HR Smoke is an artistic persona/pseudonym for Andrew Smith who is an artist that lives in Birmingham, UK. His works in a range of media - photography, painting, artists' books, writing and video. Smith recently released and day is given .​.​. which is a full-length album.

Smith mentions “This album is a 'branching out' into songwriting, a project based on earlier rewritings of the poetry of E.E. Cummings.” I actually found the process to be interesting. Smith goes onto to say “This album contains songs triggered by the coincidental initials of the poet E.E. Cummings and the company EE (Ltd). In a spirit of experiment - i.e. to see what happens – I collaged language from the EE (Ltd) Twitter feed together with language from some of Cummings’s poems. I liked the way that some of the poetic language gave – so it seemed to me – a kind of existential resonance, some pathos perhaps, to the complaints and lamentations of EE’s customers.”

The album has one tone to it. It revolves around acoustic guitar and vocals. Musically speaking I can’t say this is a very exhilarating album. The dynamics stayed within an intimate register and I found the collection to be very relaxing. It felt like a mood. 

The center of the album are the lyrics themselves. I was intrigued by the premise of the album so I really tried to follow along with the words and see how I was able to interpret them. The album opens with “(by the time i get to)southport” and my first thoughts were I found the vocals soothing. There’s a good amount of spoken word in a Jarvis Cocker type of way. I also noticed a part where he somewhat randomly bursts into the main picking pattern from “Blackbird” by The Beatles.

“someone” feels so relaxed it’s on the verge of sounding improvised. There’s no sense of needing to get anywhere with the music. Smith seems to be very content at the moment. On “the millions” he just about whispers in your ear while “how's your weekend going?” has a slight Celtic quality to some of the chord progressions.

As the album progresses the songs all seemed to bleed into each other. This is not only due to the minimalistic approach but the way the songs are delivered. That being said “the puppy in the sky” and “helpline number” felt like high points. 

​This is an interesting album. It was an easy listen, often very relaxing and cohesive to the point it felt like a continuous live performance. There are no big moments but a gradual low key mood that stays with you throughout the album. Take a listen.

BELOW 7 was founded by Jarrod (vocals), Eric (drums), Lance (bass), Scotty (guitar) and Todd (guitar). The band states they started as a way to relax and share their love of music. BELOW 7 officially was born in 2016. They mention that they have been influenced by artists like Godsmack, Alice in Chains and Rob Zombie. The band released Crashing Down back in 2018 and recently released a single entitled “Nothing To Prove” in 2021.

“Nothing To Prove” starts with a groove that reminds me of Nirvana. That actually quickly changes when the verse comes in. The vocals are more aligned with hard rock in the spirit of bands like Godsmack and Nickelback. The chorus however does feel a little more reminiscent of Alice in Chains. Suffice it to say I was picking up on electric styles and approaches that go together and form the original sound of BELOW 7.

The vocals are well delivered and I thought the band sounded tight and had chemistry. I loved the palm muted guitar that felt like a build to the explosive chorus. It’s an anemic and memorable hook that I think plenty of people will be humming along with after they hear it. The song goes verse/chorus/verse/chorus and then goes into a section I really enjoyed. 

The section a little after the two-minute mark sounds like a groove that could come from Rage Against the Machine. It hits hard and I could imagine a large crowd moshing to this part. What’s even more impressive is how they get into the bridge and eventually back to the hook.

​I can hear why they decided to release “Nothing To Prove” as the single. The song has zero fat on it and plays into a heavy rock sound but also a sound that was especially popular a couple years back. The band is certainly keeping the flame alive for hard rock. I can’t say I know what the band is up to later this year but hopefully the single is an indication that we will be hearing a full length in the not too distant future.

official website

Back in 2021 Emily Masson released twenty first century mood. Masson is back with a new full length album entitled lost at home. The lineup for this album includes Emily Masson (vocals), Rob Jones (guitar), AJ Fullerton (guitar), Levi Brown (bass). Mike Beck (percussion) Michele Gomez (percussion) and Tia Brown (vocals). Masson mentions “lost at home is a reflection. it is a ride through many different feelings and touches on frustration, despair, hope, anger, redemption, and a determination to identify not only one's own mistakes but also is a pushing back on those who seek to control, and say no more: we can pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and reclaim our autonomy and our right to pursue our individual dreams.”

