Tag: american band

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Fastball – Fire Escape

"Fire Escape" by Fastball

Artist: Fastball

Song: Fire Escape

Genres: #alternativerock

Location: Austin, Texas, United States

Release date: March, 1998

Comment: Without a doubt, “The Way” is the song Fastball are known for. It is certainly a great rock song and it was a huge megahit in 1998. However, as a #ThrowbackThursday entry, I wanted to put the spotlight on “Fire Escape”, a slightly lesser known single from the same masterful album: “All The Pain Money Can Buy”.

From the very first note, “Fire Escape” draws you in with its infectious energy and driving rhythm. The guitar riffs are crisp and clean, and the drums provide a steady beat that keeps you moving along. The song’s lyrics are insightful and introspective, touching on the challenges of finding one’s true identity and the struggle to be true to oneself in a world that often expects conformity. The music video, which you can watch below, is also hilarious.

Overall, “Fire Escape” is a standout track that showcases Fastball‘s unique style and talent. Let’s keep playing this gem of a song.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Cigarettes After Sex – Heavenly

Cigarettes After Sex

Artist: Cigarettes After Sex

Song: Heavenly

Genres: #indierock

Location: El Paso, Texas, United States

Release date: August, 2019

Comment: Cigarettes After Sex has been around since 2008, but I admit I hadn’t heard of them until I listened to “Heavenly” on @indie.verses‘s excellent Spotify playlist a couple of years ago. It was love at first sight, and after hearing recently that the band is coming to London this year, I thought it was time to feature this magnetic song on a #ThrowbackThursday entry.

The band’s sound is characterized by its dreamy, ethereal quality, with slow, hypnotic melodies and soft, whispery vocals, and that’s exactly what you get here as well. What I love most about “Heavenly” is how it creates a relaxing, almost hypnotic atmosphere that transports you to another world. The track’s lush production and frontman Greg Gonzalez’s soothing vocals create a sense of intimacy that feels like a warm embrace. It’s the kind of song that you can put on repeat and just let yourself get lost in.

“Heavenly” is a timeless masterpiece that showcases Cigarettes After Sex’s signature sound at its best. It’s a must-listen for anyone who appreciates beautiful, introspective music such as Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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All Time Low – Tell Me I’m Alive

All Time Low - Tell Me I'm Alive

Artist: All Time Low

Song: Tell Me I’m Alive

Genres: #punkrock

Location: Maryland, United States

Release date: January, 2023

Comment: All Time Low was one of the first bands featured on T.A.M., and almost three years later (time flies!), they have returned with their eponymous single: Tell Me I’m Alive. This is also the title of the band’s ninth studio album, their first release since the pandemic. The first three quarters of the track showcase a more mature sound for the band, with pop elements infused into their punk style and even the addition of a piano to back the vocals. It is not until the bridge that All Time Low switch gears up with classic punk drum lines and high energy levels. I’m not a fan of songs that rely too heavily on this drumming style, but when used sparingly as is the case here, they can be a brilliant addition.

All Time Low was formed in 2003 in Baltimore, Maryland. The band members, consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, gained popularity with their pop punk sound and catchy lyrics. Throughout their career, All Time Low has toured extensively and earned a dedicated fan base, selling over 2 million records worldwide. With their continued success and loyal fan base, All Time Low has cemented themselves as one of the most prominent bands in the pop punk and rock music scene.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Punk-rock

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Weathers – Where Do I Sign?

Weathers - Where Do I Sign?

Artist: Weathers

Song: Where Do I Sign?

Genres: #altrock #indiepop

Location: Los Angeles, California

Release date: November, 2022

Comment: What I like about Weathers is that their tracks are quite unconventional, and their new single, “Where Do I Sign?”, is no exception. It is a captivating and energetic song with strong Twenty One Pilot vibes. Weathers‘ ability to blend elements of rock, pop, and electronic music seamlessly is truly impressive and I look forward to listening to their new album, “Are We Having Fun?“, when it drops in May.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Pop

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Young Ritual – Ages

Young Ritual - Ages

Artist: Young Ritual

Song: Ages

Genres: #indierock

Location: Nashville, United States

Release date: November, 2022

Comment: Indie/alternative artist Dylan Grantham, aka Young Ritual, is back after having been featured on T.A.M. a while ago with a new track called Ages, which is a noteworthy departure from the artist’s previous style of soft, folk rock tracks. This song was the product of the artist’s attempt at writing rock music and it starts off strong with a powerful guitar riff that immediately sets the tone for the rest of the track. Overall, “Ages” is a strong showing of Dylan’s versatility and a promising glimpse into the future of Young Ritual‘s musical journey.

