Three more awesome EPs for us to check out this week, from country to metal! Let’s dive in!
Hunter Brothers: All Kinds of Country
This is an incredible country release, combining both pop and rock elements perfectly. It’s got some of the catchiest choruses and melodies I’ve heard all year, every track made to be a massive radio hit. The vocal harmonies throughout from the brothers just add to that, too. All six tracks are absolutely incredible, there not being a single weak link in the chain. However, ‘Keep on Truckin” and ‘Homegrown Night’ are personal highlights. However, then you have the boot-stompin’ opener, featuring the awesome Lathan Warlick who adds a bit more of an R&B feel to it. Shantia also does awesomely on ‘Better Days’, and their cover of that iconic Jackson 5 song is also incredible, giving off big Rascal Flats vibes. I’d somehow never heard of the band before this came across my email, but they have a HUGE new fan in me, and I immediately want to hear more! For now though, I can’t give it any less than a 9/10!
Analog Amara: Slowly Falling Apart
The debut EP from the dark alt metal band is an awesome collection of vulnerable tracks that fit together like the perfect puzzle. From former American Idol contestant Amanda Hawkins to Authority Zero drummer Jim Wilcox, there’s plenty of star power here, and the trio work incredible together, writing five great gothic metal songs. It’s hard to believe that they’ve only been working together for three years, as it’s all incredible well crafted, performed and even mixed! It feels like a combination of Phoenix Lake, Lacuna Coil and Him in all the best ways. And from the opener to ‘Is it All’ to ‘So Far Away’, there are plenty of highlights throughout. It’s a fantastic debut release and could easily push the band up a few notches in the scene. If you are at all curious, it’s well worth checking out, and gets a solid 8/10 from us!
RaeLynn: Jingle Jangle Rock
Well, it’s that time of the year already. Goddamn, I was not expecting to be covering Christmas music already. Still, DAMN, what an EP! The genre always works surprisingly well with the topic, something I never feel like I expect even if we get some new in it every year, and this is no exception! The opener is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day, while ‘Redneck Christmas’ is a lot of fun, packed full of fun, tongue-in-cheek stereotypical lyrics. And, her version of ‘Run Run Rudolph’ is fantastic too, adding her awesome country-rock twang to the original. I’d somehow not heard of her before now, but I’ll definitely be checking out her other stuff now as I’m a big fan! And, I’ll surely be rocking this more and more over the next two months! A damn fun listen, and a very easy 8.5/10 from us.