Interview: Rome Hero Foxes

Interview & Photos By: Chapin Patel

Can you Introduce yourselves and what your role in the band is?

My name is C. J. Burton and I provide vocals and guitar.

My name is Emilio and I play bass.

My name is Michael Fox and I play lead guitar.

My name is Andrew Hagan and I play keyboards and backing vocals.

What is something you’ve learned from your album 18 Summers?

Emilio: I think for 18 Summers it taught all of us that if we want to do something different because the two records are very different sounding. I think 18 Summers, as in the gap between these two records and playing those songs live off of 18 Summers really taught me that when we want to do something drastically different we can really pull it off, you know? We just had to give the same energy that we gave to the last record for it and when we just go in on songs it feels raw and real for us.

Michael: I think 18 Summers just felt more genuine to what we are and what we’re going towards. 18 Summers is more in my wheelhouse and it’s more what I enjoy.

Andrew: I’m in the same boat, I enjoy this more than For When You’re Falling Backwards.

What is something you’ve learned from your album For When You’re Falling Backwards?

CJ: That’s a can of worms, basically just becoming more in touch with ourselves and our true intentions. Post-hardcore is just something we’ve just very delicately brushed with. We weren't always supposed to do. Emilio and I were in a band before Rome Hero Foxes in junior high, it was always fixated around an indie/pop idea and it shows on For When You’re Falling Backwards. After being through that scene and it just not working out it really pushed us to figure out what kind of band we are, how we wanted to brand ourselves, and what music we want to make and if it’s true to us because we all like different kinds of music.

Michael: For When You’re Falling Backwards felt off to me but that’s because I didn't grow up with a post hardcore background.

Andrew: I feel like I’ve heard stuff like For When You’re Falling Backwards a million times, but I was not in the band when they recorded that. So when he (CJ) asked me to join the band I was like nah, but then he showed me 18 Summers and I was like yeah that sounds really good, I love this.

CJ: From an audience perspective you look at releases and when they came out and you kind of only have that window of time to look at. 18 Summers was a bunch of material I had written that at the time I had that post-hardcore attitude that we wanted to go for at the time, I just shelved it. A lot of sat in dropbox/my computer for years. I think when we made the decision to move away from that we found ourselves in that decision to leave post-hardcore. There’s two releases that happened in between 18 Summers and that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have 18 Summers in mind, it was actually already being worked on thoroughly. I/O was a collaborative effort. When Andrew first joined the band,

Horoscope was something we did a little bit more together and I wanted to pave the way for what we were gonna do on 18 Summers and I think with those two releases it kind of showed us that this is who we are, and we are a band who is always changing and we love when people tell us that we have that effect. A lot of the bands I looked up to do that as well. Definitely the era of writing 18 Summers was a breakthrough for the band.

Where did you record 18 Summers and how did the location play into what the album became?

CJ: We recorded 18 Summers with Ben Rosett who Is the drummer of Strawberry Girls. He has this really cool studio set up in Carmel, CA which is located by the Bixby Bridge. The scenery was so relevant to what we were doing on the record. We were going for something beach and we were right by the beach, so that drew a lot of inspiration for us. We would walk outside and hear the wonderful sounds would definitely inspire us.

Michael: We also started writing four songs in Galveston We have a friend who has a beach house and we cleared out the entire upstairs and we set up there for four days and the writing began there.

Andrew: That was the first time that I heard anything from the record, they finished recording demos and asked me to write something on top of it and the first thing I wrote for was Seattle Queen. I hadn't been in the band and he asked me to join. He sent me Seattle Queen and asked me to write since I am a piano major, so I came up with some sick piano parts and really enjoyed it.

CJ: 18 Summers went through a lot. At that beach house we were working on a couple songs which included Don’t Call My Name, Seattle Queen, Be Your Side, and Lost In a Room. When we put out a record it’s something we wrote 2-3 years prior. By the time the record is being put out, we are onto the next one. After that we started writing a little bit more. The way it works is in the past I’ve been primarily the song writer and I’ll just put drums to logic and then add guitar parts, and add my song parts. Next I’ll ship it off to them and they’ll listen to it and we will meet up and try to hash it out and that’s really what makes Rome Hero what it is because everybody has their different tastes and I try to leave room for that because if it was just me doing it the music wouldn’t sound very good.

