Clans - Ode To Nothing

1. Who is he?

He is Niko Monjarez a one-man band and music producer who hails from Detroit, Michigan, but fights out of Los Angeles, California. He makes music primarily under the moniker Clans but you'll see some of his stuff under other names like Street Jobs and Marathon. Ode To Nothing came from his second E.P. L.A. Royalty (July, 2018).

2. What kind of song is it?

Clans describes himself as indie punk rock but Ode To Nothing has one regular rock riff that opens this gem and then continues doing all the heavy lifting throwing in some pop breakdowns to keep it interesting. Ode To Nothing is an attack on his own ego and being a fake ass bitch and that carries a bit of righteous anger amidst the self-contempt. 

3. Who do Clans sound like?

Portugal. The Man, PARTYBABY, and Winnetka Bowling League.

4. Which bands have influenced Clans?

Mention has been made in passing to Owl City, Passion Pit, and Rival Sons.

5. What have people said about Ode To Nothing?

"This is the most underrated artist I have ever come across" - Reddit.

"Fucking awesome" - Reddit.

"Yeah this is brilliant"- YouTube Comments.

6. Anything else?

Clans zenith is the magnum opus Glendale. Have patience it builds slowly. The video is a low-key masterpiece.

The Chisel - Cry Your Eyes Out

 

1. Who are they?

The Chisel are are one of the finest punk rock bands to ever come out of London, England. Born out of fire and ash in 2020 and with two long players to their roll of honour, Cry Your Eyes Out has two versions, an early 2021 one, and the May, 2023, one from their second album What A Fucking Nightmare (Feb, 2024).

2. What have they got?

The sound of furious punk from the streets and the only thing that matters to me since I put a needle down on Motown Junk in 1991. Cry Your Eyes Out bursts out of the traps like a steroid and cocaine soaked Conor McGregor in a fight ready to to punch a local drunk for disrespecting the pish he calls whiskey or break his own leg in the ring and then call you and ya ma a pussy. It also doesn't spare the rod having a harsh word for anyone who gets handsy with their missus and that's God's work right there. It's Oi but it's melodic and with an earworm of a gang vocal chorus. Done and dusted in two minutes and leaves you wanting more. It's the song I hum when I wake up every morning looking for my jocks and socks and regretting my life choices.

3. Who do The Chisel sound like?

Chubby and The Gang for sure, Cock Sparrer, Booze & Glory (maybe), even a bit of hardcore like Big Cheese or Conservative Military Image if you're feeling it.

4. Who have influenced The Chisel?

The Angelic Upstarts, The Ramones and The Exploited for starters.

5. What have other people said?

"An even catchier version of their already appealing sound, without losing any of their gritty aggression"- Brooklyn Vegan.

"The bands whole sound remains fast, direct, and catchy" - Stereogum. 

"Shards of glorious melody amidst all the the broken glass" - Kerrang.

"Sitting there with your head in your hands,

And you wonder where it went wrong,

After all the shit you put her through,

You wonder why she's gone?"

Cagework - Eileen

  

1.  Who are they? 

An indie rock/punk rock three piece from Brixton, London. Playing since 2018, Eileen (2019) is a single from their debut E.P. Cagework (July, 2019).

2. What have they got?

A quaintly snide rollicking and rolling sing-a-long indie crowd pleaser with a little bass note rest and rousingly noisy and shouty choruses.

3. Who do Cagework sound like?

Some say Pavement. Blur? Sports Team? I don't know.

4. Which bands have influenced Cagework?

Some of their influences are Husker Du, Modest Mouse, and Pavement.

5. What have the press said?

“A touch of melancholy seems to seep through before the guitars rise up”- Gig Wise.

“Another standout track highlighting the bands knack for a melody”- The Line Of Best Fit.

“Feels like a jovial sing-a-long”- Indie Is Not A Genre.

