Jack Kays - Get A Job

 

1. Who is Jack Kays? 

Jack Kays is some image savvy, whiny little bitch with cheap ink and wealthy parents, pretending that he's had it hard in life because he once slept in the basement. He makes mostly pop punk songs, comes from Cincinnati, has been making music since 2013, and has recorded one album. 

2. What's Get A Job all about? 

Green Day doing Good Riddance. Or Remembering Sunday, Yellowcard or The Wonder Years playing a vaguely catchy acoustic departure from their usual emo/pop punk. Get A Job is that song. It's summer playlist filler for holiday drives to rivers and lakes. Fish and chip wrapper. It does have a few good lines in it though. 

3. Which bands have influenced Jack Kays? 

I don't know. He has mentioned he had a hardon for Blink-182 as a kid, rocks a David Bowie T, and there is a bit of Against Me! about him to my ear; probably the bit where he/she cut off his/her dick. 

4. Who do Jack Kays sound like? 

honestav, Dashboard Confessional, Boxcar Racer, and Jimmy Eat World. 

5. What have people said about Jack Kays music? 

"Emotional depth shrouded in simplicity" - District Fray. 

"Blending the catharsis of punk and emo with rugged acoustic folk - All Music. 

"Emotional serenades and pop punk tinges" - Punk Rocker. 

"You say I need a job,'

Well I hate working for a guy like Bob,

Who can't get laid so he takes it out on me"

Bastille - Good Grief

1.    Who are they? 

Bastille are a popular, and commercially successful, indie electro-pop band from London, England. They have been playing together since 2010 and both of their albums have been U.K. number ones and sold more than six million worldwide. Good Grief (June'16) was the lead single from their second album Wild World (Sept'16). 

2. What kind of tune are they peddling? 

Good Grief is sweet, catchy-as-fuck, pop with backing falsetto vocals, a jaunty beat, and juxtaposed with maudlin lyrics. Hard to hate.

3. Who do Bastille sound like? 

Imagine Dragons, Two Door Cinema Club and Depeche Mode. 

4. What have the press said about Good Grief? 

“Catchy enough” – A Bit Of Pop Music.

“Bubbly tune” – AXS.

“One of the hits of the year” – DIY.

5. Which bands have influenced Bastille?

The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Simon and Garfunkel and Bat For Lashes.


6. Why should I give Good Grief a listen? 

Because you like well-crafted pop songs, choruses with more than one hook, and obvious contrasts. 


7. What are Bastille's best songs?

Good Grief and Pompeii.  


8. Any more words?

The singer Dan Smith is a big Twin Peaks fan. 

“Caught off guard by your favorite song”

The Great Communicators are an indie post-rock band from Amsterdam, Netherlands. They have been making music since 2012 and sound like Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, The Bombay Bicycle Club and Autolux. They are influenced by bands like The Mars Volta, Broken Social Scene and Blood Red Shoes. From their debut album Lucky Horse (Sept'16) came two phenomenal minutes of indie; Old Car. The song is like the title; it might not be love at first sight but you'll become slowly endeared with it until you never want to part. 

Mother Mother - Love Stuck

1.    Who are they? 

Mother Mother are a popular indie rock band from Vancouver, Canada. They have been serving up the red hot tunes since 2005. Love Stuck (Nov'16) is the second single from their sixth album No Culture (Feb'17). 

2. What's the song like?

A marching beat, a chant-along catchy chorus and upbeat bounce. Standard issue, radio friendly, indie rock.

3. Who do Mother Mother sound like?

Grouplove, WATERS and Tokyo Police Club.

4. What have the mutts in the press said about Love Stuck?

“Bright and charged” – U Music. 

“Music underpinned by the belief that love wins” – Skope Mag.

“This is so optimistic” – YouTube Comments.

 

5. Which bands have influenced Mother Mother? 

Their main influences are The Beatles and The Pixies. They have mentioned some love for The Dirty Projectors and Little Dragon. 

6. Why should I listen to Love Stuck? 

Love Stuck is innocuous indie pop. 