So do you guys live close by and work together on songs?

Andrew: We live close now. But I used to live in South Carolina so he would demo out some stuff and send me voice memos and I would write without having a physical format. When we did I/O together we would FaceTime and write songs together, he would send me voice memos and stuff. He would write out his parts and send me the file and then he would send me his file and then CJ would engineer them together.

CJ: On top of that, our drummer Adrian has been in Lubbock. He’s going to school at Texas Tech. Rome Hero’s timeline plays into that so we have summers, one week of winter break if we are lucky and then spring break. Emilio moved to Norway for three years (2013-2016). We did what we could and still worked together. They would fly out to record the albums. We have adapted to a rushed environment. We have so much chemistry and they can fly out and get it done.

Emilio: I moved back after graduating high school in 2016! I flew out For When You’re Falling Backwards. When we were recording that, we were already talking about the next direction and how it was going to be so different and thats how Horoscope, I/O and 18 Summers came to be.

CJ: You need to be at least six months out from recording process, you know what you’re doing and we don’t have the budget or the time to go into the studio blind without our songs being finished. That’s stress on us, thats stress on the people we work with. We talk about the material that we are working for after it. It makes for some pretty good songs. Sometimes we will write some good songs and we kind of forget about them. A lot of personal and emotional bands will happen it the band it will kind of age It like wine.

Who are some bands you would suggest us to listen to?

CJ: There’s been so many good bands on this tour. Last night we saw this band, Johnny Manchild who are very theatrical. The frontman is a keyboardist and they have a horns section and they're very cool. In New Jersey we saw a cool band called Tula Vera. They were like a psychadelic band, they’re incredible. Their front woman had an interesting voice as well. They really had it together. We get really excited when we get to play with bands who we really enjoy.

Andrew: The Kinda Collective were very good as well. We saw them in Tulsa and they are a jazz fusion band. They blew me away. The group are all in high school and way ahead of their time. They were great to watch. They were playing very formulated jazz music. I think they should be headlining festivals. They’re incredible.

What’s been your favorite moment on tour?

CJ: I’ll preface it with this, our other tours before this one have been a little hard, honestly. This one had more of a direction and an objective. Everything was more put together this time. Aside from the long drives, everyday had its own comedic just over the top moment.

Emilio: When we’re on the road, we get bored. We get tired and hungry and things get weird.

Andrew: I found these glasses at the venue and put them on and made a character out of myself. I pretended as if I had a new persona called Andre Avocado and acted as if I was this pretentious art nerd.

CJ: We like to make kind of skit comedy with ourselves. We talk about it down to what someone’s wearing, their mannerisms and what they talk like.

Emilio: It’s like we’re pretending we’re in a tv show. We have different chapters of each character. We love Eric from Heart Attack Man, they’re so funny.

CJ: New Jersey was a really good date for us. Every local band was really good and we were so impressed. As soon as we came in the owner was super nice and bought us all shots and had catering for us. It was a small town and had a booming local scene. We got there early and we were able to book a hotel and take a nap before the show which was very nice for us. We were so well rested and we played smash later that night. It was such a great day for us.

Are there any songs on 18 Summers that reference your older material?

CJ: Definitely! I’m not sure I want to spoil them, they're kind of like scattered throughout the album. The most obvious one is in the introduction of Chest Piece, I reference When We’re Older. I say cause I know that when we’re older, I’ll be stronger for your games. I find myself using those words, 18 Summers is a very reflective record. Some of the songs weren’t finished so I got to go back and reaffirm what I was trying to say with more guidance. As well as, in Seattle Queen, we reference For When You’re Falling Backwards, when I say Take a step forward, but you’re falling backwards.

Michael: I think that Don’t Call My Name sounds like a For When We’re Falling Backwards song.

What can listeners expect from you guys in 2019? Any tours coming up? New music in the works?

