FOR FANS OF: cleopatrick, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys British rock duo Royal Blood are back with "Typhoons" - the title track of their upcoming third record. It's a punchy, riff heavy, hard-rock track in typical Royal Blood style, following their last single, "Trouble's Coming," which was released last summer. Royal Blood consist of Mike Kerr (vocals, bass, keys, piano) and Ben Thatcher (drums). "Typhoons" was released on January, 21st, 2021. "Typhoons" is a track that is utterly fantastic. Royal Blood make music that's infectious, that makes you feel alive and glad to be so, music that is danceable & intense at the same time. This track isn't any different from that, and I couldn't love it more. Kerr's spiraling bass riffs and Thatcher's furious drum beats combine together with Kerr's vocals to make a song that's addictive and brilliant. "Typhoons" is already a track that's going to be a forever-favorite of mine, one that's played on repeat constantly, just as "Trouble's Coming" is that for me. "...We realized that we didn’t have to completely destroy what we’d created so far; we just had to shift it, change it. On paper, it’s a small reinvention. But when you hear it, it sounds so fresh." About the upcoming record, they knew what they wanted to create: a record that was a return to their roots - music influenced by Daft Punk, Justice, and Phillpe Zdar of Cassius. Typhoons required them to go back to the start, to use a similar approach that made their self-titled record sound so fresh, new, and bold back in 2014. "We sort of stumbled on this sound, and it was immediately fun to play," recalls Kerr. "That’s what sparked the creativity on the new album, the chasing of that feeling. It’s weird, though - if you think back to ‘Figure it Out,’ (from their debut album) it kind of contains the embryo of this album. We realized that we didn’t have to completely destroy what we’d created so far; we just had to shift it, change it. On paper, it’s a small reinvention. But when you hear it, it sounds so fresh." Typhoons' tone is set by "Trouble's Coming," and the self-titled track, "Typhoons." The record is set to come out on April 30th, 2021. Royal Blood produced the majority of the record themselves, beside for "Boilermaker," produced by Queens of the Stone Age's frontman Josh Homme, and "Who Needs Friends," produced by the multiple Grammy Award-winner Paul Epworth. Typhoons consists of 11 tracks, including the fan live show favorite, "Boilermaker," which is said to definitely live up to its reputation. Two tracks I'm particularly excited for are "Mad Visions," a track that not only matches' "Boilermaker's" speed, but is said to evoke a hyper-aggressive Prince influence, and "All We Have Is Now," a piano ballad which ends the album. "All We Have Is Now" is said to be a "revealing reminder to live in the moment," which can't be more needed in this anxiety-inducing, filled with uncertainty, middle-of-a-global-pandemic world that we live in. Typhoons will be released on digital, vinyl and CD. The official Royal Blood store offers a deluxe vinyl packaged with a bonus 7' single (featuring the extra track "Space") , an art print, and a picture disc, which you can see here. Amazon and select indie retailers will have their own exclusive color vinyl editions as well. Typhoons Tracklist: 1) Trouble’s Coming 2) Oblivion 3) Typhoons 4) Who Needs Friends 5) Million & One 6) Limbo 7) Either You Want It 8) Boilermaker 9) Mad Visions 10) Hold On 11) All We Have Is Now Preorder Typhoons here, and stream the new title track on Spotify here, or on whichever streaming platform you prefer. Follow Royal Blood on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

FOR FANS OF: The Pretty Reckless, The Cure, Paramore Pale Waves, an English indie rock band from Manchester, released new track "Easy" on January 15th, 2021. The track is taken from the band's upcoming record, their second album, Who Am I?. The track is about love. It's a song reminiscent of soundtracks of 90s-rom coms such as 10 Things I Hate About You and The Princess Diaries. It's about a love that is healthy and gentle, an easy love. Healthy, happy, soft love can change your whole life. When you're in a good relationship, as opposed to all of your previous toxic ones, it can feel like the sun is finally shining on you. You don't want to let it go, you're shocked that a love so beautiful and kind like this, especially after you've come from a string of bad, painful romantic relationships. “Love can change your whole perspective, not only of yourself but of life too,” says lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie on the inspiration for the song. “It’s the most heartfelt moment throughout the album and it is a genuine, feel-good love