Author: Joshua Olson

After months of bated silence, the indie super-group Lo Tom have released a debut song and launched album pre-orders. The self-titled record will be released July 14th, and it can be pre-ordered through Undertow Music. The first single, “Overboard”, is the only title that has been released from the 8-song track list. Lo Tom is comprised of longtime collaborators Jason Martin (Starflyer 59, White Lighter), David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones, Overseas), Trey Many (Starflyer 59, White Lighter, Velour 100), and TW Walsh (Pedro the Lion, The Soft Drugs).… Continued →

On April Fool’s Day, Fair announced a new album entitled “Luncheons and Wagons” to be released on July 8th, 2017. Naturally, skepticism on the legitimacy of this news is high. However, Fair’s Facebook page has been quite active the past few weeks. Now that we’re a few days into April, there has been no mention whether the announcement was indeed an April Fool’s joke. Many readers will remember Copeland announced they would be returning with a new record on April 1st, 2014. Conversely, July 8th, 2017 is a Saturday, which deviates from the standard record release day on Friday.… Continued →

Emery has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund their 7th full-length record. The campaign goal is $50,000, and only a day after launching it is already 65% funded at the time of this publication. Considering their last campaign was 222% funded, it shouldn’t be long before the goal is met. Each pledge will receive a digital download of the new record along with an immediate download of Emery: Classics Reimagined EP, which features fully re-arranged and re-imagined versions of “So Cold I Could See My Breath”, “As Your Voice Fades”, and “The Smile, The Face”.… Continued →

’68 has announced their second full length record, Two Parts Viper, will be released in Summer 2017 on Cooking Vinyl Records. They will embark on a US headlining tour with Listener and the Homeless Gospel Choir from May 21st-June 11th immediately following the conclusion of supporting Every Time I Die’s headlining tour. The official announcement can be found here. For those that don’t know, ’68 is the current project of Josh Scogin (the Chariot, Norma Jean) and Michael McClellan. Their debut record, In Humor and Sadness, was released July 8th 2014.… Continued →

It’s been ten years since Anberlin released their third record, Cities, on February 20th, 2007 through Tooth & Nail Records. Cities is widely regarded as the Florida band’s finest release and for good reason. Their first two records offered a strong start for the group and showcased an increasing realization of their potential. Cities is simply where it all seemed to come together. The album highlights are almost too numerous to list. The record contains high energy rockers such as “Godspeed” and “Adelaide”, quiet, heartfelt numbers in “The Unwinding Cable Car” and “Inevitable”, mid-tempo songs like “Alexithymia” and “Dismantle.… Continued →

He Is Legend recently announced they will be releasing their fifth studio record, Few, on April 28th. The record was funded through an Indiegogo campaign that reached 124% in December 2015. Few will be released on Spinefarm Records, and it will be He Is Legend’s first release since Heavy Fruit in 2014. The band will be supporting Norma Jean’s Polar Similar Tour in March, with additional headlining dates in March and April.… Continued →

Let me start off by saying there were so many great releases from many of my favorite artists in 2016 that picking a Best Of list was quite challenging. If they weren’t all released in the same year I could have easily ranked any of my top 5 LPs as #1. Also, all the artists in my top 5 have been around since the late 90s/early 2000s, which speaks highly of these artists’ longevity in a music industry that is continually turning over artists. Top LPs: 1) Relient K – Air For Free Though Relient K never became inactive, Air For Free felt like a comeback record, and it’s the perfect one at that for longtime fans like myself that were worried the RK they knew and loved was a thing of the past.… Continued →

Norma Jean has announced the Polar Similar Tour 2017 with He Is Legend, Capsize, and Comrades in support. The tour features the first US headlining dates since the release of Norma Jean’s highly acclaimed seventh record, Polar Similar, which was released September 9th, 2016. Tickets go on sale January 6th.… Continued →

Solid State Records has enjoyed quite the stellar year with releases from Silent Planet, Forevermore, Norma Jean, and Fit For A King. Now Wolves At The Gate are closing out the year with Types & Shadows, and it’s a fitting record to finish such a monumental year for the the label. They’re back with their third record on Solid State, and they mean business. Types & Shadows summed up in a word would be “dense”. Its thirteen tracks have a runtime over fifty-four minutes, the barrage of high-gain rock’n’roll rarely lets up, and Stephen Cobucci’s weighty lyrics occupy the majority of the songs.… Continued →

Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors have announced a new album, Souvenir, and a supporting tour for Spring 2017. The new album is due out March 24th with announced tour dates from March 29th to May 20th. This will be Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors’ sixth studio record, following 2013’s Medicine.… Continued →

Nashville-based indie band Civilian recently recorded five songs live at EM² Studio with NoiseTrade. The group’s Tooth & Nail debut, You Wouldn’t Believe What Privilege Costs, was released October 21st. You can download the live studio sessions along with some of Civilian’s back catalog at NoiseTrade. Be sure to tip if you like what you hear.… Continued →

The Almighty Norma Jean simply cannot be stopped. The storied band just released their seventh record, and it’s their best yet. They’ve reunited with Solid State records, their production has never sounded better, and despite having been around over fifteen years, Polar Similar proves they haven’t lost any steam. Norma Jean has been an anomaly for quite a few years. Meridional and Wrongdoers showed the group continuing to stretch themselves to top each previous studio effort. They’ve been on an upward streak since 2010, and I was curious whether they could continue the trend with Polar Similar.… Continued →

If you liked The Force Awakens you should thoroughly enjoy Relient K’s latest record, Air For Free. Both have a hearty dose of nostalgia to welcome you back to the artistic world you originally fell in love with, whether that’s a galaxy far, far away or a playful, punk band from Ohio. Yet there’s enough growth and promising new direction present that the new endeavor’s success doesn’t rely on nostalgia alone. It’s a delicate balance few releases are able to achieve, but the Relient K you know and love came through with flying colors (specifically red, blue, and yellow) on Air For Free.… Continued →

How many artists can you name with 14 studio albums? There probably aren’t too many. Jason Martin, the man behind Starflyer 59, not only has 14 LPs under his cosmic moniker, but he’s also released and contributed to numerous other projects such as Bon Voyage and Neon Horse. His “blue collar” approach to music (as notated in all his albums) has resulted in a prolific 23-year run in the music industry. Starflyer 59’s newest record, Slow, follows Jason looking back at all he’s been through along the way.… Continued →

Ladies and gentlemen, Thrice is back. Despite their hiatus announcement in 2012, they were adamant they would return. Now after a string of festival dates in 2015, we can behold Thrice’s ninth studio album, To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere. It’s been five years since their last studio effort, and some might have worried it would take some time to shake off the rust. That’s simply not the case. Not only is Thrice back, but they’re better than ever. Thrice belongs to an elite category of bands that have had the same members devoted for the group’s entire existence.… Continued →