Single Review: Figures on a Beach – “Play”

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image courtesy of The Sound Cove via Knyvet

Single Review of Figures on a Beach: “Play” (The Sound Cove)

The backstory of this song’s release is a winding, interesting story of its own. The short version is that Figures on a Beach achieved some success on the synth-pop scene, released a pair of albums on Sire Records in the late ’80s, and recorded an EP worth of songs at Q Division in Boston in 1991. The band disbanded, and those songs never saw the light of day. Fast-forward 34 years, and Figures on a Beach’s Anthony Kaczynski played “Play” for The Sound Cove’s Garrett Vandermolen, who was blown away by it and wanted to release the long-lost earworm on The Sound Cove.

I’ve gotta agree. I supposed that’s why I called it an “earworm” rather than a song. It’s catchy as heck, with a fresh sound that belies the decades that have passed since its recording. With “Play,” it seems that Figures on a Beach may have found their big breakout song in 1991; unfortunately, it didn’t find its audience at the time. But if you like energetic, top 40 radio-friendly (when “top 40” was a thing) pop music that’ll remind you of some of your ’80s New Wave faves, give this one a listen. You’ll sing along with the “I, I, I…” and dance to the catchy rhythm.

As has always been true of the best songs of this genre, “Play” starts slow, with jangly synth and a rhythmic slow build, with the vocals mirroring the music in that sense. About a minute in, the song levels up a notch while continuing to build, as some of the vocal and musical bursts become more dynamic, all the while residing atop a consistently jangly beat. After a couple trips through verses and choruses, by late in the song you get a musical breakdown, a final more energetic verse and chorus, a late song near-musical dropout, with just a synth buzz, before one final explosion of music and vocals, concluded with a crash and quick fade-out.

So yeah, it’s not the most simple song structure, but it’s also pretty straightforward, and it’s structured, performed, and produced impeccably, resulting in one of the catchiest synth-pop songs you’ve likely heard in three decades; nevermind that it was recorded three and a half decades ago. It’s refreshing to have a new favorite in this style. And I know back when this was recorded, music fans used to listen well beyond their core favorite style (thanks, top 40 radio!), so I urge anyone of a certain age to check out what might become one of your favorite new “nostalgic” songs; and, if you’re younger than that, give it a listen, too. This is what catchy synth-pop is supposed to sound like!

Live Review: Danielle Miraglia and Bob Enik at Sanctuary

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Danielle Miraglia and Bob Enik

Sanctuary Bar & Lounge, Maynard, MA

July 2, 2026

Danielle Miraglia was back last evening for the latest installment her “Drinks with Friends” series of first-Thursday performances at Sanctuary. Joining Danielle on this particular evening was fellow Charles River Reprobate Bob Enik. (Longtime readers may have seen my “bonus coverage” of the Reprobates at the bottom of my Los Goutos live review back in 2018.)

As an aside, for those here in the far western suburbs, if you’re not yet familiar with Sanctuary, check ’em out. This is a venue that brings a lot of metro Boston’s top musicians out to the outer suburbs, giving us a chance to catch top local artists without having to travel to Boston or Cambridge. Of course, there aren’t many local artists as “top” as Danielle Miraglia, and the appreciative crowd knew that. This particular night was a rare double-header. Usually the Sanctuary hosts early evening no-cover bar shows, 5:30 on weekdays, followed by ticketed big-stage shows at 8:00. Well, last night the 8:00 performance was another no-cover bar gig, featuring one of Boston’s most decorated Americana acts, the Sado-Domestics. Now, I had other plans, so I couldn’t stay for the late show, but I did review one of their Sanctuary bar gigs earlier this year. Top-friggin’-notch!

Enough sidebar – I’ll get on with the review: It seems as if I’m always a few minutes late to a 5:30 show at Sanctuary, and yesterday was no exception. I walked in while Danielle and Bob were playing Danielle’s original “Glimmer of Gold.” There were plenty of Danielle Miraglia originals in the evening’s performance; as you might expect, that pleased me.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Next up, the duo dove into a pair of Bob Dylan tunes. First, a nifty, bluesy performance of “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You.” Then, a little more slappy (hey, it’s an acoustic guitar thing) and a bit livelier tempoed performance – one that also featured that trademark Danielle Miraglia vocal smirk – of “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.” And, while Bob’s guitarwork was rarely conspicuous and his flourishes never out of place, this song included the ideal spot for a well-placed Enik guitar-pickin’ run.