song. Originally, Easy was a piano ballad but I wanted to put more energy behind the instrumentation to enhance how love can uplift, drive, and inspire you hence the dramatic musical change." The song might be upbeat, inflicting images in your head of sunshine and light colors, but the music video is in classic Pale Waves style: gothic & grungy. Heather Baron-Gracie says of it "The video visually brings to life one of the main lines of the chorus "You keep the lights on for me." The whole video’s theme is a wedding, I wore a wedding dress throughout and we shot the video in an old, abandoned church. I am really inspired by the gothic medieval aesthetic and, at the time I was thinking of the video, I was watching a lot of Tim Burton films. His creativity really inspires me.” It personally reminds me of a mix of Paramore's "Decode" video and Tim Burton's film, Corpse Bride. I adore this track, and I just love Heather Baron-Gracie's voice. She has an addictive, unique sound, which makes all of Pale Waves' music distinct. "Easy" is the kind of happy, upbeat rock songs that remind me of the very start of summer, when the heat is broken up by the rain for the first time. It's refreshing and makes me glad to be alive, makes me want to experience an easy love like this track suggests. Their full record, Who Am I? can't come sooner. Tracklist for Who Am I?: Change Fall To Pieces She’s My Religion Easy Wish U Were Here Tomorrow You Don’t Own Me I Just Needed You Odd Ones Out Run To Who Am I? Listen to "Easy" on Spotify here, or on whichever streaming platform you prefer. Follow Pale Waves on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

FOR FANS OF: Mudhoney, Nirvana, Silverchair Triggered Emotion, the latest track from the grungey-punk Canadian trio ZIG MENTALITY is here and it's loud. The single was released on January 15th, 2021, and it follows their track "Best Direction," released last November into this self-proclaimed new era of music for them. A new era of music for the band - music that is home-made (in their very own basement studio), self-written, self-produced, completely and utterly ZIG MENTALITY. "Triggered Emotion," is four minutes of fuzzy, powerful guitar over vocals. It's about "...the convenience of burying our heads in the sand and avoiding the idea of confronting the things that may be inconsistent with our persona and image that we carry in every waking minute of our day. it’s about how we constantly choose to disguise our problems in all kinds of bullshit so it can fit our own individual views of the world. it’s about letting ourselves get triggered by the things that don’t seemingly go our way. we are all susceptible to these emotions. it’s part of the never ending roller coaster of being human," as ZIG MENTALITY said in an Instagram post caption. We all want to be ourselves, but finding out who exactly that is and trying to avoid the unavoidable changes of who we are that come with growing up, changes that might defer from who everyone knows you to be, is hard. It can bring so much anger, so much frustration, feelings that we don't have names for until they comes up in overbearing ways. "...it’s about letting ourselves get triggered by the things that don’t seemingly go our way. we are all susceptible to these emotions. it’s part of the never ending roller coaster of being human." Having inner and outer peace all of the time - in this fast-paced, instant-messaging, constantly stressful world we live in, is nearly impossible to find, very hard to achieve. It's, like ZIG MENTALITY said, much easier to bury your head in the sand than face things about yourself that might not be consistent with your public persona and image. It's easier to skip over how you're actually feeling, to gloss over what's bothering you because you're afraid of being vulnerable, afraid of confrontation...until one day, everything you've been feeling and ignoring, everything you've been bottling up inside comes spilling out like an opened can of soda that's been shaken up too much. It's hard to accept that who you've been might not be who you are currently. That area between who you are right now and who you want to become is an area that I know all too well. It's a space that young people, mostly around the 18-24 range, get stuck in, get lost in, and that's okay. It's all apart of the "...never ending roller coaster of being human." What matters most is acknowledging that you're in this mixed-up area, that you're dealing with some heavy emotions. It's okay to feel them, but know it's not heathy to hide what bothers you, what hurts you, what makes you feel uncomfortable. Acknowledging your frustration, your anger, your negative emotions is the first step in finding some peace in this world, and that's what "Triggered