Reviews

Borrowing its namesake from a Watashi Wa song, Colorado Springs-based Fepeste craft similarly-intricate, chill songs. Fepeste’s second album expands on its predecessor, opting for a greater focus on electric instrumentation and guest collaborations. The result is a surfy/psychedelic approach to songwriting anchored firmly in Scripture. These latest offerings may feel oddly seaborne given their origins in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, but rest assured Eric Jett and crew know what they’re doing. There’s a strong sense of simple honesty at play – the ruminations of an adult with children, navigating hectic life in our post-truth world.… Continued →

There are certain things that are assuredly deceptive in their simplicity – like the grainy, low-res, underexposed photo of some non-descript church which adorns Nick Webber’s latest album. In fact, if I hadn’t stumbled onto it prior to seeing the art, I think I might have skipped it entirely. I’ve crawled through Bandcamp quite a bit and I’m come to realize that bands who take their music seriously tend to pair it with artwork of a similar level. While the picture might not adequate describe the quality of All the Nothing I Know, it perhaps describes the thematic form – one that hazily trudges through pain, uncertainty, and cynicism.… Continued →

Dylan Case White’s debut LP, Remind Me Your Name, has been a long time in the making. Its genesis is fraught with the loss of entire songs, working remotely with Allen Odell for production, and the realization of musical concepts that go back years at this point. White’s previous work includes a project under the Spoken World moniker (which is NOT spoken word) and some demos from Glow in the Dark. And while these hinted at what he was capable of, Remind Me Your Name feels like the awaited fulfillment of some distant promise.… Continued →

I’ve been sitting on this review since last November and since I tend to move slower these days with my writing contributions, it’s better later than never. Let me start off by saying that Craig’s Brother have been a favorite of mine since I first heard “Homecoming” all those years ago (25!). Their blend of melody, aggression, and thought provoking lyrics set them apart from the rest of the pack. I once had a label spinoff of Indie Vision Music and in 2019 I put out their “Devils in the Details” EP, one of the best accomplishments in all my years of running IVM.… Continued →

Benjamin Daniel follows his triumphant 'Shelterheart' with a grief-stricken sister release that explores an uncomfortably-personal look at faith and grief through a year following the death of his mother.

Last October, Rockfest Records announced a new band on their roster, but not just any band. World Gone Cold is a hard rock band known as a “supergroup”. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, this indicates that the group is comprised of artists from other well-known bands. The group is rounded out like this: Ryland Raus (vocals) of Inhale Exhale and Attack, AttackTraa Daniels (bass) of P.O.D.Tim “Yogi” Watts (drums) of Demon HunterMark Anthony (guitar) of The Letter BlackAndrew Stanton (guitar) of Disciple Nice, right??… Continued →

Nashville songsmith Chase Tremaine has not slowed down one bit over the past few years, from releasing his debut record to releasing (and re-releasing, to incredible effort) his sophomore album in a short span of less than three years  (as well as a stripped-back album). This is an all-the-more impressive effort given Tremaine finds time to juggle all vocal and instrumental responsibilities while also working full-time and being (mostly) newly-married. Now, in partnership with Post Emo Records, he has unveiled his third album, Accidental Days.… Continued →

Brandishing a not-so-subtle love for the likes of Starflyer 59, Jacob James Wilton has finally arrived with his latest LP after months of waiting. Life Wide Open is ambitious, dreamy, and infectious just as much as it is pensive and energetic. Wilton has dabbled in a number of disparate styles over the years, but this album feels like the pinnacle of his work. There are tastes of shoegaze, Americana, indie rock, and alternative. While his approach is undeniably modern, he pays respects to artists of two decades ago (writing this made me feel old).… Continued →

Every now and then, an artist comes along that makes it clear they mean business. These aren’t typically the arena-rockers or bombastic pop acts. Instead, like Elijah’s encounter with the Lord, these artists employ a certain mundane simplicity in their presentation that places the focus on the message before all else. Don’t mishear me – that’s not to say these artists don’t write incredible compositions with powerful production. But all of this is very much secondary to the lyrical focus. I can’t help but think of Former Ruins, Zambroa, Allen Odell, or Benjamin Daniel who all, to some degree, subvert the typical expectations of the singer-songwriter niche.… Continued →

It’s so great to have Gary Murray and co. back to making music again after almost a decade of quietude. Gary had to retreat for a few years beginning in 2014 while taking care of aging parents and other personal matters. Monkeys & Spoons certainly reflects that solitude, as well as the grief of losing someone you’ve had close. While the album cover nearly depicts contents of jazz fusion or post-rock (both Koinonia and strangely, Talk Talk are evoked by the artwork), don’t be led astray there.… Continued →

