Emo-Rock

Today’s Track: Lip Filler – ‘Followup’

July 5, 2024 — Leave a comment

You may be hooked as quickly as you can say “Dermatologic Surgery”. New post time!

Pictured: George Tucker (Co-Lead Vocals, Keyboard), Verity Hughes (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Jude Scholefield (Guitar, Percussion), Theodore Pasmore (Bass Guitar) and Nate Wicks (Drums) (2023) (Photo taken by PR)

The summer days are upon us! I’m Jacob Braybrooke and it was previously my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day before adulthood got in my way, so now I post more sporadically about special sounds. Lip Filler are an exciting, emerging indie rock band from London who weave elements of Electronic music and Post-Punk together like a Bunsen burner and a cylindrical tub of Helium in your school’s chemistry class. The West London-based 5-piece started their project with humble beginnings, having resided in a flat above a chicken shop in Shepherds Bush where their synergy and influences began to boil as hard as an egg in a saucepan. This has led to the evolving reputation of the band as a caustic capital force in London’s live scene to be created and, most importantly, they have now been able to buy a pet tortoise for their flat because why wouldn’t you? They have received some airplay from BBC Radio 6 Music since, along with just finishing up their first UK headline tour run. Having already supported the likes of Pit Pony, Gene Pool, XVOTO, Alfie Templeman and Picture Parlour and worked with producer St Francis Hotel (Little Simz, Michael Kiwanuka, Greentea Peng) on their debut single, Lip Filler are focusing their attention on tapping into a vast pool of creative collaborators and tidily transitioning to studio production practices to maintain their arresting momentum. ‘Witchescrew’ is their second EP – out now via Chess Club Records – and ‘Followup’ is the remarkable lead single, despite what its title may imply. Let’s give it a spin below!

Diving deep into their psyche, Lip Filler says, “Time is a precious thing; when we are told to wait for something sometimes we feel as though we’re not making any progress. We push ourselves to ensure we’re occupying our time efficently”, as they expose their emotional vulnerabilities in a press release regarding ‘Followup’, adding, “Taking this to the extreme would mean avoiding sleep altogether, or sleepwalking. I think that’s how this song began to adopt more paranormal themes”, says vocalist George Tucker. Absolute sense is made by Tucker’s comments on time management and relative frustrations because patience shines strongly as a key theme of their shape-shifting song. We start with a glossy yet melodic lead guitar riff that sounds akin to a shiny 90’s Alternative Rock crossover hit by a band like Placebo or The Smashing Pumpkins, as the blatant lyric of “I’m so sad” begins to reverberate throughout the disillusioned tone of the track. At this point, you may expect an Emo track to unfold alike the ‘Scuzz Sundays’ feature that we used to own in this blog’s heyday, but a change of direction takes course and the angularity grow sharper. Lyrics like “Motion sickness in your sleep/I’ve been underneath the tyres” are given a rhythmic scheme akin to a Rap-Metal track, while the guitars grow more bitter in substance and the Grunge mentality runs thicker. “You turned oh shit/I get my creature on”, delivered with a static effect, proves to be an imaginative detour that suggests a larger mental health issue at play due to its contorted nature. The band continue to dynamically cut together their influences of Pop-Punk, Nu-Metal and Shoegaze with a cut-and-paste collage effect as stop-start electronic instrumentals with a distorted tone and up-tempo vocal loops continue to add a psychedelic haze to the mix. Overall, while the volume on ‘Followup’ can be high at times, the technical musicianship finds its place to shine as the band continue to subvert expectations throughout the explorational track and stitch together a vibrant library of late 90’s and early 00’s rock sounds at a towering level of creativity. Less so of “I’m so sad” and more like “I’m so excited” about the future in store for this daring, experimental crew.

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘witchescrew’ (EP) (Released on May 24th, 2024) (via Chess Club Records)

That’s all for now! Thank you for joining me for a few minutes on One Track At A Time today and if you’re always on the look-out for more new music suggestions beyond the mainstream, please follow me on my other channels that you can seek out below.

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Today’s Track: Ciel – ‘Fine Everything’

May 3, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Michelle Hindriks (Lead Vocals/Bass Guitar), Jorge Bella Jimenez (Lead Guitar/Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Tim Spencer (Drums/Percussion/Occasional Backing Vocals) (2022) (Photo Credit: ReadDork.com/PR)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for you to perk up your ears in preparation for yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! If I told you on the radio that I was going to play you a new track by an artist with a name (Ciel – Pronounced: Ceal) just like that, you’d be forgiven for expecting to hear some kind of 00’s-leaning Pop, R&B and Soul record. However, you’d be confusing them for Seal. On the other hand, Ciel are an emerging indie rock trio led by vocalist-guitarist Michelle Hindriks drawing from diverse influences such as Sheogaze, Dream-Pop, Prog-Rock, 90’s Grunge, Symphonic Rock and Psychedelic Rock. With members hailing from The Netherlands and Spain in addition to the UK, Ciel have recently captured my imagination when ‘Fine Everything’ gained positive reviews from the panel on last week’s episode of Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable on BBC Radio 6 Music. Ciel have also been praised by sites like KEXP, WFW, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, Clash Magazine, Earmilk and Under The Radar too. In recent times, Ciel have been preparing for their upcoming EP by working with Steven Ansell (of Blood Red Shoes fame) as their producer and mixer. The trio have also been supporting She Drew The Gun, Sasami and Penelope Isles across sold out live shows in London and Brighton (Where they are currently based) too. I also read that Ciel have been long-listed for this year’s Emerging Talent Competition at Glastonbury Festival as well, which should continue to shine a spotlight on the band as a valuable commodity within the music industry. On that note, let’s check out their fresh new single, ‘Fine Everything’, below.

