New music has felt like it’s coming at me in an onslaught, but I am certainly not complaining! Especially coming off the slow year that was 2020. What makes me even more happy is that it’s rock! I love rock, I miss rock, I need rock. And truth be told, these singles all rocked!
AFI
“Looking Tragic” – Ah! With the release of two more singles also comes the announcement of their new record, officially titled Bodies, and will be in my hand on June 11th! I cannot wait! I can only hope that COVID calms down enough by the back half of the year so I can maybe catch them on tour. Fingers crossed! Anyway, this single again sounds like a perfect coda to The Blood Album and that makes me so happy. Instead of Adam’s drums taking center stage, this time it’s all Hunter with a ripping bass line. The song also comes with a music video, so really what is there not to love?!
“Begging for Trouble” – I do believe I heard that this single’s sound was the inspiration for most of the new record, and that’s fantastic! So far, all of the singles released have created a really cohesive sound and attitude. Also while listening, I can’t help but think that the line, “We’re not done, my trembling one, be still” is a call out to the fans who will always wait for new AFI. Could be very wrong on that, but that’s what I’m going with. Either way, this song has me pumped for the full record, and I can only hope that there are at least 14 tracks on it (fingers crossed)!
Yung Bae featuring AWOLNATION
“Disco Body Parts” – Truthfully, I have no clue who Yung Bae is, but I sure do know who AWOLNATION is! Also, when you give me a song with such a bizarre name like this one, I’m obviously down to listen to it. This song was full of handclaps and “la la la’s,” so it wasn’t quite what I would come to expect from Aaron Bruno. But boy was this a fun song! The chorus tempo turns it up a notch and I can’t not think of a room full of people dancing to this. As it goes on it sort of reminds me of the duo, Cherub, and that is certainly a compliment. While I enjoyed this, I can’t say it’ll get added to a playlist anytime soon.
Sir Sly
“Material Boy” – It’s been a minute since I’ve heard any new material from Sir Sly! This band came into my life as a opener for a couple of shows back in 2013, and since then they’ve made a name for themselves on the alternative charts and I could not be more happy for them! The singles “And Run” and “High” from their debut full-length Don’t You Worry, Honey, feel like a perfect stepping stone into the new era of Sir Sly. With the first single off their upcoming record, The Rise & Fall of Loverboy, “Material Boy,” seems like the perfect blend of modern alternative music and 80s synth rock. While nothing audibly bombastic happened in this song, I know that catching a few more radio plays will put this at the top of my playlist!
Kings of Leon
“Bandit” – Similar to Sir Sly, it’s been five long years since Kings of Leon released new music! And I was totally unaware that it was coming! In fact, their newest record, When You See Yourself, was released in its entirety last Friday! Be on the lookout for a full album review in the near future. If the rest of the album sounds like this single then it may go down as my top three for the year. Everything about this was perfect from the drums, to the bass, to the rhythm guitar, to the vocals. Pure perfection!