Zane Vickery broke onto the scene last year with his debut album, Breezewood, an album of mythic proportions where the real and fantastical coalesce in parable fashion. It’s an album of love, loss, and lessons that assumes the posture of piano-driven indie pop. Now, he’s following the album up with a collection of decidedly-different songs – both musically and lyrically. Where is Your Faith?: Volume One is, per the title, part of some larger body of songs yet to come. Self-contained, it’s fairly concise. It sits at four songs of which two (“Is There Room Enough for Me” and “I Never Left”) were released as singles.… Continued →

California based melodic punk act known as Too Bad Eugene, have just released their epic 3rd full length album via the label People of Punk Rock Records and I feel it’s their best so far. The band draws upon past influences, mixes it up with some modern takes and superb production style then delivers the goods the only way they’d know how to. All those group vocal harmonies and mass sing-a-longs are without a doubt sweet music to my ears. The 13 tracks run the gamut between a sense of discontentment and imbalance while looking toward hope and finding the strength enough to keep the fire lit and ultimately carrying on.… Continued →

Shock rockers R&D have released their new album which is the first of the Sanatorium collection & is currently on all digital networks as of tomorrow. I have been friends with Kandy for many years & have enjoyed all the music I have been sent that they have been working on. If you are a long time fan, you will recognize the reworks such as Milk & Cookies & Stix & Stonz. There is also a new one Suicide Machine which I had the opportunity to hear a demo probably a year or so ago now.… Continued →

The Twilight Gospel is a culmination of years of spiritual and musical wanderings for Rob Ray. This album is the firstfruits of two previous EPs – Yours is the Day and Yours is the Night – and appropriately finds the midpoint of both, musically and thematically. Even the title itself finds itself somewhere between day and night. There’s a stillness and gentleness of the night here, but the light has most certainly not been extinguished. The album features 11 tracks of Ray’s unique brand of playful indie pop, sultry lofi, and pensive alternative worship.… Continued →

Most of you will know that Ronnie Martin has been making music since the late 80s (at least) with Morella’s Forest 1988, Dance House Children, and most famously Joy Electric, not to mention a host of side projects like Ronald of Orange, The Foxglove Hunt, The Brothers Martin, and so forth. While there’s a lot of history with Martin’s expertise in making quirky, electronic pop music, in a sense none of that matters. Not that the history isn’t respectable–but what we really want to know is, is this record going to be good?… Continued →

Hailing from Portland, OR, Cicero began in the mid-00s and called it quits a few years later, only to reform last year. Greg Dimick (Crux, Empty Tomb, Govt Hate Mail) got me a copy of their new album so I could review it, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. You Can’t Outrun Your Mouth is being advertised as 90s emo, but in some ways that’s a disservice to the band. While there are certainly hints at Midwestern emo, particularly the more subdued Christie Front Drive-take on the genre (listen to “Monsters in Masks” and tell me you don’t hear it), YCOYM is more nuanced than that.… Continued →

Sometimes it feels like the wave of faith-based post-hardcore bands the likes of Least of These, sosaveme, Matter, Attalus, and so on has come and gone. It’s a shame – there are plenty of bands that have opted to go to the saturated metalcore market, and it’s obvious that indie is still a thriving genre – but high-octane, technical bands with captivating lyrics have become a rare breed. DENS feels like a beacon of hope here, but they’re certainly not alone in trying to bring new life to this space.… Continued →

Nate Parrish creates music unlike the majority of “popular”, “mainstream”, “indie”, and/or “punk” bands of today. He takes his years of experiences, wraps them up in a 14 song epic arrangement, and unleashes it on a weary music scene ripe for hope and change. From the artwork to the song choices, you can’t help but feel the music running through your body and infecting you with nothing but pure positivity. I liken the music of Nate Parrish to music of yesteryear that spoke truth without boundaries and shared honesty in ways most of the modern day brethren are too afraid to venture out into.… Continued →

Light The Way began in 2016 and started off releasing their fantastic debut ep, “Grace”. They followed that up in the following 3 years with – “Dude, Lame” (EP) in 2017, “False Memory Syndrome” in 2018, and “Dad Gang” (EP) in 2019. I’m proud to say I had the most excellent opportunity to be involved in the album release process for all of those releases. I will forever be grateful for the chance to live out my dreams releasing positive, faith-centered, pop-punk music with a strong message about hope, love, grace, and peppered generously with fun and witty lyrics.… Continued →

Wage War hit the metalcore scene with a ferocity in 2015 with the release of their debut album, “Blueprints”. Prior to this, they were known as Empires and had an ep called “The Fall of Kings” which is quite impressive! The first two albums, “Blueprints” and “Deadweight” were very well received by fans of the genre, however the third, “Pressure”, which was released a little over 2yrs ago, had something of a mixed reception. While ardent fans of the band’s previous material thought they were getting too poppy or mellowing out, others applauded some of the new directions the band was branching out to.… Continued →