The album begins with the title track “lost at home” which was one of the highlights. I love the groove on this song which is a warm blend of clean guitar, steady, drums and bass. The themes on this seem to be about the powers that are controlling us. That was at least my interpretation. Some of the lyrics seem to be about the lockdown we all went through. Masson’s vocals are in a natural comfortable range here and she sounds great. I thought it was a great opener.

“spiraling up” is next and this one has a little more of a somber and reflective tone at least at first. The chorus brings up the mood and is very catchy. Masson sings “But maybe I’m spiraling up / Maybe I’m filling my cup / Maybe I’m not spiraling down.” It’s another solid song.

“become the one” opens with a Latin infused groove. It’s lush, comforting and a bit melancholy. The phaser infused guitars sound great here and it just felt like I was getting really relaxed with this song. “Her Every Way” was the fist time I thought of Fleetwood Mac. Something about the vocals and the mystical qualities in this song seemed to align.

We get a more rock oriented track on “Life Begins Again (feat AJ Fullerton)” which contains some distorted lead guitar. That being said the song is dynamic and with a very subdued verse. There’s an intimacy to this song which feels very personal.

“broken shells” has a killer bass and drum groove. It’s by far the funkiest song yet and has this spoken word type delivery which worked. I was getting some ’70s attitude on this song. As the album progresses I thought there were a number of highlights. “why not ask why” and “mother nature cries” were great but I loved the country and bluegrass infused “watchu du.” “our eyes are wide” was solid but the kinetic “when we’re eighty” was a fantastic closer.

​This was a great album. There’s a good variety of songs here which play into different emotions. Masson hits it out of the park with this release. Take a listen.

official website

The Jessamine is a UK based alternative electro-pop rock duo with a love of loud guitars, dirty edgy synths and a touch of retro melody - with lyrics that are open to interpretation. Jenny and Tom formed the band in their teenage years and after a couple of line up changes and a hiatus for the occasional decade (or two), they reemerged from the ether in 2020 to see what their older, wiser and more eccentric brains could impart on the world. Drawing on influences far and wide, their love of music encompasses elements from across the spectrum including heavy rock, synth pop, electronica, goth and basically anything with an alternative edge.

Reset Restart is their debut album and is a reflection on the rediscovery and joy of writing and recording music together. They undertook every aspect of music production themselves from recording, mixing and mastering through to the artwork and videos. The duo says that “it’s been an amazing journey and is just the beginning with more planned for 2023 and beyond.” The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by the pair in Tom’s home studio using a trusty M1 Ultra Mac Studio. Everything you hear was composed using Presonus Studio One. It was then mixed in Universal Audio Luna and then back to Studio One to master.  The duo’s musical influences include bands like Curve, Garbage, Battle Tapes, The Cure, The Naked and Famous, The Mission, Pendulum, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Nightmare Air, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Wonder Stuff and Ride - just to name but a few. Their songwriting process starts remotely - Tom will send an idea to Jenny and she'll recording some rough vocals and then send that back. Until they’re happy with the structure and lyrics, after some back and forth, more tunes are fleshed out in the same way, then recorded, mixed and mastered. Sit back and enjoy!

This hefty 14 track album begins with “Deviant Mind” - a big, sound-engulfing song that mixes fresh, late 20th to early 21st century styles - I’d say in somewhat the same vein as Garbage, Evanescence and other bands mentioned earlier. “Too Late to Save” offers a balance of softer edged moments on the verses and louder ones on the chorus. Lots of great bass lines with this one.  “One Divine Creature” was a fun song to listen to. It has this sort of EDM/disco vibe to its rhythm, but it also offers a lot of twists and turns with how the duo arranged and played their instruments. Next up is “Andromeda.” This tune has an edgier, darker feel to it. Heavy bass lines, moodier tones and singing, and the “mystery of space” are all hallmarks here. “Headstrong” is another fun, danceable track that sounds like it should be played on the radio. In other words, it seems to have all the makings of a hit single - catchy hooks, memorable lyrics - great tune! Up next is “Slipstream” and it’s one of the longer tracks on the album. This one features a tighter rhythm on both the drums and guitar. It also has a certain “trippy” shoegaze rock style that I think, would pair well with a music video about space, stars and our vast universe. I also thought the guitar solo parts reminded me of The Edge’s style on U2’s early ‘90s work. 

