Midweek Muse: Valley Queen - The Moon Kids - The Austen - Argonaut & Wasp - Imaginary People - The Lunas

Valley Queen - Destroyer EP.

Background - On April 26th, Valley Queen will embark on a spring North American tour, spanning from the west to the east coast. The band will headline seven shows, and support Laura Marling on thirteen dates, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York.

The Los Angeles 4-piece released their first-ever EP, Destroyer, this month. Singer and songwriter Natalie Carol leads a band reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac and My Morning Jacket with vocals evocative of Florence Welch. The band's sound brings to mind the soul of Motown and the power of southern rock. "Carol presides over ambling Americana jams that positively soar,” said NPR Music upon including the EP’s single “Stars Align” in their SXSW Austin 100. Filling out their sound is Neil Wogensen with bass and vocals, Gerry Doot's drums and Shawn Morones on vocals and guitar. Website here, Facebook here, tour dates are on Beehive Candy's tour page.

Adding to the references above, I would also suggest Heart and Jefferson Starship from the Grace Slick years as pointers to the mixture of tracks on the 'Destroyer EP'. What is clear is the band have a clear talent for developing enticing songs that mix melodic rock with a softer more soulful style. As debut EP's go this is strong throughout.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Moon Kids - Something Spectacular.

Background - Hitting the sweet spot between The Small Faces, The La’s and Blossoms, Scottish Psych-Pop outfit The Moon Kids are shooting for the stars.

The band’s latest single ‘Forever Blue’ - a sunshine-drenched slice of 21st century Indie attitude - is the latest salvo in a series of white hot releases that began with their acclaimed debut EP. ‘Rollercoaster People’, the lead track from that self-titled EP, was championed by Radcliffe & Maconie on BBC Radio 6 Music. ’Luna Park’, another of the EP’s highlights, was chosen by an all-star judging panel including Tom Waits, Run DMC and London Grammar as one of the finalists in the worldwide Unsigned Only songwriting competition, it was pipped at the post by Vance Joy’s global chart smash Riptide.  

Follow-up single ‘Strange Thoughts On Sunday’ amped-up The Moon Kids’ psychedelic pop credentials, harnessing a tripped-out melody to the band’s trademark chiming guitar sound. Flipside ‘Popcorn Bullshit’ has since become a staple on Japanese radio. The Smiths/Modest Mouse/Electronic mainman Johnny Marr is a fan. 

Formed in Dunfermline, Scotland, by frontman David Barr, The Moon Kids have honed their sound in the studio with producers such as Michael Brennan Jnr (Super Furry Animals, Mogwai), Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Young Knives) and Rafe McKenna (Comsat Angels, Thrashing Doves). On the road they’ve played alongside the likes of Glasvegas, Tribes, The View, Raglans and up-and-coming northern rockers Neon Waltz, as well as turning in acclaimed performances at festivals such as T In The Park, Wickerman and Stereofunk. Facebook here, website here.

'Something Spectacular' might be something of a boast however it is not without foundation, particularly if you are enjoying the modern wave of psych pop bands. Musically the band are bright giving the vocalist plenty of layers to add his touch, which matches in to the overall good feeling of this song.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Austen - The Austen's Groove.

Background - The Austen was founded in 2014 between London and Milan. Its only stable member is Riccardo Barbieri Torriani, founder of the band, songwriter, singer and harmonica player.

The name of the band is dedicated to a group of students at Hult International Business School in London, a gang of seventy-five people who grew up together between 2012 and 2014. The business school used to give each class the name of a famous author. This particular class was called Jane Austen.

The Austen is always seeking for musicians, songwriters and singers who want to collaborate, perform and create new music under its name. The philosophy behind the project is to merge various genres and cultures to break borders and establish new trends. Consequently, The Austen can be well defined as “an open band”.

The Austen’s Groove - written, performed and produced by Riccardo Barbieri Torriani A hymn to special friends all over the world. Those kind of people you may not have the chance to meet for months or even years, but when you finally join them it’s like you’ve always been together. I was lucky enough in my life to know few of them. Quote: “No matter who you are and where you are, there’s always time for another drink.” Sound Engineer for all tracks: Mr. Max MC Costa, who has worked internationally with John McLaughlin, Sting and Bill Evans. He won 2 Grammy Awards! The Austen - The Opus Day was released last week through Nub Music.

