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (9)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (10)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (5)
OVERRATED – dwi (6)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (13)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (14)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (19)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (17)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (18)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (12)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (15)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (22)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (23)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (24)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (25)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (27)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (28)
EVICTED – Wilco (30)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (29)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (16) 22nd week on chart
A long-time favorite artist of mine, on both a professional and personal level, is The Frontier, the music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mimikos. Based in northern Virginia, the talented, gracious and hard-working guy skillfully blends elements of pop, folk, rock and electronica to create memorable and pleasing songs about love, relationships and loss. Delivered with comforting pitch-perfect vocals, Jake’s lyrics are honest and relatable; there’s just something about his songs that makes them so addictive, and I’ve found that they continue to grow on me more with every listen.
Since 2015, he’s released an impressive number of songs, and I’ve loved them all. Three – “Dark Places”, “Can We Go Back” and “Closer” – have reached #1 on my Weekly Top 30 charts, while “Sleep” and “It’s You” both reached the top 4. His latest single, “Walk Through The Fire“, now becomes his fourth single to top my chart. Serving up three minutes of infectious toe-tapping grooves and beautiful jangly guitar notes, the song is a plea to a loved one for a second chance: “Everyone falls sometimes. Dying to stay alive. Everyone has their fight. It’s how we walk through the fire.”
In other notable chart developments, the beautiful “Francesca” by Hozier moves up three spots to #3. A whopping four songs enter the top 10, the first of which is the poignant auto-biographical song “ONE MORE TIME” by pop-punk veterans Blink-182, which is also the highest-debuting song this week, entering my chart at #7. The other three, all of which advance 4 spots, are “Daydreams and Algorithms” by British artist Eleanor Collides, at #8, “Loving You” by L.A. dream pop band Cannons, at #9, and “Running Out of Time” by Tennessee pop-punk band Paramore, at #10. For a second week, “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin, is the biggest upward mover, jumping 10 spots to #11. And finally, besides Blink-182’s new song, the other debut is the wonderful “Evicted” by Chicago alt-rock band Wilco, which enters at #30.
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (2)
KISSES – Slowdive (1)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (6)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (5)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (3)
OVERRATED – dwi (4)
ONE MORE TIME – Blink-182 (N)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (12)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (13)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (14)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (21)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (7)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (16)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (17)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (9) 21st week on chart
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (18)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (19)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (20)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (10)
FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (11)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (23)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (24)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (25)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (26)
CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (15)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (28)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (29)
It’s hard to believe we’re now into October, as 2023 continues to speed past at a dizzying pace. British dream rock band Slowdive holds the top spot for a second week with their bewitching song “kisses”. Sliding into the #2 spot is “Walk Through the Fire” by Virginia singer-songwriter The Frontier, with “Good Vibrations” by Texas duo MISSIO right behind at #3. Otherwise, the top 10 songs remain the same, albeit with a bit of shuffling around. The biggest upward mover this week is “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin, leaping nine spots to #21.
For the second week, there are three new songs making their debut, though truth be told, there were seven or eight I wanted to add, but that would have meant dropping more off, which I couldn’t do. “More Than a Love Song” by Austin, Texas-based neo-soul duo Black Pumas (currently the #1 song on the Billboard AAA chart), enters at #28, “Summer of Luv” by Portland, Oregon-based rock band Portugal. The Man, featuring New Zealand psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, at #29, and “The Shameful” by British hard rock band Amongst Liars (which I reviewed a month ago today), at #30.
KISSES – Slowdive (1)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (3)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (4)
OVERRATED – dwi (2)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (6)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (9)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (7)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (5) 20th week on chart
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (10)
FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (12)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (13)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (14)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (15)
CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (11)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (18)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (19)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (20)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (21)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (24)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (30)
WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (17)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (26)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (27)
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (16)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (28)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (29)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (N)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (N)
One of my favorite British acts making music these days is Amongst Liars, who play a fiercely aggressive style of melodic hard rock, forged from a powerful trifecta of alternative rock, grunge and punk. Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area on the South England coast, the band consists of Ian George (lead vocals, guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar, backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass, backing vocals), Adam Oarton (drums), and newcomer James Brumeo (keyboards and piano), who recently joined the stellar lineup.