“Fantasist” offers quick chords/tempo changes in between verses, while “Inhale” has a more menacing, dark sound - not to mention catchy guitar hooks - I liked this one a lot. In some weird way, I was thinking of the bands Portishead and the Divinyls, although I don’t think this song sounds like either of those bands really. Next is “Melancholia” and it’s one of the band’s shorter tracks and one of my favs on the entire album. The duo seems to have a ‘cleaner’ more mellow approach with this one, which I think sets it apart from the previous five or six tracks. Overall, this song felt to me more electro-pop rock/post-rock with elements of synth pop from the ‘80s. The next song, “What You Looking For” begins with fun sounding “arcade” blips and beeps and a style that mixes dance, a bit of the industrial and hard alternative rock. Fantastic guitar solo parts, bass lines and drum rhythms, too. The beginning to “Spoonful” reminds me of what Gary Numan did on his industrial/goth rock styled albums, such as Splinter and Savage. Those “pulsing heat like” synths are just fantastic! In my view, what I was hearing from this track, is it seemed like the duo was taking parts of Joy Division, Siouxsie Sue, heavy metal guitar riffs and more recently, Numan’s later work, and making something completely original. I’d recommend listening to this track for sure. 

​Next up is “Halo” and it features a tight, catchy guitar riff, and a way faster beat, compared to the previous tracks. Don’t miss listening to this one either - it’s great! Lots of terrific energy going on here. Perhaps the band’s longest song on the album “Glorious” begins with a spacey, soundscape-ish vibe, along with elements of dark rock, hard alternative and maybe even goth. The Cure would be a good comparison with this tune - I thought is was one of the band’s moodiest songs. The Jessamine’s last track called “Aerial” surprised me. With a more traditional sounding piano to its beginning (which I don’t recall hearing much of, apart from a synth), strings and a much cleaner guitar sound, the band’s sound is completely different in so many ways. Overall, the song is lighter, happier, uplifting -  like one of those pop-rock songs from the Cure or U2 that refreshes your soul, and remains in your brain for days, or weeks. I mean, wow! I had to listen to this one again. If The Jessamine puts out a sophomore effort soon, I’d like to hear more tunes like this last one. That said, Reset Restart is a solid, cohesive album. A great start to a UK duo who have great chemistry.

Heard Immunity is the first EP by Canadian roots band Patchwork Yak, which features Murray Fitch (guitar/banjo/uke/harmonica), Suzi Martin (guitar/banjo/percussion) and Eric Smistad (bass/guitar). This is a band that proudly identify as nerds: Smistad is an IT professional, while Fitch and Martin both have engineering backgrounds. That all the members play multiple instruments may have something to do with this fact. Fitch and Martin have also won spots in several Calgary songwriting contests, while Smistad is a university-educated musician with a specialty in bass (while also adept at keys and guitar).

Patchwork Yak call their style of Americana “folk-rock with doses of country and blues. In our shows, we usually do an acoustic no-drums first set, then dial up the energy with drums and a mix of electric and acoustic bass and guitars in the second set.” Heard Immunity  is mostly an acoustic EP, with songs about “love, loss, politics and basic silliness.” Pains are taken to keep the lyrics smart, because “life is too short to listen to bad lyrics.”

The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Jarred Albright, who also added mandolin and string arrangements to several tracks. He even used viola strings on his violin for a lower, fatter sound. Recording took place at the Calgary Recording Company studio in Alberta, Canada. Mastering was by Stuart McKillp in Vancouver using Logic. Most of the live recording used an Aston Spirit microphone.

The opening track “Fraser River” has a tricky start, where the sounds of an actual river slowly fade in, soon joined by a very resonant standup bass and beatnik-like percussion played on a djembe, which is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa (yes, I had to look that up!). The introductory acoustic guitar has the matter-of-fact jocularity of a Rickie Lee Jones tune. The band describe this song as “a laid-back, rolling track that combines geography, lost love and the Fraser River (the largest river in British Columbia).” Fitch sings in a sincere, slightly gravelly tenor that melds perfectly with the playing. The band comes in for some lovely three-part harmony on the chorus. For the second verse an electric piano is also introduced, and the river sounds return for the final fade.

