This edition of LITM Rock Picks explores a whole lot of genres, including alt rock, grunge, psychedelic rock, and more, featuring artists - Barbaros Evin, Calico Sun, Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew, Derwin Dr Jazz Boyd, and The Sunmills.
1.Barbaros Evin – Blue Eyed Wolf
If you’re looking for a song to add to your grunge and alt-rock playlists, Barbaros Evin might just have the song for you. ‘Blue Eyed Wolf’ takes you through the grittiest of both worlds, blending heavy, crunchy overdrives with angular patterns, as the guitars slowly melt into each other keeping your gaze transfixed onto the warping landscapes. The soundscape is quite dark and experimental, with whirring electrified tones fragmenting into patterns as the singer in the forefront anchors the instruments and the listener with booming, gritty passages. This song pushes the boundaries of music while keeping you thoroughly engaged.
2. Calico Sun - Fields
A delightfully pleasant find from the indie rock / psychedelic rock genre is Calico Sun’s ‘Fields’. It blends different soothing textures together using a prism-y, kaleidoscopic pattern derived from sliding synths, a meandering bass, and scrunchy guitars, forming a silky, glassy mix of tones and a satisfyingly marble-y texture underneath for the listener to glide upon. The vocals on their own take you through dreamy landscapes and fleeting moments. The resulting icy glow of the soundscape emits a surreal dispersion of patterns, almost like a suncatcher. This is one of those songs that needs a good pair of headphones for maximum effect.
3. Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew – The Work Makes Me
Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew have just released their latest, ‘The Work Makes Me’, a track rooted in blues with a tinge of Americana influence in the chord progressions. The song has a notoriously deep crunch to the overall soundscape, contrasting with the deep, muted tones of the vocals. The composition highlights a certain playfulness within the tone, and the main lyric line—“I don’t make the work, the work makes me”—homes in on that spirit. This is a song you’d want to catch at a concert or even unwind to with a bit of light-hearted fun and energy.
4. Derwin Dr Jazz Boyd – Sweet Bikini
Another fun track on the list is Derwin 'Dr Jazz' Boyd’s ‘Sweet Bikini’—a song that’s impossible to sit still to, and you might just find yourself on the dance floor before you know it. Everything from the vocals to the instrumentation is downright cheeky and unabashedly so, and is accompanied with crunchy overdrives and whimsical riffs, going to town with the composition. The energy is consistently maintained throughout the song with the singer’s energy along with the catchy instrumentation, not to mention the slick guitar solos, all of which flow so smoothly and unexpectedly, they almost feel like improv. Listen at your own risk, here-
5. The Sunmills - Bird That Used to Sing
Utah-based band The Sunmills have just dropped their latest alt-rock track, ‘Bird That Used To Sing’—a song that evokes a bittersweet sense of nostalgia with its raw, painterly brushstrokes capturing a sunset aesthetic. Built with clean, fuzzy guitars alongside glassy chords from the synths and bass, the track adds a vintage polish to the mix. The resulting soundscape creates the perfect soft waves for the singer to surf upon while delivering bright and breezy lines. This is one of those sit-back-and-relax type of songs to turn to for company on a long drive or to unwind with after a long day
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