Photo by Duncan Tyler
I first learned about them in early 2020, and was immediately blown away by their explosive debut single “Over and Over”, which along with their third single “Burn the Vision”, ended up on my Top 100 Songs of 2020 list. Since then, they’ve dropped several more outstanding singles, many of which I’ve reviewed on this blog. In July 2022, they released their eponymous debut album Amongst Liars, an outstanding work featuring 11 tracks, including the two aforementioned singles. Now they’re back with “The Shameful“, a blistering ripper of a song overflowing with the signature searing riffs, pummeling rhythms and savage vocals we’ve come to love and expect from these talented gents. The track was recorded & mixed by David Radahd-Jones at Red City Recordings in Manchester, and mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering.
While they don’t consider themselves a ‘political’ band, Amongst Liars are not afraid to tackle some of the pressing socio-political issues of the day, including war mongering for financial gain, poverty, greed, fake news, deceitful politicians, election fraud, human rights abuses and climate change, and they’ve been outspoken advocates for social justice on several of their songs. On “The Shameful”, they call out politicians and media personalities who bombard the public with bullshit and lies to gaslight and confuse, turning us against one another and causing us to vote against our better interests. Band vocalist Ian George elaborates: “[the song isabout the world of bias and misinformation that we are living in today. Government (with certain characters more prominent than others) and media are in increasingly bending perceptions to their own narrative and it is just happening all the bloody time isn’t it! This gaslighting and brainwashing distorts reality for many people and causes anger, hurt, pain, division and distrust.“
To drive home their message, Amongst Liars unleash a furious barrage of raging guitars, chugging bass and smashing drumbeats, laying waste to the airwaves like a rampaging sonic beast. Leo shreds his guitar to the breaking point, while Ross and Adam keep the thunderous rhythms blasting forward with a breathtaking intensity, fully channeling the strong sense of frustration and anger expressed in the biting lyrics. Ian has a commanding vocal style that turns downright fearsome when he needs to get his point across: “As the violence drags me through, I’m at peace with you. Gonna cut me down the easy way. As the shamers stand in line, sing it one last time. Gonna make me a believer. Talk is cheap anyway – get to know your enemy!” As he savagely wails the final words “As the shamers stand in line, sing it one last time. Just let it go!“, I’m left covered with goosebumps.
“The Shameful” is their hardest-hitting and most ferocious single since “Black Days”. I’m happy Amongst Liars continue to create outstanding music, and if you’re a fan of explosive and melodic hard rock, you will enjoy this single.
Like for all their singles, the terrific surreal artwork for “The Shameful” was created by the brilliant artist Pierre Engelbrecht. A young woman is shown lying on her bed, sunlight streaming into the room while she blissfully watches what I’m guessing is her TV. Her brain, which has been disengaged from her skull, hovers above her head in a locked cage that’s connected by a chain to her ankles. Pierre’s works are beautiful, bizarre and sometimes disturbing, but always amazing, and you can see them by checking out his Instagram account.
Amongst Liars will be opening for Canadian hard rock band Theory of a Deadman on their The Dinosaur Tour later this month, beginning Friday, September 22nd at the Electric Ballroom in London.
As some of my regular readers and Twitter followers know, my recent bout of serious burnout caused me to decide, for the second time in six months, to quit writing music reviews. The fact that I actually do not enjoy writing, combined with a relentless and often overwhelming flood of submissions and requests for reviews from artists and PR firms, have time and again caused me tremendous anxiety and stress. On the other hand, I do enjoy lending support to indie artists and bands who follow me on social media in whatever small ways I can. Obviously, giving them a bit of press is an important part of that support. I’d like to continue doing so, but the challenge is finding a way to accomplish that without burning myself out again.
In order to continue featuring new music, I’ve decided to resurrect my ‘Fresh New Tracks’ series, which has been on a hiatus since I last wrote one in October 2021. For the series, I feature three or four new songs by various artists, with a few paragraphs about each one, rather than a full-blown review. Though they were generally well-received, I got the sense that some artists were not happy sharing the limelight with other artists or bands. But as more than a few musicians have told me, artists and bands should be grateful for any press, especially when I’m giving it to them for free.