Next up, “Winnipeg” is so good that I had to make sure it wasn’t a classic track that I’d simply forgotten about. Starting with simple banjo and vocals by Suzi Martin, it’s the lyrics that are the killer for me. Said to be inspired by the narrator’s overhearing a conversation about whether or not to live in Winnipeg, Manitoba (apparently not the most desirable location in Canada), the voices cause the singer to remember a lost love affair that happened there: “He was just walking down the street when he saw her / framed in the crystals of her breath on the winter air / well damn that winter air!” The band’s gentle performance with Albright’s amazing strings make for an unbeatable combination. 

“Faint of Heart” has the upbeat Americana feel of Gillian Welch, but with vocals that are more from the Emmylou Harris-Nanci Griffith school. It’s the kind of song you can imagine singing along to in grade school. The band describe it as “Banjo, banjo, banjo. A song about challenges and need to take risks when looking for love.” After these two, it’s really something that the group calls “The Mountain” the most “country” of the tracks. I’m assuming a lot of this has to do with the one-two beat and Albright’s fiddle. Fitch takes the lead vocal for this tune about “long term love… and mountain climbing” where scaling a peak is a neat analogy for the rocky terrain of a love affair.

“Drinking Song” is a partial answer to a question I have, which is: “Why does everybody think drinking alone is so bad?” It’s a classic folk rumination on killing your pain with drink or drugs, somewhat of the John Prine school but from a female perspective. The band gets a lot of requests for this song, which means it must be a universal conundrum!

“Complicated” is quite a timely song about trans rights. “Billy the accountant likes to wear skirts / He’s one of the boys, he’s one of the girls / A strapless gown or a pinstripe suit / Bright red pumps or Oxford shoes / Well it’s complicated…” For this big finale the band starts folky, then slowly adds instrumentation until we’ve hit full electric guitar singularity. The band calls it “stadium rock” but that’s only compared to how they usually play!

​An amazing debut from this folky collective with some truly great songs. Recommended!

Michelle Rose is a young artist who recently graduated from Berklee College of Music where she will soon begin her Master's in Songwriting. Rose began training vocally at age 6. She recently released “Midnight Moon” which is a single. Rose mentions it’s a “Spooky Halloween-themed song. I decided to be the 'bad guy' on this one. I'm bitten by a creature & turn into a werewolf. I wonder if my love interest will still be there when I'm howling at the midnight moon. Then, when the moon comes out and my fangs come out, I become a predator and stalk him.”

It’s a very pop oriented sounding song in 4/4 with solid production. The song starts with electronic sounding percussion, synths and what sounds like breathy vocals. It doesn't take long for the drums and vocals to enter into the mix. I liked the ’80s synth pop flavor on the verse. Rose’s vocals are confident and lead the charge of the song. 

The hook arrives and more synths appear with faster moving kinetic drums. Rose showcases some of her vocal range here. She sings “When the night falls / And there's nowhere to hide at all / Will you still be here when I'm howling at the midnight moon? / The fangs come out a night / You’re in for a fright / Will you still be here when I'm howling at the midnight moon?”

Right after the hook there’s a slick sounding breakdown with spliced vocals. The beat hits hard and takes you back to the verse and leads to the hook once again as well. There’s also another additional section where Rose displays some more of her vocal talents. The song’s dynamics simmer down and leave with surrounding synths.

​“Midnight Moon” is an accessible pop song at its heart. Rose has the vocal talent to make the song shine and I imagine we will be hearing a lot more of her in the upcoming years. Take a listen.

Peasant (stylized with umlauts over both “a”s) is an up-and-coming punk act hailing from New Haven, CT. Inspired by The Strokes, Motorhead and Misfits, among other artists, their style of rock is, as the band puts it, “a very tight and organized sound with heavy leads and rhythmic strumming as well as very intricate drum parts with a soft and heavy baseline.” This elaborate description is backed up by their first release, an EP entitled Nail Gun. This five-song effort was produced and mixed by Brian Antonucci on behalf of Shop Sound Recording Studio.    