CJ: We get really ahead of ourselves as I said earlier. By the time 18 Summers was being recorded , we already had stuff lined up. We’ve been working towards it more. We are trying to wait for another LP because we feel as if its way too soon for that. We will probably do two releases in between both of them will be very unique.

Andrew: Basically the stuff we have for our LP doesn’t really mesh well with what we already had. We want to take what we already have and get it out there. We don’t want to have to step back. We are putting a new song in the near future.

Emilio: As far as tours go, hopefully this year we can be on the road a lot more. We don’t have anything set in stone, but want to tour more for sure.

CJ: We just got picked up by APA who are a booking agency, they book Turnover and Citizen. That’s why we did this tour, we played for them in New York and they liked it. We are going to start being submitted to bigger support slots. We are ready to kick ass and go full force.

Lightning Round:

Let’s settle it: Is Bucc-ee’s just a gas station or is it much more than than that?

Andrew: It’s a safe haven. Every time we go to Bucc-ee’s I get super excited because we don’t have that in Charleston! Every time I go in I get so excited and I love that I can buy anything from there. It’s scary but also awesome.

CJ: What a concept, it’s the most Texas thing ever, honestly.

Michael: I love Bucc-ee’s! It’s great!

Andrew: The last time we went was when we were on our way to record our new single.

CJ: We got those ghost pepper chips and we were eating them in the van and I was crying because they were so hot. It’s like a Walmart sized gas station and we love it.

Emilio: I used to have videos of myself arguing with the statue of the beaver.

What music platform do each of you prefer?

Andrew: Apple Music because I have a huge iTunes library.

Emilio, CJ, Michael: Spotify all the way!

If you could describe touring in three words, what would they be?

CJ: No fucking showers.

Emilio: Allergies, air conditioning.

Michael: Stress eating & alcohol.

Andrew: Smash, naps, smash.

To wrap up, do you have anything else to add?

CJ: RHF 2019 we are coming in hot. We are very thankful for everything great thats happened to us. We are excited and proud to finally make this brainchild-passion project into a career. Cheers!

Emilio: This is going to be one of the biggest years for us and I’m excited to make it happen.

Check out Rome Hero Foxes here!

You can check out their merchandise here as well as listen to their album here as well!

Gallery: New Politics and 311

NEW POLITICS

All photography by Angela Smith

311

Discover: 311

311, a 5 piece alternative rock band, recently released their new album, MOSAIC, which you can check out below! MOSAIC debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, which is the group's 10th consecutive Top 10 Album on the chart. 

Listed below are all their upcoming tour dates - be sure to get tickets before a city near you sells out!

Hardcastle // The Vinyl in Atlanta, Georgia // July 13, 2017

Team photographer Joanna Barronton had the chance to cover Hardcastle, an indie/alternative band from Nashville, TN. The band consists of Graham Laderman, Miles Laderman, Val Hoyt, Kaden Paulson and Noah Christian, and you can check out their music below, as well as a full gallery from their show in Georgia! 

Photography by Joanna Barronton // Edited by Makenna Magdaleno-Mague

Discover: The Marías

DEBUT EP: SUPERCLEAN VOL. 1

June 23, 2017. The Fonda Theatre. Before Bad Suns took the stage for their second sold-out headlining show in L.A., The Marías graced the stage. A few minutes before they began, I learned (through their Instagram) that this would be the biggest show that they had ever played and that today was their one-year anniversary of them being a band. Although I was able to hear their song, “I Don’t Know You,” a few times on Spotify before seeing them live, I wasn’t sure what to expect when they finally came on stage; they had only released one song when I first discovered them. Their set was fantastic; it was upbeat and fun, and Maria even sang some songs in Spanish. Her siren-like vocals were unique and raw, and I was left wanting to hear more. Their music was different from what I am used to hearing, and I was left in awe once they had finished their set. I felt that it was cut way too short, but I was ready to discover more music by them.

Once the concert was over (and once I had gotten over the sadness that set in when I realized that I wouldn’t see Bad Suns perform for a while until their next album would be released), I was determined to learn more about The Marías. I was bummed to see that they only released the one song, but I reached out to them through their website in hopes of learning more about their music and their band.