Perhaps it's the bands open structure that helps create some fine variety within the collection of songs that make up 'The Opus Day' from which 'The Austen's Groove' is taken, whatever the case The Austen have delivered some highly desirable tunes, and are now firmly on my musical radar.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Argonaut & Wasp — Paradise.

Background - Argonaut & Wasp is an indie dance band from Brooklyn, NY. Inspired by the sounds of the kick drum, the electric guitar, the bass, and the synthesizer, the group creates fashionable music for fashionable crowds.

  Trey and I were attending lots of DJ sets at the time (which is one of our favorite evening activities). Anyways, we would show up at all of these hip Brooklyn venues and everyone would be glued to the walls, everyone just standing there - lost in a state of confusion.

We decided to capitalise on this feeling, this need for a rhythm and the need for a beat. We rushed home one of these evenings - grabbed a cowbell, picked up the guitar, and got to work." — Argonaut & Wasp. Facebook here.

'Paradise' is a high-spirited indie dance song, that has a dynamic beat and some crazy vocals that add spice to the whole. Just add some party and cocktails for the full effect!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imaginary People - The Pelican Theme.

Background - Imaginary People shares new single "The Pelican Theme" from forthcoming album October Alice

Following 2014’s critically acclaimed opening volley EP, composed of espionage-themed singles, and their 2015 politically tinged full-length debut Dead Letterbox,  New York’s Imaginary People return with their second full-length release, entitled October Alice, due in April 2017. The album was again produced by Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate), reprising his role from their debut LP.

The band swings for the fences on their sophomore LP, recorded in a barn in upstate NY, via a grittier approach, with an eerie, reverb-laden wall of sound abundant throughout, cannily crafted via the use of a second drum kit inside a silo. It mirrors the morbid subject manner of the album, easily their most disarmingly personal material to date. Facebook here.

The third song we have featured from Imaginary People and 'The Pelican Theme' is yet another wonderfully frantic rock'n'roll piece. The album is now a little more than eagerly awaited, to say the least.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Lunas - Until I'm Dead.

Background - Indie rock band The Lunas share "Until I'm Dead" the first single off their forthcoming EP A Curious Life.

The Vancouver-based foursome is the brainchild of frontman James Priestner. A former teenage hockey wunderkind en route to the NHL faced a personal and professional dilemma at a young age after discovering a passion for the arts while backpacking through Europe, Thailand, Southeast Asia and Japan. He explains, “Getting out into the world, meeting people, and seeing things firsthand made me realize there was a lot more out there than the rink and stopping hockey pucks."

Since their 2015 formation, the band has toured Canada twice, and shared the stage with JPNSGRLS, Mobina Galore, and Juno-winning artist Barney Bentall, among others. Additionally, The Lunas have been finalist contestants in The Roxy Launch Project in Vancouver BC where the guys won recording time with Tommy Mac from the hit-making pop-rock group Hedley. Facebook here.

A chunky beat and distinct vocals ensure 'Until I'm Dead' is underway and doing it's stuff from the first notes forward. The band can and do turn up the energy on occasion. It's indie rock and it stands out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seven On Saturday: Redspencer - Lio Nicol - Imaginary People - Tashaki Miyaki - King Ropes - The Weeks - Hannah Lou Clark

Redspencer - Ride It Out.

Background - Redspencer shares a new music video for "Ride It Out". Despite only having a four-track EP to their name, Redspencer have already garnered avid praise from the likes of NME, CMJ, Triple J, Indie Shuffle, and Time Out New York with ‘Ride It Out’ included at #14 in their Best Songs of 2015.

The four-piece’s eponymous debut EP is a hark back to the band’s humble beginnings, evoking images of balmy, mid-summer drives along the coast with the windows down. The sunny, reverb-swathed guitar- pop of lead single ‘Happy Slow Riverbends’ captures that image to a tee, rousing comparisons to the likes of Spoon and Real Estate.

With festival appearances at Brisbane’s Big Day Out, By The Meadow, Camp Casual, and Laneway Festival’s annual Live Music Safari – not to mention tour supports with Guantanamo Baywatch, The Preatures and Holy Holy – to their name, Redspencer are soon to be firing on all cylinders as they gear up for the release of their keenly anticipated debut album. Facebook here. Amazon mp3 here.