A nifty spin through “Cry” (from Nothing Romantic) was a thumping offering well-suited for this duo format; it was followed by a soulful, wailing, laid-back cover of the Rolling Stones’ “You Got the Silver.”

Next up was the rhythmic, stompin’ “Stagger Lee.” It’s a great song for two guitars, allowing Bob to noodle a little while Danielle powered ahead, followed by the perky, amusing “You Can Love Yourself,” the Keb Mo tune that appeared on Danielle’s Bright Shining Stars record.

The tone changed a little with full-on funky rhythmic fave “Monster,” a song that’s sooooo cool, even if it is a little painfully too topical at the moment. The first set closed with “Home,” an absolute crowd pleaser that the audience always soaks in.

After a short break, the duo returned with a mishmashed combo of Prince’s “When You Were Mine” and the Stones’ “Shattered,” flowing back and forth between the two songs a couple of times, because of course leave it to Danielle Miraglia to find the proper interplay between two of her favorite artists.

“C.C. Rider” was a strong next choice, followed by a rendition of “All My Heroes Are Ghosts” that featured a slow, soulful lead-in, and a really slowed-down, achingly bluesy version of “Drive” that showed off Danielle’s vox.

A rollicking rendition of Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog” followed before Danielle and Bob closed with Prince’s “Kiss,” serving up a dynamic cover, with notably cool flourishes from Enik’s guitar, as the duo kept the song funkin’ all the way ’til the end.

 

EP Review: Frank Viele – The Silo EP

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image courtesy of Frank Viele

EP Review of Frank Viele: The Silo EP

Oh, my, that rich, gravelly voice! Frank Viele‘s ability to deliver a song earnestly and heartfelt-edly is a unique gift. A honed craft, sure. But a gift to the rest of us. His talent and dedication haven’t gone unnoticed, as he’s racked up numerous honors, including a plethora of New England Music Awards, including Artist of the Year in 2023, something you may have read about here at the Blog.

The Silo EP is Viele’s most recent long-form recording, containing a quintet of songs, each revealing a unique variation of his rich, warm, welcoming singing, songwriting, and performance style.

photo courtesy of Frank Viele

So if it’s such a welcoming style, then why does the first song on the EP sport such an ominous, foreboding opening? OK, I can’t explain that, but you’ve gotta admit, it’s really effective; the EP-opening title track “Silo” gets your attention quickly and pulls you in. The music is like something straight out of an old Italian Western, while Viele’s steady voice with the occasional hint of gravel absolutely holds your attention.

The mood lightens quickly; “We Can’t Have It All” starts with an upbeat strum. This song is very stylistically akin to a richly-instrumented folk number, as Viele’s expressive, seemingly knowing delivery serves up the its message matter-of-factly. And that twangy guitar line that wafts through the verses? It’s not a hook exactly, but it adds richness and vibrance to the song, adding a sense of intentional direction, as well.

“Better Late Than Too Soon” is lightly instrumented and a bit lower tempo than “We Can’t Have It All.” There’s something about the arrangement and Viele’s delivery that brings to mind that this is what Bruce Springsteen might sound like if he went so fully acoustic on such a heartfelt song. At least, it’s reminiscent of that. The earnestness, the grainy emotional edge to the vocals, and the real-life, emotionally connecting message. Whew!

photo by Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez; photo courtesy of Skye Media

But don’t expend all of your “whew!” just yet. If possible, Viele dials it up a notch on “She Sleeps Better in the Rain,” with light instrumentation again offering the opportunity to underscore the gravity of his vocals, as well as providing an easy canvas upon which even modest increases in the fullness and volume of the instrumentation can add additional weight to the song’s tone and message. Very cool!

Finally, Viele closes the EP with the disc’s only non-original, digging deep to find enough heartfelt vocal gravelliness to do justice to a song originated by one of my favorite old-school rockers, and not just because of my allegiance to the mitten state. Viele’s performance of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” is guided on a lightly strummed guitar and a more hushed vocal delivery. This acoustic performance of “Against the Wind” sometimes gives me chills, it’s so cool.

Though it’s a short five songs, Frank Viele’s The Silo EP feels like an exceptional, top-shelf record. It’s an album – er, EP – that carries gravitas, a collection that conveys its weightiness to its recording artist. First-time listeners will not be at all surprised that this singer-songwriter has won awards; the question they’ll ask is why Frank Viele isn’t even more widely known. I know Frank’s working on it. In the meantime, he’s served up some damn fine music for those of us “in the know” to enjoy.