I had the opportunity to speak with the group the day after their first night of residency at the Freehand Hotel. As late of a night that they had, frontwoman Maria and drummer Josh were more than happy to talk to me about the band and their music. They were so gracious, kind, and open about their experiences, and being able to hear and learn about their writing and recording processes was enlightening and magical. Even though listeners have only been able to listen to a snippet of the incredible songwriting and musical prowess from The Marías, it is very apparent that they will be finding fame and success very quickly upon the release of their EP’s this fall.

I DON’T KNOW YOU – SINGLE REVIEW

In their debut single, Zardoya’s unique, siren-like vocals fill the song with a sexy, soulful feel as the melodies of the piece transport listeners back to the era of jazz clubs and vintage instrumentals. Zardoya’s ballad is reminiscent of some talented and amazing Latina vocalists, such as Natalia Lafourcade and Carla Morrison. The lyrics remind listeners of a lost love, of a romance that is falling flat. The moody guitar and bass riffs give the song a feeling of longing, and the drum beat is calming, yet continues the song’s tone of sensuality. If fans needed any proof that the long-awaited EP will be worth the wait, look no further than The Marías’ debut single.

MEET THE BAND

Maria Zardoya – vocals

Josh Conway -- drums

Carter Lee – bass  

Edward Friedlander – keyboard

Jesse Perlman – guitar

INTERVIEW:

What serves as your biggest inspiration when writing new music?

MARIA: We just moved into a new place a few months ago; it’s this really amazing place in the Hollywood Hills. We got really lucky; it was built in 1910, it’s like a spiritual artist commune. It’s very beautiful and peaceful. We have our studio set up in the living room and there is just like a bunch of light and nature and space. So, that’s really conducive to writing and to creating music because if we have an idea in the middle of the night, we can just get up, walk a few steps, and record it. The actual space, itself, that we’re living and working in is super conducive to writing and to creating music.

Just in terms of actual inspiration, I would say just, mainly, life. I mean, most of our songs are kind of love songs. Josh and I are in a relationship together, so you know, we write a lot about just the evolution of that. And then just, life in general. What’s going on in the world around us, in the political landscape and our frustrations with that and our social interactions really influence us. So, I would just say, you know, life in general. There’s no one particular thing to write about, but I guess that love is just the easiest to write about.

What is your writing process like?

MARIA: It kind of differs. It’s really just what happens organically with the song. So, sometimes, we’ll start super rough playing a few chords on the guitar, adding in the melody and the lyrics, and then we sit down and kind of put the driving beat and then record the demo. Sometimes it starts with the driving beat, first. Josh will just be making a beat on the computer, and then we’ll hear a melody for that and lyrics will evolve from there. Sometimes, we start with lyrics first and then it kind of evolves from that. Sometimes Josh will just be lying in bed and think of this weird drum beat in his head and we’ll just walk two steps to record it and then a melody will come shortly after. I think it just differs based on what pops up, I think. You know, the other guys in the band have also started writing with us as well and that process is a little bit different. Sometimes they’ll have a song of their own that they want to evolve into more of the group sound. So, we’ll all work on that together. I don’t think there’s a particular way to write, I think it’s just what grows organically with an idea or with a song.

Your love for Latin heritage is inspiring, especially since I am Hispanic, as well! How much thought went into performing songs in Spanish, despite the fact that listeners may not be able to fully understand the lyrics?