Also, many of my reviews tend to be rather wordy and long, and being a slow, meticulous writer, they take me quite a while to get done. This seems to be a counter-productive approach in this day and age, where most people have the attention spans of a gnat. Although most artists and bands love when I write extensive and detailed reviews of their music, I’m guessing that few people actually read those long reviews in their entirety. Therefore, a short, concise description of each song would seem to be more appealing to a lot of readers who are pressed for time. With that in mind, I will make a valiant attempt to write a Fresh New Tracks post each week going forward. Today I’m featuring songs by three outstanding rock bands with great names from the UK, two of whom, Amongst Liars and FloodHounds, I’ve previously written about, as well as one that’s new to me, Mount Famine.
AMONGST LIARS – “Cut It”
Photo by Duncan Tyler
Hailing from Brighton & Eastbourne, Amongst Liars play a fiercely aggressive style of melodic hard rock, forged from a powerful trifecta of alternative rock, grunge and punk. Comprised of Ian George (lead vocals, guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar, backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass, backing vocals) and Adam Oarton (drums), they formed in September 2019 from the ashes of two successful previous bands – Saint Apache and Katalina Kicks. Not only are they all highly accomplished and talented musicians, they’re nice guys too. Ian in particular has been very supportive of me and my blog, which of course makes me a loyal fan who’s more than happy to support them as much as I can.
I first learned about them in early 2020, and was immediately blown away by their explosive debut single “Over and Over”. In the two succeeding years, they’ve followed with six more outstanding singles, many of which I’ve reviewed on this blog. Their latest is “Cut It“, a clarion call for people to stand up to abuse in all its forms. While they don’t consider themselves a ‘political’ band, Amongst Liars are not afraid to tackle some of the biggest socio-political issues of the day, including war mongering for financial gain, poverty, greed, fake news, deceitful politicians, election fraud, human rights abuses and climate change, and they’ve been outspoken advocates for social justice on several of their songs. About “Cut It”, the band explains: “These are difficult times behind many closed doors – words and actions can cause a lifetime of damage. Speak up for those being abused and bullied, and be kind – always.“
The song is a ripper, overflowing with the signature searing riffs and pummeling rhythms we’ve come to love and expect from Amongst Liars. Then there’s that droning bass riff by Ross, creating a menacing vibe that chills us to the core. Ian has a beautiful singing voice that turns deadly when he needs to get his point across: “This violence bleeds silence, bleeds silence / Pray, lead us astray! Pray, just cut it!” I love the dark video, which shows the band performing the song surrounded by curtains of sheer fabric, creating powerful feelings of suffocating claustrophobia. “Cut It” will be included on their forthcoming self-titled debut album, due for release July 8th.
FloodHounds are a terrific rock band from Sheffield who play a high-energy style of guitar-driven alternative rock, drenched in blues, punk and grunge influences. Formed in 2013, the band consists of Jack Flynn on guitar and vocals, Lauren Greaves on drums, and Anna Melidone, who replaced Joel Hughes on bass in summer of 2021. I’ve been following them for nearly six years, and they’re among the earliest bands I wrote about when my blog was still in its infancy, way back in October 2016 when I reviewed their excellent EP Look What You’ve Started.
In the years since, they’ve released numerous singles and a second EP Always in Sight, in 2019, and have toured extensively throughout the UK, including performances at the Isle of Wight and Liverpool Sound City festivals in 2019, as well as twice in Paris. FloodHounds remained active during the repeated lockdowns, putting out live streams and sessions for platforms such as Jagermeister, God Is In The TV Zine and Wentworth Festival, as well as self-producing a 10-track acoustic album. They also made the final shortlist of Record Store Day’s national video competition, and their innovative video for their single “Take It Too Far” garnered high placement at the London Music Video Festival 2020. Also in 2020, they released a brilliant single “Something Primeval“, a hard-hitting song about tapping into our inner resolve to survive in this world, which I also reviewed.