"And it really makes her mad"

BRONCHO - Keep It In Line

 

1. Who are they?

BRONCHO are an indie rock band that's sound wanders around the place but are themselves from Norman, Ohio. They started playing in 2010 and Keep It In Line (October, 2018) is a single from their fourth album Bad Behavior (October, 2018).

2. What kind of song is Keep It In Line? 

A low-fi melodic cruise with hints of garage rock, a wheedling line about behaving yourself and cooed over with sunny sweet vocals. Bit of an earworm. The band are a personal favorite of mine.

3. Who do BRONCHO sound like? 

They have been mentioned in the same breath as The Strokes, upbeat songs by The Cure, and Generationals. There's a bit of The Clean in there for me too like in this banger Try Me Out Sometime (2012).

4. Which bands have influenced BRONCHO?

The Beach Boys, Billy Idol and The Strokes.

5. What have the press said?

“Singalong anthems that combine punk and garage-rock”- Handing Love.

“An infectious song about practicality and accountability” – XS Noize.

“A high energy and is very danceable” – Song BPM.

"You got caught and ya gave it away,

And then I cancelled on ya"

Bony Macaroni - Piece Of Shit

 1. Who are they?

Bony Macaroni are a pop punk rock band from The Netherlands. Piece Of Shit (October, 2018) was a single released off their debut E.P. Short/Fast/Loud.

2. What kind of song is Piece Of Shit? 

Joyous, bubbling pop punk with gang vocals and clever lyrics about the fickle nature of success in a cruel business.

3. Who do Bony Macaroni sound like?

Modern Baseball, The Wonder Years, and PUP.

4. Which bands have influenced Boni Macaroni?

I suspect they like Frank Turner, PUP, Turnstile, Modern Baseball, and Green Day.

5. What have the press said?

"Sure to grab most listeners with its bouncy melody" - Dying Scene.

"Killer song-writing"- Dying Scene.

"Exuberant energy"- Dying Scene.

"I know a friend that had a friend that joined a southern hardcore band"

 

Bombay Bicycle Club - Eat, Sleep, Wake

 

1. Who are they?

Bombay Bicycle Club are a successful indie rock band from London, England. Active since 2005 Eat Sleep Wake (August, 2019) is the lead single from their fifth album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong (January, 2020).

2. What kind of song it it?

Eat, Sleep, Wake is a meditative dark guitar groove that may or may not work it's way into your consciousness.

3. Who do Bombay Bicycle Club sound like?

Bombay Bicycle Club are similar to The Maccabees, Foals, and The Wombats.

4. Which bands have influenced Bombay Bicycle Club?

The band have mentioned some love for The War On Drugs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and David Bowie.

5. What have the press said?

“Guitar driven track”- Billboard.

“Invigorating hooks and wistful attitude”- Pitchfork.

“Familiar yet distant”- KTSW.

"Eat, sleep, wake, nothing but you"

Biffy Clyro - The Modern Leper

  

1. Who are they?

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, Scotland, formed in 1995. They are popular (their eighth album A Celebration Of Endings (2020) debuted at number one in the UK album charts and sold over a million copies) and have a hard rock edge. The Modern Leper (June, 2019) is a Frightened Rabbit cover and came from an album of Frightened Rabbit covers Tiny Changes: A Celebration Of The Midnight Organ Fight (July, 2019).

2. What have they got?

It works the fuck out of the good old Pixies quiet loud dynamic. Soulful, heavy and moving.

3. Who do Biffy Clyro sound like?

Biffy Clyro are similar to Twin Atlantic, Feeder, Nothing But Thieves and of course Mastersystem.

4. Which bands have influenced Biffy Clyro?

Some of Biffy Clyro’s influences are Metallica, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and Pixies.

5. What have the press said?

“A deafening, arena-ready treatment”- Billboard.

“A dense, angst-ridden rework”- Juno Records.

“A celebration of a record”- Paste Magazine.

"And vital parts fall from his system,

And dissolve in the Scottish rain,

But vitally he doesn't miss them,

He's too fucked up to care"