Single Review: Dwayne Haggins & John Galle – “Crazy (Live from the Gold Hill Store 2025)”

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photo by Dustin Martin; cover image courtesy of Dwayne Haggins

Single Review of Dwayne Haggins & John Galle: “Crazy (Live from the Gold Hill Store 2025)”

This Patsy Cline hit, penned by Willie Nelson, as Dwayne Haggins points out in the song’s intro, is a classic. This rendition, recording more than 60 years after the Cline’s 1962 release, most absolutely does it justice.

Stylistically, the pair put their own spin on the tune while remaining true to it in spirit. John Galle‘s fiddling is light and playful, while Haggins’ voice covers plenty of real estate. A versatile local Americana favorite here in the northeast, Haggins takes a light touch to the vocals, playfully dancing about the melody, hitting an impressive high note or two, and honoring the song’s spirit throughout. For fans of the genre – or fans of Patsy’s version of this classic – this is a rendition you’re likely to welcome into your collections and into your homes.

The location where this song was recorded, the Gold Hill Store is a venue in Boulder, Colorado. Haggins, meanwhile, tours widely throughout the northeast and sometimes, obviously, beyond. The “Shows” page of his website lists a plethora of upcoming shows across New England and New York, plus a few dates much farther west, including September 11 and 12 appearances at the Gold Hill Store in Boulder where this single was recording. Meanwhile, you can remain abreast of what Galle is up to by following his Instagram account.

EP Review: Stonetrip – The Fight

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photo courtesy of BJF PR

EP Review of Stonetrip: The Fight

If you dig filthy-catchy, hard-driving, bluesy melodic hard rock, Stonetrip is the new favorite band you’ve been looking for. With shades of Aerosmith woven throughout the band’s sound – but also some bluesy hard rock bands like Tora Tora and the tuneful hitwriting skills of the likes of Firehouse in the mix, as well – Stonetrip delivers a big, bold, warmly inviting style of blues-based melodic hard rock that’s certain to draw fans from a broad swath of the rock ‘n roll spectrum. Seriously, if you don’t know about these guys yet, y’all don’t know what you’re missing!

In fact, this is a callout to my old, classic hard-rocking friends – loosen your grip on those old Tesla, BulletBoys, Extreme, Warrant, Aerosmith, and Slaughter albums and update and expand your playlists. I mean, I’m not saying you should be embarrassed about being old; I’m saying you should be embarrassed about being boring and predictable. If you read the blog, you’re probably already discovering some great new music even if your favorite rock ‘n roll neighborhood hasn’t changed in decades, but if not, hey, start with these guys. I’m tellin’ ya, fresh, energetic, original music in the style you love, from a band that would have been selling out arenas in the day (and will hopefully catch lightning in a bottle anyway regardless of the year), with an original style that you’ll instantly recognize as Stonetrip once you get to know ’em. Oh, and for young fans of good, classic hard rock – check it out! This is an awesome band your dad probably hasn’t heard yet (but he should!). OK, enough of my “there’s great new music out there you should listen to, too, you stubborn old people!” rant. Let’s get to the review.

image courtesy of BJF PR

The Review

The Fight kicks off with the EP’s title track, “The Fight,” a straightforward, big-sound, shredding, pounding hard rocker that comes at you just a little off-kilter. It’s actually a powerful mid-tempo rocker with relatable but deep lyrics worth rocking out to. Harmonies, hooks, power chords, energetic but controlled guitar solo… helluva way to kick of the record! By the end of the first listen, you’ll be singing along with the line “it won’t be tonight.” Quite probably not just the lead vocal line but also the echo background line, “won’t be tonight.”

“Beautiful You,” next, has an almost late ’80s Bad Company-ish lead-in before opening up into a big, wide-sounding guitar riff-driven song. It leans as heavily on the tuneful, emotive, and powerful vocals as it does on the churning guitar builds that lead to the chorus. This one’ll have you air-guitaring and air-drumming from time to time. It’s as catchy as the title track.

It’s followed by the hooky, sidewinding rocker “Fame,” the song that introduced me to Stonetrip and that I reviewed last year here at the Blog. It still grabs me as hard as the moment I first heard it more than a year ago.

“Postcards,” next, opens with the kind of filthy bluesy guitar riff you might expect from a George Thorogood number, but the song then opens up a bit, its big, bright sound being more akin to something you might expect from a band like Tora Tora.

The EP closes with “My Angel (Radio Edit),” a classic, guitar-laden, soaring power ballad, replete with gravelly, emotional vocals, a completely slow-danceable rhythm, and a last near-minute that’s nothing but a wailing, howling guitar riff and the strained vocals of “you’re my angel” a few times, as the song sways and fades to its close. It’s a melodic hard rock ballad of the very best kind, a shortened, 3 1/2-minute, radio-friendly version of the rock club-friendly 5-minute version that included an additional 1 1/2 minutes of howling, wailing, and rockin’-slow-song shredding when it appeared on the band’s self-titled EP in 2021.

And that’s it. Five short songs, all of which will end up on your “personal favorites” playlist. Well, on mine, anyway, which is really what’s most important to me. But honestly, there are links throughout this review. Go listen to the band’s songs and discover them for yourself!

Album Review: Wayward Vine – The Fall

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photo by Diana Levine Photography; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Album Review of Wayward Vine: The Fall

Wayward Vine‘s music covers a fair amount of musical real estate near the intersection of Americana, folk, and pop. In some eras, it would be considered radio-friendly. Today, it may be more accurate to describe it as festival crowd-friendly, in that the band’s music is likely to appeal to fans of a relatively broad swath of bands at a multi-genre festival. Wayward Vine’s songs have pleasant melodies and harmonies, appealing vocals, and detailed songwriting. Add to that a recording effort that paid serious attention to the details to obtain a crisp, clean sound without losing the songs’ energy or the artist’s vibrance, and you have The Fall, a record that’s an enjoyable, easy listen, whether alone or with a group of music fans whose tastes diverge a bit.

image courtesy of Knyvet

Wayward Vine is led by primary songwriters and co-vocalists Valerie Rachel (vocals, violin, keys, Hammond, tambourine) and Greg Lawrence (vocals, guitar, percussion, harmonica), joined by Yoni Gordon (electric guitar), Jose Downes (bass), and Jim St. Pierre (drums and percussion).

Wayward Vine kicks off The Fall with the album’s title track. “The Fall” is a soft piano-driven number that paints a picture, but of course, when you have a violin on board and a variety of talented instrumentalists, the sound is rich and variety. Just driven by the piano.

Therein, by the way, lies the difficulty in describing Wayward Vine’s music. It’s song-driven. Certainly, they fit just fine in the Americana setting in which I first heard them. The musical style could also be richly instrumented folk music – meaning what folk musicians music sounds like when they’re not averse to rich instrumentation in a studio.

photo by Diana Levine Photography; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Then there are songs like second track “Hannah,” particularly the opening, which is really more pop with a hint of rock before settling into a fully instrumented, well-produced singer-songwriter song vibe (with rich background vocals). In the end, multi-influence-driven categorization attempts aside, Wayward Vine simply sounds like Wayward Vine, and that’s what all bands really strive for, isn’t it?

Next up, the niftily smooth “Narcissist’s Disguise” is a pleasantly listenable storytelling tune with a moderately sneaky guitar hook and a classic soft-rock fadeout. It’s followed by single-worthy swayer “Dancing on Your Basement Floor,” the first song on the disc that leans more on Greg’s voice than Valerie’s – and not solely but as a lead with plenty of harmonizing. It’s the first time on the record that you really notice how well the pair’s voices blend together in harmony. Indeed, Valerie’s voice is core to Wayward Vine’s distinctive sound, and is what you’d want leading most songs, but having a second capable lead choice and a top-notch harmony option is another cool weapon in Wayward Vine’s arsenal. Plus, specifically on this track, it allows space for Valerie’s voice to extend the “floooooor” vocal to particularly good effect. It’s those little nuances that elevate a song like “Dancing on Your Basement Floor.”

The tempo picks up and the band delivers a jangly, guitar-driven mostly-pop song with “Implode,” with Valerie’s voice, particularly on the lines “so arrest me!” and “na na na na” ideally suited to the light, cheerful vibe.

“Just Like That” offers up a folky country music vibe and includes one of my favorite rhymes on the record: “It’s funny how life can bite you on the ass. I guess this too shall pass.” It’s not nearly the most insightful lyric in the song, as the song tries to answer the question it poses twice (“Why does it always feel like you’re only alive when you’re dying inside?”), but it’s the one that makes me chuckle.

