Welcome to another episode of The Breakdown, your weekly talk for everything in the rock world. For this episode, we have bassist for Them Evils, Jake Massanari, joining us. He joins us as we discuss the popular social media sites used right now for musicians: TikTok/Reels, Patreon and Onlyfans.
40 Years of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ ‘Hard Promises’
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On May 5th, 1981, 40 years ago, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their 4th studio album, Hard Promises. The record was originally scheduled for an earlier release, but was delayed due to Tom Petty doing what Tom Petty does best.
He really doesn’t get enough credit for it, but Tom Petty was a badass, through and through. He stirred the pot when it needed stirring, and he usually got his way as a result. When the band’s distributor at the time, MCA Records, scheduled Hard Promises to be released on what was then called “superstar pricing,” Tom fought back. At the time, most records sold for 8 dollars and 98 cents (what I would give for records to be that cheap today!), and records priced at “superstar pricing” were 9 dollars and 98 cents, a difference of only one dollar. Previous records released on “superstar pricing” at the time included the Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra soundtrack to the film Xanadu and Steely Dan’s Gaucho. Tom, remembering his own quest for his favorite records when he was a teenager back in Gainesville, Florida, didn’t agree with this price increase – he wanted to keep the price low for his fans - and he fought it tooth and nail. The band considered naming the record Eight Ninety-Eight instead, or simply not delivering the album to be released. The general public soon caught wind of this struggle and began to aid in the fight too. This wasn’t the first battle Tom had fought for his music, having also fought with MCA during the recording of Damn The Torpedoes over his contract being sold without his permission, a battle that he won. MCA finally backed down on the price increase, another win for Tom and the Heartbreakers.
I find it difficult to believe that this record could possibly be 40 years old. To me, it still feels fresh, it feels timely, and it just feels downright good to listen to. It’s so hard to pick a favorite Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers record because they’re all so good and so different, but Hard Promises is definitely up there for me. I’ll never forget how excited I was to come across an original pressing of it at a strange local comic book and record shop several years ago.
I think, generally, Hard Promises is one of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ more underrated albums. Their early 80s stuff is often overlooked – people tend to acknowledge 1979’s Damn the Torpedoes and then skip ahead to 1985’s Southern Accents. There’s 2 really great albums you’re missing out on if you do that! I also think Hard Promises features some of their most underrated album tracks.
Maybe this is just me, but ever since I first heard it, I’ve always had a soft spot for Letting You Go. I’ve always loved songs that sound upbeat and happy, but the lyrics are kind of sad, and that’s what I get out of this one. It sounds like such a happy, cute little song, but the lyrics tell such a different story. “There’s no one as honest as those in pain… It’s a restless world, uncertain times. You said hope was getting hard to find…Do you get scared when you close your eyes?” I love the antithesis this song evokes.
Then there’s You Can Still Change Your Mind. I don’t think Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are known too well for their ballads. With maybe the exception of Free Fallin’ or Wildflowers, most people know Tom solo or Tom and the Heartbreakers for their upbeat rock numbers, but they excelled at ballads too. There’s something about that chord progression at the end of the chorus that always surprises me in the best way. It’s a hopeful song – it’s comforting. He acknowledges the struggle (“it gets harder by the minute, it gets harder every day”), offers a solution (“if you change your mind, you change your feeling”), and he offers reassurance (“everything’s gonna be alright”). For me, it’s always a good one to listen to on a bad day when I’m need of some better vibes, and what’s more, this song features backing vocals from the one and only Stevie Nicks.
Of course, this record was being recorded around the same time Stevie Nicks was recording her first solo record, Bella Donna. She’d wanted Tom to write her a song, and after enough prodding, he did, a song called Insider. The pair recorded the song together, with Tom on lead and Stevie on harmony vocals. After hearing the song back, Tom decided he didn’t want to give it to Stevie, so he gave her another song he’d written with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell instead, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, which became Stevie’s first number one hit. As for Insider, it ended up on Hard Promises as a hidden gem that only hardcore fans seem to pay attention to.
Underrated tracks aside, you can’t ignore the hits from this record either. The Waiting, a fan-favorite, made it to #1 on the US Billboard Top Tracks chart. Its jangly, Byrds vibes make it a really fun one to jam to. Perhaps a lesser-known hit, but still a hit, having reached #5 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart is A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me). This track actually ended up being overshadowed by Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, which was released around the same time. The point is, Tom Petty (and Mike Campbell!) was writing some incredible music during this time.
