Tag: Alternative Rock

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Cultures – Away From Us

Cultures - Away From Us

Cultures is an alternative/indie rock band from Greater Manchester that started just four years ago but has managed to get some attention in that short period of time. In fact, I would not be surprised if they became the next big thing to come out of the Manchester area. The group certainly got the talent for that.

Away From Us is their latest single and it showcases perfectly how much the band has evolved since 2016. It is a guitar-driven song about what it feels like to live away from home for the first time, something many of us can relate to. If this is an indication of where Cultures is heading to, it is clear then that the band is going up. Watch the brand new video (released today!) or listen to the song in the playlists below, and then you’ll be able to brag about listening to Cultures before they became big.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Hunter & The Bear – Won’t You Ever Come Home

Hunter & The Bear

These British rockers deserve worldwide recognition. Started by Will Irvine (the Bear) and Jimmy Hunter, Hunter & The Bear is now a four-piece rock band that have supported artists like Eric Clapton and played in multiple festivals, but I don’t think the casual listener knows who they are. That needs to change soon.

Hunter & The Bear released a new single in March this year. It is very good and I will probably feature it here in the near future. However, the song I’d like to highlight here today is this gem from their debut album from 2017: Won’t you Ever Come Home. This beautiful song blends the best of Bruce Springsteen with Irvine’s stunning vocals to make it a memorable track that deserves to be played on repeat ad infinitum. It became my musical crush for a while. If you like good rock music, chances are high it was or will become yours too.

*Update: The band has been renamed Daytime TV after guitarist and co-founder Jamie Hunter left the band in 2021.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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The Dangerous Summer – Where Were You When The Sky Opened Up

The Dangerous Summer

The Dangerous Summer is an American band that sits on the border between alternative rock and punk rock. The band has been active since 2006 and even though it didn’t became big –at least not yet–, it got a decent group of fans. The Dangerous Summer’s latest studio album (although they will release a new one soon) was Mother Nature, released last year, and it had the song featured here as it lead single.

Besides having a really long name, When Were You When The Sky Opened Up got a melancholic vibe and a melodic rhythm that make it one of the most memorable songs from the subgenre in a long time. It’s the perfect tune to listen to when you get into a car and start riding. Don’t you think?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Punk-Rock

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Meg Myers – Numb

Meg Myers - Numb

Janice Sue Meghan Myers, better known as Meg Myers, is an American singer-songwriter who debuted in 2012. Almost two years ago, she released her second studio album, Take Me to the Disco, for which Numb was the lead single. I know it is not brand new but the song is too good not to be featured here, especially considering the fact that it didn’t reach a very wide audience (that being said, it wasn’t unsuccessful, having peaked at position 182 of Billboard 200.

Numb is perhaps the singer’s most radio-friendly song, which is not something Meg usually tries to achieve. The song’s style reminds me of the late 90’s alternative rock, which feels like a breath of fresh air nowadays. It certainly deserves to be listened to on repeat at a high volume level. Without a doubt, Numb has huge musical crush vibes. Is it yours?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

Sweet Disposition

Last week, we recommended the marvellous instrumental cover that Kirsten Agresta Copely did of this classic, so for the #ThrowbackThursday of this week, the obvious choice has to be the original song, which –as mentioned in that post– is considered an indie anthem. It was released in 2008 as the lead single of The Temper Trap‘s debut album, Conditions, and became a top 10 single in multiple countries, including the UK. Something curious about The Temper Trap is that the lead singer, Dougy Mandagi, was born in Indonesia and worked a busker in Melbourne when he met some of the other members of the band.

¿Who doesn’t sing along with the song’s bridge?

“A moment, a love

A dream aloud

A kiss, a cry

Our rights, our wrongs

A moment, a love

A dream aloud

A moment, a love

A dream, aloud“

The Temper Trap, Sweet Disposition

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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The Strumbellas – I’ll Wait

The Strumbellas - I'll Wait

Canadian band The Strumbellas had a moderate hit a few years ago with their song, Spirits, yet they remained relatively unknown to the casual listener. Last year, they returned with their fourth album, Rattlesnakes, which included the anthemic folk single you can find below. If you haven’t listened to it yet, you must do it now because its infectiously uplifting melody will put a smile on your face and make you sing-along.

I’ll wait became an instant musical crush for me the first time I heard it. I hope it does the same for you.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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Home By July – One In A Million

Home By July

The punk-rock / pop-punk genre was hugely popular in the early 2000s, to the point where it got saturated with plenty of bands that sounded the same, with only a few standouts. Then, things moved to other end of the spectrum when most of those bands either broke up or switched to Pop or something else, and the genre slowly faded away. It looks like the middle ground is not an option for punk-rock.

The above has caused plenty of people who enjoyed this kind of music back then to feel nostalgic about it now, and that is exactly where Home By July fits in. If you miss the heyday of the genre, this Australian band will be right up your alley, and the best example of that it’s their latest single, One In A Million. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking, just good old punk-rock.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Punk-rock

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Something Corporate – Punk Rock Princess

Punk Rock Princess

Throwback Thursdays are popular on social media as a way to reminisce about things we feel nostalgic about. I thought we can do something similar here, whenever possible, by posting great old songs, such as Punk Rock Princess. Yes, I can’t believe I’m calling this song old but it was released 18 years ago!

Something Corporate was a piano punk rock band from Orange County, California, that despite having a huge following and diehard fans, never made it into the mainstream. The band released 3 albums almost back to back from 2000 to 2003 and were on and off until they broke up for good in 2010. Their lead singer, Andrew McMahon, is still active under the moniker Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.

Punk Rock Princess was the most popular of their singles –as an aside, their most popular song among their fans was Konstantine, which is perhaps my wife’s favorite song ever but it’s almost 10 minutes long and was never released as a single–, part of their 2002 album: Leaving Through The Window. It’s a classic tune from the Hey Day of Punk Rock. You can enjoy it again below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Punk-Rock

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The Airborne Toxic Event – The Common Touch

The Airborne Toxic Event - The Common Touch

The Airborne Toxic Event were extremely active from 2008 to 2015 and then went quiet until now, when they’re back with their sixth studio album, Hollywood Park, which is a concept album accompanied by a book: lead singer Mikel Jollett’s memoir.

The first single out of Hollywood Park is Come On Out, which is not bad at all, but the song I’m adding to the mixtapes here is The Common Touch, which has the band’s signature style and deep, harrowing lyrics. Hope you like it!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Third Eye Blind – Disorder

Third Eye Blind - Disorder

Third Eye Blind (3eb) might be alternative rock legends, but that doesn’t mean that your average joe will know who they are. Trust me, I’ve lost track of the amount of clueless looks I’ve received whenever I’ve mentioned them in any conversation about favorite bands. What often happens is that most people can recognize the melody of Semicharmed Life, but not much more than that.

Anyway, the Californian band has just released a cover of an old Joy Division song called Disorder, which is what I’m recommending right now. It is really good and, in my opinion, it could be even better than the original. Do you agree? Also, should I create a mixtape with just covers? Please let me know in the comments section!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative