The Candle Bombs make their debut with “Candyland” single

What the world needs more of is a return to that good ‘ol rock-and-roll sound. Multi-instrumentalist Brian Davis lives and breathes this ethos, heading up several hot projects out of San Diego, including a Zeppelin tribute band, Zeptune, in which he not only nails the vocals, but Robert Plant‘s all-around aura! Zeptune is always a […]

The Meringues drops salivatory second album ‘Pavlova’s Dog’

Power pop-meets-post punk band The Meringues have officially dropped their salivatory second album, Pavlova’s Dog. Consisting of Amanda Pants and Ted Evans at the core, the eccentric Canadian duo layer raspy, pelting vocals over pop-friendly riffs and melodies provided by Jackson Baird on bass and Alastair Morrison on drums — a contrast vast, complex, yet […]

How dark & dreary! Cruel World returns to Pasadena May of 2025

Goldenvoice is going gothic yet again, with another installment announced for what has come to be the annual mecca of the morose and misunderstood — Cruel World Festival. Now in its fourth year, Cruel World in Pasadena, California has welcomed post-punk and New Wave legends to the stage such as Iggy Pop, Siouxsie Sioux, Morrissey, […]

The Slashes says goodbye to close a friend in “Limo Tint”

The genre of darkwave capitalizes on feelings of emptiness, apathy, and futility to sell records… but that only scratches the surface. Sure, the guitar most often pierces a post punk song layered with a hefty amount of reverb, guiding the listener through somber sounds and monotone vocals until the very end. But there are also […]

San Diego’s The Slashes release dark cover of “Nowhere Girl”

When San Diego trio The Slashes set their sights on “Nowhere Girl” by B Movie, they embarked on a mesmerizing musical journey that skillfully traversed the post-punk landscape, melding the nostalgic echoes of the past with their distinctive contemporary flair. At the helm of this sonic exploration is Esteban Rene, whose vocals carry a raw […]

The Church releases first ever concept album

Australian psych-guitar masters, The Church is released their epic 26th album on February 24th. The Church has risen to the occasion to expand their highly acclaimed and blended post-punk, and psychedelic music vibes, it is unbelievable. Their expansive music career generated a sequence of hit songs including “Under the Milky Way,” “Reptile,” “The Unguarded Moment” and “Almost With You,” amongst […]

Spellbound over Cruel World 2023 lineup

Woe to those that can’t attend the return of Cruel World! What some thought to have been a one-off from Goldenvoice just announced its sophomore lineup — and one that would make the inaugural year cry. If you missed it, the sad and ambivalent, the modern, yet indifferent descended upon the expansive grounds of the […]

Nashville spent the weekend smiling

This past Saturday night, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville hosted music legends Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner as their latest band, The Smile rolled into town. The side project is the latest in a long list of projects for Yorke and Greenwood of Radiohead fame. After many years as a photojournalist, I could […]

We Were Promised Jetpacks brings thunder and lightning to Baltimore

We were promised jetpacks… and also vibes. That is definitely what we received at the Baltimore show. The indie rock band, We Were Promised Jetpacks hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, where Adam, Darren, and Sean grew up together, forming a band in their high school years. Rocking out since the 00s, We Were Promised Jetpacks has […]

80s night in Anaheim, with The Motels & more

On July 1st, the 80s flashed back in Anaheim at the House of Blues. The Motels headlined with night with support from Gene Loves Jezebel, Bow Wow Wow, When in Rome and The Untouchables. The Untouchables hit the stage first, getting everyone warmed up with favorites like “I Spy (For The FBI)”, “Free Yourself” and “Wild […]

Cruel World 2022

Oh, what a wonderful Cruel World it was! Presented by Goldenvoice, this nostalgic New Wave fest graced Pasadena’s Rose Bowl on Saturday, May 14th (with the same lineup repeating the next day). Arriving midday, Christian Death was already rocking the side stage, while Sextile was crushing the main Outsiders Stage. Despite the heat, people were […]

Goodbye, Cruel World 2022

As a next generation New Wave kid, when Goldenvoice announced a brand new festival for late Spring of 2020, my little black heart was overjoyed. Morrissey, Bauhaus, Echo & The Bunnymen — need I say more?! Cruel World was going to envelop my entire Spotify and Pandora streaming life, all into one day. And, then, […]