Hard Promises is solid proof of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ talent as musicians and Tom’s talent as a songwriter, not that he needed any more proof at that point. The release of this record also made it clear that his fans took priority over making money. He wasn’t doing this to get rich and famous, he was doing it to make music that resonated with people. He was a true artist, and that thought always pops into my head when I listen to this record. Go give it a spin and show it some love, it’s a good one.
Album Review: Diamante's American Dream
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Just when I thought that Diamante couldn’t be any cooler than she already is… She - once again- proved just how much of a badass she is with the release of her self-released brand new album, American Dream.
Three years after the release of her debut album, Coming In Hot, she self-released her sophomore album, American Dream on May 7th. So how does this album compare to Coming in Hot? Is there growth? Does it rock? Let’s delve in and find out!
Starting off with the title track, I can say that we are off to a strong start. The song is catchy, it’s sexy, it can bring you in and have you hooked in a second. I almost felt like I was in the 80’s, not just because of the, “you got me doing bad things like it’s 1980” lyric. The song actually made me think of different 1980s teen flicks. Overall, this song makes you excited for what’s to come with this album. So what’s next?
Next we get to the empowering badass anthem that is “Ghost Myself.” I said before that her music is the kind of music that empowers you and makes you feel like a badass - this song is a great example of that and she knows how to bring in empowerment and inspire women to be the ultimate badass they can be.
Now we head to “Serves You Right”. Diamante, who’s the jerk who hurt you? There’s something about this song that reminds me of an Evanescence song. Not only that, the riffs and lyrics, as well as Diamante’s voice is proven to be one of her strongest moments on this album. I am ready to sing along to this song, as well headbang along.
Track four, “Obvious.” Ah, possibly my favorite off this album. There is something about this track that reminds me of Halestorm. I mean, I was thinking of Halestorm’s song, I Miss The Misery throughout this song’s listen. Lyrically, this song is yet another song that shows off Diamante’s magnificent songwriting and it may be her best song to date.
Now, we move onto “Unlovable.” Every great rock album has gotta have a mournful ballad, right? The correct answer is yes. I’m sure we all have been at a point in our lives where we feel like we’re unlovable and Diamante chronicles this in this ballad, hence the name of the song. You can feel goosebumps arising when you hear the chorus of the song…
Maybe I'm just difficult
Maybe I'm impossible
Maybe I'm just one step over the edge
You're one foot out the door
Maybe I'm emotional
Too much to handle
Or maybe I'm unlovable
Not only does it bring goosebumps, there’s a huge chance that it could probably bring a tear to your eye.
“Wake Up Call” - Another thing I love about Diamante is her attitude and this song just screams, “Attitude!” Especially when she says, “Make you suffer like I suffered, but I’m tougher than you could ever be” in the pre-chorus. It also shows how tough she is.
Let’s get to the upbeat track that is “UnFuck You.” One thing I can say about this song is that it’s a fun song to dance to and the guitar riff in this song is also as fantastic and fun as the entire song itself. Leave it to Diamante to bring in some fun, catchy tracks.
“I Love Myself For Hating You” - Not gonna lie, when she first announced this song, I mistook it for a cover of Joan Jett and The Blackhearts’ hit song, “I Hate Myself For Loving You.” It’s far from that song though. It’s another song that reminds me of Halestorm in one way or another, but whoever treated Diamante wrong… Man, I bet they ran for the hills after hearing this song, since this it much calls out how much of a horrible person said former flame is.
“Iris” is a cover that Diamante did with Breaking Benjamin frontman, Ben Burnley. Originally sung by The Goo Goo Dolls, this song really brings in that late 90’s/early 2000’s rock power and hearing Diamante and Ben sing this song together really brings back a sense of nostalgia. This duet/cover was insanely magnificent and powerful and I think it’s something that would definitely make The Goo Goo Dolls proud.
The final track - “Hopeless.” Man, what a way to end the album! Another ballad off the album, this song is nothing short of a beautiful song. After some of the more, “Fuck you” attitude towards former lovers in previous songs off this album, this song ends with a song that shows hope for another shot at love. All around, it’s a very beautiful song.
This album was an amazing follow up. The growth in Diamante’s music really shows in this album. Her songwriting really has come a long way in the last few years and it’s exciting to see. Badass, fiery, fierce, empowering, and fantastic - I think those are the right words to describe this album.
I say: Well done, Diamante!