Our second feature for Redspencer this time with the new music video for 'Ride It Out'. Musically this is a bright yet peaceful indie song with a bags of melody, the video reflects all of this with a retro "days gone by" feel.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lio Nicol - 1 (EP).

Background - Lio Nicol is both sage and sass. With honest yet quirky lyrics, she has found a way to reflect her sense of humor while maintaining her grace, setting her apart from other singer-songwriters.

After a few semesters of studying biology at the University of Montana, Nicol left her hometown of Missoula and relocated to California in 2010 to pursue a career in music. A talented pianist and guitarist, Lio Nicol has found her greatest passion lies within songwriting. Inspired by the legendary Diane Warren, Nicol’s songwriting is a reflection of her thoughts, heartbreak, and love. Her powerhouse vocals and catchy indie-pop melodies have led to her being describes as an early Mariah Carey meets Florence and The Machine.

Lio Nicol has toured and recorded with some of the industry’s top musicians as well as Grammy award-winning producers. She has performed all over North America in a variety of concerts including the Dragon Boat Festival, Durango Expo, House of Blues San Diego, The Mint in Los Angeles and many others. Music fans have recognized her 4-octave range and impressive stage presence and continue to come back to her shows again and again. Website here, Facebook here. Buy EP here.

The new EP simply called '1' features four tracks. We featured the fourth song (Blame) back in early November last year describing the track as "pristine indie pop". Well with another three songs making up the EP, I personally think that was a fair enough observation, with even more variety and style to enjoy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imaginary People - Mr Hesitance.

Background - Imaginary People shares "Mr. Hesitance," a song about an incompetent politician. Following 2014’s critically acclaimed opening volley EP, composed of espionage-themed singles, and their 2015 politically tinged full-length debut Dead Letterbox,  New York’s Imaginary People return with their second full-length release, entitled October Alice, due in April 2017. The album was again produced by Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate), reprising his role from their debut LP.

The band swings for the fences on their sophomore LP, recorded in a barn in upstate NY, via a grittier approach, with an eerie, reverb-laden wall of sound abundant throughout, cannily crafted via the use of a second drum kit inside a silo. It mirrors the morbid subject manner of the album, easily their most disarmingly personal material to date. Imaginary People is Dylan Von Wagner (vocals), Mark Roth (guitar), Justin Repasky (keys), Kolby Wade (drums) and Bryan Percivall (bass). Facebook here.

Once again Imaginary People combine musical power and passionate committed vocals and arrive with so much more. 'Mr Hesitance' is our second song feature for the band and again they impress. Time to check out their back catalogue!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tashaki Miyaki - Girls on T.V.

Background - The Los Angeles-based duo Tashaki Miyaki will release their highly anticipated debut album 'The Dream' on April 7 via Metropolis Records. This week the band shares the first taste of the upcoming release with the single "Girls On T.V." "This track emerged out of observing fame culture," Paige Stark explains. "Things like the emergence of reality TV stardom and social media celebrity have elevated fame culture to a new sphere. We are living in Andy Warhol meets Orwellian vision of the future and I find it terrifying. It's all about "likes" and numbers and now our country is being run by a monster who was created by this very machine. The title is playing on the perspective I'm singing from a media brainwashed girl that only wants to be famous like the girls on tv."

The band was born out of a late night jam session in early 2011, when local legend Joel Jerome recorded what would become the band's first original song, "Somethin' is Better Than Nothin" and a cover of the Everly Brothers' classic, "All I have to do is Dream." Within a few weeks of posting the songs to Bandcamp, the band was invited to London where they played their first ever live show to a packed crowd at the legendary 100 Club.

Tashaki Miyaki has spent the past couple years writing and recording their debut LP, The Dream, produced by Singer/Songwriter/Multi-Instrumentalist Paige Stark and engineered by Dan Horne (Cass McCombs, Allah Las). As a writer for The Fader once observed of the band’s hypnotic sound, “It's so pretty I’m afraid saying anything else might diminish it". Bandcamp here, Facebook here. Pre order album here.

'Girls on T.V.' is a multi layered song that is steeped in richness. With melodic chord changes and a powerful soundtrack, the vocals are kept up enough in the mix to add further feeling to the piece.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

King Ropes - Dirt.