The band doubles down on the country music vibe with the heavily-rhythmed floor-thumper “Hard Way.” Next is a journey to a fiddle-driven, mountain country (or barndance) musical place next with “History.” And then comes “End of May,” a very folky, singer-songwritery storyteller, picture-painter of a song.

Penultimate track “Turn Yourself Around” opens with notable harmonicawork before revealing its somewhat haunting musical edge and a tunefully ominous vocal strain. And the record closes with “Imperfect Beings,” a pleasantly pop-folky, piano-supported number that closes with a long, slightly psychedelic rock ‘n roll musical outro, providing The Fall with a fittingly genre-blending close.

Looking Ahead

Wayward Vine has several upcoming July and August Massachusetts performances, per this Facebook post. With the band’s ability to appeal to fans of multiple genres, they’re well-suited to their next half-dozen venues, an even split of farmers markets and beer garden/brewery events in Hyde Park, Roslindale, Canton, Jamaica Plain, and Natick.

Single Review: Triers – “Home”

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photo courtesy of BJF PR

Single Review of Triers: “Home”

Triers are an energetic, tuneful, hooky alt-rock outfit comprised of Nick Taylor (vocals, guitar), CJ Loveitt (guitar), Alex Bachene (drums), and CJ Allen (bass, keys, backing vocals).

image courtesy of BJF PR

The band’s latest single, “Home,” is a full-tilt anthemic romp, a song whose chorus will have you singing along if you aren’t out of breath from jumping up and down during the verses. The nifty little “this is heart and soul” dip before diving headfirst into the chorus. The “we’re out of touch, we’re out of time” nod to Hall & Oates from days gone by that’s perfectly well-placed. It’s an alt-pop rock song with a punk attitude, but it doesn’t fit into a pop-punk label. As a whole, it’s an exceptionally well-written song that’s performed tightly with subtle nuances that should appeal to song-driven rock fans, yet at the same time it’s a fast-paced, nearly-relentless ball of energy that’ll be a favorite among those whose goal in life is to bounce energetically around a dance club (or live venue) floor.

“Home” was produced by Gavin Monaghan (Editors, The Twang, Robert Plant) at Magic Garden Studios, so the song has a little pedigree to it. Plus, I’ve long been a fan of Taylor’s songwriting, as some songs he penned with a different band more than a decade ago remain among my personal favorites to this day, so the layered coolness in “Home” comes as absolutely no surprise.

photo courtesy of BJF PR

As for the song’s meaning, Taylor explains, “‘Home’ isn’t about a place. It’s about chasing your dream, getting told you’re not good enough, and finding your sense of belonging in spite of that. The lyric ‘put me back on the shelf’ came from how it feels to be part of an industry that celebrates you one minute and forgets you the next. But we’re still here, and this song is our way of saying that’s where we belong — in the noise.”

In my opinion, sleep on Triers (pronounced “Tree-ers”) at your own peril. Or, and this is my recommendation, jump on board and enjoy the ride. Start with “Home”; if you’re a fan of virtually any flavor of rock ‘n roll, you’re really gonna enjoy this song!

Live Review: Straight No Chaser at the Stadium Theatre

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photo by Luca DePalo

by Luca DePalo, Contributing Blogger

Straight No Chaser

Stadium Theatre, Woonsocket, RI

June 19, 2026

With summer officially underway, it is the perfect season to start going out to see some outdoor concerts at a nearby amphitheater or stadium. But on a humid Friday night at the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, I – and a sold-out crowd – decided to go check out the legendary a cappella group Straight No Chaser as they embark on their “Beach Bash” summer tour.

photo by Luca DePalo

Straight No Chaser (also known as SNC) is a professional American a cappella group formed in 1996 in Bloomington, Indiana. The group’s name was inspired by composer Thelonious Monk’s 1967 record Straight, No Chaser. Although the band has been best known for its iconic covers of songs like “Mary, Did You Know,” “The 12 Days of Christmas,” and “O Holy Night,” they have recorded many successful originals like “The Christmas Can-Can,” “Text Me Merry Christmas,” and “To Christmas (The Drinking Song).”

photo by Luca DePalo

After many lineup changes over the years, the band is currently led by original members Jerome Collins and Walter Chase as tenors and Steve Morgan as a baritone. Other members include Luke Bob Robinson as the group’s bass vocalist, Mike Luginbill as a tenor, Seggie Isho as baritone, Tyler Trepp as a tenor and vocal percussionist, Jasper Smith as a tenor and baritone, and the incredible Freedom Young as a vocal percussionist and a baritone.

