Welcome back to Stop, Rock, and Roll! After a month off, during which time I graduated college and moved back home, I am back and ready to chronicle new local releases, and what a lot of them we had! Here are five songs you should listen to:
Vertigo – “B_1”
Vertigo have been working consistently at honing their craft for four years now. Having gone through multiple name and lineup changes, their sound has evolved and grown into something powerful yet spacious, not quite shoegaze but not quite metal. Howling vocals, thundering bass and drums, and guitars that alternate between sinister and furious make this track one of the biggest to come out of Rhode Island recently.
Sporting – “Till You Say So”
Airy synths, reverb-drenched guitars, and vocals that border on rap lead off the newest single from Sporting, the first glimpse at their upcoming EP, Season 2. The percussion slowly builds until the chorus bursts through the clouds with atmospheric backing vocals and a skyscraping lead guitar line. Sporting’s unique blend of genres keeps their music interesting as well as entertaining.
Rather Nice – “Catacombs”
Rather Nice just released their newest EP, The B Side. This track was the leadoff single and has been a live favorite of theirs for years now. With an almost bossa nova groove in the verses that gives way to indie rock energy in the choruses, the track features creative touches such as the sound of bones clinking together as an extra percussive element to the song. It’s a leap for the band both from a songwriting and production standpoint.
Kaiya Hope – “Right at the End”
This song, despite its name, leads off Kaiya Hope’s newest album, Hope St. It trudges forward at a swampy tempo, with dusky acoustic guitars serving as a current for stark yet beautiful vocal harmonies. The overall feeling of the song is of sitting on a porch as the sun sets beyond the trees, and its deliberate pace keeps the listener in this place for the duration of the song.
White Rabbit – “Honey Smacks”
With a guitar line reminiscent of The Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’,” this track off White Rabbit’s new EP, Cowabunga, is slow and heady. The guitar tones on the song sound as though they could be from the Dazed and Confused soundtrack, with the drums and bass dutifully providing an undertow for the interesting guitar interplay.
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