Tigers Jaw - Spirit Desire

Unexpected delightfulness came from this release from Scranton, PA's Tiger Jaw, titled "Spirit Desire". This band is young but accomplished. Already having a full length under their belts and making a name for themselves in the independent music scene, these guys have all the chops to take themselves further and this release is only proof that hard work and the ingenuity of escaping obscurity by exploring new ideas can happen for anybody that's willing to sacrifice.

They've harnessed their abilities to write unexpected, tensioned hooks and low key harmonies fused with a slow but light compositions without totally abandoning their punk influences. It all kind of happens naturally in this 7". It shows a young band growing into a sound they can niche out for themselves that can still stay relevent to todays indie all the while still staying true to what laid that road out before them more than a decade ago.

It is surprisingly fresh and infectious, all while spanding four songs, this band shows just what they can do and what they are about to do in the future, and that is making inspired music for the uninspired. I suggest checking this band out live then getting to know them on record.

Aneurysm Rats - Dying To Live

I like my bands raw and full of emotion with a hint of intelligence. A bare and abrasive aesthetic is what drove me to hardcore in the first place. The energy, the thrill, and hell, even the names got me in a sweaty, dizzy trance ever since I was 15. So when I got "Dying To Live" by the Aneurysm Rats, I was interested. Any musician that plays in a band can tell you that a name should be memorable and intriguing, so I was pretty excited from the opening note to the last when listening to this. Doing my research, I found out that this band has members of Paint It Black and None More Black in it and that's when I got even more excited. Nevermind the fact that they're from a scene as strong as Philly's.

It's a short, fast, and pissed off visceral 15 minutes of old style hardcore that hooks you in from the opening chord to the very last. While having the sound of something that would come out of the eighties, maybe mid-nineties, Aneurysm Rats surpass all their contemporaries in the genre of hardcore that I haven't heard much to be excited about in the recent year or two.

This band is incredible and should be recognized for not their members past projects, but for their songwriting and hard work. I can only say good things about this band and hopefully you can too. Check these guys out online or live if you're tired just like I was with new music. This is probably my favorite release of the year.

Friends of Friends - Deep Search

A band's surroundings can heavily influence their sound, especially if that surrounding has a strong scene that's famous for pumping out punk bands with anthemetic structure. Enter 'Friends of Friends' and their debut fell length "Deep Search".

Hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, this quartet is not anything new but at the same time, a breath of fresh air. Kind of like that Glade plug-in you put in four months ago that you forgot about, but still surprised at how randomly fresh your home smells.

I haven't heard anything from this band until now, but there's something about them that excites me. It could be their Avail style wailing or the way how the vocalist sounds and delivers the lyrics with a gravely, punchy style that I love so much. The lyrics are your usual abrasive "let's get out of here, I won't be there any more" kind of deal, but delivered sincerely.

The songwriting on this album is fantastic. It isn't your usual punk record where it's a two, three chord progression with a "simple drum beat thrown in, repeat two or three times and you're done" method. They mix it up by slowing down and going fast in different parts of the album. I can even hear a slight DC hardcore unpredictability on the sixth track "Land of Left Behind".

Standout tracks are "Some Kind of Fake", "The Search For the Perfect Wage", "Land of Left Behind", "Endless Bummer", and "Restless Legs". Most of the album is pretty memorable, actually. That's if you give it a few listens.

I didn't expect much from this band when I was first given the album, but now that I have sat down and listened to it, they exceeded everything I ever thought that they would be and more. I suggest picking this up online if you have the chance if you're a fan of Hot Water Music or Avail. This band will not dissapoint.