We get a good amount of awesome indie rock across our desk but we’re not finding a lot of bands with a harder touch that really catch us and take our breath away, but we got lucky with TASH. Their new single Hurricane Man features a bone crushing innovative riff that embraces the melodic growl of A Perfect Circle, the ingenuity of Soundgarden and Deftones, and the pop awareness of heavier Stone Temple Pilots. The band admits they are inspired by acts like Royal Blood and Wolf Alice, and lead singer Tara Noble has the same infectious attraction of Ellie Rowsell combined with a hint of the indie emotion and presence of Phoebe Bridgers.
Only their fifth single, TASH is flying way too under the radar with this kind of ferocious appeal. Fans of early 2000’s alternative would relish in this fresh hard rock sound. Listeners of bands like Halestorm, Breaking Benjamin, and Avenged Sevenfold in search of the next great rock band need to add TASH to the list. TASH has mainstream appeal but with more crossover potential than the aforementioned hard rock of Halestorm. TASH is just more accessible and believable to attract fans of indie looking to embrace a harder rock buzz. They’ve already experience a sold out show in Brighton and won a supporting slot with the Merseyside buzz band CRAWLERS. TASH is ripe for that scene and ready to pop. WE WANT MORE TASH!
Hear Hurricane Man now on our Best New Rock playlist.
“Golden Plates is a virtual band of professional degenerates trying to feed LSD to your kids and make your realities into dreams in our fight against depression and loneliness.”
Can I get an Amen?
A press release like that is bound to get your attention. Golden Plates is fighting the good fight, keeping these kids weird, trudging through the 9 to five but giving the middle finger from behind their back. Jokes on you Lumbergh, these moonshine moonlighters just came in for the check. It just happened, ya know, kids or other acquired responsibilities. They said degenerates not deadbeats! I can respect these priorities.
Elder Brycen and friends make some of the exciting indie psych rock. The aura of post punk with modern indie sensibility. They have the catchy pop palette of The Killers and Interpol, all lifted with rich sonic textures. The soaring guitars of Nobody Like You burn underneath as a drum and bass face off in a firefight of frustrated rock and roll energy. This is the in your face indie rock meant for small underground clubs across the country. It’s best played loud, full of reverberated overtones and blood boiling boom. Hopefully these professionals can find their way to a stage near you, until then they’ve promised another round of releases this year to aid you on your interstellar trip.
Enjoy Golden Plates now on our Best New Rock playlist.
UK Rockers Leopard Rays return with Something Like Hell. The band admits that this is the most mature they have ever sounded. Leopard Rays displays masterful execution and musicianship on the new single. The thoughtful arrangement is complete with progressive drops and an accompanying cello courtesy of Lucy Revis.. The band showcases a newfound affinity for drama as their touch and fury evolves to match the emotive vocal.
Leopard Rays channels the early 90s alternative icons Smashing Pumpkins, referencing their Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness phase as they alternate between anthemic rock choruses and clean sad vibe verse sections. It’s a byproduct of shoegaze in that the chords are rich and stocked with overtones and an acute melodic awareness lost on basic hard rock. The vocals vary between a cleaner shoegaze style and an anthemic howl that when supported by the music channel the drama of post rock in the vein of bands like Explosions in the Sky. Something Like Hell is epic in contrast to Leopard Rays other releases. This song is perfect to close out a big performance, when you reveal whats brewing underneath after you’ve juiced them up and primed them for a vulnerable lift.
This band is tight and they package a crisp professional sound that screams with mainstream appeal. The recording is on point with an impeccable mix, picture perfect tones and an always legible vocal. Singer Luke Dawkins brings a believable performance, recalling a familiar tale of lost love with a believable touch that’s undeniably pro.
Hear Something Like Hell now on our Best New Rock playlist.
London based duo First Frontier bring raw energy on their new single Edging. The group initially caught our attention on the vibey Jagged Line. On Edging, a larger punk influence comes through with frantic riffage and pompous vocals full of attitude and jest. It embraces the quirkiness of Devo with the intellect of Queens of The Stone Age. There is more commentary relative to the history of punk, and First Frontier let themselves have a bit of fun. The performance is youthful, unhinged, and lively. As the punk intro gives way to a shoegazey outro Helena mocks repeatedly “This is the Edge.” Paul responds, “is this really real?” The call and response untethers into a contemplative outro that brings this feeling full circle.
In our new frantic culture of trying to be everything and everyone, we might push ourselves to the brink. Sometimes we need to be checked, we need that trusting voice to tell us to slow down and let it be. Following that moment, it’s important to take a contemplative break.
First Frontier conceptualizes all of this with subtle genius, in a fun theatrical package that displays a breadth of influence and motive. In essence Rock is meant to be fun, but it’s hard to ignore the deeper meaning. First Frontier joins the modern movement of keeping it real without ever getting completely away from the message. A generation eager to peel back the layers of our hippocracies, return authenticity and life to our new electrical world.
Hear Edging now on our Best New Rock playlist
The Wild Is Calling 