Spanish is my first language and, funny enough, it is Josh’s first language as well. His first word was ‘jugo’ (juice), and his nanny was from Guatemala…so, you know. Anyway, it is a big part of my culture and I grew up listening to a lot of Latin music. And, again, going back to the songwriting aspect and it being kind of organic, we start a song not saying if it will be in Spanish or English, we just kind of go with whatever comes out and since Spanish is really close to my heart, sometimes we just decide that the song will end up being in Spanish. And that’s something that is really important to me; being able to connect with people, you know, that share the same culture, because it is literally a part of who I am. In terms of people who wouldn’t necessarily understand the lyrics, I think in every song there’s an undertone of emotion or sentiment that you can still feel without necessarily understanding the words. There are even some songs in English that I’m just like “wait, what? What are they even saying?” but the sentiment is there and I feel something really deep even when I don’t really understand what they’re saying. We listen to a lot of Portuguese and French music and we don’t know what the lyrics are saying, but there is an underlying emotion that really speaks to us without directly speaking to us in our language. Just in terms of the melody and the instrumentation, you can clearly call out a good melody without necessarily understanding what the lyrics are. And, it’s always fun to maybe make up your own lyrics in your head based on what you are going through at the time.

Your first single is called “I Don’t Know You”. Why did you choose this particular song as the first single?

MARIA: It kind of happened pretty organically. I started writing the song with another friend of mine. Then I played Josh a little recording of it and he just went, “Oh, this needs to be the driving beat” and then it kind of just evolved into what it is now. We honestly didn’t rehearse it much before recording it; we recorded a rough demo in Joshua Tree and then it just kind of stopped at that. And then Chris Douridas (a DJ at KCRW) got ahold of it, just the rough demo that we had done. And without us even knowing it, he started playing it on KCRW and then a lot of people started reaching out to Chris, you know, just being like, “Hey, I heard this song on the radio, who are these guys? I can’t find them online, I can’t find any other songs, who are these people?” So he kept playing it and people kept responding positively to the song, and since no one could find anything else from us and since Chris told us how much people were enjoying the song, we ended up releasing it as our first single. It wasn’t necessarily one that we “picked” from the beginning, it just happened. We saw that people are drawn to the song, and decided to release it as our first song because of that. So, really, the listeners chose our first single.

You’ve been a band for a year, but you aren’t releasing your first EP until later this year. Why such the long wait?

MARIA: We’ve been playing together for about a year, but we’ve only been playing shows for about 6 months. For the first 6 months, we rehearsed to make sure that everything was tight, to really hone in on the sound as a group. Josh and I have been writing and recording songs for a couple of years now but it’s just kind of kept evolving and evolving and when we finally got together with the other guys, it evolved even more. We wanted to make sure that what we put out first is a true representation of who we are as a group. The natural evolution of us playing as a group and spending more item together just kind of dictates the evolution of the song. So again, we wanted to make sure that it was all a true representation of the collective group.

JOSH: The record is almost done now, and it has taken a while, but it’s definitely worth the wait. We rerecorded each song a bunch of times. It never quite felt ready yet, and to be honest, I don’t know if it will ever feel like it’s ready. It’s ready enough to say that too much time has passed and it needs to be released.

MARIA: I think that’s a big reason why we’ve chosen to do two EP’s; we have enough material for a full album, but we’re gonna do it little by little, just to make sure that every little piece is just a true representation of who we are and what we want to share.

JOSH: We’re basically recording a full-length record but are just releasing it in two pieces.

What is the song off of your EP that you are most excited to release and to have fans hear?

MARIA: They’re all so different and for each song, the message is pretty different. There’s one on the second EP called “Mink Socks”, which is very cool

JOSH: I’m very interested to see the response to it, because it’s a little different than our other stuff.

MARIA: There’s also one on the second EP that’s called “Ay Papà”, which is in Spanish. It’s about politics and what’s going on in the world right now.

JOSH: Off of the first EP, I’m excited about a song called “I Like It,” it’s a super cool new one that we recently recorded.

MARIA: I’m excited about all of them. I think if we were to release each one individually, we would want the same level of excitement for all of them. If we weren’t excited about one, it just wouldn’t go on the EP. So, yeah, we’re pretty excited about all of them.

JOSH: There have been a few that we actually aren’t too excited about so we’ve decided to just not put them on.

Do you have any all-time favorite bands or artists? Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

JOSH: Al Green, The Beatles, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Radiohead….

MARIA: Some of the female greats like Billie Holiday, Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, and in the Latin realm we really like Carla Morrison, Vanessa Zamora. There are some really great female artists out there right now, but the greats and the classics are who have really influenced us. You know, Tame Impala, The Beatles are undeniable. Mild High Club are one of our favorites from L.A., Andy South, and Tom Waze, as well.

