Dynamic as can be, these LITM Rock Picks are all about movement and progression. Featuring Jason Kerrison, New Laconia, Vicious Clay, and more!
1. Jason Kerrison – You Are Love
You Are Love is best described as an anthem of perseverance and encouragement. It’s the song that plays when the first gentle rays of sunlight hit you in the morning, reminding you that every day is worth getting out of bed for. Kerrison’s expressive vocals have just a hint of raspiness, imbuing the song with a sense of hard-won emotional maturity. This is cleverly juxtaposed with an upbeat tempo and funky rhythms, resulting in a track that confronts you with its unique approach to vulnerability. Kerrison showcases his mastery in knowing when to go all out and when to pull back – ensuring that you’re left contemplating exactly what he wants you to.
2. New Laconia – Journey to the Past
Imagine standing in a multidimensional void whose walls are collapsing and rebuilding themselves around you every second – that’s what New Laconia has achieved with Journey to the Past. They waste no time in bursting forth with strong drums, sharp guitar and urgent vocals; the track carries this urgency throughout, and its tightness gives it a claustrophobic feel, forcing you to feel their tension. It shifts gears midway, drifting into a percussion-driven, slower ballad with a haunting piano bridging the vocals with the solo electric guitar climax – this ebb and flow of energy is what makes Journey to the Past such an enthralling listen!
3. Vicious Clay – mine all mine
Opposing poles attract, they say – mine all mine is a shining example. It’s a ball of energy that crashes from genre to contrasting genre, taking bits and pieces of each on its way to bend the rules – in a way that can only be done by someone who knows the rules back to front. At the centre of it all is Vicious Clay’s sharp, expressive guitar work, carried by a solid rhythm section. The track is constructed like a Jenga tower – one wrong move would’ve brought the entire thing crashing down, but it stands perfectly tall, albeit precarious. mine all mine’s appeal lies in its occupying cracks between genres, resulting in a sound that Vicious Clay can proudly call ‘theirs, all theirs’.
4. Solum – Circles
Circles revolves around a draining love loop of breakups and makeups – it’s exhausted, frustrated, resigned to its fate. With a distinctly bedroom pop, psychedelic feel, Solum delivers his vocals in a daze, not bothering with putting up a farce of energy; he sounds like he’s been through innumerable sleepless nights and rollercoaster days. He captures the helplessness of being stuck in this loop with the persistent “again and again and again”, making your head spin. Circles swells with synth and a pulsing bassline, and crashes equally hard with its self-awareness of ‘love illiteracy’, as Solum puts it. Its downward spiral is hypnotic, and it knows you can’t look away.
5. Klarstein.rocks – When I’m Burning Matches
With all the energy of a track that could open any respectable thriller-comedy film, Klarstein.rocks exudes confidence in When I’m Burning Matches. From its vocals – zipping from note to note, cool as can be – to the polished production, the track knows what it’s doing, being just a little funky without going into excess. The instrumentation follows the same pattern: layered and restrained, it works in tandem with the vocals, and they each allow the other to have its moments, taking turns in the spotlight. When I’m Burning Matches stands exactly on the point where fresh meets nostalgic, inviting well-deserved replay after replay!
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