Background - On King Ropes' debut album Dirt, frontman/guitarist Dave Hollier writes deeply expressive songs rooted in the highs and lows of human experience.  Layered with sonic textures and melodic hooks, these songs resonate with hard-won insight and timeless emotional struggles while reflecting life's beauty, terror and complexity.

King Ropes—the name is borrowed from a Wyoming saddlery store, generates musical and emotional fireworks throughout Dirt, with such insistent tunes as "Dogleg Boy," "Lurch on Sister," "International Shortwave" and "Shovel and a Pickaxe" exemplifying Hollier's vivid songwriting and the band's infectious punch, maintaining a gritty, organic vibe that underlines the album's title.

"After years of working with my hands, I was at a place in my life with a severe lack of dirt under my fingernails," Hollier explains.  "So I guess that calling it Dirt is a bit of an incantation, hoping to attract more of it back into my life.  Musically, I felt pretty strongly about balancing out the pretty, sweet elements with the raw, gritty stuff, both in the sounds and the lyrics." Website here, Facebook here. Amazon mp3 (album) here.

The debut album 'Dirt' comprises of ten creative and varied songs. The band pack plenty of natural feeling into their music, whilst taking their core sound in a variety of directions. Sometimes full on rockers, occasionally softer and reflective, they are always consistent in imaginative song writing. A very fine album.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Weeks - Talk Like That.

Background - 'Easy', the highly anticipated new album from rising Nashville-via-Mississippi band The Weeks, is set for release April 7th on Lightning Rod Records. The new video for “Talk Like That,” the album’s first track, debuts today featuring live footage shot entirely by the band’s own drummer, Cain Barnes.

The Weeks recorded 'Easy' over the course of two weeks at Memphis, TN’s Ardent Studios with producer Paul Ebersold. The band left Nashville to record in order to disassociate themselves from their everyday routines in the city, and to find a halfway point between their two homes old and new, Mississippi and Nashville. "Memphis has always been the capitol of North Mississippi to us", says guitarist Sam Williams. "We went there to be at Ardent. We knew Paul had learned everything from John Frye and John Hammond so we figured that was the spot. It’s important to keep those historic studios alive and not let them become museums."

Of the record, frontman Cyle Barnes says, "We called it Easy because every time I make music with these guys, it’s easy. It feels good. But the other side of it is there’s nothing easy about being in a band. There’s nothing easy about staying together for ten years and still wanting to make music. We have the hardest and easiest job on the planet. But it works for us." Thematically, Easy explores new ground for the band. Bassist Damien Bone explains, "We just wanted to make a rock record. We weren’t as concerned making it a southern rock record. The southern thing is always going to part of what we do." Pre-order here, Website here, Facebook here. Talk Like That mp3 here.

'Talk Like That' is a punchy, full on rocker, with powerful vocals supported by some feisty musicians who clearly want their share in matters. The video kind of underlines all of this, and with some good old rock'n'roll hooks thrown in, I cannot help but like the song.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hannah Lou Clark - Don't Sweat It.

Background - Hannah Lou Clark has announced her brand new EP ‘The Heart And All Its Sin’ will be released through Quatre Femmes Records / PIAS on March 24th. Hannah has also unveiled the first single, ‘Don’t Sweat It’, which was premiered on Huw Stephen’s BBC Radio 1 show. 

‘The Heart And All Its Sin’ has been mixed and co-produced by Tarek Musa from Spring King and is a collection of songs exploring the complexities of love and loss. Hannah has laid her soul bare in these songs in a way that others would never do.‘Don’t Sweat It’ bravely addresses the yearnings of the heart in times of turmoil; with lines like “champagne takes the edge off me” she can see that whilst giving into our vices can’t help the heart heal, it can be a welcome distraction.

Recorded in Urchin Studios, ‘The Heart And All Its Sin’, focus has been on giving space to the guitar, creating emotion and drama by exercising restraint. With the encouragement of Tarek and appreciation of artists such as Steve Reich, Hannah has also developed the drum machine side of things, creating her own loops from a variety of recorded sounds.