Beginning the EP with its lead single was a wise choice. “WOUNDS” sounds just like The Strokes in that it has that raw garage rock spirit. However, I was almost sure that this as well as the entire EP would sound more like hardcore punk, given the militaristic font and design of Nail Gun’s cover. Misleading cover art aside, Peasant picks up the pace with a Foo Fighters-adjacent rager named “TONGUE.” It’s a bit like “All My Life” in that sense. The gruff shouting is made even more gruff with some extra vocal distortion.     

By the time you get to “NOOSES,” Peasant’s harsh, overtly shocking aesthetic begins to really kick you in the face. Arguably the strongest aspect of this band is the confident vocal delivery, and nowhere is this more present than on “NOOSES.” This track also has some genuinely original bass and guitar licks, and again, I thought this sounded like The Strokes. 

Nail Gun’s noisiest song on here is “PEOPLE KILL ME.” It’s fairly brief, but it’s peppered with silliness in the form of studio chatter and sampled dialogue. The extra howls of noise in the bridge were a nice touch. 

Lastly, the EP ends with an eight-minute epic entitled “SLEEP.” I’ll be honest, this last song is a swing and a miss for me. There is also some harmonica thrown in for a bluesy effect. I do not think that Peasant should try to mix hardcore screaming with harmonica and limp drum work for eight whole minutes. 

However, despite the conclusion, Peasant have crafted an energetic and enjoyable debut EP. Highlights are “TONGUE,” “NOOSES,” and “PEOPLE KILL ME.” Check it out if you can! Recommended.

Life After This is an American hard rock band that got its start in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2013. The band consists of Matt Fritsch (vocals), Matt Johnson (drums), Ray Vitatoe (bass) and Thomas Cheek (guitar/vocals). In my ears, their music sounded a lot like metal and hard rock bands from the ‘80s like Metallica and even more modern acts like Slipknot and Linkin Park. Once I hit play, I was hit by the immense energy coming from the speakers on their latest EP The Countdown. 

The Countdown gets going with “86 The Meds,” which starts off with some chants. Next, the music grows more adamant with aggressive guitars rolling in. The sound was exciting to hear. Next, the energized male vocals join the gamut. The high-tail energy was a treat to the ears. Many a headbanger moment on this song as the vocals can turn scream-o at the drop of a hat. The radioactive guitars sounded great. A monotone drumming beat and bass lines strut in on “Exigent (ft. Elyssa Girtman).” The sound slowly grows in momentum as scream-o vocals shout out. Eventually, some rap-like sequences come in. I thought they sounded a lot like Linkin Park here. The addition of hip hop and operatic vocals from Girtman really made a great contrast of sounds. The aggressive and soft interplay was a great listen. Some melodic guitars start off “Kintsugi.” The vocals coming through the mic sound nostalgic and sentimental. This was a total 180 from the hard rock and aggressive sound of the previous tracks, but it doesn’t take long before the band reverts back to their signature sound. On this soaring ballad, all the instrumentals come together to give off a great vibe. 

On “Message From A Ghost,” some more monotone bass lines come through. Next, some percussion and drumming beat erupts for a searing approach. Gradually, the music grows more adamant with raging instrumentals taking up the gamut of the noise. Again, this track mixes metal with a hip hop vibe. I was once again reminded of Linkin Park here. On “The Countdown,” some aggressive bass lines blazes through. Next, some driven guitars take control of this song, turning up the music up a notch with its hard-hitting riffs. The vocals here are energized and powerful. Some bass starts off “Mark My Words.” Next, some drums join in. Gradually, some powerful guitars strut in for a pulverizing sound. The adamancy of this track was exact. Next, the tunes grow faster and faster in rhythm. Then it slows down for a darker vibe from the vocals. This fast-slow dynamic was very exciting and will leave listeners on their toes. This song proved to be a great way to close the EP.

​The band blends aggressive arena-style rock n’ roll energy with melodic harmonies, which I think is impressive. The gritty vocals turn heads, belting out lyrics with gusto and can go to scream-o very quickly. All in all, these are powerful, headbanger tracks worthy of your time. Made for both fans of classic and modern rock.

official website

April of June is a one-man band project that is led by an artist who only goes by the initials P.E. His latest album is called Across the Sea, which is the first out of four albums he is planning to make. What makes this project unique is that P.E. set out to utilize real-life instruments in his production (he didn’t want to include any MIDI in his compositions). I think his goal was to make the sound as natural sounding as possible and it worked. Across the recording which included five parts, the sound came together as a cohesive whole. What P.E. set out to do was to try and make these parts sound like chapters of a story and not like separate pieces of music. I believe he was successful as the delivery of this album went by smoothly and worked as a whole. A great alternative and post-rock vibe erupt from these tracks. 

