Tag: The Metal Byrds

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 31 – Chief Springs, The Metal Byrds, Won’t Say Rabbit

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews12 Comments

A staggering amount of new music continues to issue forth into the airwaves, so it’s time for another Fresh New Tracks installment. Today, I’m featuring three recently released songs by, in alphabetical order, British indie rock band Chief Springs, Texas rock band The Metal Byrds, and New Jersey garage punk-pop band Won’t Say Rabbit. I’ve previously written about Chief Springs and The Metal Byrds, whereas this is the first appearance for Won’t Say Rabbit on my blog, and hopefully not the last!

CHIEF SPRINGS – “One Room Past Waiting”

Chief Springs is a fine indie rock band based in and around London and Leicester who started out in 2018 as a two-piece, but eventually grew to become a five-piece consisting of Josh Coyne, Scott Dillon, Sam Crosby-Browne, Dale Bradfield and Tommy Jordan. Together, they make a pleasing style of melodic rock fashioned with elements of alternative, post-rock, and dream pop, and featuring lush guitars, beautiful arrangements, intelligent lyrics and Coyne’s vibrant baritone vocals. They’ve released a fair amount of music since 2020, including several singles and two EPs, the latter of which, the wonderful Time to Take Time, I reviewed last June. Now they’re back with a compelling new single “One Room Past Waiting“, a song about the conversations you wish you could avoid. The song was produced and engineered by Ben Andrews and features additional vocals by English musician and vocalist Kelli Blanchett.

It’s a powerful song, both musically and lyrically. I really like the lush cinematic soundscape and reverb-drenched guitars. The percussion, highlighted by heavy crashing cymbals, is quite dramatic, though I think it overpowers the other instruments and Coyne’s warm vocals somewhat. Nevertheless, it’s a very good song overall. The lyrics tell a story about a talk between a woman and an overworked doctor, exploring difficult conversations and empathy: “Mae said, ‘these meds won’t do anything and I feel worse’. So they said, in my head, you are well beyond the point of reverse. Well, I wish that I had stayed in the waiting room./ Overworked, undermanned, running on empty, drawn like a line in the sand. Just holding out, still holding out.”

Follow Chief Springs:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

THE METAL BYRDS – “Working Class”

Hailing from Austin, Texas are The Metal Byrds, a female-fronted band who play hard-hitting rock, infused with healthy doses of rock’n’roll and power pop, along with enough metal in the mix to give their songs a dark, edgy quality. Formed in 2018, the band has undergone a few personnel changes, and now consists of founding members London-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Birdie and guitarist Sly Rye, along with bassist Mac Jacob and drummer Charlie “Breeze” Janto. Over the past five years, they’ve released two albums, four EPs and numerous singles, some of which I’ve written about on this blog. On February 24th, they released “Working Class“, the third single from their 2023 EP Moments Before Sunrise, accompanied by a terrific video. 

The song opens with Suzanne gently crooning “In this box I live in, watch me go round and round and round“, a line she repeats with greater intensity until she’s literally screaming the words, her emotional state at the breaking point. The music, having also reached a crescendo along with her impassioned wails, then settles into a chugging rock groove fueled by Mac’s pulsating bassline, Charlie’s assertive drumbeats and Sly Rye’s blistering riffs. At around 3:30 minutes, the tempo ramps back up to a frantic pace as Suzanne’s wailing vocals return, ending the song on a powerful note. The highly relatable lyrics speak to the drudgery of having a nine to five job you despise, which can really cast a pall over every other aspect of your life: “I come home from work. Yeah my job is boring. I got no sleep, and I’m out of coffee. Ooh ooh ooh ooh, all I do is work./ My life is boring, can you relate?” I love the video, shot in black and white and featuring close ups of Suzanne, interspersed with scenes of her playing guitar and scribbling the lyrics onto a notebook.