Talking passionately about the melodic new offering of Shoegaze-inflicted Indie Rock, frontwoman Michelle Hindriks notes, “It’s about coming of age, and not really knowing how to navigate life. The doubts and difficulties that involve life-changing decisions, yet maybe not being ready growing up, when all your friends are. I was thinking of how so many people lost touch with their inner gut feeling and instincts, and how all the possibilities in life can feel so overwhelming sometimes. It’s almost kind of easier to stay oblivious to it instead of digging deep into your mind“, in her own words. The single oozes charisma with an insistent groove created by the fuzzy walls of anthemic guitar sound and driving drums from the get-go, while lyrics like “Ignorant to the shame, It evoked/Threatened by the drought, caught up in doubt” and “Don’t you know, I am longing for/To be told how to live my life” break down the decision making processes that we all face, punctuated by the Shoegaze guitars and the angsty, classic Punk attitude that gives the tempo a more brooding personality. They unleash a fun and chaotic guitar solo towards the end, while the chorus introduces a more accessible Pop sensibility into the mix due to its rhythmic pulse, while the verses feel more gritty and determined in texture. There’s some hook-filled melodies in here, but it retains a sharp Post-Punk feel overall because the Brighton-based band aren’t afraid to hit you with a distorted wall of sound, but they tie it in with a melodic style and some familiar Pop-driven songwriting. It doesn’t feel shrouded in borderline territory between Dream-Pop and Post-Rock, but it instead feels like it has a more direct punch to its sound that makes it feel memorable when it digs into your brain. It works nicely as a companion for the lyrics, which are all about tacking the uncertainty of thoughts that linger in your brain about your future as a young adult and how these unsettling noises in our minds invade our lifestyle, backed by an edgy Garage feel that resonates with the modern indie production clearly. While it is nothing too innovative and I’ve probably heard most of their ideas before, it is still a solid track that is very catchy and noisy, in the best way possible, that still leaves me thirsting for more content from Ciel soon. It is not re-inventing the wheel, but the wheel keeps spinning without fault.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Fine Everything’ (Single) (Released on March 24th, 2022) (via Self-Released)

That’s all for me today, but I hope that your day turns out to go just fine. I’ll be back for a new edition of ‘Way Back Wednesdays’ tomorrow where will be remembering the work of a Lancashire-born R&B and Pop singer who was a member of groups like Shotgun Express, The She Trinity, Sinbad and Gambler in the 1970’s, and she has been described as “undeservedly neglected” by Bruce Eder, a respected writer for AllMusic.

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Scuzz Sundays: Papa Roach – ‘Between Angels and Insects’

May 1, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Infest’ (LP/Album) (Released on April 25th, 2000) (via DreamWorks/NPG Studios)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and the time has come for us to pay a visit to one of the ghosts of Pop-Punk’s past with a new weekly edition of ‘Scuzz Sundays’ on the blog, given how it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! In the past few weeks, we’ve tied our weekly throwbacks into some form of current affairs, such as this autumn’s re-union gig for Hard-Fi or the almost exact 20th anniversary of The Caesar’s ‘Love For The Streets’ album, and we’re continuing the same trend today. The Vacaville-formed Alternative Metal band Papa Roach released their eleventh studio album, ‘Ego Trip’, on April 8th to a fairly positive reception from critics. Therefore, we’re going to remind ourselves of one of their classic tracks today to fit the theme of ‘Scuzz Sundays’. Released in 2000 as the third single taken from their Triple Platinum-certified second LP ‘Infest’, ‘Between Angels and Insects’ reached #17 on the UK Singles Charts and it enjoyed a nice run on the radio airplay circuit in late Spring of 2001 after the music video had released. The album itself ventured into the buzz of the Nu-Metal and Rap-Rock genre elements of the time, and it debuted at #5 on the US Billboard 200 chart, additionally earning Papa Roach a Grammy Awards nomination for ‘Best New Artist’ to reflect this success. Find the Joseph Khan-directed video for ‘Between Angels and Insects’ below.

In a SongFacts interview with Papa Roach’s Tobin Esperance, it was revealed how the track took inspiration from ‘Fight Club’, as he noted, “The lyric in the bridge section was taken from the conversation that Brad Pitt was having with Edward Norton on the airplane“, in the piece. ‘Between Angels and Insects’ remains a live favourite for Papa Roach too, as Esperance also told SongFacts it was “Definitely still a really fun song to play live. That song definitely goes off“, in 2011 as well. The title of ‘Between Angels and Insects’ doesn’t appear lyrically, but there’s an implication that human morality sits between angel and insect – the divine and the primitive – in other words. Lyrics like “There’s no money, there’s no possession, only obsession” and “You can find a conclusion, lifestyle and obsession/Diamond rings get you nothing but a life long lesson” are centered around greed, implying that money just can’t solve your deeper psychological issues, with the verses and the chorus commenting on how the base desires like possessions bring us further from angels and closer to insects. The steady drums, the Rap-Rock rhythms of the vocals and the thunderous guitar riffs, with a heavy but largely melodic Pop-Punk skew, feel rather typical of the time and the instrumentation does not feel different to many of the Grunge-inflicted rock songs of the album’s era, but it feels quite nostalgic twenty years later and it can remind you of how your life may have been at the time. While the chords feel rather unoriginal, there is still some decently thought through commentary here on how we value our possessions and how striving for things we feel are positive can lead to negative impacts like addiction, and these themes never really overstay their welcome despite seeming quite universal. The band’s accompanying melodies for the lead vocals push the metaphorical boat into stormier seas, while the main bulk of the instrumentation adds just enough differentiation from other Papa Roach tracks such as ‘Last Resort’ or ‘…To Be Loved’ without affecting the formula that has been laid out for it. Overall, I don’t feel this is a masterpiece, as the lyrics and progression feel a little bland and generic, but there are elements of greatness here. The songwriting works well, and the instrumentation is solid. This is probably not a Last Resort for your Papa Roach fix.