Emotion" is, it's acknowledgement, it's the first step. Life isn't always pleasant, and people aren't always nice; it's our unfortunate reality. I don't know how to make the world more peaceful, but what I do know, is that change starts with you. Writing down how you feel, making art, baking, talking to a friend, taking a warm bath, are all good and healthy ways to deal with the heavy emotions that you feel. The power of music cannot be understated - music can heal. Music helps, music listens, music says what you can't bring yourself to, music is there for you when you can't turn to anyone else. Like Penny Lane says in the fictional, late 70s rock era-set, movie Almost Famous (2000), "If you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends." "Triggered Emotion" is one song that tries to convey what it feels like to be angry and not know yourself, while also facing other people's emotions as well, others who might be feeling the same frustration as you. Some days when kind words don't help, when none of the methods I described above actually help calm me down, when they don't help me think things through, only music holds that power for me - specifically loud, fuzzy, guitar music like this track. "Triggered Emotion" is definitely a song I'll go back to when everything feels like a bit too much, when I need to press pause for a little while. Listen to Triggered Emotion here on Spotify, or on whichever streaming platform you prefer. Follow ZIG MENTALITY on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

FOR FANS OF: Haim, Joan Baez, Taylor Swift. Julien Baker, a Tennessee-born indie-folk singer, is back with a new track, "Hardline," off her upcoming album, Little Oblivions, which is set to be released on February 26th, 2021. The track came out on January 13th, 2021, and speaks of substance abuse, depression, and the want to be given mercy. It's a pop-rock track, of the slow-indie style. It's a truly honest, beautiful, heart-pulling song. "Hardline" is a song that is full of real emotion and passion. It's a track that almost feels like therapy for the listener. It feels like being happy and crying out of pain at the same time, which sums up a lot of Julien Baker's music. "Hardline" is accompanied by a stop-motion animation video. Julien Baker says of the story behind it, "A few years ago I started collecting travel ephemera again with a loose idea of making a piece of art with it. I had been touring pretty consistently since 2015 and had been traveling so much that items like plane tickets and hotel keycards didn’t have much novelty anymore. So I saved all my travel stuff and made a little collage of a house and a van out of it. I wanted to incorporate it into the record and when we were brainstorming ideas for videos we came across Joe Baughman and really liked his work so we reached out with the idea of making a stop-motion video that had similar aesthetic qualities as the house I built did. I don’t know why I have the impulse to write songs or make tiny sculptures out of plane tickets. But here it is anyway: a bunch of things I’ve collected and carried with me that I’ve re-organized into a new shape." Below is the tracklist to Little Oblivions. 1. Hardline 2. Heatwave 3. Faith Healer 4. Relative Fiction 5. Crying Wolf 6. Bloodshot 7. Ringside 8. Favor 9. Song in E 10. Repeat 11. Highlight Reel 12. Ziptie Watch Julien Baker do a beautiful acoustic cover of Soundgarden's "Fell On Black Days" here: Listen to "Hardline" here, on Spotify or on whichever streaming platform you prefer. Follow Julien Baker on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

DREAMERS, a Los Angeles-via-Brooklyn band, that combines grunge, modern electronic pop, and 70s punk, are back with single "Still Not Dead," featuring American Teeth and Wes Period. "Still Not Dead" grapples a sensitive topic - death, over uplifting beats in pure DREAMERS fashion. The song was co-written by DREAMERS, Wes Period, American Teeth’s Elijah Noll and Colin Brittain. It was released on January 15th, 2021. “Still Not Dead” follows DREAMERS’ recent collaborations, such as the dark-pop love song “True Crime” ft. DeathByRomy, and “Heat Seeker” ft. grandson. The story behind the track is a tragic one. Lead singer of DREAMERS Nick Wold says, "I had to fly to Seattle for a last minute funeral." "One of my closest childhood friends – also named Nick – had just died of drug addiction-related suicide. I flew back to LA later that night and had a writing session with Eijah from American Teeth the next morning. Strangely, it was also the morning that Kobe Bryant died in that helicopter crash, so everyone in LA was in a weird mood. It was a hard time, a surreal sadness, and there was only one topic I could write about on a day like that. So we