Coming into this show was very different from the other artists I have seen live over time. I made sure to come in with no expectations. I had never heard of their covers and had never listened to an original song by them. I didn’t even look at their setlist, which I always do! All the info I had been given was from a family member who had mentioned how they put on a humorous, energetic, and fun concert. And oh man, I was blown away! Throughout the energetic evening, the band covered a variety of songs from the ’60s to now, including a large variety of genres, with one of them being my personal favorite genre, “Yacht Rock.”

photo by Luca DePalo

Just to show how unique the show was, the group opened with a mashup of the famed Eurythmics song “Sweet Dreams” with a song that brought me back a decade earlier, “HandClap” by Fitz and The Tantrums. They truly pleased everybody with their first set. A couple of newer songs were sung, such as “Shut Up and Dance,” “Cake By the Ocean,” and the recent Bruno Mars song “I Just Might,” and then famed hits like “Jessie’s Girl,” “Sailing,” “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” and the comedic “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

After a quick intermission, the group came back in fire! With the feeling of a summer breeze throughout the venue, the band threw out dozens of beach balls and encouraged the audience to rise up from their seats. A few of the many songs included “Lido Shuffle,” “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” and even “No Diggity.”

photo by Luca DePalo

But what shocked me most from the show was what occurred during the encore. With the stage lights lowered and the crowd chanting “One more song,” the group came back with a shocking surprise. Walking to the middle of the stage, the band lined up side-by-side, lowering their microphones, and placing them down on the stage. As the crowd’s noise began to drop, the group kicked into an emotional version of “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley. It’s very rare to go see a band end off with an emotional song, so I didn’t know how to feel about it, but that all changed once I heard the line “I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone.”

I don’t think I will ever forget attending this show. It is my mission to see them again sometime soon. If they end up coming near you, I highly recommend it. Because on that Saturday evening, Straight No Chaser proved to a sold-out crowd that music doesn’t need crazy overproduction or instrumentation; it just needs pure harmonies to refresh ears.

Single Review: Chris Bones – “Look in My Eyes”

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image courtesy of Chris Bones

Single Review of Chris Bones: “Look in My Eyes”

Twisted Rose lead axeman Chris Bones takes a little solo spin with single “Look in My Eyes.” The opening notes recall the heyday of melodic hard rock ballads. You’ll think Poison, Warrant, and similar bands. The song title will recall Firehouse’s “When I Look Into Your Eyes,” though “Look in My Eyes” is acoustic versus the rich production of the Firehouse number.

Guitarist Bones showcases a raw, powerful voice, with a edge that’s suitably anguished for this sort of ballad. I mean, Caro‘s voice is the vocal heart of Twisted Rose, but Chris has some serious vocal chops, too. The lyrics, too, are as dramatic as many of the best ’80s/’90s ballads – “Standing here, I still can’t believe it’s true. My thoughts flying high, without you I would die.” And, of course, like any kickass power ballad, there are stretches that’ll make the hair on your neck stand on end.

In any case, if this is your genre, this song belongs in your collection, something new to sit alongside favorites like Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Warrant’s “Sometimes She Cries,” or Kix’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”

Single Review: Tyler Quantrill – “Awaken”

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image courtesy of Tyler Quantrill

Single Review of Tyler Quantrill: “Awaken”

Second City Sin frontman Tyler Quantrill dropped the single “Awaken” last year on the one-year anniversary of the release of his debut album, A Transmission of Hope, from which the single was drawn.

The song itself features a heavy, doom-inspiring guitar line highlighted by staticky distortion. The echoey nature of the steadily plodding vocals at to the song’s ominousness. I know it sounds a little depressively overwhelming, but it coalesces as a catchy, almost anthemic heavy rock song. And there’s a cool instrumental bridge that’s kicked off by a guitar run worth paying attention to, providing some variety while fitting well within the song’s predominant soundscape.

It’s a song that’ll appeal to most fans of heavier rock music. It’s also something that would likely cause some serious buzz at a live performance. Anyway, if this style is within your range of musical fandom, “Awaken” is absolutely a song worth hearing!