Follow The Metal Byrds: Facebook / X (Twitter)

WON’T SAY RABBIT – “Live And Love”

Won’t Say Rabbit is a garage pop-punk band with a marvelous name from northern New Jersey, and also fronted by a female vocalist. Formed in 1989, they’re comprised of Brian (guitar & Won’t Say Rabbit drawings) Tom (bass guitar & keyboards) and Beth (vocals.) Drummers through the years have included Frank, John, Billy, and Juan. Inspired by acts ranging from X, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick, The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles to the Ronettes, Crystals, and Shangri-Las, their music is high-energy, melodic and fun. They released several singles in 1990, followed by their eponymous album on CD in 1991, but 30 years would go by before they would release more music. Though they never disbanded, they haven’t played any live gigs since 1997, and during that time period, each of them were involved in other music projects, including writing new songs, playing and singing for fun. In 2022, they decided to become musically active again, and began dropping new singles, the latest of which is “Live And Love“.

The song is a rousing pop-punk banger that could have easily been a hit in the late 70s or early 80s, yet still sounds exciting and fresh. I love the strong, driving rhythms and roiling, shredded guitars, and Beth’s commanding vocals have a youthful vibrancy that’s quite appealing. The lyrics are a defiant refusal to go along with things you feel are wrong, choosing a life of positivity and love instead: “I won’t kill my brothers and sisters while Geppetto pulls the strings. Because I know in every war that no one really wins. I won’t do what I won’t do when I know it’s wrong. All I want is to live and love.” The delightful video features puppets representing the members of Won’t Say Rabbit performing the song on a stage. As a final note, I must give Beth a special mention for being one of the most supportive musicians I know; she not only frequently engages with my posts, but also of many other artists and bands.

Follow Won’t Say Rabbit:  X (Twitter) / Instagram

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 18 – Black Bear Kiss, The Metal Byrds, Tough on Fridays

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Favorite Songs13 Comments

Given my hiatus from writing reviews (notwithstanding my recent 30-day song challenge), it’s been over three months since I’ve written a Fresh New Tracks post. Now that I’m feeling more rested, I’ve decided to dip my toes back into the turgid waters of review-writing, steadfast with determination going foward to not allow myself to become overwhelmed or burned out. With that in mind, today I’m featuring new songs by three great bands I’ve previously written about on this blog – British rockers Black Bear Kiss, and two female-fronted rock bands from Texas, The Metal Byrds and Tough on Fridays.

BLACK BEAR KISS – “Chasing All I Know”

Black Bear Kiss have been a favorite of this blog for over four years, since June 2018 when I reviewed their terrific debut single “Hooks”. Over the succeeding four years, they’ve released a number of fine singles, most of which I’ve also reviewed. With their exhilarating, guitar-driven rock sound, strong charisma and rowdy live performances, they’ve built a loyal following in their home base of the West Midlands/Shropshire region of England and beyond. In June of last year, the band was shaken by the tragic and sudden passing of one of their guitarists Rob Jones from a previously undisclosed heart ailment. Now soldiering on as a four-piece, Black Bear Kiss consists of Chris Leech on lead vocals, Colin Haden on guitar, Rich Sach on bass, and Chris Bagnall on drums.

To honor Rob, as well as to help raise funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity aimed at raising funds for cardiac screening, research and the support of families affected, the band released a single “The First Time” this past February. Now they return with their latest single “Chasing All I Know“, which was one of Rob’s favourite songs. The track was recorded at the iconic Foal Studio in Wales, with Rob’s cousin Mike playing rhythm guitar using Rob’s own Gibson Les Paul. About the song, band vocalist Chris Leech explains: “We all have different pressures in our lives. This track is about feeling like you’re at the centre of everything and trying to get back to a place or feeling that you know – it’s also got some grunt which is what we are all about!” Black Bear Kiss delivers their signature driving rhythms we’ve come to love and expect, overlain with roiling riffs of grungy guitars and thumping drumbeats. Leech’s expressive vocals sound better than ever as he fervently sings “There’s all these people standing by my side. I just want you to tell me it’s alright. I’m at the center of it, I’m chasing, I’m chasing all I know now, whoa.”