What drives you to continue to make music?

MARIA: I think for us, if we didn’t make music, we would kind of die or go crazy.

JOSH: It’s like if asking us “what drives you the most to eat food or sleep or live”?

MARIA: I mean, there have been some spurts, for sure, where we haven’t written in a few days and something just feels off and we just consistently need to be creating music or at least working on music. If it isn’t writing or recording, then it’s just working on improving the songs that we have been working on and jamming. Even just creating stuff that will just fly away and never may come of anything helps. You know, just creating something whether or not it is shared is just really important to us.

JOSH: Our creative spurts usually happen in waves and we’ll go a week or two without writing anything and then after a couple weeks, you know, once we write one thing, a lot more is going to come from that. A few months ago, I remember almost every single night I would record new music with Maria in our house and it would be just a normal thing. Every night we would find inspiration for new music. We would be thinking “hey, let’s write something” and then we would actually find inspiration and it would be like “oh, we can make something out of this.” You know, it’s a different thing when you tell yourself “I’m gonna go write a song” and when you find yourself just writing a song.

MARIA: We also need to give ourselves time to actually experience things, experience life. If we were writing all the time, it would feel a bit contrived. So, if we give ourselves space from writing and stuff like that to experience things and then just work on the stuff that we currently have, then we can grow so much more as a band.

Do you have any closing thoughts?

MARIA: You can add Bad Suns to our favorite band. Even though we only did the one show (at the Fonda) with them, we were super lucky to be a part of that. They’re great guys and they’re doing really great things.

JOSH: I’ve been friends with Bad Suns for about 10 years and it was really nice that they hit me up to play a show with them. I told them about The Marías and how it’s a very new project and they were super supportive and open to having us play with them.

MARIA: They’re just really good people who are constantly throwing out good vibes. They really care about their fans and just care about everybody.

JOSH: And Miles [Morris] might be the best drummer that I have ever seen in my life.

MARIA: We’re bummed that the rest of the members of the band can’t be here, but we had a show last night so I think everybody got home pretty late. I think they’re sort of just recouping and whatnot. But, I would say that our thoughts are very similar to theirs. We all share a really similar vision about the group.

MARIA: Our second single, “Only in My Dreams” is coming out in a few weeks with a video, so stay tuned for that.

JOSH: The full EP should be coming out in September-ish, which we’re super excited about, too.

Even though the wait for new music from The Marías is rough, it’ll definitely be worth it. For the time being, check out their video for “I Don’t Know You”, and don’t forget to follow them on social media in order to know about their new projects!

Currently, the band is playing at the Freehand Hotel in Downtown L.A. every Thursday night in July at 7:30 PM.

https://www.themarias.us/

https://www.facebook.com/themariasmp3

https://twitter.com/themariasmp3

http://themariasmp3.tumblr.com/

https://www.instagram.com/themarias.mp3/

Discover: Chon

Chon is an experimental rock band that recently just finished touring following the release of their new album, "Homey". The album "Homey" was released on June 16th, 2017, and you can give it a listen below, as well as check out a full gallery below from their show in Austin, Texas.

Chon consists of Nathan Camarena (drums), Mario Camarena (guitar) and Erick Hansel (guitar & vocals).

Dreamers // Bottlerock 2017 Aftershow

We had the chance to cover Dreamers at their Bottlerock 2017 After Show in Napa Valley - here's a short video reacap from the show, and a full gallery below!

Dreamers at Silo's, Napa Valley // May 26th, 2017 // Bottlerock 2017

Discover: Flor

It’s been a long time coming but Flor has finally released their debut album.

come out. you’re hiding features 10 tracks including previously released singles, as well as new songs. The album also contains remastered songs to bring a new feel. Flor mixes indie rock feels with synth pop to create addictive and catchy tunes. The album has an electronic tune but the sounds of guitars and drums aren’t lost in the music. Especially the drums as they are highlighted in almost every song.