wrote ‘Still Not Dead,’ which is a song about death." DREAMERS always have a way to make even the darkest of topics, in this case, death, seem bearable and uplifting. They take dark subjects and put them over melodic beats - a poetic attempt to show that you can be serious and acknowledge the darker parts of life, while still keep a smile. "Still Not Dead" gives a message out that's saying, "I've lost people I love and I've suffered, but you know what? I'm still alive, and there are still good things in this world. I have big dreams and good people in my life. I can carry on." "My friend Nick was into Buddhism and practicing gratitude, and at the funeral, his parents played a Raffi song he liked called "Thanks A Lot," which is a children’s song expressing gratitude for the world. "Still Not Dead" is our version of that, our gratitude for all the small things and the big things that we have – our thanks for getting to be alive.” - Nick Wold, lead singer of DREAMERS. "Still Not Dead" is about accepting the fact that we all die, and therefore encouraging the listener to live life to the fullest and show gratitude whenever they can. Unless you're one of the really lucky ones, you've probably experienced the passing of a loved one before, whether it be someone you knew personally, or a famous person you admired, like Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. Grief is hard to handle, there's no other easier way to put that, it's fact. The best thing you can do for yourself and those around you while living with grief is to embrace every day like it's your very last one. Try to live like every day is special, like every little thing and every big thing matters - because it does. You're still not dead, so live like you're alive at the brightest setting. Listen to "Still Not Dead" by DREAMERS featuring American Teeth and Wes Period on Spotify here, or on whichever platform you prefer. Follow DREAMERS on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

Black Honey, a four-piece rock band from Brighton, England, are back with "Believer," - a fourth track from their upcoming album, Written & Directed. The track was released on January 8th, 2021, and the full record is set to come out on March 19th, 2021. Written & Directed was written & recorded in 2019, on and off the road. It's the band's second album, following their self-titled debut record, which was released in 2018. "'Believer' is a song to accompany your existential crisis,” lead singer Izzy B. Phillips said of the track. “I wanted a religious satire that was eye-rolling at all the patriarchal nonsense of spiritual sense of self. I wanna believe in me, the outsider and the underdog. It’s like coming of age, coming out and coming up.” It's a song that makes you picture long roads, the desert, and crosses, which is exactly what the music video for it is full of. It makes you long for summer; makes you long to undergo an experience that changes your whole point of view of the world, of life, of yourself. This song, like so much of Black Honey's music, is the kind of cinematic music that makes you dream in color, that makes you want to write stories, that makes you want to get out there and become someone, experience something. It makes you want to live life to the fullest. The tracklist for the upcoming record, Written & Directed, is as follows: I Like The Way You Die Run For Cover Beaches Back Of The Bar Believer I Do It To Myself Disinfect Summer ‘92 Fire Gabrielle Listen to "Believer" here on Spotify, or on whichever platform you prefer. Follow Black Honey on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

We're kicking off a new category on our site - "Music Video Radar," where we talk about the best new music videos, starting with New Jersey rock band Wyndup Kid's music video for their single, "Poison." This video came out on Tuesday, January 12th, 2021. Front-man Joey Walsh (main vocals, guitar), said that "In the official music video for "Poison," I’m living my Kenneth Anger best life. This video's got scenery, dolls, and bandmates who look like dolls!” "Poison" is a track that hooks you in from the very first notes. It's a song that reminds me of summer, bringing up images of hot weather, black leather jackets, sickeningly sweet bubblegum-scented perfume, and a toxic summer fling - one that's fast & full of heartache. The music video features the band happily rehearsing in the middle of the woods - until a plastic bag covered doll comes along and chases them throughout it, out to transform them. It's a very DIY version of the monster-infects-humans trope, as seen in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video. Check out the music video below, and follow Wyndup Kid on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify.