Pictured: Papa Roach performing ‘Last Resort’ at the Reading & Leeds Music Festival (2014) (Photo via BBC Music)

You can check out some of my previously published Papa Roach-related posts below:

‘Last Resort’ (2020) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/07/26/scuzz-sundays-papa-roach-last-resort/

‘…To Be Loved‘ (2021) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/11/21/scuzz-sundays-papa-roach-to-be-loved/

Pictured: Cover Art for ‘The Paramour Sessions’ (LP) (Released on September 12th, 2006) (via Geffen Records)

That brings us to the end of the page for another day! Thank you for joining me, and we’ll be kicking off a new week’s worth of posts as well as the new month’s worth of posts – you lucky reader. It begins with a fun and chilled summer-themed new single by a Norwegian singer-songwriter who has released eight studio albums and created his self-titled full-length record, released in 2011, in a short yet intense time period of three weeks. The single in question features the talents of Japanese Pop project CHAI.

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Scuzz Sundays: The Pretty Reckless – ‘Make Me Wanna Die’

March 13, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Taylor Momsen (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Ben Phillips (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Jamie Perkins (Drums/Percussion) and Mark Damon (Bass Guitar/Acoustic Guitar) (2010) (Photo Credit: Music Hub – Fandom)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for me to offer up another Scuzz Sundays post that you would probably not be prepared ‘to die for’, since it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! One of the most commercially successful female-led bands of the Mascara-dripping 00’s going through the 2010’s was The Pretty Reckless, who are still active regularly today. Led by Taylor Momsen, who was previously known for being a teen TV star in productions like ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dreams’ – as well as playing the child role of Cindy Lou Who in the Jim Carrey version of ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ in 2000, the band have topped the US Album charts with albums like ‘Going To Hell’ and ‘Who You Selling For?’ and topped the US Rock Charts with fairly well-known singles like ‘Heaven Knows’ and ‘Messed Up World’. Momsen’s misfits last released ‘Death By Rock and Roll’ last year, which found her getting the chance to collaborate with legendary Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello for a track. ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ is instantly recognizable if you have seen the edgy comic book movie ‘Kick Ass’, which helped to bring actors like Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnston some of their Hollywood stardom throughout the years since 2010. It was produced by Kato Khandwala, and it was the first track to be written for their debut album, 2010’s ‘Light Me Up’. It reached #16 on the UK Singles Chart, and it was initially described as a tragic love song inspired by Romeo and Juliet by Momsen.

‘Make Me Wanna Die’ is the first track that The Pretty Reckless wrote together as an ensemble, and it was based on a fictional story they created where the rough story of ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ tells the tale of a girl with a supernatural lover – a narrative which the vampire-loving Twi-hards of the 2010’s would have also loved – and her desires to be transformed into ‘one of them’ so they can both stay in love together, according to the Genius website. Starting off with some filter-like Mellotron flutes, Momsen sets the stage for her dark tale of lust and loss with her spoken-sung refrains of “Never was a girl with a wicked mind/But everything looks better when the sun goes down” and “I had everything/Opportunities for eternity/And I could belong to the night” that develop a brief backstory for her character. It’s nothing that feels rich in motive or Oscar-worthy performance, but it gets the job done. The verses represent a mix of angsty Grunge-enhanced Pop and stop-and-start Desert Rock, where the melodramatic lead guitar riffs are separated by short gaps and the jagged Bass guitar riffs complement the ‘Broken’ feel of the single’s emotional qualities. The chorus kicks in, with hooks like “Everything you love/Will burn up in the night” and “Every time I look inside your eyes/You make me wanna die” floating seemlessly above the Pop-Punk production. There’s also a little bridge where some overtly emotional Strings come in and there’s a short assortment of backing vocals that feel a little cheesy – for lack of a better term – but they provide some more variety to the track and ensure that it’s effect doesn’t ware so thin. Overall, ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ is a robust reminder of the days where guilty pleasure monster flicks like ‘Underworld’ and ‘Resident Evil’ were gaining some decent box office takings in the 00’s, as the lyrics complement the angsty yet dark tone of the creature features nicely and the looped percussion adds some little bells and whistles to the production. It feels a little bit overly theatrical at points for me, but it feels like a lot of fun nevertheless. It’s very inoffensive and harmless, although it wasn’t going to earn awards for innovation.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Light Me Up’ (LP/Album) (Released on August 27th, 2010) (via Interscope Records)

If that collaboration between Momsen and Morello sounds good to you, it is very convenient that it was actually covered on the blog prior to release. Check it out here:

‘And So It Went’ (feat. Tom Morello) – https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2021/03/06/todays-track-the-pretty-reckless-feat-tom-morello-and-so-it-went/

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Death By Rock and Roll’ (LP) (Released on February 12, 2021) (via Fearless Records)

That brings us to the end of another entry of ‘Scuzz Sundays’ on the blog. Thank you for showing your interest in the site today as your continued support is always highly appreciated – and I’ll be back tomorrow to give you a taste of the latest track from a Manchester-based Art Pop band who have covered tracks by The Prodigy and Disclosure and they have gained support from sources as varied as ITV Granada and The Guardian. They are probably best known for singles like ‘Can’t Stop’ and ‘Nobody Scared’ that have been receiving daytime airplay from the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist.