Now FloodHounds are back with “Panic Stations“, a stomping banger fueled by Jack’s jagged fuzz-soaked riffs, Anna’s grinding bassline and Lauren’s fearsome drumbeats. The biting lyrics call out those who spread lies and misinformation to sow fear and divisiveness, urging them to instead put their energy into trying to bring people together for a common good. “Panic Stations touches on the air of uncertainty we’ve all been labouring under“, explains Jack. “I wanted to write a song that echoed us roaring out of lockdown, and back into real life. The takeaway is that sticking together will serve us better than alienation and blind panic. It’s great fun to play live, it’s heavy but catchy, so people seem to really get on board with it.” In his arresting vocals, Jack emphatically implores “Give me something with meaning. And I will show you something to believe in. But if you just try and deceive me with all the lies that you hear blaring out your TV. It is your mission to heal division, so go and rally all the people who will listen.” It’s a great song.
Jack is also a photographer and graphic artist, and created the artwork for the single.
Mount Famine are a rather enigmatic post punk/synth infused indie rock’n’roll project based in Derby. From what I can tell, they formed in 2019, and according to their bio, their sound is inspired by 80s bands such as The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs and Pet Shop Boys (all of whom I personally love too), and 90s bands like Manic Street Preachers, Pulp & Suede, along with “the same desire to tell stories that produce the adrenaline-fueled highs of indie disco dancefloors.” They have no photos of themselves on any of their social media, and I was told by band member Martin Stanier that they’ve steered away from photos, wanting the focus to instead be on their music. They’ve released four outstanding singles thus far, beginning in January 2020 with “Faith”, followed that July with “Pulse”, then “Lost” in February 2021, and now “Distance“, which dropped March 11th.
Martin reached out to me about “Distance” after seeing posts of my recent Top 30 song lists on Instagram, thinking it would be to my liking. Well, he was correct, as it’s right up my alley. With it’s rousing, guitar-driven melody, swirling cinematic synths and exuberant dance groove, all creating a glorious 80s-influenced wall of sound, it’s exactly the kind of sound I love. The band says the song was written and recorded on an old Roland synthesizer and beaten-up drumkit, which gives it that wonderful vintage 80s feel. The lyrics speak to the speed of life, and how it passes by with the blink of an eye, a sentiment they beautifully capture in the frenetic video.
I’ve noted many times on previous posts that some of the best rock music today is coming out of the UK. Perhaps it’s the rich musical legacy, the prickly politics or even the persistently dour skies that spurs such incredible creativity, but whatever the reason, there’s no denying the consistently high quality of British rock. One of the indie bands that stands out among many for me is Amongst Liars. Their fiercely aggressive style of melodic hard rock, forged from a dynamic and colorful trifecta of alternative rock, grunge and punk, has earned them a dedicated and passionate following, me included. With support from Kerrang Radio’s Johnny Doom, Moshville, BBC Introducing and Great Music Stories, their songs have garnered airplay on local and national radio throughout the UK, and have been collectively streamed over 177,000 times on Spotify.
Based in the Brighton/Eastbourne area along the southern English coast, Amongst Liars consists of Ian George (lead vocals, guitar), Leo Burdett (guitar, backing vocals), Ross Towner (bass, backing vocals) and Adam Oarton (drums). I’ve written about them numerous times, but to recap, they formed in September 2019 from the ashes of two successful previous bands – Saint Apache and Katalina Kicks. Not only are they all highly accomplished and talented musicians, they’re nice guys too. Ian in particular has been very supportive of me and my blog, which of course makes me a loyal fan who’s more than happy to support them as much as I can.
Beginning with the release of their spectacular debut single “Over and Over” in February 2020, they’ve followed with five more singles, the latest of which is “Kill the Tide“, which dropped October 8. All six singles will be included on their forthcoming self-titled debut album, due out in Spring 2022. I’ve previously reviewed four of them – “Over and Over”, “Wolf Machine”, “Burn the Vision” and “Black Days” (you can read some of those reviews by clicking on the related links at the end of this post) – and three have charted on my Weekly Top 30. All of their songs, along with the entire album, were recorded, produced and mixed by David Radahd-Jones at Red City Recordings in Manchester. “Kill the Tide” was mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering.