Follow Black Bear Kiss:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

THE METAL BYRDS – “Vicious Circle”

The Metal Byrds are a female-fronted rock band based in Austin, Texas, who play a hard-hitting style of rock, infused with healthy doses of rock’n’roll and power pop, along with enough metal in the mix to give their songs a dark, edgy quality. Formed in 2018, the band has undergone a few personnel changes, and now consists of founding members London-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Birdie and guitarist Sly Rye, along with bassist Mac Jacob and drummer Charlie Breeze. Over the past three-plus years, they’ve released three EPs – The Song Byrd in April 2019, Byrds on a Wyre in June 2020, and Life in 20 in October 2020 (which I reviewed) – and an album simply titled 4, in September 2021. On July 15th, they released “Vicious Circle“, the lead single from their forthcoming album BIRDIE LANE, due for release later this year. 

The song is an exhilarating banger, driven by a hard-charging rhythm, courtesy of Mac’s brilliant chugging bassline and Charlie’s pummeling drums. Sly lays down an aggressive onslaught of gnarly riffs, highlighted by a blazing guitar solo in the bridge. And Suzanne’s powerful, resonant vocals are in fine form as she fervently wails the lyrics describing the torture of insomnia, keeping her awake with worries and anxiety that she’ll never be able to sleep: “Here we go again, a vicious circle. Can’t get it started. Round and around again.” It’s a fantastic song, and I think it’s one of their best yet. The wonderful video shows Suzanne suffering the agonies of insomnia, interspersed with rather humorous scenes of her bandmates performing the song while on her bed, adding to her sleepless misery.

Follow The Metal Byrds: Facebook / Twitter

TOUGH ON FRIDAYS – “Growing Pains”

Hailing from Georgetown, Texas, not far from Austin, grunge pop-rock trio Tough on Fridays have been on an upward trajectory since forming in 2017. Now consisting of Caleigh Oceguera on vocals & guitar, Carly Fairchild on bass & vocals, and Chris Schreck on drums, they’ve garnered an enormous base of loyal fans through their memorable music, relatable lyrics and high-energy live shows. Blending elements of indie, alt-rock, pop and grunge, they create their own unique style of edgy rock ‘n roll. Since 2017, they’ve released numerous singles and EPs, which culminated in the release of their outstanding debut album A Fantastic Way to Kill Some Time, in September 2020 (my review has been viewed more than 1,100 times, making it the fourth most-viewed album review I’ve written.)

In the two years since, they’ve released several singles, the latest of which is “Growing Pains“, which dropped August 15th. The song has a pleasing folk-rock vibe, highlighted by Caleigh’s lovely strummed guitar work, while Carly and Chris keep the lively rhythm on their bass and drums. The subtle piano keys are a nice touch, adding to the song’s melodic sound. Caleigh’s slightly echoed vocals have a vulnerable quality, providing a rather melancholy undercurrent to the track as she plaintively sings the lyrics directed to a former loved one that she’s moving on from the relationship: “Growing pains. Sick of hearing how I’ve changed. Cause I’ve outgrown you, I don’t need you. Cause I’m pulling all your weight. Done cleaning up the mess you’ve made. You always made./ Am I bitter? Just feeling better.” It’s a wonderful, beautifully-crafted and masterfully-arranged track that nicely showcases Tough on Fridays’ continued growth and musical maturity.

Follow Tough on Fridays:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Fresh New Tracks Vol. VII – brett.grant.5, Marc Schuster, The Metal Byrds

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Fresh New Tracks post, and today I’m featuring three recently-released songs by three totally different acts I’m particularly fond of on a personal level: Chicago alternative electronic rock artist brett.grant.5, indie singer-songwriter Marc Schuster, and Texas hard rock’n’roll band The Metal Byrds.

“Reanimate” by brett.grant.5 featuring Emma Young

brett.grant.5 is the artistic name of Chicago-based singer-songwriter and composer Brett Grant, who’s been active in the Chicago music scene for many years, both as a member of several bands and as a solo artist. Drawing from a wide and eclectic range of musical sources and genres, ranging from 1920’s jazz and classical to electronic and experimental progressive rock, his sound is bold, unorthodox and always fascinating. Over the past couple of years, I’ve written about both his solo music as well as that of his band A Million Rich Daughters. Last June, I reviewed his single “Burning Fire”, a biting song repudiating the religious dogma that keeps people enslaved on so many different levels – mentally, socially, culturally and physically. He recently returned with a new single “Reanimate“, which features guest vocals by singer-songwriter, actor, model and producer Emma Young, who Brett got to know while they were students at Columbia College Chicago. They’d also played together in the band Sleep For Dinner, who released a self-titled EP in 2019.