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New Album Release Fridays: The Mysterines – ‘Dangerous’

March 11, 2022 — Leave a comment

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke – and this is the time for us to pick up something for the weekend as we take an in-depth preview of one of the weekend’s most noticeably notable new album releases, because it’s always been my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of new music every day! There’s stiff competition from Dirty Projectors and Coco’s Maia Friedman, as well as rock band The Districts, this weekend – but The Mysterines have the vote of ‘Album Of The Week’ from One Track At A Time for this fine Friday of March 11th. A fair share of music publications frequently seem to assume the emerging Alternative Punk 4-piece of The Mysterines are from Liverpool, but they were actually originally formed in Merseyside. Led by vocalist/guitarist Lia Metcalfe, The Mysterines have been gaining fans all over the music and radio industry across the last couple of years and various tracks by them have each received daytime rotational airplay from BBC Radio 6 Music. They have performed at festivals as beloved as 2021’s Sound City Festival, and I’m sure there are some die-hard UK Hard Rock fans who have been desperately awaiting what’s in store for them as ‘Reeling’ – their first full-length album – finally lands on store shelves today. ‘Reeling’ was recorded in sessions that took place throughout 2021, where The Mysterines worked with Catherine Marks (Foals, The Killers, Eliza Shaddad) as their producer. The record will be supported by a string of tour dates in locations like Cambridge, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds and more throughout the spring. Teasing the style and direction of ‘Reeling’ when it was initially announced, Metcalfe said, “It’s a pretty ambiguous title for most people, but for me, ‘Reeling’ sums up every emotion of the album in just one word”, in the band’s press statement. On that strong note, let’s check out the final pre-release single – ‘Dangerous’ – below.

The final advance single to drum up hype for the album, Lia Metcalfe also said in a seperate statement about the visceral Alt-Rock tune, “Dangerous is about those wild cycles that life sometimes traps you in, the ones that seem desirable at first but quickly become very dangerous”, as The Mysterines’ dynamic frontwoman explains, concluding, “Whether it be with people, places, relationships – the hardest part is always letting go”, in her thoughtful and provoking press notes. ‘Dangerous’ gets off to a heated start as a slightly Folk-led opening guitar riff slowly turns sour in tone and becomes more thunderous at a brisker pace, and Metcalfe soon croons refrains like “I was willing and able/But I was caught in your jaws” and you caught me standing on the table/I saw you watching me fall” that invite you into the Post-Punk style of the single with dramatic lyricism that touches on toxicity and cyclical break-up as key themes. For the chorus, the hooks become more melodic and infectiously catchy as the simple refrain of “It’s such a danger/It’s such a dangerous thing” is given an infuriated amount of emotional weight that grinds under the relentlessly electronic-enhanced electric guitar riffs. Metcalfe’s vocal delivery has a noticeably potent and, most crucially, masculine quality to it, with the rest of the band backing up her gently husky voice by driving the beats forwards with a more standard ‘Indie’ formula of punchy guitar riffs and compact drum riffs. It is probably not the heaviest track that The Mysterines will likely present on the new record, but they have a bunch of ears that show a great knack for catchy melodies that interplay between the Pop and Punk elements of the track. ‘Dangerous’ also feels more eclectic than you may assume, given the title of the track on paper, because there’s some Grunge influences that pull from the more bombastic flair of more modern rock bands too. They were clearly influenced by Nirvana and The Strokes, and there’s a nice mixture of slightly different Rock influences being pulled together pretty neatly in ‘Dangerous’. It, perhaps, does feel like a fairly obvious choice for a radio-friendly single to promote the album as I could definitely envision ‘Dangerous’ being played on a daytime BBC Radio 1 programme as equally as on the next FIFA video game soundtrack, and so they do adhere to a more conventional structure and sound on the track more so than other examples of their music, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it ensures The Mysterines are keeping their ambitions broad and attaining more reach with their music to entice others to check out the full record, where the more experimental tracks can find a larger audience. There’s also a Brit-Pop styling, especially in the raw vocals and the lightly distorted guitar riffs, that can appeal to older listeners while balancing out their more off-beat tracks naturally too. Overall, The Mysterines seem primed for sturdy success on ‘Dangerous’, a solid single that feels as though it is fairly diversified while giving the more casual fans of their genre some crowd-pleasing riffs.

Pictured: Lia Metcalfe (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Keys), George Favager (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals), Callum Thompson (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Paul Crilly (Drums/Percussion) (2022) (Photo via WirralGlobe.co.uk)

That leaves me with little else to say other than to thank you kindly for lending a moment of your day to find out what I had to say about The Mysterines today, and I hope that you are looking forwards to their new album as much as most of their devoted fans are. I’ll be back tomorrow on the eve of ‘Scuzz Sundays’ to shine a spotlight on one of the UK’s most lively Grime artists who has just released his new LP ‘Reason To Smile’ via the major label Island Records. He has collaborated with the likes of Mahalia and Swindle, and he has received three nominations at the MOBO Awards. His ’23Winters’ EP reached #3 on the UK Rap & Hip Hop Albums Chart in 2016.

