These LITM Rock Picks embody all that rock is and can be; featuring I Plead Irony, TheMindWillNotLetGo, Mark Emsley, and more!
1. I Plead Irony – Architect Effect
Opening I Plead Irony’s latest album, This Monologue Conversation, is Architect Effect, a track filled with punchy drums and unapologetically high-intensity guitar work. Laid under explosive vocals that know they don’t have anyone to answer to, the track establishes a restless, wild-eyed energy from its opening moments. Throughout, it switches tracks and pace constantly, keeping you on your toes as you can never predict what comes next – but you’re still ready for whatever it may be. There’s a delicate juxtaposition between all the gritty elements and the controlled delivery that makes it obvious that I Plead Irony is a unit that knows what they’re doing – listen here!
2. TheMindWillNotLetGo – crashandburn
It isn’t exactly conventional for an artist’s debut release to be a full-length album, but as you listen to just that – crashandburn from burnout by TheMindWillNotLetGo – you realise that convention really is overrated. Though the song’s title suggests a descent into chaos (and it does deliver), it’s so much more than that: a delivery that’s almost breathless and giddy with momentum harnesses that chaotic energy to create something that feels like hurtling down a road at top speed. Distorted vocals are surrounded by hard-hitting instrumentals that keep the energy up throughout as TheMindWillNotLetGo promises that “one of these days, I’m gonna get my shit together” – a journey we can’t wait to be part of.
3. Mark Emsley – Satellite Heart
Satellite Heart is Mark Emsley’s latest single – bright, melodic, and subtly punchy. This is a song that does sit somewhere in between pop and rock, but refuses to stay constrained in the space it occupies; with its pairing of uplifting melody with punchy, rock-inspired background instrumentals, the song is as accessible as it is unique. The contrast between this brightness and the lyrical theme of reaching out to someone that’s constantly just out of reach gives the track a tension that can’t be manufactured without prowess. Turning moments of sadness into catharsis, this is a song that’ll stay with you – check it out here!
4. Talking Horses – Paradise
Paradise opens Talking Horses’ debut album, I Will Work Harder, with a touch of the bizarre and eccentric that make this an unforgettable listen. It’s a track that’s full of life and curiosity, the kind that feels saturated to the brim, like looking at the world through a child’s eyes and finding it more colourful than anything you’ve seen. Drums that were high-intensity to begin with only get more and more energetic as they crash and roll with carefree abandon, while every other element and the vocals hold their own, shining in different ways. Listen to Paradise here!
5. Andy Smythe – Beautiful Day
Over his previous work, Andy Smythe has established a sound that’s as afraid of being boxed into an identity as it is unafraid of experimenting, and Beautiful Day carries that legacy forward. Jaunty and uplifting, the central refrain of “Every day is a beautiful day with you, my love / every day is a beautiful day, it’s true,” carries the sweet energy that makes the song feel so warm and fuzzy; complete with imagery that only makes the track feel all the more wholesome, it walks the line between being acoustic and soft yet never passive. Give Beautiful Day a listen here!
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