These LITM Rock Picks are reflective, legendary, gentle, and urgent – coming to you from artists like Labus Grooves, Anthony J. Resta, Parched, and more!
1. Labus Grooves – The River’s Flow
Labus Grooves’ The River’s Flow is a beautifully reflective track that draws parallels between a river’s journey and the resilience needed through life. Using the metaphor of how a river grows from a free, joyful brook to something that feeds the mighty sea, finding itself and growing stronger in the process, Labus Grooves uses lyrics like “Don’t stay long upon the land / Sail ahead and understand / Every laugh with every friend / Helps you reach your journey’s end” to express the power of community, exploration, and guidance. Driven by lush vocals and gentle acoustics, the song is almost mystic in its scope, making for an intriguing listen!
2. Anthony J. Resta – The Guitar Man
A legend in the music industry, Anthony J. Resta’s name isn’t a new one – but he’s not quite content yet. His take on Bread’s 1970s classic, The Guitar Man, is less about reinvention for the sake of it and more about finding his way back to doing what he loves from the other side of the studio glass. It’s hazy and dreamy, with layers of fuzz giving it a trance-like, glowing feel, which the accompanying music video only adds to. An invitation to connect with the humanity in music in an era where we can barely tell the difference between AI-generated content and real, raw art, the song is refreshing and invigorating!
3. Parched – Hotel
Parched’s newest single, Hotel, is electric, raw, and buzzing with energy. A five-piece alt-rock band from Birmingham, Parched was formed during lockdown, and the tension of the times inspired their music, built around restlessness and bare intensity. Hotel is a reflection of this, allowing the clear, raw vocals to blend perfectly with the urgent guitars, building on themes of homesickness, bitter nostalgia, and anger. Sounds clash with artistic precision on the track, surrounding you as you listen; this gives the song new meaning each time you listen, as the band never pushes meaning onto you, but invites you to make your own. Listen here!
4. Shad0wz – Paper Heart
Shad0wz’s Paper Heart opens soft and gentle, like it’s setting up to unleash the artist’s inner pain. Shad0wz jumps immediately into the clarity that comes only a while after heartbreak: the kind of objective lucidity that comes only after you remove yourself from a particular situation. The song takes its time to bloom open, expanding towards the chorus, hitting you with a wave of emotion. With lyrics like “Now I see the stars from the other side,” and “You tore my paper heart apart… I bled for you in shades of blue / but I’m shinin’ now, no thanks to you”, the song expresses pain with an unfortunately relatable weight.
5. Downtown Mystic – Hard Enough (Remix)
Downtown Mystic’s name often arrives in the same breath as the artist’s musical descriptions: blending classic, vintage sounds with raw, contemporary energy, and on this remix of Hard Enough, he does just that. Rooted in classic rock ’n roll, it thrives in finding the sweet spot between grit and easy listening. It’s fresh and experimental while still making its influences of musical greats clear, and its liveliness gives it a headbang-worthiness that’s hard to find in much of modern music. This track is forward-looking even as it pays homage to the past – a perfect embodiment of Downtown Mystic! Check it out here.
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