“Reanimate” is a deliciously dark electronic track with a throbbing, super-gnarly bass groove overlain by an eerie mix of spacey, wobbly, and tortured psychedelic industrial synths, all working together brilliantly to create a dramatic and unsettling soundscape befitting the subject matter, which seems to me to be about how mankind keeps repeating the same destructive behavior over and over again, never learning from past mistakes. Brett has a distinctive singing voice, with the ability to sound vulnerable as well as diabolical, which he does here to great effect as he rails “Pretend you forgive, pretend you forget, pretend that it’s just another thought to repress.” Emma, on the other hand, has a lilting vocal style which provides a nice contrast as she hauntingly chants the chorus “I’m not trying to invalidate. I know they could soon eradicate. I can hear them start to salivate. Breathe in the undead, reanimate.”

The beautiful artwork for the single was created by Brett’s wife Ashlee.

Follow Brett: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Follow Emma:  Facebook / Instagram

“Before the Boys” by Marc Schuster

Marc Schuster is a talented and creative renaissance man who I got to know through blogging (he has a WordPress blog called Abominations, which you can check out here). In addition to teaching English at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania, Marc has written several books, written scripts for two short films, writes songs and records music as both a solo artist and with music projects Plush Gordon, The Ministry of Plausible Rumours and experimental electronic music project Android Invasion. On April 6th, he released his latest single “Before the Boys“, a song that speaks to, in his own words, “the tyranny of gender identity, wrapped in a bubblegum pop sensibility reminiscent of the Monkees. The song is about a free-spirited eleven-year-old girl who becomes self-conscious when someone pulls her aside and tells her to be more reserved and feminine because ‘boys are watching’. It’s told from the point-of-view of the eight-year-old boy who is crushed when the girl gives up her tomboy ways.”

It’s a sweet song, with a simple but catchy piano-driven melody, punctuated in the choruses with quirky synth sounds that create an endearing vibe. Marc’s low-key vocals are smooth and pleasing as he croons the lyrics from the perspective of an eight-year-old boy now disappointed that the eleven-year-old tomboy he had fun with has changed, and not for the better in his opinion:

Muddy knees and a bloody lip the day she turned self-sabotaging, 
A well-meaning grandmother pulled her aside and said, “Girl, don’t you know boys are watching?”
She was tough and she was cool,
And she wasn’t afraid to make noise.
Before the makeup, before the hair,
Before the laborious ploys.
Before, before, before the boys.

“Before the Boys” will be available on all streaming services by the end of the month.

Follow Marc:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

“Spitfire Pete” by The Metal Byrds

The Metal Byrds are a female-fronted rock band based in Austin, Texas, who play a hard-hitting style of rock infused with healthy doses of rock’n’roll and power pop, along with enough metal in the mix to give their songs a dark, edgy quality. Formed in 2018, the band consists of London-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Birdie, as well as guitarist Sly Rye, bassist Kevin Kurts and drummer Alex Romanov. Over the past two years, they’ve released three EPs – The Song Byrd in April 2019, Byrds on a Wyre in June 2020, followed by Life in 20 in October, which I reviewed. On April 4th, they dropped “Spitfire Pete“, the first single from their forthcoming album 4, due for release later this year. The song is dedicated to an autistic boy from Lincolnshire, England named Pete, who’s a big fan of the band and rock’n’roll. 

With blazing riffs and driving rhythms that would make AC/DC proud, The Metal Byrds fully engage their sonic weaponry to create a rousing rock song befitting the vintage film footage of British fighter pilots flying their Supermarine Spitfire aircraft during World War II and waging air fights against the Germans at the Battle of Britain. Sly Rye shreds the airwaves with fiery riffs and wailing distortion, while Kevin and Alex keep the pummeling rhythms moving forward at full throttle. Suzanne’s powerhouse aggressive vocals rise to the occasion as she fervently wails “All guns blazing, all night long. Pulling the trigger. Pulling the trigger and dropping the bomb. Spitfire Pete, whoa-oh. Never retreat, he’ll make a stand.” It’s a kickass banger!