Big White Light Make an Explosive Debut with "A Dream"
"It's called The American Dream because you gotta be asleep to believe it".
Through self reflection and soaking in the current events of recent years, I’ve found myself wondering “does the American dream still exist?”. If it does… it sure looks different, doesn’t it?
New Rock band, Big White Light, released their explosive debut single, “A Dream“, calling out our reality. Bold and towering guitar riffs cascade into crashing drums building a feeling that the world around us is crumbling to pieces. We must do something. We must wake up and band together. “A Dream” begs you to headbang along to the chorus, then take action.
Band Leader, Joey Ariemma, packs all the punch into this new release taking on the roles of recording, producing, and performing. Haunting and undaunted; you can feel the emotion in Ariemma’s vocals build into the staying power of the song.
If Big White Light comes out swinging THIS hard for their debut single, I truly cannot wait to hear what they release next. Until then, stream “A Dream” now.
BANDED BYTES: Moon City Masters Covers The Beatles 'I've Got a Feeling'
Many bands and artists have been slowed down by COVID, but not the Moon City Masters. The New York pair (they’re twins, you know,) have continued to provide all of the feel good, classic-rock inspired jams you could ever want to carry you through tough times. Infused with their own brand of smiley, fluorescent bliss, a new release from MCM is always something to look forward to. This time, the dynamic duo blesses us with a cover of the classic Beatles tune “I’ve Got a Feeling.”
The recording is in tasteful homage to those four lads from Liverpool, while still being stylistically 100% Moon City Masters. Being able to put your own spin on a Beatles song without blaspheming it is a tough line to walk but the Moon City Masters have hit it out of the park with this one.
I sat down with our favorite identical dudes for a 60 second blitzkrieg-style interview to discuss the new offering and what's in store for the Moon City Masters in the future.
Watch the interview below and stream “I’ve Got a Feeling” today!
Rediscovery: A Musical Journey with LIGHTS
Summer 2010 - I was thirteen years old. At that point, I had already figured out that I wanted to be a writer. Not a music journalist, that would not come until four years later. However, my passion for music was growing more and more at that point.
I didn’t care for listening to music on the radio at the time, so my way of discovering new music was to go to a Borders bookstore, or Hot Topic and browse through CDs and whatever CD cover caught my eye, I would pick it up and buy it. That was how I discovered bands I still enjoy to this day like Alice In Chains, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and We The Kings.
One particular day, I was browsing through the CD selection of my local Borders and came across an album cover that caught my eye immediately: The Listening by LIGHTS. I loved the design of the cover and when I looked at the back to see what songs are on there, I thought the titles sounded interesting, so I picked it up.
That night, I sat in my bedroom with my little CD player and put the CD in. Immediately, the opening sounds of ‘Saviour’ drew me in instantly. LIGHTS’ voice also drew me in instantly and I began to fall in love with the album.
The next track, ‘Drive My Soul’, is what really had me hooked. It quickly became my favorite off the album and my angsty thirteen year old self thought that the “When you’re gone, will I lose control? You’re the only road I know” lyric was so deep and emotional.
I probably spent the next several weeks listening to the album consistently. Hell, I even played it in the car with my nana when we were on our way to my cousin’s high school graduation. I also fell in love with LIGHT’s music videos.
It never takes me long to get into an artist and after I got into LIGHTS, she became one of my go-to artists during that Summer. It was another moment where I felt grateful for Borders for introducing me to an amazing artist/band. I would say that I went back there to buy her next album, Siberia, after it came out, but Borders had already been closed by then. RIP. So I went to Target instead.
Fast forward to 2020, 22 almost 23 and a few weeks into the pandemic. I hadn’t kept up with LIGHTS since maybe my freshman or sophomore year of high school. Not because I wasn’t into her and her music, but I just didn’t keep up with new releases so they all went over my head.
I found her music when scrolling through my music library and I thought, “It’s been a while. Why not go back to my old middle school favorite?”
So I did, and I was reminded of how much I love her and her music. I also began listening to her more recent releases, Little Machines and Skin & Earth, and I was sitting there thinking, “Wow. How did these releases go over my head? How did I miss these releases?”
I also stayed up to listen to her newest album, How to Sleep When You’re on Fire. It took me back to thirteen old me laying in bed and listening to The Listening on my CD player and just vibing along.
Finding her again reminded me of how much I loved LIGHTS back then and how much I still enjoy her now in my 20’s and I think now, I’ll continue to stay on top of her and her new releases.