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Scuzz Sundays: Nickelback – ‘How You Remind Me’

March 6, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Silver Side Up’ (LP) (Released on September 11th, 2001) (via Roadrunner Records)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s time to don some dodgy eye mascara as we revisit the music that we used to tolerate during our younger and most questionable emo phases of life for ‘Scuzz Sundays’ as we re-evaluate their quality or value in the present day, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! When you review the history of rock music, particularly throughout the 2000’s, the Canadian rock group of Nickelback provide a fairly interesting case. They were a punching bag for music enthusiasts, garnering almost unanimously negative reviews for their recycling of ideas and their continued relevancy in the mainstream, but they were still one of the most successful rock bands of the time when you really think about it. Their list of achievements includes enormous sales figures of over 50 million albums worldwide, five SOCAN International Achievement Awards, and a whole host of hit singles across multiple territories including ‘Rockstar’, ‘Far Away’ and ‘Photograph’ among a few others. They are also pretty active today, as they are currently working on their upcoming tenth studio album to finally follow up on 2017’s ‘Feed The Machine’. They have recently celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their fame-propelling third studio LP – 2001’s ‘Silver Side Up’ – which has been certified as Platinum eight times in Canada. The record included, arguably, their biggest hit of all – ‘How You Remind Me’ – which is a Karaoke favourite of my mother’s choice. The single’s commercial success led to their first arena tour of the UK, and, in 2009, Billboard ranked it as their best selling rock single overall. You know it already, but you can hear it for the first time in ages below.

Chad Kroeger – the lead vocalist of Nickelback – wrote ‘How You Remind Me’ as a response to a conflict with his then-girlfriend at an airport in Vancouver, where she set up shop in his basement and improvised the lyrics loudly in the hopes that she would hear him and catch the drift that he was, well, pretty angry. It makes sense considering how the guitar riffs have a nice grit to them and the pacing of ‘How You Remind Me’ has a harsher energy to it than some of Nickelback’s more melodramatic ballad work explored on the likes of ‘Far Away’ during the 00’s. The single starts off with the familiar lyric of “Never made it as a wise man/I couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing” that Kroeger delivers in a husky voice as the laidback and casual sound of the mid-range guitars, in terms of tone and reverb, wind on up to a slightly more dissonant and aggressive style, although the instrumentation never becomes truly harsh, for lack of a more suitable term. The chorus has a rougher edge too, with rhythmic lines like “This is how you remind me, of who I really am” and “It’s not like you to say sorry/I was waiting on a different story” bordering between a spoken and a chanted delivery. The guitar riffs don’t progress a great deal, but the drums and the bass is more prominent in the chorus and increases the speed of the core melodies. There are elements of Punk and Grunge here, but they are measured and the violence of their mood is kept at a radio-friendly level. It also explores love-sickness lyrically, with fun sequences like “I’ve been wrong, I’ve been down” and “This time, I’m mistaken/For handing you a heart worth breaking” that sound assertive, but not completely outside of the realm of forgiveness or reconciliation for the dwindling relationship that Kroeger is referencing. As one of the most snobbish music critics out there – which my parents would probably tell you, believe me – I don’t mind ‘How You Remind Me’ very much. I’ll admit that the guitar riffs are a little bland, but it is a fun track that is a fun time and has it’s catchy moments. It’s not a masterpiece, but it is melodic enough and it established a few selling points for Nickelback that admittedly got recycled a little too frequently over the years, but there’s a reason why the tune was successful and I can see why Kroeger’s band would go down to the well for it as a point of reference for later work. A solid standalone single that still sounds fine today.

Pictured: Chad Kroeger (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Chief Songwriter), Ryan Peake (Lead Guitar/Keyboard/Backing Vocals), Mike Kroeger (Bass Guitar) and Daniel Adair (Drums/Backing Vocals) (2021) (Photo Credit: Paul Bergen)

That brings us to the bottom of the page for another day! I’m going to be swiftly off now as I’m planning to see my family for two days running, but I’ll be back tomorrow to guide you through some gorgeous new experimental electronic music from an Enfield-based IDM producer who reached the top three of my ‘Best Albums Of 2021’ list with her Hyperdub-signed hit ‘Reflection’ that was also loved by Tom Ravenscroft.

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Today’s Track: Warpaint – ‘Champion’

March 5, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Emily Kokal (Co-Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals/Guitar/Keyboard/Synths), Jenny Lee Lindberg (Bass Guitar/Co-Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals), Theresa Wayman (Co-Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals/Guitar/Electronics) & Stella Mozgawa (Drums) (2022) (Photo via MuzPlay.net)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it is time for me to get typing up for yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Warpaint – the Los Angeles, California native indie rock band comprised of Emily Kokal, Stella Mozgawa, Theresa Wayman and Jenny Lee Lindberg – have just announced their first new full-length album in six years, finally confirming ‘Radiate Like This’ as the long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s ‘Heads Up’, which they will be releasing through Heirlooms and Virgin Records on May 6th. It has been a long time, but in their original run, they released three critically acclaimed studio albums including 2010’s ‘The Fool’, which included their essential track ‘Undertow’, as well as their 2014 self-titled LP outing. Warpaint supported Harry Styles for some live tour dates in Asia during 2018, and they also supported Foals on tour in Australia during 2019. They have performed at a wide variety of festivals including Glastonbury Festival, Coachella and Reading & Leeds Festival, and the beloved band have also performed at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl amphitheater. You will have also heard their track ‘Lilys’ if you’ve seen the HBO-produced TV series ‘Made For Love’ too. Details for ‘Radiate Like This’ are a little scarce, but given how we are picking up where we left off with ‘Heads Up’ from over a half-decade ago, the results are exciting. Check out the lead single ‘Champion’ below.