Follow The Metal Byrds: Facebook / Twitter 

THE METAL BYRDS – EP Review: “Life in 20”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews5 Comments

Like Tough On Fridays, who I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, The Metal Byrds are a female-fronted rock band from Texas. Based in the music city of Austin, the band formed in 2018 after a chance meeting between London-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Birdie and guitarist Sly Rye Dovey. Both were in other bands at the time, and one night, at the urging of a mutual friend, Suzanne sat in on Sly Rye’s rehearsal with his band. He asked Suzanne to sing any song she wanted and she began singing “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. That was all it took, and she soon joined his band and began performing with them. His band was having internal issues however, which ultimately led he and Suzanne to create their own project together as The Metal Byrds. They were later joined by bassist Kevin Kurts and drummer Alex Romanov to complete their lineup.

The Metal Byrds play a dynamic style of rock infused with healthy doses of rock’n’roll and power pop, along with enough metal in the mix to give their songs a dark, edgy quality. They released their debut EP The Song Byrd in April 2019, then quickly followed two months later with a second EP Byrds on a Wyre. On October 2nd, they dropped their latest EP Life in 20, and listening to all three works, it’s clear that their songwriting and musicianship have gotten stronger with each release.

As the title would suggest, the opening track “The Ganges” starts off with Suzanne singing what sounds like an Indian chant, accompanied by jangly Indian instruments lasting around 15 seconds. Suddenly, the song blasts open with a juggernaut of Metallica-esque riffs, gnarly bass and pummeling drums that takes the song deep into hard rock territory. Sly Rye’s guitar work is truly impressive as he shreds the hell out of his six-string, laying waste to the airwaves with rapid-fire noodling and wailing distortion. Suzanne’s aggressively fervent vocals demand our full attention as she sings of feeling overwhelmed as if drowning, while making references to maharajas, brahmins and ghats.

“Dreamin’” is a full-on rock’n’roll banger, with furious riffs and explosive rhythms that really showcase what The Metal Byrds are all about. Suzanne emphatically implores a love interest to give her a little consideration: “Can’t you see I’m standing right here in front of you / But you don’t even notice.” Keeping with that theme, “Tell Me” is about coming to terms with the fact that, no matter how hard you’ve tried, the person you pinned all your hopes on just doesn’t feel the same toward you. Suzanne’s emotion-filled vocals convey the sad resignation expressed in the lyrics “Tell me I’m wrong, you’re not the one. I don’t need convincing.” Musically, the song starts off as a folk ballad but gradually transitions into a terrific Southern rocker, with lots of great twangy and distorted guitars. It’s my favorite track on the EP.

The rousing title track “Life in 20” has a Pat Benatar vibe, with a frantic driving beat and more of Sly Rye’s fantastic riffing. In fact, the song reminds me a bit of Benatar’s “Heartbreaker”. In their notes, the band states the song “is a generalization of what the year 2020 has been like. A diary of events and feelings, of sorts. The guitars wail, along with lead singer, Suzanne Birdie’s voice, to evoke feelings of struggle and inequities that we have experienced during the past year.” Suzanne mournfully laments “Everything could end, you don’t know. One step from letting go.”

“Impossible” is another excellent hard-rocking tune, with the kind of powerful driving beat that I love. Kevin and Alex deliver aggressive thumping rhythms guaranteed to get your blood pumping and hips moving, and Sly Rye layers a lively mix of staccato riffs and screaming distortion that would satisfy even the hardest metal head. Suzanne gives her lover an emphatic kiss-off: “I’m leaving tonight to get on this flight like a thief in the dark to protect my own heart / You’re impossible to love, and still too blind to see.”

Life in 20 is a great little EP that gets better with each listen. The Metal Byrds sure know how to rock, and I think this is their finest work yet. As I noted earlier, the quality of their songwriting, production and musicianship have gotten stronger on each release, and I’m confident they’ll continue on this upward trajectory.

Note: The version of the EP on Bandcamp features five tracks, however, the one on Spotify and Apple Music also includes a sixth track, a radio edit of “The Ganges” without the 15 seconds of Indian chanting at the beginning.

Follow The Metal Byrds: Facebook / Twitter 

Stream/purchase their music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Bandcamp / Amazon