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Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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Augustana – Boston

Augustana - Boston

Artist: Augustana

Song: Boston

Genres: #alternativerock #americana

Location: California, United States

Release date: September, 2005

Comment: I haven’t done a #throwbackthursday post in a while, but after discovering recently that Augustana was not as well-known as I thought, I decided to feature that musical project today. My intention was to use my favorite Augustana song: “On The Other Side”, from their self-titled album (2011), but for some reason that whole album is not available on any streaming platform. For that reason, I had to settle for my second favorite song, Boston, which also happens to be their biggest hit. If there’s one Augustana song you probably have heard before (even if unknowingly), it would surely be this one.

Augustana has always been led by Daniel Layus, but these days he’s the only member of Augustana left. Boston was part of the band’s debut album and peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006, pretty good for an alternative rock band at the time. With regards to the meaning of the song, Layus once explained this: “You know, growing up, I had extended family on the outskirts of Boston, and we’d fly out there for the holidays fairly often, and I always loved it out there, in my mind it always seemed like the farthest point away from California that you could go”.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Roseburg – Alice

Artist: Roseburg

Song: Alice

Genres: #indierock #altrock

Location: Utah, United States

Release date: October, 2022

Comment: Roseburg is an alt-rock quartet named after the city where this musical project started: Roseburg, Oregon. Today, they’re based out of Utah and after two and a half years of silence, they came back last month with a new single, Alice, that was actually written a few years ago, when frontman Zach Knell was just 16. Knell, by the way, has the perfect voice for this type of indie rock music. If you’re a fan of bands like The Fray, check Alice out. You won’t want to miss it.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Indie

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Lomon – Multitudes

Artist: Lomon

Song: Multitudes

Genres: #altrock, #indierock

Location: Seattle, United States

Release date: July, 2022.

Comment: Lomon, a young artist from Seattle who was featured here in 2020, got married earlier this year and he sweetly decided to write and perform a song for his new wife: Multitudes. Just like his previous song, Little Visitors, Multitudes got a strong David Bowie influence, but it’s accessible for everybody, not just Bowie fans. The layered track got an undeniably catchy chorus that fits perfectly with every single piece of this complex song.

Lomon’s wife must feel proud of the little gift her husband gave her. A gift she is now generously sharing with all of us.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Indie

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Northwest Stories – That Isn’t Me

Photo credits: Alyssa Fink (@limitlys.photography)

Artist: Northwest Stories

Song: That Isn’t Me

Genres: #indiefolk

Location: Idaho, United States

Influences: Ben Rector, Novo Amor, Bon Iver

Release date: June, 2022

Comment: That Isn’t Me is a gorgeous folk song about focusing on what’s good in life instead of feeling stuck. Northwest Stories‘ lead vocalist, Adam Fink, got a calming voice you won’t want to stop listening to but, on top of that, they recording this song in 432 Hz as opposed to the standard 440 Hz, in order to make it even more soothing. Trust me, it works.

Northwest Stories is composed of Adam (vocals, guitar, piano) and RJ Rouse (background vocals, producer, engineer) and even though most of their songs are written about God, their music can appeal everybody, not just Christians. That Isn’t Me is a great example of that. Enjoy this lovely track!

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Blue Cove – Thrive

Blue Cove - Thrive

Artist: Blue Cove

Song: Thrive

Genres: #shoegazepop #90srock

Influences: Slowdive, Alex G.

Location:  Chicago, United States

Release date: June, 2022

Comment: Life is funny. Stephanie Nikolas and Eric Breden were high school friends and neighbors, but it wasn’t until they were in their 20s that they started to see each other as partners, both musically and romantically. This sparked Blue Cove into life, which they describe –accurately, I must say– as a blend of modern indie pop with the “nostalgic shoegaze sensibilities of the 90’s”. With a DIY mentality, Steph and Eric do everything related to Blue Cove, and I mean everything, not just mixing and producing their music: from designing their own merch and artwork to capturing their own press photos to filming their music videos. From what I can tell, they’re pretty good at all of those things.

Thrive is the title track of Blue Cove‘s forthcoming debut album (to be released in October), and it is both dazzling and delicate, if such a combination is indeed possible. Think Mazzy Star, but more dynamic. Lyrically, the song talks about thriving despite dealing with social anxiety and negative thoughts, something a lot of us can relate to. Unfortunately, there’s no music video for this vibrant track yet, but you can check below a little guitar piece they wrote and uploaded to Youtube. Absolutely gorgeous.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Indie