Thank you, Borders for having me discover her.
The Breakdown Episode 11: 3 Albums In One Day - Gojira, Tetrarch, + Ashes to Emperor
Welcome to another episode of The Breakdown, your weekly talk for everything in the Rock world. The amount of new music that is coming out in 2021 is amazing! Three huge albums came out in one day, so we figured we cover them and talk about our favorite tracks! Watch as we share our favorites from Tetrarch, Gojira, and Ashes to Emperor….
Album Review: Birdy's Young Heart
We all may remember Birdy from her cover of ‘Skinny Love’ by Bon Iver, but over the years since that release, she’s proven just how much of a fantastic musician she is. As well as a songwriter.
Outside of her 2011 self-titled album, which was filled with cover songs, she released her first official debut album, Fire Within. The album showed her potential as a songwriter and it was easy to see that the then 17 year old Birdy had a bright future ahead of her. She followed that release with Beautiful Lies three years later.
It’s been five years since Birdy released Beautiful Lies. Since the release, listeners were left with the same old question we all wonder when an artist releases something new, “So, when is the next album coming out?”
Finally, fast forward to 2020, Birdy released a new extended play - Piano Sketches, Which was absolutely beautiful and gave the glimmer of hope for another new album release from her, especially after four years.
In January, she released her first single off the album, Surrender. We also learned that the album was going to be titled,Young Heart. Just listening to that song once, it gave you an idea of what we could expect from what was to come. It felt as though that in the five years since the release, her voice just became more and more beautiful.
Now, the day of the album’s release, my expectations were met. Upon first listening to the album’s intro, ‘The Witching Hour’, I felt like I was going to be heading on some sort of mystical journey.
Throughout this 16 track album, each piece continued to get better and better. Birdy’s songwriting showed a lot of growth from her two previous albums and overall, I was right about feeling like I was going on a mystical journey.
The piano, the lyrics, Birdy’s voice - it was nothing short of magical. She certainly has not lost the charm she first introduced to us ten years ago when she first released her Skinny Love cover.
Though we waited five years for this album, it turned out to be worth it in the end.
Recommended Tracks: The Otherside, River Song, Deepest Lonely, Celestial Dancers, + New Moon.
The Bandos Are Back: The Last Bandoleros Live at 3rd & Lindsley
The Bandos are back, baby! Derek, Diego, Emilio, and Jerry, better known as The Last Bandoleros, along with accordionist Percy Cardona, played their first live show in over a year for a sold-out, limited capacity audience this past Thursday night at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve been a fan of these guys for a long time, since I discovered them completely by chance opening for Hunter Hayes in 2016. Funnily enough, they were also the last show I attended a little over a year ago, right before the pandemic hit.
Musician and friend of the band, Kree Harrison, and her band kicked this whole thing off with a few songs, and I’ll never be able to replicate or adequately describe the emotions I felt when all these musicians took to the stage and kicked off this show. It was like going to my first concert all over again. Do you remember the first time you ever heard live music? I was there for my younger brother’s first concert and for my best friend’s, and I’ll never forget the looks on their faces as the sounds of the stage washed over them. Feeling the kick drum deep in my chest, hearing the richness of the guitar, and Kree’s vocals absolutely flooding the crowd was a feeling unlike any other. It truly felt like it was my first time ever encountering live music, a feeling I never dreamed I’d get to experience again, and what an incredible feeling it was.
Having never seen TLB headline a show before, and this having been my first show where I could legally drink, it was one hell of a party! After Kree’s set, they came out and immediately jumped into ‘Lead the Way’, the opening track from their latest record, Live From Texas. What a way to start a show. High energy, tight harmonies, and loud as could be, they immediately set the bar high. Their set consisted of the perfect mix of older songs from their first record, newer releases from Live From Texas, and brand-new, never-before-heard tunes – whether you’ve never heard of these guys or you know all their songs by heart, there’s no way you could have been bored.
What stood out to me most of the Live From Texas stuff was the intro to ‘Let Me Love You’. I’ve been spinning Live From Texas regularly since it was released last April, so it’s safe to say I know this record backwards and forwards. The album version of ‘Let Me Love You’ has this fun little back and forth between Diego and the audience, and they replicated that during this show. Nothing delighted me more than getting to actually participate in that call-and-response in real life instead of just in my car. That audience involvement made the show that much more fun!
