You're (not) Going to Hate This

Artist Spotlight 8/8/17: Hockey Dad

 I only recently discovered Hockey Dad and I’m practically in love. Hockey Dad was formed in 2013 by vocalist and guitarist Zach Stephenson and drummer Billy Fleming. The band hails from Windang, Australia and the surf culture of the area can be seen in their music. And as many could guess, Hockey Dad has a surf rock/surf pop sound. Heavily influenced by 60s garage rock and bands such as Bass Drum of Death. Comparatively to other surf/beach inspired music I have covered, Hockey Dad has more of a mellow tone to it. The band has released one EP titled Dreamin’ and one album named Boronia (named after the street the two members grew up on.) Their music videos are really cool too. They go for the 80s home video aesthetic and usually revolve around surfing, hanging out, and kangaroos. I totally recommend checking them out and per usual I will link some of their music below, thanks!

Links:

“Seaweed” (Music Video)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpx9g0Sj9Go

“I Need a Woman” (Music Video)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCpPWEvZJ0

Boronia full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxIWrhW2P1A&list=PLZqsyBiYZFQ3_-ZhPjz7OFHy3_72pacG5

References: 

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/3216176/hockey-dad-windangs-home-town-heroes/

Rozwell Kid’s third album, Too Shabby, is another phenomenal album that I thoroughly enjoy. The album has a great late 90s/early 2000s garage rock sound which reminds me of early Blink-182 with some hints of Nirvana. Some of my favorite tracks on the album include: “Kangaroo Pocket,” “Sick Jackets,” and “Creeped Out.” I’ll probably do an artist spotlight for Rozwell Kid in the near future as they have just released a new album. Thanks for reading! 

Artist Spotlight 6/23/17: Cherry Glazerr. If you’re into songs about female empowerment, grilled cheese, and dogs then Cherry Glazerr is your band. Cherry Glazerr formed in 2013 by Clementine Creevy as the lead vocalist and guitarist, Hannah Uribe on the drums, and Sean Redman on the bass. Together the trio released two studio albums, Papa Cremp (2013) and Haxel Princess (2014). They also released their one EP in 2014 titled Had Ten Dollars. In 2015 Uribe left the band and Redman followed suit in 2016. Following their absence, three more members were added to the band: Tabor Allen on the drums, Devin O’Brien on the bass, and Sasami Ashworth on the synths and french horn. The band’s new line up released Apocalipstick in early 2017.

Cherry Glazerr’s sound is nothing like anything I’ve put on here before, as in they're not beach rock. Their sound is more along the lines of garage rock and punk rock but its also very diverse. An example of this is with their second studio album Haxel Princess you have a song like “White’s Not My Color This Evening,” which is a super loud and angsty song. Compare that to “All My Friends” on the same album, which goes for a much calmer tone. This can also be seen in their most recent album too but the bands seems to be going in a more guitar heavy direction thats much louder than anything they’ve done before. Each of their albums are every well put together and sound amazing especially with the change of musical direction in Apocalipstick. 

Unlike many bands in our current political climate, Cherry Glazerr prefers to stay away from preaching politics; however, feminism is a big part of their aesthetic for their most recent album. The opening song “I Told You I’d Be with the Guys,” which expresses Clem’s realization that she needed to establish solidarity with other women rather than being a “lone wolf.” Aside from politics, the band goes for comedic value in their songs as well with songs such as “Trash People” and “Bloody Bandaid.” Clem stated in an interview that, “Comedy in music is very important to me because humour is all we have as human beings.” You can tell that the members of Cherry Glazerr are unapologetically themselves and that makes the band that much better. Overall Cherry Glazerr is a very unique band that is phenomenal is almost every way. I’ll put links to their albums and some music videos below, thanks! 

References:

https://cherryglazerr.bandcamp.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/arts/music/cherry-glazerr-ready-to-show-off-its-jagged-edges.html

Links to videos and stuff:

“White’s Not My Color This Evening” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtBmOULfCn0

“Nuclear Bomb” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Pnr3S10yA

“I Told You I’d Be with the Guys” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFgz9aiiZlQ

Apocalipstick Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFgz9aiiZlQ&list=PLZqsyBiYZFQ265asLZAH0rOYFLMnRNBbM

Another album that I absolutely love is Hot. Reckless. Totally Insane. by Best Friends. I bought this album three years ago purely for the aesthetic value. Like just look at the artwork on the album. I had no idea who Best Friends were or even what kind of music they made, the album just looked too cool not to buy. I was honestly blown away as to how good the album was and how well put together it was. This album sounds like the soundtrack to someone’s homemade skate montage or some surf movie, so yes more beach rock and I love every song on the album. Based off of what I’ve posted before, this album is a nice middle ground between The Frights and The Growlers. My favorite tracks on the album are “Fake Spit,” “Dr. Mario,” and “Shred Til You’re Dead.” As usual I will have a link to the entire of the album below, thanks! 

6/19/17: Going along with the theme of beach rock, my album recommendation for today/this week is Hung At Heart by The Growlers. The album has the great beach sound mixed with some psychedelic rock and garage rock. Hung At Heart is a very chill, very easy going album that’s great to listen to at the beach, in the car, or just about anywhere especially during the summer. Some of my favorite songs on the album include: “Someday,” “Living in a Memory,” and “In Between;” however, I recommend listening to the album as a whole. I’ll have a link to the whole album below, thanks for reading! 

Artist spotlight 6/17/17: The Frights. The Frights are a surf/punk rock band hailing from San Diego, California. The band is comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Mikey Carnevale, drummer Adam Lomnitzer (who was replaced by Marc Finn by the release of their sophomore album You Are Going To Hate This), and bassist Richard Dodson. Formed in 2012, the band has released two singles, three EPs, two studio albums, and is planning to release their third studio album sometime in the near future.

 As you can tell already by the title of my blog, I am a huge fan of The Frights. They were the first punk band I really got into and have been my inspiration to get into the world of music. The first song I ever heard by them was “Crust Bucket” and after the first five seconds of the song I was in love. Their sound is incredible, I love their carefree, beachy yet punk rock sound. Their first album is easily my favorite as they really emphasize their beachy sound and really made a name for themselves. Their sound has been described as, “something you would hear at a 1950′s Underwater Halloween Party” and I couldn’t agree more. 

The only issue I have with the band is with their most recent album, You Are Going To Hate This. I believe that it is a good album but the band seems to stray away from their roots. The album puts the beachy sound on the back burner and emphasizes a new sound for The Frights, which is more punk than anything else. Other than that it is a very strong album that has some amazing songs that you shouldn't miss. Overall, I’m absolutely in love with The Frights and you should totally check them out. I’ll link some of my favorite songs (even though I recommend listen to all of their music) by them below, thanks for reading! 

“Crust Bucket” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB78xlJfi04

“Makeout Point” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnspd5vpQFE

“Kids” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e_mhn4VN7U

“Submarines” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiBYj9pMHi8

“You Are Going to Hate This” -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLa1S_gj9lM&list=PLbLVcNttFCBkTdggheWmKdorLkFpVPnsa

References:

http://www.postmarkrecords.com/the-frights.html