Across the Sea opens up with “Across the Sea Pt. 1,” where some noodling on the electric guitar reels listeners in with its pensive vibe. I loved the sprawling approach that the artist elicits here. Next, the sound of stirring strings arrives for a compelling sound. The vibe was very smooth and relaxing. Next, the music grows more adamant with the addition of drums and percussion. P.E.’s vocals arrive. He belts out the lyrics with a slight European accent. I think he delivers with tons of feeling. This was a moody track with a powerful punch. The soft and loud dynamic really works well here. The sound of strings and percussion fill the sound on “Across the Sea Part 2.” The vibe was very welcoming. I loved the addition of orchestral elements here. Next, the music opens up for a folksier and acoustic undertaking. P.E. sings with feeling. At moments, I was reminded of The Beatles. I thought this was an upbeat song with a great vibe. On “Across the Sea Part 3,” a full-on vibe comes through. I was getting indie rock with a touch of punk rock in the mixture. I loved the energy of this anthem. Once P.E.’s enthused vocals come in, it clinches this.

On “Across the Sea Part 4,” a monotone bass line comes through. Next, some reverberating guitar riffs settle in. The vibe was somber. I thought it almost had a heavy metal, hard rock sound to it. It definitely showed a different side to his overall music-making. “Across the Sea Part 5” is a straight up change of pace from the previous tracks. Starting off mellow, I was enjoying the warm vibes of the acoustics. I thought this was a great way for the artist to send us off. 

​The narrative of Across the Sea was from a specific time of the artist’s life. Though coming from a personal place, he hopes that listeners can discover their own unique interpretation from the music itself. Peppered throughout the recording are a few lyrics here and there that went on to help shape the overall music. P.E. has made something here that is packed full of nuances and shades of color, which I think is very wonderful. If you’re looking for something flavorful and creative, then look no further. I look forward to a follow-up from the artist also.

Hello is the most recent four-track EP from LA alt-rock outfit, Hullore. From the first few notes of the sizzling bass riff that opens “Seizure,” I knew this band was going to blast my face off. The scorching electric guitar and drums hadn’t even exploded into full effect yet, but I could sense the epic climax on its way. The crisp vocals and electrifying choruses were wonderful, but it was the ending that took this track to the next level — the drum fills are manic, and the guitar solo is fearsome. Hullore is a band that knows how to put together a strong intro. I’m hooked from the first track; for me, it’s always important that an album makes a good first impression. I’m a sucker for a big starting track — perhaps even more than a big closing track.

“Arise” is another scorcher, but I think the loud-quiet dynamic is even more impressive on this track. As I always say, it makes the loud moments more impactful if a song has plenty of restrained moments too. The contrast between calm, dissonant verses with the frantic, almost mathcore-infused choruses is just so sonically pleasing. The lead vocalist’s Offspring-esque vocals, though very pop-punk-flavored, really mesh well with the sizzling, heavy rock instrumentation. This is a band with great chemistry in terms of their overall aesthetic, as well as their songwriting, which is also top-notch.

“The Siren” has some of my favorite guitar-work on the album. The reverberating, distorted arpeggio that plays throughout the song is a real ear-worm. And I’m a big fan of the squealing, high-fretted electric guitar riffs in the verses — there are some powerful, enigmatic power chords in the choruses too. Just to lay the compliments on Hullore, that breakdown at the end? Absolutely sublime. Another fantastic tune.

​“Johnny Appleseed” is a laidback closer to an electrifying album. Well, that’s the illusion it gives at first. A clean electric guitar riff and tight, muted drumming underpin washed-out vocals to create a sleek but dark grunge track that oozes with Nirvana essence whilst still possessing Hullore’s originality. And, as the track progresses, the crunchy power chords and guttural vocals come into play, as does the powerful drumming. It’s a great finish to a great album.