Week two of New Music Mondays is shaping up to be just as big as the first! With another SEVEN new album releases last Friday, we thought we’d give a little coverage to them all as we don’t have the man power to review them all in depth. Don’t worry though, we shall be letting you know exactly what to check out…and it may be quite a lot!
Tremonti: Marching in Time
Arguably the biggest release this week comes from Creed and Alter Bridge axe-man Mark Tremonti. Having started his solo project a few years back to much acclaim, the band very much keep their momentum rolling with this latest release. I shan’t dwell on it long as I very much intend to review it ASAP, but from what I have heard all the singles seem awesome – with a particular favourite of the bunch for me being ‘A World Away.’
Poppy: Flux
Originally a YouTube star, Poppy rose to fame for being… well… a little bit odd. Crafting a rather interesting character that has evolved no end over the years, she shocked the world (or at least her fans) a few years ago when she put out a metal album seemly out of the blue. Not one to stay similar for too long, though, her latest release has leaned pretty heavily into a more punk/rock sound. I have to admit that her metal stuff took a fair amount of growing for me to enjoy any of it, and I am still rather on the fence. I feel like this is much of the same. It’s not inherently bad at all, just a bit boring. It’s less messy than her previous album though, it feels like she’s finding her groove a little more! 6.5/10
Third Eye Blind: Our Bande Apart
American rockers Third Eye Blind, most famous for their late 90s hit ‘Semi-Charmed Life‘, returned with their seventh studio album, and took it a lot slower than I was expecting. Being the same age as the band’s debut album, I grew up around the MTV fuelled pop-punk-rock scene of the late 90s and early 2000s. So, when I saw one of the bands famous from that scene was releasing a new album, I was excited (and also ashamed that I hadn’t checked out much of their stuff from the last decade or so). So I was shocked to find a slower, almost indie sounding album. It’s not bad at all, but it’s a far cry from their slightly faster, heavier stuff from their first two albums. 6.5/10
X Ambassadors: The Beautiful Liar
Alternative/indie rock band X Ambassadors have enjoyed quite a fair share of fame over the last few years due to their collaborations with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Bebe Rexha and ILLENIUM, as well as the mainstream success of their single ‘Unsteady.’ They finally returned with their muchly anticipated fourth album, and it was definitely worth the wait. I have such a complicated relationship with this sort of music, as you can tell by my review that I HATED the latest 21 Pilots album, but X Ambassadors show how to do this sort of music right. From singles like the title track and ‘Adrenaline’ to catchy as anything album tracks like ‘Palo Santo’, it has a little bit of everything! My only issue is the sheer amount of short transition tracks the album has. I enjoyed them all and they definitely add to the story and the atmosphere of the album, but out of 16 tracks only nine of them were full length songs. Those songs were damn good, though! 8/10
Badflower: This Is How the World Ends
LA based pop-punk/rock band Badflower put out their sophomore album this last Friday too. Boasting HUGE singles like ‘Don’t Hate Me’, ‘Family’ and ‘Johnny Wants to Fight’, the band have set themselves up for a breakout year, and the rest of the album is up to the same quality. I have to admit, I’ve found it so far pretty hard to get past the incredibly juvenile, MGK-esque lyrics, going far beyond the line of ‘edgy’ and straight into cringy. But still, there are some catchy hooks in here and enough to keep me entertained throughout. 7/10
Dream Ocean: The Missing Stone
Symphonic metal band Dream Ocean are the newest band on our list today, putting out their sophomore album too, building on 2018’s ‘Lost Love Symphony’. The band are masters of atmosphere, each of their tracks sounding like it should come from a fantastic movie soundtrack, and makes me REALLY want to see the band live in the hopes that the how lives up to the massive sound. Each single is fantastic, as are other hidden gems on the album. However, I have decided upon hearing it that I shall be reviewing it, so I shan’t give a score just yet…
Unto Others: Strength
Last but certainly not least are modern metallers Unto Others with their awesome new album ‘Strength’. It’s a damn good album from start to finish, filled with great, heavy riffs as well as fantastic clean ones. The songwriting is a step above their previous album too, heralding that they will be a big name in the years to come! Highlights include ‘Destiny’, ‘Downtown’ and ‘Heroin’. 7.5/10
So there we have it, a fantastic week for rock and metal. I would strongly urge you to check out a lot of this stuff, as it really was great, and stay tuned for next week!
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