Girl Scout
Self Titled EP
Independent (2014)
Musically tight and lyrically inventive, Pittsburgh, PA-based, self-proclaimed “slacker rock” group Girl Scout seems to draw inspiration from various indie rock groups of the ‘90s and early 2000s - it doesn’t at all seem a coincidence that the band included a cover of Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair” as the b-side to their first single. Built around Jeremy Zerbe’s vulnerable voice … Read more
Girls Like Us
Bitter 'Til The Bitter End
Independent (2023)
There’s the references with friends, right? The inside jokes. The glib comments only your inner circle knows to find funny. A real rocks and dirt moment- sorry, that’s one of mine. There’s another level too. The inside jokes you have with yourself. Sometimes you’re the only one who sees the strange roadside billboard or hears the radio DJ mispronounce a … Read more
Grand Vapids
Guarantees
Independent (2015)
Athens, Georgia has a long history of producing some great musicians and music, known for being the birthplace of groups like the B-52’s and R.E.M. as well as the adopted home of the Elephant Six Collective. One of the latest bands to emerge from the storied Athens scene is Grand Vapids, a quartet whose 2015 debut Guarantees features ten tracks … Read more
Grease Thieves
The World This Hour
Independent (2015)
Newly-formed Vancouver, BC pop-punk trio Grease Thieves boast a vocalist whose snarl makes him sound a bit like vintage Tim Armstrong, and one can almost hear the saliva flinging around on the four songs featured on the group’s 2015 The World This Hour - about as enthusiastic and fun a debut EP as one could hope for. Unfortunate though it … Read more
Great Falls
Demo
Independent (2009)
The demise of Playing Enemy was a tough pill for me to swallow as they were a band that I had followed for a number of years and always thought that they got better and better as their releases stacked up over time. Following the untimely end of that project Demian Johnston and Shane Mehling went on to do a … Read more
Gulch
Burning Desire to Draw Last Breath
Independent (2018)
Here we go, something horribly maniacal approaches. An out of focus haunt looking like a Goya sketch funnels all the screaming souls from hell at the threat of a Gatling gun and an itchy trigger finger. In their place we as Listener fall into the gap. Each song features a compendium of heavy drum beats, variations of style and groove, … Read more
Gunsmoke
Little Shields / The Righteous Path to Hell
Independent (2007)
Sometimes, a band comes along and knocks you off your feet. As you begin to listen to them, you think to yourself, "Damn, this is pretty good." But after the third or fourth listen you can't help but want to hear the songs over and over again, and you'll rewind in the middle of a song just to hear one … Read more
Hail The Ghost
Forsaken
Independent (2015)
There's something deliciously miserable about Dublin weather that stretches from the end of January to the early flecks of spring, with the pre-summer season not usually making its presence known until the end of April. The skies are grey and morbid, the rain feels heavy and overarching, the ground is muddy and the air has a prevailing chill. You get … Read more
Hank & Cupcakes
Self Titled EP
Independent (2011)
It’s time to loosen up because Hank & Cupcakes are looking to get you out of your chair and out on the dance floor. This electro-pop duo have released their debut self-titled EP chock-full of catchy beats and tasty rhythms. The first track, “There Ain’t No Love,” gets you moving your body to Hank’s dulcet bass-riffs as Cupcakes keeps the … Read more
Hawk
Tolerance’s Paradox
Independent (2020)
Remember early/mid 00s metalcore? It was a great time for the genre. Among the plethora of bands that made some of their best stuff back then, we’ve got This or The Apocalypse, although arguably they stretched towards the end of the decade. So, what does that have to do with HAWK? Well, it’s one and the same band, basically. After … Read more
Heinali And Matt Finney
Conjoined
Independent (2011)
Heinali and Matt Finney are a meeting of the mind's in a way. Consisting of a spoken word artist (Finney) and a predominantly Ambient composer from the Ukraine (Heinali). The pair have never met and act as an internet only project. This may concern a few as rarely do these sort of projects make their own name, save for a … Read more
Herra Terra
Hyperborean
Independent (2013)
Herra Terra has released a new EP entitled Hyperborean with the title taken from ancient Greek mythology about a race of people from Hyperborea who reportedly lived for 1000 years in complete happiness. The band members include John Paul Tonelli (Lead Vocals, Synths) Gregg Kusumah-Atmadia (Guitar, Synths) Shawn Pelkey (Percussion) and Adrian Bettencourt Andrade (Bass, Synths).Their sound has been compared … Read more
Hidden Hospitals
EP 02
Independent (2012)
Hidden Hospitals, based in Chicago, IL, have released their new EP titled simply EP02 and it is an amazing release full of emotion, hooks, and harmonies. Nashville’s J. Hall handled the producing duties on this one as well as their earlier first release EP01. Being familiar with the group, he knows how to bring the best out of their sound. … Read more
Hollywood Blondes
15 Minutes of Lame
Independent (2006)
I read an interview with Dan Yemin (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black) where he noted that despite his appreciation of bands that combine a variety of influences and create a sound with depth, the odds remain strong that he will always enjoy a band that replicates Minor Threat's sound. I share a similar sentiment within the genre of pop-punk … Read more
Hope Lane is a Dead End
Illuminate
Independent (2009)
Metalcore has been an interesting genre over the years. Initially bands like Integrity, Earth Crisis, and Unbroken were labeled as metalcore for their metal influences in the hardcore sound. Since then, bands like Cave In, Botch, and Poison the Well have been labeled as such, all while developing their own styles within those bounds. Additionally the term has been bastardized … Read more
Human Sculpture
Our World / Torn Down
Independent (2011)
Debut EPs rarely tend to be that standout. Most of the time, it will just present a band's core sound, as if to say “here is what we are capable of,” and then abruptly end. They almost never wind up being good albums in their own right. They often act as barometers, telling us what to expect in the future. … Read more
Hurry
EVERYTHING/NOTHING
Independent (2014)
Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Hurry started out as the solo project of guitarist/songwriter Matt Scottoline before expanding to its current three-piece form, and it’s quite obviously Scottoline’s fuzzed-out vocals and guitar that are front and center in any of the songs on the group’s 2014 album Everything/Nothing. The album features ten songs that update established pop song formulas from years … Read more
I Rise
Demo
Independent (2007)
If you're even remotely serious about hardcore then you probably already received, or gave yourself, a history lesson about the genre. Depending on the school of thought you belong to your education begins with the early eighties bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat.* If you or your teacher is of another mind it probably started with one label: Revelation … Read more