They played 4 brand-new, never-before-heard (at least by me!) songs, ‘Walkin’ & Talkin’’, ‘Somewhere in Texas’, ‘Mas Dinero’, and ‘That Kind of Cowboy’. Maybe I’m biased because I love this band, but I was blown away by every single one of these tunes. I got each of them on video, and I cannot stop replaying them. I’m going to single out ‘That Kind of Cowboy’ because of the 4 new songs, this one shocked me the most. I think it’s their most bold song yet, with less of a Tejano and more of a hard rock feel. I remember sitting in the audience just in awe of this one. That said, all of the new songs were incredible, and I’m crossing my fingers that all of these songs make it onto their next album (I’m also crossing my fingers that said record comes out soon!), because these songs are just as good, if not better (dare I say it?), than their oldest ones. All 4 of these songs deserve the studio treatment and to then be released, in my humble opinion!
Anyone who was at this show and knows me knows that I can’t get through this review without talking about the Tom Petty cover. I’d been secretly hoping they might slip one of those in – I’ve heard them do two (‘American Girl’ and ‘You Wreck Me’) on their weekly web series, Around a Neon Cactus, and on various pandemic live streams, but I had yet to hear one in person. They busted out their cover of ‘You Wreck Me’, and that might have been the highlight of my night. Even the band knows how much I love Tom Petty, and they crushed this cover. I will never be able to say enough good things about that.
Something I love most about these guys and about this show in particular is how they made me feel like I’m a part of the Bandos family. I know they had plenty of friends in the audience, but with each of them that I approached after the show, I was greeted with hugs and treated like I was a friend too, not just some fan. Kind artists are the best artists, and these guys go above and beyond every time.
I believe the difference between a good band and a great band is in the quality of their live show. It’s one thing to produce good sounds in the studio, and it’s another to produce them live – some bands do better than others. The Last Bandoleros are absolutely a great band. Hearing them live is like hearing an alternate version of the record – their live sound isn’t a carbon copy of the record, but it is every bit as good. I’m not the only one who thinks so either; this show was so good that the sold-out crowd gave them a standing ovation and convinced them to come back out for an encore. If they were expecting one, they certainly weren’t cocky about it – I ended up with a setlist and there wasn’t an encore written in like you’ll find on some setlists.
They played this show at 110% - everything was high energy, the harmonies were out of this world, they played incredibly, the fan favorites were on point, the newer stuff was on point, the brand-new songs were on point - you’d never know they hadn’t played for an audience in over a year, that’s how tight everything was. They are some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen and I’m already chomping at the bit to see them again. If you ever find yourself at one of their shows, they’re going to blow your mind.
Go check these guys out on social media at @lastbandoleros, check out their YouTube channel for all kinds of fun content, and stay tuned to their social media and website for updates on the return of Around a Neon Cactus and new tour dates!
Interview: Casandra Carson Split In Two
One year has passed since I last spoke with front women Casandra Carson of Paralandra and the newly formed The L.I.F.E Project.
When we first spoke last April of 2020, the world had gone into lockdown and her band, Paralandra, were put on concert hold; like everyone else. Her lead guitarist and father, Paul Carson, was also apart of the interview. We discussed the father/daughter combo band, history, their music, their break with COVID and more.
For this second interview, we caught up on how the year has changed, especially the G-14 classified newly announced The L.I.F.E Project with legendary Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand and their debut single, ‘The Nothingness’.
This debut single is HUGE. It is everything you love in a Stone Sour song with thunderous Lizzy Hale style vocals from Casandra to complete it. The single itself is already hitting top playlists on Spotify and Apple Music and is already on my rotating list as well.
Be on the lookout for their debut EP scheduled to be released this year.
Album Review: Tetrarch Aim To Be The New Pioneers of Nu Metal with Unstable
Tetrarch: te·trarch: ˈteträrk: the governor of one of four divisions of a country or province.
A fitting name for this four piece band from Atlanta, Georgia as they storm the metal scene with their sophomore album, Unstable.
I first discovered Tetrarch from their single release for this album, ‘I’m Not Right’, and I was immediately thrown into a DeLorean and felt as if I was a middle school teenager again, blasting this as loud as I could.
It was such a euphoric, nostalgia of Nu metal that I loved as a teen that carried into the following singles to come and I completely embraced it like a best friend I haven’t seen in a decade.
In this new album release, songs such as ‘Unstable’ & ‘ Pushed Down ‘ embrace the Korn/Disturbed 2000’s sound while still keeping their own identity. When finishing the album with its last track, ‘Trust Me‘, I returned back to 2021 and wanted to get back in that DeLorean.