Relent has been around and making music longer than most realize; most likely myself included. A 2 song ep in 2016, the Heart Attack ep (2019), the re-release of the Heart Attack ep (2020), with 2 new tracks, and now a full length, aptly titled, “Heavy”. And yes. Yes, it is. From the first listen to these guys a number of yrs ago, I was hooked. I’m a sucker for downtuned guitars with well constructed grooves, thunderous drums, and a mix of rapped/sung/screamed vocals. So this band has really checked all the boxes for me since day 1.… Continued →

I first found Meadows in 2014 with their debut EP. Since that time, I lost pulse on the band – that is, until their signing with Facedown Records. Stylistically, the band follows an emotional hardcore style similar to Touché Amoré, Defeater, or older La Dispute. In some ways, they’re more reminiscent of older melodic hardcore acts like Life In Your Way. While Facedown Records has shifted a bit with the addition of more “rock” flavored acts in recent years Meadows feels like a perfect bridge between the old and the new, melding some of the artistic nuance of DENS with the straightforward aggression of Take It Back!… Continued →

Troubling times call for “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” alike. And man, are times troubling. Thankfully, Ischus’ six-track debut satisfies all of these qualifications. From acoustic, folk-adjacent arrangements to lofi songs to whatever the sonic expanse of “My Soul Belongs to Thee” might be called. If you’re looking for the quick hits, fans of My Epic’s Broken Voice will appreciate this collection of restrained-yet-lyrically-rich tracks. Ischus begins with a unique rendition of “Doxology” – there’s in inherent irony in that Pauline doxologies typically end their respective letters.… Continued →

Rob Ray’s latest EP follows in the path of his latest release, Yours is the Day. And while the two EPs were written concurrently, much in the manner of say Thrice’s Alchemy Index, there’s certainly enough distinction between the two. Much like its predecessor, there are strong spiritual truths and three singles preceded release of the full EP. But Yours is the Night feels more quieted and barren. It’s not necessarily deeper or more solemn than its counterpart, but the stripped-back, acoustic-driven nature results in a mood akin to laying awake at night, restless ruminations coursing through your mind.… Continued →

The downside to being involved in music “news” is there’s a certain urgency to be the first to the plate with coverage on new releases. Full transparency – my involvement is fully of volunteer nature. But I do prefer to cover releases when they’re most timely and need the boost. The obvious drawback in instances where I don’t have a pre-release copy is that I have to make make some quick judgments. Typically I can glean through things pretty quickly nonetheless. But I know that I surely won’t be able to do J Lind’s latest effort the full justice it needs here.… Continued →

With the band name pulling from Matthew 12: 40, 3 Days Under is a hard rock band from Kentucky that is not ashamed of the Gospel. Today’s SOTD is my fave from them, but their song Mended comes in at a close second. They also just released a new single called Bleeding Through on March 21st, 2021. … Continued →

Rob Ray is the kind of artist that has the rare ability to instantly capture listeners’ attention. Blending what could best be classified as a mix of Josh Garrels, John Mayer, and Macy Gray, Ray crafts punchy tracks with instant appeal. More practically, it’s a soulful mix of R&B-tinged indie. Yours Is The Day meets the biblical classification of “spiritual songs” in no time flat. This is an upbeat, fun EP with a bit of gospel bravado to keep the energy high throughout its 21-minute runtime.… Continued →

Gr8frt‘s sophomore release is not one of vanity. From its raw vocals to quirky cover, this is not the type of EP meant to fly off the shelves. And it’s clear this is the artist’s intention as well: These five songs were painstakingly recorded over the course of two years. The songs survived a catastrophic computer failure, getting sober, a relapse of a different sort, suicidal thoughts, and a whole lot of upheaval. We started this album as farm workers and ended it as missionaries.… Continued →

Indiana’s Richard Wayne Mullins is a vital part of the Christian music industry. Besides penning & performing one of the best worship songs of all time, “Awesome God”, he also was a very talented musician who was proficient with the piano & the dulcimer which can be heard on many of his songs. His first couple albums did not gather much radio play, but The World As Best As I Remember It Vol 1 & 2 garnished many songs heard all over the radio at the time.… Continued →

Arkansas’ Common Children reminded me plainly of a cross between The Prayer Chain & Skillet. Why, might you ask? Well, CC has some serious ethereal atmospheric music akin to The Prayer Chain. And Skillet due to the obvious grunge influences and the three male band members when they first formed. Skywire came out in 1996 as did Skillet’s S/T. As far as the band’s name, well Jesus Freak Hideout’s site interview vocalist Marc & it is “because we are all common children in the sense that we all live together, in a broken world, in need of grace—beggars attempting to tell other beggars where to get bread.”… Continued →