‘Champion’ promises that Warpaint will explore the concept of intimacy and energy more passionately than ever before. The new single is about “being a champion to one-self and for others”, according to the 4-piece in a new press release, who explain, “We are all in this together, life is too short not to strive for excellence in all that we do”, together, in their collective statement. A little more Dream Rock-influenced than some of the other material from Warpaint that I’ve heard, ‘Champion’ finds Theresa crooning some poetic lyrics like “I’m a million years old/I’m a champion” and “I’m an ocean/breathing in and out” to the soulful tune of their typically harmony-driven vocal style, which they perfected on rough-edged singles like 2010’s ‘Undertow’, but they are met with a more hypnotic and gloomy style than before, while they also deliver stern lyrics like “I hope you figure out/Everything you’re on about” that feel smooth and quite intuitive. There’s less of an emphasis on a ‘live feel’ and it is more driven towards putting their in-studio techniques to use, as the band retain their moody undercurrents that characterize some of their prior work while drifting towards some richer and more detailed dream-pop production, where the synths are calling across the horizon and the guitars keep stretching beyond the tropes of guitar rock. This reminds me of The XX, but there was a hint of Post-Punk towards the home stretch where the guitar briefly revved up before we abruptly went back to the modulated vocals and the reverb-assisted percussion that had a strange affinity for grooves during the verse. The track sounds well-produced, without feeling like it was over-produced at any point to me. The lyrics tap into inner strength and the faults of high levity, while the electronic enhancements make the instrumentation feel rich and atmospheric. Overall, ‘Champion’ is a well put together and cohesive comeback single that shows some progression and evolution for Warpaint as we move forwards.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Radiate Like This’ (LP) (Available from May 6th, 2022) (via Heirlooms/Virgin Records)

That brings us to the end of the page for today! Thank you lots for your continued support, but I’ve got to be off now because I’m hopefully visiting my sister (and leaving the village in the process, which is a fairly rare occasion for me), and so I’ll be catching up with you tomorrow. Join me then for a new entry of the ‘Scuzz Sundays’ feature, where we’ll be remembering a Karaoke favourite from a Canadian rock band led by vocalist Chad Kroeger who, despite becoming something of a punching bag for the snobbish ones in the 00’s, have recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their third full-length LP record ‘Silver Side Up’ that was certified as 8x-Platinum in Canada.

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Today’s Track: Young Prisms – ‘Honeydew’

March 1, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Drifter’ (LP) (Available from March 25th, 2022) (via Fire Talk Records)

Good Morning to you! You’re tuned into One Track At A Time, and this is Jacob Braybrooke, and I’m here to sweeten the deal as we head into Pancake Day with yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The San Francisco-based Shoegazers known as Young Prisms (Whose current line-up includes Stefanie Hodapp, Matt Allen, Giovanni Betteo and Jordan Silbert) have just recently returned from, what their A&R team describe as, a “sabbatical” of an entire decade ahead of the release of a new full-length studio album, ‘Drifter’, which is finally set to see the light of day when it releases on March 25th via Fire Talk Records. Formed back in 2009, in their original run, Young Prisms never quite reached the commercial success of some of the peer acts of the Dream-Rock and Acid-Rock music scenes. However, they gained positive reviews from sources like AllMusic and BUST Magazine, and they toured all over the US and Europe. They released two albums, a few 7″ records and one EP at the time, with their influences ranging from traditional Shoegaze bands like Mazzy Star and Slowdive to more progressive or cult acts including My Bloody Valentine, The Radio Dept and The Jesus & The Mary Chain. Heading into their new era, Young Prisms have enlisted the help of producer Shaun Durkan, a member of Weekend and a frequent collaborator of Soft Cell, to help them bring their imaginations to life. A press-release describes their long-awaited album as an exploration of “the tension and release that comes with bringing your head down from the clouds to make sense of the tangible entanglements that make up everyday existence”, and the lead single of ‘Honeydew’ has been accompanied by an official music video that was filmed in one take and it was directed by the group’s own Betteo and it stars band-mate Holdapp. Check it out.

The sublime music video for ‘Honeydew’ makes it clear that Young Prisms are going to be re-imagining their career trajectory as they re-enter the evolved Shoegaze genre after a ten year hiatus, and Betteo has said, “I always wanted to make a video that was focused on restraint, especially with choreography being key and shock so prevalent”, when talking about the behind-the-scenes stages of his somber video that was created with no cuts at all, and he concluded, “It feels like a bit of a contradiction for someone, who can’t seem to record a song without an excessive number of filters and effects, to make a video that is in black and white and wholly driven by minimalism”, in a press statement. Back to ‘Honeydew’ itself, and we start off with a winding sound as the delay pedal effects of the guitar riffs mimic the pace of a car revving up as the fuzzy guitar work arrangement transitions naturally into view, and Hodapp delves into the hazy Dream-Pop atmosphere as she sings enigmatic lyrics like “Take a turn back to 101/We’ve been here before/A show under the moonlight and stars” as the soundscape continually feels like it could blasting out of a car’s stereo on a sunny 90’s morning as the gauzy, rich vocals and the blissful guitar melodies, that are drenched in a wide array of effects and filters in the traditions of Shoegaze music. “Take my hand before you disappear and walk right out of here” precedes the optimistic and smile-inducing chorus, while the question of “Do you believe? I believe in you, honeydew” leaves us on a hopeful note. As far as Shoegaze goes, it is nice to see Young Prisms keeping their sound simple and they address the evolution of Shoegaze over the years when they were missing in action by retaining the warmth of their influences, as there’s definitely an underlying sense of positivity to the melodies in the soundscape. While treading their toes in retro – more so than progressive – ‘Honeydew’ finds the San Francisco quartet deliver a sturdy yet sentimental little statement about stretching their course further than they had originally run in the 10’s. Overall, ‘Honeydew’ is an engaging Shoegaze single of a classical style for its genre that neatly breathes some liberating energy into a band we thought were gone.