‘The Heart And All Its Sin’ points to a painful understanding of what drives and degrades real love. Having shared stages in 2016 with the likes of Ezra Furman, Thurston Moore and Gaz Coombes as well as headlining her own tours, Hannah Lou Clark is excited to announce details of her 2017 tour (see our tour page). Facebook here. Amazon mp3 here.

Hannah Lou Clark is another artist receiving a second feature on Beehive Candy this time with the new song 'Don't Sweat It'. Guitars and vocals both pack plenty of energy, each teasing out some more hooks and melody.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More Weekend Wonders: Hajk - Adam & Elvis - ACES - Eric Frisch - Imaginary People

Hajk - Magazine.

Background - With ‘Magazine’, Hajk have emerged with an off-beat, honest, creation that clicks into place and somehow combines the smooth and the sharp into a perfectly complete electro-pop song that casts a mischievous glance at influences such as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Dirty Projectors and ANIMA!.

This single is guided by the swirling yet magnetic vocals of Preben Sælid Andersen and Sigrid Aase, and kept tight by the tight rhythms and musicality of Preben Andersen. An infectious melody with glimpses of bands such as Phoenix, ‘Magazine’ is a song that simply won’t slip out of your head easily.

Songwriter Preben Andersen (also a member of Norwegian label mates Death By Unga Bunga) describes the track himself as “a quirky and dreamy love song about frustration and how that will ultimately lead to procrastination. There are a lot of different sounds and textures coming in and out throughout the track, and we hope that it will make people want to listen to it over and over again to try to ‘figure it out’. It’s like a simple painting that becomes something else when you are standing really close to it…" ‘Magazine’ is the first single from Hajk’s highly anticipated debut album out early spring 2017. Facebook here. Amazon Magazine  

With delightful vocals and harmonies and a crisp and lush soundtrack 'Magazine' is a dreamy electro pop song. It's also one catchy and hook laden track.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adam & Elvis - Hanging Tree.

Background - About ‘Hanging Tree’ The sorry tale of a young intellectual who, despite his rationalism, loses his mind over unrequited love, ‘Hanging Tree’ conforms to Adam & Elvis’s tragi-comic inclinations. Sonically, however, the song is all vivacious alt-pop, charging along a crookedly mellifluous path as the Malone brothers’ vocals veer from moody baritone to full-throttle tenor. Sawtoothed guitars sear and the rhythm section thunders while ‘Hanging Tree’ revolves around its Grandaddy-meets-Pixies chorus that provides a soaring indie-disco chant-along belying the morbid moral.

The stylish video (shot by Balla Kingston, Craig Rogers and Antonio Pineda) captures the band in ebullient mood at UK Live Sound studios in Reading, where ‘Hanging Tree’ was produced.

About Adam & Elvis. Bonded not only by blood but a taste for finding humour in the macabre, Patrick and Tom Malone are brothers whose sibling intuition extends to a penchant for songs as melodic as they are bizarre. Cut-throat guitars, dirty basslines and contorted synthesisers are their tools as the brothers pen hook-filled numbers with strange, poetic lyrics, often influenced by the stark realism in the wordplay of Patrick’s heroes Leonard Cohen and Charles Bukowski.

This thought-provoking, pull-no-punches prose is set to a musical backdrop of exhilarating wall-of-sound pop and primitive punk energy, unleashed by Patrick on guitar/vocals and Tom on bass/vocals respectively, with the aid of Juliet Styles (synths/saxophone), Steve Wraight (vocals/percussion) and Dan Robershaw (guitar). The Berkshire band have been championed by regional radio and performed their gripping live shows on the same bill as Fat White Family, The Zombies and The Correspondents, as well as numerous festivals across the south of England. Not before time, given the blistering impact of ‘Hanging Tree’, the wider world is about to get a feel for the Adam & Elvis oeuvre, culminating in a debut album release proposed for early 2017. Facebook here.

See Adam & Elvis live
Fri 25 November: Royal Oak, Bath
Sat 6 January 2017: Sebright Arms, London E2. 

The video for 'Hanging Tree' is a vibrant and lively affair, and the perfect fit for a song like this. The vocals switch gear, whilst the rhythm section thumps along and the band invite you to join in, either banging your foot or singing along or both. Wonderful stuff!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ACES - If I Could Be Your Girl.

Background - New single “If I Could Be Your Girl” is officially out everywhere worldwide. Following on the heels of her critically-acclaimed singles, the new single conveys her cinematic tone more evocatively than anything she’s done before.