7. Do Mother Mother have any other good songs? 

Get Out Of The Way rocks harder and is all the better for it and so does Bit By Bit. Monkey Tree has a more expansive melancholy synth-pop groove.

8. Any more words? 

Nah. 

“I’ve got my love stuck in my thoughts, in my thoughts”

Saint Motel are a popular dreamy indie pop band from Los Angeles, California. They have been playing together since 2009 and Move (Aug'16) is the lead single from their second album saintmotelevision (Oct'16). Saint Motel sound similar to Walk The Moon, Young The Giant and Local Natives. They are influenced by bands like M83, Cage The Elephant, Animal Collective and The Kinks. Move marries 70's soul and disco elements to an indie pop song and is the kind of inspirational song you put on your jogging playlist.

“Gotta get up, I gotta get up,

Move”

SWMRS- Hannah

1.    Who are the lads?

SWMRS are are a surf/pop/punk band from Oakland, California. Drive North (Feb'16) is their third album, albeit the first two came under the name Emily's Army. Hannah (Feb'16) is an album track that got a video in October.

2. What's this Hannah like then?

Like an indulgent Ramones song on Valium, banged out on a lazy Sunday with Pro Tools. Sleepy but catchy. The lyrics hit the spot. About indulgence. 

3. Who do SWMRS sound like? 

FIDLAR, The Ramones, Wavves, The Frights and Twin Peaks. 

4. What have the press said about Hannah? 

“A slow, dreamy song” – Cryptic Rock.

“A very odd song” – Rattle Mag.

“More mellow” – Michigan Daily.

5. Which bands have influenced SWMRS?

The Ramones, The Clash, The Beach Boys, Public Enemy and Weezer are a few of their influences.


6. Why should I give Hannah a lash? 

Because the lyrics are vaguely amusing and the tune doesn't suck balls.


7. Do SWMRS have any other notable efforts?

Sure they do! Figuring It Out is top of the pops, rocks as hard as a prison rapist's hard-on and has gang vocals. Miley is punk rock done proper. Proper, proper.


8. Any more words Bozo?

Drive North was produced by FIDLAR singer Zac Carper. 

“My eyes look like diamonds, the boys all be trying,

But those boys don’t understand me”

Havana 3 am were a British/American rockabilly band with a heavy Latino influence formed by The Clash bass player Paul Simonon. They recorded two long players from 1986 - 1996. Havana 3am's first self-titled album Havana 3am (1991) was the essential album that All Music said, "has a tense pumping energy.” Reach The Rock was a minor radio hit and the best tune on the album. The initial spaghetti-Western sound settles into a lovely ska bounce before cracking into a straight rock song. It's worthy.

“One bad move leads to another”

Tom Prior - Voicemail

1.    Who’s the chappie?

Tom Prior is an indie pop rock musician from North London making tunes since 2005. He has two short players to his name. Voicemail (Dec'15) rolls off the second EP Paint The Ceiling (Dec'15).


2. What’s spinning?

Voicemail has a slacker indie rock atmosphere. A meandering tune that crackles to life with sporadic guitar riffs.


3. Who does Tom Prior sound like?

Indie Shuffle are feeling The Arctic Monkeys and BORNS.


4. What have the venerable scribes of the fourth estate said about Voicemail?

“My favorite track” – Indie Shuffle.

“Blends rock influences with electronic synths” – The Playground.

“Seems to get under your skin” – Clash Music.

5. Which bands have had a hand in Tom Prior’s sound?

Mr Prior’s main influences are The Kinks, The Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Kanye West and The Verve.

6. Why should I give Voicemail a fair crack of the whip?

Voicemail is catchy in a low-key kind of way.

7. Does Tom Prior have any more good tunes?

Take It All has a fat beat if that's what you're into.

8. Any more words? 

Nope.



Team Me were a Norwegian indie pop band from 2010 - 2015. They released two sizzling hot albums. Did We Lose Something Here ripped off the second album Blind As Night (2014) and was a stand out album track that Nordic Music Review called "a stomping anthem."

"I love to death and wait for mine"