Pictured: Stefanie Hodapp (Lead Vocals/Producer), Matt Allen (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals), Giovanni Betteo (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Jordan Silbert (Drums/Percussion/Backing Vocals) (2022) (Photo by Jared Silbert)

That’s all for now! Thank you for checking out my latest post on the blog, and please keep in mind that I always highly appreciate your support very much, and so I thank you for spending some time by visiting the site today. Tomorrow, we take a break away from my recent recommendations for a short while as we revisit some of the seminal sounds of the past with ‘Way Back Wednesdays’, Join me then for the second appearance on the blog from a Brit-Pop band who were formed in the West Midlands in the late-80’s and their frontman became one of the UK’s national treasures when he kept us entertained by his Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties in the lockdowns of 2020.

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Today’s Track: Peaness – ‘How I’m Feeling’

February 21, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Art for ‘World Full Of Worry’ (LP) (Available from May 6th, 2022) (via Totally Snick Records)

Good Afternoon to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke – and it’s time for me to return to my laptop after a storm-related power issue prevented me from using any devices this morning with yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! Peaness (No, it’s not what any dirty-minded individual would call it) are an indie pop trio who met at The University Of Chester, Cheshire during 2013 and initially named their witty band after a joke between themselves – and yet it stuck. They decided to form Peaness formally the year after in 2014 – with Balla (Guitar/Co-Vocals), Jess (Bass/Co-Vocals) and Rach (Drums/Percussion) making up their 3-piece line-up. They have earned praise from publications like Bearded, Gigwise and Louder Than War, and singles like ‘What’s The Use?’ and ‘Kaizen’ have gained airplay from the daytime playlist of BBC Radio 6 Music, with Marc Riley as a huge fan of their work so far. A range of singles and EP’s have been released on labels like Kingfisher Bluez, Odd Box Records and Alcopop Records since 2015, and the three young ladies are soon going to be finally releasing their debut full-length album – ‘A World Full Of Worry’ – on May 6th via their self-release label Totally Snick Records. Peaness are also one of the few bands that I’ve actually spoken to in-person, as I had a brief chat with them at the merchandise stand while they were supporting The Orielles at The Sugar Mill, Stoke-On-Trent in February 2020 when we had a lovely little chat about all things music, which my close friend from university bought me along with him to. Let’s check in to see ‘How I’m Feeling’ below.

Recently announced for an extensive run of live headline shows and music festival appearances through the summer in the UK, Peaness are gearing up to bring their expansive itinerary of summer-driven guitar hooks and retro-style harmonies to a wider audience when ‘A World Full Of Worry’ launches in May, with the band saying, “In an unfulfilling job? Need a shake up with something in your life or you’ll go mad? Well, that’s ‘How I’m Feeling’ and it can’t be ignored anymore! Amongst self-loathing and melancholy there are sparks of determination and a belief that you deserve more. I hope it works out”, in their press release about the punchy punk-oriented tune. Determined lyrics like “This isn’t what I wanted/I break my back for you” and “This sinking ship has sailed/Threw myself over board” shine through from the off-set, where Jangle-Pop guitar melodies and scratchy, perky bass riffs power the verse. The chorus makes me think of the often underrated ‘Pretty Odd’ days of Panic! At The Disco’s earlier line-up, with a vibrant mix of 00’s Pop-Punk and late-60’s Psychedelia giving the track a quirky flavour and a nostalgic warmth in the mood, which are paired enthusiastically to lyrics like “I’ve got the guts to take a leap/You’ve gotta trust that I can” that talk about out fantasies of leaving the daily grind for something that you are more driven towards. I like how the percussion comes in towards the end, and the track has a cheerful set of sounds that are relatable, leading to a catchy chorus that should appeal to a diverse crowd of listeners because the songwriting feels accessible and there’s a retro do-it-yourself punk feel to the production, where the chanting vocals are never sullied by any auto-tune or overly polished effects. An engaging track by a very playful and dynamic three talents, ‘How I’m Feeling’ is pure summertime driving with the roof down cheer and timeless harmony-filled, slightly Lo-Fi, yet charming Pop-influenced punk music which Peaness has done with finesse!

Pictured: Balla (Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals), Jess (Bass Guitar/Lead Vocals) & Rach (Drums) (2022) (Photo via PR)

That’s all that I have lined up for you today and I have other matters to attend to now, but I thank you ever so much for checking out the blog today because your support is always highly appreciated! I’ll be back tomorrow with a taste of Jamaica as we review the latest single from a Massachusetts-based, St. Elizabeth-born Reggae-Rock artist who is the younger brother of Andrew Holness – the current Jamaican prime minister.