The music of ACES isn’t a collection of tracks; it’s a gateway to a worldview, one face of a meticulously defined aesthetic. When we listen to it, we find ourselves living for a few minutes with the creator, Alex Stewart, in the world she’s built for us.

ACES can be described in musical terms, of course. It’s hazy, downtempo; it’s pop music on muscle relaxers. It’s a bassy backing track and sparse beats that take a back seat to Stewart’s daydreaming vocals on a song like “If I Could Be Your Girl,” the lead single from ACES’ debut EP, Stranger. But to really define ACES, we need to go outside the idiom. ACES is a muted light. A French new wave film projected at half speed. A night in with a few friends and heady cocktails.

ACES, too, is defined as Alex: The Canadian born, Brooklyn artist is the voice and direction of the project, which takes its name from her initials. A film editor who often works alongside her filmmaker husband, Stewart borrows as much from the vocabulary and structure of that art as she does traditional songwriting. Facebook here.

The distinct and haunting vocals of ACES are striking on 'If I Could Be Your Girl'. The music is synthy and dreamy, whilst remaining quite stripped back. For me, it's late night, low light music, and that's just fine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric Frisch - The Light Ahead.

Background - Eric Frisch is an indie pop musician living in New York City. Eric’s main influences range everywhere from the Beatles and the Beach Boys to Sam Cooke and the Four Tops to Bob Dylan and Jackie Wilson. Originally from Toronto, Eric is the second of four children. Eric began learning piano at an early age and always enjoyed the task of composing on his own. He credits his parents with introducing him to the right music, playing “Here, There and Everywhere” off of Revolver for him when he was 15. Residing in New York for two years, Eric has performed at venues like Rockwood Music Hall, the Bowery Electric, the Living Room, and the Studio at Webster Hall, as well as various venues in his hometown of Toronto, including the Rivoli and Dundas Square.

Eric’s sound combines elements of 50s and 60s pop music with a more modern sound, creating a unique call to the past while still pushing forward into unchartered territory. Eric has just released his first self-produced full-length entitled Goodbye Birdcage. The album showcases his diverse range as a writer and singer, and displays his unique ability to capture the essence of his influences in his music. A talented artist and performer, Eric writes songs that are original, catchy, and memorable. Facebook here.

Need to shed a few pounds? Whilst it may not be an exercise video 'The Light Ahead' dance routine could well support a fitness programme. Musically it's a wonderful piece that could be described as surf pop and really has a timeless feel and good vibes throughout. More please!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imaginary People - Snapshot.

Background - Following 2014’s critically acclaimed opening volley EP, composed of espionage-themed singles, and their 2015 politically tinged full-length debut Dead Letterbox,  New York’s Imaginary People return with their second full-length release, entitled October Alice, due in March 2017. The album was again produced by Kevin McMahon (Swans, Titus Andronicus, Real Estate), reprising his role from their debut LP.

The band swings for the fences on their sophomore LP, recorded in a barn in upstate NY, via a grittier approach, with an eerie, reverb-laden wall of sound abundant throughout, cannily crafted via the use of a second drum kit inside a silo. It mirrors the morbid subject manner of the album, easily their most disarmingly personal material to date.

Mournful yet anthemic, the album resonates with a simmering intensity. Dark visions abound, of horrific events that can’t be undone—yet the sorrow is sublimated into an unsurpassable catharsis. It’s evident on the likes of the smoldering “Snapshot,” the racing-pulse rave-up “Seven Days,” and the cacophonous serpentine groove of “Fresh Kill.” But this isn’t an album of easily digestible singles. It’s best swallowed whole, as a piece, one that candidly encompasses anguish, the bleakness of humanity, but ultimately a sense of hope that music in some small way can heal the deepest of emotional wounds. Imaginary People is Dylan Von Wagner (vocals), Mark Roth (guitar), Justin Repasky (keys), Kolby Wade (drums) and Bryan Percivall (bass). Facebook here.

A nice crunchy riff opens 'Snapshot' laying the foundations for Dylan Von Wagner's vocals to pour out emotionally charged lyrics, as the band take things up a notch. This is a fabulous song that does rock'n'roll a real service, bring on the new album!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------