While they don’t consider themselves a ‘political band’ per se, Amongst Liars have been pretty outspoken on some of their songs about what’s happening in the UK and beyond. Band vocalist Ian George explained “We’re not preaching at anyone or trying to change the world. We’re just saying these are the things that affect and concern us.” On “Wolf Machine”, they called out inept and ineffectual governments led by power hungry politicians, while “Burn the Vision” denounced those who’ve sought to profit from the misfortune of others by distorting the media with fake news to spread their own narratives and lies. “Black Days” railed against the last 10 years of Tory rule in the UK, calling out austerity measures, questionable decision making, incompetence, lies and self-serving political bias.
On “Kill the Tide”, which was the very first song they wrote together after forming in late 2019, the band reflects on their own personal traumas they experienced over the collapse of their previous bands that ultimately led up to their formation as Amongst Liars. They describe the song as an “anthem of rebirth” that tells the story of their formation and determination “to dig deep and come back even stronger.” Ian explains: “Our new single has its genesis in our beginnings, yet it also marks a new chapter for the band. Despite the enormous challenges during lockdown, we used the time to focus on our songwriting and to issue new material regularly. During this process, we found our sound, we pushed ourselves, and we grew as songwriters. ‘Kill the Tide’ marks that evolution.”
In an interview with VENTS Magazine, Ian elaborated on their experiences: “Originally I was in a band for many years that imploded in mid 2019, and was really let down over the space of six months by a succession of people I really trusted. The other guys were in a different band who had a similar experience, being let down by people too, and we kind of knew each other before that having played a show together, so I reached out, we met up and it just clicked. It’s what bonded us so quickly I think, when you go through similar things. The title for the song came from a group chat when we were looking for a band name. Someone suggested ‘Kill the Tide’, which we didn’t like as a band name, but I thought that it would make a great song title. And with that title, the lyrics for this song just flowed and came quite easily – and helped me personally move on from the past, so it was very cathartic writing it!“
Tonight we’re gonna demonstrate So long – we nearly got it right Those eyes they want to self-assure Your side I can’t give any more Those lies you’re not the only one No end without a setting sun Alive – you’ll never take it When your hearts not in it – your head’s on fire For what’s it worth This wreck of hurt I cast it all aside I will embrace, I will insist You are no friend of mine In all I am – and all I see – I’ll bring it back to life Don’t kill the tide, don’t kill the tide
The song was originally recorded in late 2019 with a long intro, but this past April, the band asked David Radadh-Jones to cut the intro and remix the song to make it more ‘fresh’ sounding. The result is a tight, beautifully-arranged melodic track that delivers the powerful driving rhythms and fearsome riffs we’ve come to love and expect from Amongst Liars. The song begins rather tentatively, with Adam’s gentle drumbeats and Ross’s soft vocal chorus, then Ian’s raw vocals enter the proceedings as the music ramps up. At 34 seconds the songs blasts open with Leo’s heavy chugging riffs layered over Ross’s throbbing bassline and Adam’s pummeling drumbeats. Ian’s vocals rise to the occasion, displaying the spine-tingling emotional ferocity that makes him one of the finest and most exciting vocalists in rock music today. I love the contrast between his intense vocals and Ross’s gentler backing vocals in the verses. Leo lets loose with a terrific guitar solo in the final chorus that takes the song to the next level.
“Kill the Tide” is another fantastic banger, and further proof Amongst Liars are a band to be reckoned with.
The official video shows the band giving an electrifying performance of the song in a studio space at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne. It was produced, directed and edited by Josh R Lewis, with assistant editing by Robert Ruardy, the same team who produce all Amongst Liars videos.
Along with “Kill the Tide”, Amongst Liars has also released an exclusive (and elusive) B-side “Crucify”, a blistering song of protest. Their raging guitars, crushing bass and thunderous drums are positively mind-blowing, and Ian’s already feral vocals sound more fearsome than ever. The track will not be available on streaming sites, but only by download for one week only, via their website at https://www.amongstliars.com/
Those of you fortunate enough to live in the UK can see Amongst Liars at one of these upcoming shows:
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 