Whatzername are an all-female fronted rock band from Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. Their catalogue consist of singles Something (2019), Vulture (2020), and Heart of the Undead (2020). They're an amazing band; their sound can be described as punk, alternative, basically-anything-you'd-hear-on-a-rock-station-in-the-90s. Read on to get to know Whatzername! Who are the members of Whatzername? Whatzername is Ashlee Standish (guitar, piano, lead vocals), Clarissa Rose (bass, backing vocals), Jess Gold (drums). Where are you all from? We're from Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. What's the meaning behind your band name - is it a Green Day reference? Clarissa: It is a Green Day reference, but I also see it as a reflection of the state of mind. We were all in when trying to come up with a name. When we settled on ‘Whatzername’, it just kind of fit because, yeah, what’s our name? Ash: It’s very hard coming up with a band name. Coming up with one was about finding something that fit & united us. and we all shared a love of Green Day growing up. It’s also an amazing song about a cool chick with some mystery. Perfect description for us. What's the story behind Heart of the Undead, your latest track? Ash: The song was originally written on keys a while back, a dreamy melody with a twist of melancholy. It reminded me of the continuous search for the flicker of positivity in life’s ongoing struggles. It’s about hope and not giving up. Are you influenced by the RIOT GRRRL movement? Jess: I love the Riot Grrrl movement and think we have a lot of the same morals, but I believe we are our own category with punk rock influences but we are very much our own style. Ash: I think it's pretty easy to identify with being a Canadian Riot Grrrl, as it's about being a feminist into punk rock music. On a deeper level, we are women with strong morals, who are passionate for women’s voices and rights. We also love punk rock. What are your plans for 2021? Ash: We are very much looking forward to releasing our EP early 2021, working on some new music & playing live again one sweet day. What's your dream venue? Clarissa: If we’re talking small, I think playing more shows in Toronto would be fun. If we’re talking big, I’d love to play a show overseas. That said, my dream right now is to just get out of the province. Maybe Montreal or something like that. Ash: Just a fun, rad crowd would be great, venue doesn’t matter. But if I had to choose; Echo beach in Toronto. I would love to play New York City one day. Lastly, I asked the Whatzername trio to make a playlist for us. You can find it here on our Spotify. Listen to Whatzername here on Spotify. Follow Whatzername on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

This past weekend, I virtually attended School of Rock's Winter of Rock festival, which was broadcasted on their YouTube. Acts included The Jacks, almost monday, and DREAMERS. It was a fantastic experience and a much needed break for this holiday season. The Jacks for fans of: The Pale White, The Black Keys, & Cage the Elephant The Jacks are a four-piece rock band from Los Angeles, CA, consisting of Jonny Stanback (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Tom Hunter (lead guitar/vocals), Scott Stone (bass guitar/vocals), and Josh Roossin (drums/percussion). They're a rock n' roll band through and through, with their influences of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and The Black Keys shining clearly in their sound. The Jacks opened with "Who Are You," followed with "Threw It All Away," "Understand," "Walk Away," and ended with "Just A Little Bit." They blew me away. The Jacks are everything I love in a rock band - they've got that 70s-British Invasion, bluesy, guitar-driven sound and it's amazing. That's the kind of sound I love, the kind of sound that rock definitely needs more of. They're the kind of rock band making music that I can see myself falling in love with. The Jacks have something really special about them, and I am extremely excited to see where they go. almost monday for fans of: The Wombats, AJR, and The Killers almost monday - a indie pop trio from San Diego, CA, that consist of Dawson Daugherty (vocals), Luke Fabry (bass), and Cole Clisby (guitar), making songs that remind you of warm sunshine and happy nights with friends. Their songs are complete with funky basslines, danceable grooves, and lyrics that everyone can relate to, ones that celebrate the idea that you're perfect as you are, promoting self-love & acceptance. almost monday opened with "live forever," a track that's not been released on streaming services yet, followed with "come on come on," "don't say you're ordinary," "parking lot view," and ended with "broken people." I love them. These songs make you want to get up and dance, make you feel glad to be alive. almost monday make exactly the kind of uplifting music that we all need after a year like 2020. They don't have many tracks out yet, and that's okay - I'm very excited to see what's next for them in 2021. DREAMERS for fans of: Bad Suns, The Wrecks, & The Unlikely Candidates DREAMERS are a pop-rock trio from Manhattan, NY who make a unique brand of music that combines grunge, art-school eccentric, and the 70s punk scene. Members of DREAMERS consist of Nick Wold (lead vocals, guitar), Marc Nelson (bass, keyboard, vocals,) and Jacob Lee Wick (drums, vocals). DREAMERS are one of my personal favorite bands, their music is infectious and I absolutely love it. This performance was amazing. They opened with "Desensitize," a recent track from their This Machine Kills Fascists EP, released earlier this year, that offers commentary on how society is becoming desensitized to the horrors of the world. Following "Desensitize," came "The Last Love Song," "Teddy Bear," "Heatseeker," a fantastic modern rock rendition of The Cranberries' "Zombie," "Wolves (You Got Me)," "Die Happy," and ended with "Sweet Disaster." I love DREAMERS' music so much, and any chance to see them perform live is always an unforgettable one. Overall, School of Rock's Winter of Rock festival was an amazing early Christmas gift, a truly wonderful, enjoyable experience. I got to see DREAMERS, a band that I already adore, and was able to check out two new bands - The Jacks & almost monday, two bands that I can already tell will soon become my favorites. Listen to The Jacks, almost monday, and DREAMERS on Spotify. Follow School of Rock on Instagram to stay informed about more events by School of Rock like this one in the future.