It is said history repeats itself, and Tetrarch aim to be the new pioneers of Nu Metal.
Review: Starbenders 'Cover Me'
Layered with intricate guitar, a profound bassline, and steady percussion, ‘Cover Me’ by Starbenders reeled me in immediately. Plugged in or acoustic, this song is ELECTRIC! The chorus hits like a Stevie Nicks twirl and my heart overflows with joy. Between its storyline of building and testing the strength of love and Kimi’s passionate vocals, I “feel ~this song~ in my bones”.
Starbenders is a 4-piece band from Atlanta, Georgia, blending “androgynous rock n roll power with catchy pop melodies”. Check out their full length album, Love Potions out now.
The Breakdown Episode 10: Top Cover Songs
Welcome to another episode of The Breakdown, your weekly talk for everything in the rock world.
E10: Cover ( Top Cover Songs)
A lot of bands start as a cover band, like Steel Panther, and then became their own huge hit! You even start playing music covering your favorite artists! It’s easy just to do a direct cover of a song, but it’s hard to reimagine that song and play it completely different. These are our favorite covers that were completely changed from the original and are bangers.
Interview with Florida Hard Rock Band, The Dev
Florida hard rock group, The Dev, took to the road for their first ever tour as a band, hitting 5 states including their own: Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama & Florida. For any normal band, back to back dates would be an exhausting task and sometimes shows on stage on the later dates of the tour; this was not the case for The Dev.
I came out for a special pre show interview in Alabama at their Shagnasty’s show ( yes that is the venues name) and all the fun stories of tour life came out of the box. We also discussed their latest hit single “Shameless Life” that just passed over 500K views on Youtube.
Shagnasty’s was the second to last stop on their tour, with a hometown Florida show following the next day, and as I mentioned before, for most artists this would be physically exhausting by later dates. The Dev, however took to the stage as if they had a fresh, baby night sleep.
With a set time of around 30-40 mins they shredded their hit singles “Queen Of The Damned”, “Shameless Life”, ”Broken Lies” and afew other unreleased bangers for fans to indulge in.
As an extra fun bonus, they had me on stage as a guest guitarist playing two of their hit singles “ Queen Of The Damned” and “Shameless Life”.
The chemistry they have on stage as a band is such a raw, passionate energy that feeds towards their fans and unlike other artists who may not sound as good as they do in studio, The Dev are even larger onstage.
The Dev has kicked off 2021 with a huge bang, and without a doubt be making more noise this whole year.
Titans of Siren Release "Confession"
At the risk of sounding simplistic or unrefined; “Confession” Kicks. Ass.
Titans of Siren (Matt LaMarca, Kirk Gower) release their first track since November today, and listeners can rest assured, it is well worth the wait.
With evident punk and grunge influences, “Confession” absolutely brings every bit of thrash you could want in a single. There are hints of Bleach-era Nirvana-esque sound interspersed with a contemporary and progressive riffy flare that makes the track truly unique. It’s a little heavier than its predecessor “How to Not Leave Town”, but preserves the clever lyricism present therein.
This, combined with the driving, sludge-y groove established by the duo, makes for a truly stellar recording. The thrashy percussion provided by drummer Matt LaMarca is delightfully crunchy when combined with the deep groovy fuzz of the guitar tracks laid down by Gower. It’s thick. It’s aggressive. It’s nasty. It’s absolute head banging music.
The sheer chaotic force of “Confession” permeates the air around a listener, immediately placing you in the “right now”. It’s heavy without being over processed, and free from the obsessive nit picking that is present in so much top 40 music. The raw human electricity from the two is transmitted directly to the listener without passing through the fine mesh sieve that removes so much of the delightful imperfections that go into creating a signature sound. This is not to say that “Confession” is unrefined.
In fact, it sounds damn good, finding a comfortable middle ground between what seems to be the two common recording and mixing techniques in the industry, “spotless, immaculate, perfectly processed” and “recorded in a tin can inside a microwave.” It just sounds organic. It sounds real. It sounds like a basement show and a hell of a good time.
Accompanying the release of “Confession” is a music video that’s nearly as fun to watch as it must’ve been to record. This chaotic catharsis is beginning to become a defining theme for Titans of Siren, and their performance alludes to what type of fierce energy we can expect from live performances once they resume.
Stream “Confession” now, and watch the music video.
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