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Today’s Track: Jordana – ‘Catch My Drift’

February 14, 2022 — Leave a comment
Pictured: Cover Artwork for ‘Face The Wall’ (LP) (Available from May 5th, 2022) (via Grand Jury Music)

Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and I hope that your eardrums are ready for yet another daily track on the blog, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! A 20-year-old singer songwriter originally from Wichita, Kansas who I believe is based in Los Angeles, California – Jordana Nye is another in a long line of Bedroom Pop artists that has something unique to offer, and I gave her unanimous praise for her mid-pandemic singles ‘I Guess This Is Life’ and ‘Reason’ on the blog in 2020 when I discovered her. Her musical career began when her father, who was an organist at her local church, encouraged her to learn how to play instruments, and so she started on the Violin before picking up the Guitar, and she also went on to busk on the boardwalk of North Beach, Maryland when she was 13. Later, she released her debut album – ‘Classical Notions Of Self-Happiness’ – in 2019 that she entirely self-released and self-produced in her bedroom, and, in December 2020, she released a combination of two EP’s – ‘Something To Say To You’ – to essentially form up her second album. She has also collaborated with Magdalena Bay, TV Girl, Jordan Woods and producer MELVV and she will be supporting Wallows on tour in May 2020. Currently signed to Grand Jury Music, Jordana is back and she will release her next full-length LP, ‘Face The Wall’, on May 20th. She played every instrument on it by herself and it was co-produced by Cameron Hale (Claud, Khalid, Neon Trees). So far, her music has toed a line between a brevity of genres including Grunge, Lo-Fi Pop, Pop-Punk and Alternative Folk – but it has always been her notably playful personality and her gently philosophical style of songwriting that has stood out for me. On her Bandcamp page, her album’s listing has hinted at veganism, religion, upbringing and sexuality as themes to be explored on the record. “The album title has a few meanings to me”, Nye says in a press release, adding, “Mostly, it’s about not giving up. The wall can be anything in your way. The album is sort of a reminder to myself that I have to face those things, and I can’t take the easy route and turn around”. Check out the latest single – ‘Catch My Drift’ – below.

‘Face The Wall’ is Jordana’s first album to be recorded in a studio instead of her home, and she has solo headline shows planned to take place across the US in June 2022. Along with the music video for ‘Catch My Drift’, she says, “This song is about going back and forth with your feelings for someone when they make you question whether they are even reciprocated. The song is about realizing you shouldn’t be totally dependent on anybody, and that it’s a waste of energy”, in her press release. A natural choice for a single, ‘Catch My Drift’ is a catchy Pop-driven Punk number that, with its music video, transports you back to the mid-00’s where Pop-Punk reigned supreme with female artists like Avril Lavigne and Paramore’s Hayley Williams filling the air with care-free and commercial anthems about reasoned dismissals of ex-lovers, but Jordana doesn’t just pull the nostalgia card and she decorates the throwback with her personal commentary. I also love how she fills the video with a caricature of characters, like the bassist and the drummer, that are played by herself dressed in questionable outfits. It feels almost like Aphex Twin and the ‘Come To Daddy’ video by concept, and it definitely conveys her sense of humor in a fun way. It helps that the frenetic guitar riffs, with a water-tight bridge that reminds me of the 80’s and echoes the likes of Simple Minds or The Cure, are very catchy and fit the fairly light-hearted tone of the melodies. The Synths are fast and furious too, aiding the lyrics where Jordana croons hooks like “I hate to say I told you so/It’s no mistake to be alone” and “Do you catch my drift?/Are you picking up what I’m putting down” with the sense that she’s not holding her breath for wish fulfillment. There’s an excellent mixture of strength and vulnerability in her vocals and the propulsive bass and drums combo of the chorus wraps up her lovesick pain with a feeling of progression and moving forwards in personal matters. I certainly think that, if an act with a more known name or a higher profile released this exact same single tomorrow – like Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo – it would get played all over the likes of BBC Radio 1 or BBC Radio 2. Therefore, it is a pity that she’s not one of them and she doesn’t quite have the same following yet. However, this is still a punchy and effortlessly likeable preview of the upcoming album that we can take pride in keeping to ourselves a little bit, although I really want for people to hear Jordana’s music and get the experience of hearing her voice. Every one of her tracks have been an absolute joy for me to listen to so far and I can’t wait to see how the new album shakes up because I strongly feel that Jordana is a real talent. Retro, accessible and intimate – ‘Catch My Drift’ is incredibly irresistible.

Pictured: Jordana Nye in a photoshoot for the ‘Something To Say To You’ EP (2020) (Photo Credit: Jacob Clark)

If this post has inspired you to check out some of Jordana’s other great material, you can get started on her discography with my post about ‘I Guess This Is Life’ here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/11/10/todays-track-jordana-i-guess-this-is-life/. Alternatively, there’s another ‘Reason’ for you to check out her earlier work here: https://onetrackatatime.home.blog/2020/12/07/todays-track-jordana-reason/.

Pictured: Jordana in an official photoshoot for ‘Something To Say To You’ EP (2020) (Photo by Grand Jury Music)

That brings us to the end of the page for another roughly 24-hour period, and I have little else to say than to thank you for taking some time out of your day to check out this music today. Feel welcome to come back tomorrow, where we will be listening to some fresh music from a South Carolina-born producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and graphic designer who is usually recognized as one of the pioneers of the Chillwave movement from the 2010’s. He collaborated with Flume during 2020.

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