The moment grandkids everywhere have been waiting for is finally here - grandson's debut full-length record, Death Of An Optimist is out. It was released on December 4th, 2020. Comprised of 12 tracks which consist of a lot of politically-fueled rage and self-reflection, this album has been ravished by fans, AKA "grandkids." A movie will follow a backstage look at this album, showing an exclusive look at grandson’s music, art, and activism, and a live performance of Death Of An Optimist in it's entirety, including exclusive content from the road, in the studio, and more. It will premiere on Thursday, December 17th, and you can buy tickets to the livestream event here. Read on for a review of Death Of An Optimist. You’re introduced to the album with the click of a cassette, and then a melancholy guitar riff fitting for the title of the intro, "Death Of An Optimist." grandson croons that title over the chorus of the track and it really sets the mood for the rest of the record. Over the course of the next few songs you’re faced with the inner monologue of someone fighting to see the good in the world when there’s almost nothing good left to find. This journey is strenuous, putting a lot of weight on the backs of those willing to make it. Sometimes it feels as though it might be easier to give up and just go with the status quo. But grandson is clearly driven and willing to push through the struggle in order to find good where he can, despite the mental strain it clearly puts on him, as told in the lyrics of these songs. Motifs of looking for hope in a seemingly hopeless world and trying to find your place in it all are carried throughout Death Of An Optimist, through tracks that both surge with energy and sadness. This juxtaposition between the almost chaotic experimental sounds on tracks like "WWIII," & "Identity," and the smooth vocals on others like "Pain Shopping," and "Left Behind," take listeners on a journey through the mind of grandson, and it’s one you should definitely experience. While there is a lot of self reflection embedded in these songs, there is also anger and resentment. Whether this anger is either at oneself for not being able to easily get through the challenges of simply being alive, or at the peace the world seems to be lacking at this point in history, can be left up to the listener's interpretation. grandson is known for both his electronically & experimentally driven Alt-Rock sound, and his way of tackling tough issues in potent lyrical prose, and this debut album definitely doesn’t stray away from that. The overall sound is quintessentially grandson, with some more flavor. Having a full, well rounded album with 12 tracks to dissect that all sound different yet piece together to fulfil this cohesive image and story is a stunning feat, and one extremely well executed. "...pushing forward is the only option, and we have to do it together." “Pain Shopping,” “WWIII,” and “Riptide” would have to be my favorites on the record, but I also feel especially drawn to both the intro and the outro. The intro does just what it’s meant to, introduces the album and the elements spread through the succeeding songs but it feels like there’s a shred of ambition tangled through the despair. Then, the outro starts with the same click of the cassette we heard in the intro, which creates a perfect “full-circle” moment. While there are a lot of similarities to the pace and overall feel between the intro and outro, to me the outro feels a little defeated. As if after all the searching & fighting over the course of the album, both with himself and the world, the grandson feels burnt out and lacks the drive to push forward and continue looking hope in this hopeless place. The outro gives the impression that it would be easier to just stay locked away in this paradise that consists of four walls & the contents of your own mind. I feel drawn to both because they feel like a reflection of struggles I’ve faced myself. Struggling through mental health issues and not knowing how hard that fight would be until you’re thrown into it yourself. Struggling with the fear that nothing you do will be seen as impactful, or good enough. The struggle of wanting so badly to give up, but some small spark keeps you driving forward, be that a movement you stand behind and want to see through to the finish, or someone you love, or that voice in your head that tells you to just get up and try again. It might feel sometimes that it would be easier to ignore that voice and give up completely. But pushing forward is the only option, and we have to do it together. Overall, this album is everything the grandkids could have hoped for, yet nothing we could have ever dreamed of. It’s a welcome addition to grandson’s discography, and a huge milestone for him. To say I'm proud of him would be an understatement. Stream Death Of An Optimist on Spotify here, or on whichever platform you prefer.

Pollyanna, a indie-rock band from central New Jersey, USA released a 6-track EP called Sugar Coat on December 1st, 2020. Pollyanna consists of front-woman and guitarist Jill Beckett, drummer Dan McCool, and bassist Brandon Bolton. Sugar Coat is a collection of songs they've written over the course of 2 years, that all have a common theme: how humans constantly make our words sweet and digestible, how we sugar coat everything we say and feel to fit-in, to make others accept us and think of us as normal, unemotional beings, in fear of losing our credibility, our coolness. It's amazing, and I absolutely love it. Sugar Coat is about being brutally honest, about being real and letting go what is unfixable. The title track "Don't Stay, Don't Go" questions one's actions, debating if they've been a good person or not, about unrequited love that the narrator remedies with negative choices. The following track, "I Promise, I'm Lying," is about hiding your real feelings from a lover, letting them go out without you and walk all over you, apologizing when you don't have to, taking all the blame, making yourself small, sugar coating everything about yourself, the good & the bad, just so the other person can accept you. "IDKY" is my favorite off this EP. It's about a girl who's a mess - who's been hurt too much and doesn't want to let anyone in. A girl who's "unattached and closed off," a girl who needs healing, not romantic love, to the dismay of the narrator. The last three tracks, "Good For You," "Grown Apart," and "Never Know," are each about being honest in romantic relationships, about finally letting go & accepting that you're not for each other. Any healthy relationship, romantic or not, should be built on honesty, acceptance but not without boundaries, and good communication. If you don't have those things, if you have to sugarcoat everything you say and feel, then it's better to work on it or let go. Letting go of what hurts us and others is apart of life, is apart of growing up into a better, nicer and honest person, and that's okay. Pollyanna formed in 2013, when they were just 13 years old in middle school. They've toured with The Aces, Real Friends, PVRIS, and Paramore, as well as joining Vans Warped Tour in 2017 and 2018. They're a band with music that's of the dreamy, emotional indie rock brand, and it makes easy listening as well as simultaneously pulling at your heartstrings. I love this EP, and I'm very excited to see what they do next. Listen to Sugar Coat here, on Spotify or on whichever streaming platform you prefer. Follow Pollyanna on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

Plastic Hearts is the seventh studio album from American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus. It's also, most importantly, a rock album. There's definitely a convo - or a few of them - to be had about pop artists making rock for a trend, but, honestly, I don't care. If this album helps rock on the way in our current state of music to become a real, guitar-driven, respected & admired mainstream genre again, then so be it. I want to live in a world where like the 70s, guitar-driven rock music was playing on the radio stations, and maybe this album is a good step towards that, given Miley's popularity and celebrity status. Mainstream media isn't all inherently bad, and it's easier to hate on what's popular rather than giving it a chance, by seeing firsthand if it has depth & honesty or not. I've been excited about this album since Miley covered Blondie's "Heart of Glass" at the iHeart Festival earlier this year. People begged her to do a rock album, and she definitely delivered. It's fantastic, from the title track to the features of classic rock stars Billy Idol, Joan Jett, and Stevie Nicks. My favorite tracks are "Plastic Hearts," "Angels Like You," "Gimme What I Want," "Night Crawling," "Hate Me," and "Bad Karma," and I love this album in its entirety, it doesn't have any skips. She sings of her struggles with fame, of love, of brokenheartedness, of sexual power, of anger over some great riffs and basslines, along with two covers - "Heart of Glass," by Blondie, "Zombie," by The Cranberries, and a remix of Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen," with her track "Midnight Sky" called "Edge of Midnight." If you're a classic rock fan, or just a fan of pop-infused modern rock music, you'll love this record. Listen to Plastic Hearts here on Spotify, or on whichever streaming platform you prefer.