The album starts off with guarded which just sounds dreamy. It includes innocent and pure lyrics with a contrasting beat, especially in the chorus. You are hit with beating percussion, yet somehow, it blends in perfectly amongst the soft vocals. The songs all seem to follow a pattern of having more percussion focused in the chorus or bridge.

Hold On was the band's first single leading to the album release. It maintained their sound and gave fans a tease into what the album was going to be. It follows their trend of having innocent lyrics matched with strong percussion. This is personally my favorite song because of the bridge. The vocals go softer and more synth is brought in.

Ending the album is their song overbehind, which has it's own music video full of rhythmic drums progressions, pleasing scenery, and hand-drawn animations as you follow Zach Grace into different rooms. Check out the video below!

Overall, their debut album really captures what the band is right now. I can tell that they’re getting their distinct sound and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these boys.

What's New in Music: Album Reviews

Missio have just recently come off the Alt Nation Advanced Placement Tour alongside acts such as 888, Coast Modern, and Sundara Karma, and are getting ready to start their festival circuit for the summer. Austin native Missio have released their debut album, Loner, the day they start their summer tour at Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Hit up missiomusic.com to see if they play a festival near you.

The album opens really strongly with Animal, one of the songs not previously released. With such strong and different singles like Middle Fingers and Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea I had high expectations without really knowing what to expect at all. I can now say, I was impressed. Every single song has energy even if it wasn't the upbeat rock/hip-hop mix that is found in Kdv (feat. Shug). One part of the album that I truly enjoy are the somewhat angsty f*ck the world lyrics. Whether politically driven, or otherwise I find myself truly enjoying those songs. All of the tracks on the album have a darker feel to the lyrics even with upbeat energetic movement, and I feel that this juxtaposition really works for Missio. Honestly, the only downside I see to the album at this point is the ending. It kind of just stops suddenly. However, this could actually be a positive thing as it keeps you wanting more. If you're looking for an album that's different from what you'll hear on the rest of the charts, or even just an upbeat album with some powerful lyrics give Missio's Loner a spin.

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Waters released their third album, Something More! on May 19th. The followup to 2015's What's Real starts off with the lead single Hiccups which if nothing else, makes you want to keep listening. The rest of the album just kind of flows. It reminds me a lot of What's Real with just enough of a difference that you can tell the band has grown and evolved in just these last 2 years. There are some major party songs such as Molly is a Babe which has a punk sort of feel to it. The super upbeat lyrics just make you want to mosh. On the other hand there is also a ballad entitled Stand By You. Described as a tearjerker by lead singer Van Pierszalowski, Stand By You brings moral support and a sense of comfort not often found in most songs nowadays. One of the best parts of the album is the fact that it ends with Stand By You which almost motivates you to just get up and go do something productive after you finish listening knowing that someone has your back.

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A R I Z O N A (the band, not the state) have just released their debut album Gallery following the release of the single Oceans Away, A R I Z O N A has an amazing album that features just enough synth to make it exciting but not so much you feel that it is overproduced. Songs such as Electric Touch and Where I Wanna Be feature hopeful lyrics with the catchy melodies consistent across the entire album. The musical interlude Not A Single Day serves as the perfect transition into Cross My Mind which conveniently is the sixth of twelve songs on the album. This kicks off the second half of the album beautifully, and while there is no real separation between the two halves other than the musical interlude it feels like something worth noting. At the end of the day, A R I Z O N A’s Gallery is a great album that is perfect for anyone looking to support an up and coming band that is not from the place of which they are named.

Alt. Nation's Advanced Placement Tour: Show Review

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend Alt Nation’s Advanced Placement Tour in Austin, Texas.

888

http://888theband.com/

The night started off with a set from 888, who instantly made the crowd dance with their punk-filled electric sound. From their newest release “Older Now” to songs off their “Critical Mistakes” EP, 888’s entire set was full of nothing but energy and fun.

Coast Modern

http://coastmodernmusic.com/

After they performed, Coast Modern hit the stage. Instantly, they made an impression, with an odd stage set up full of plants and fog machines. Playing songs off of their yet to be released album as well as previously released singles such as “Guru” and “Pockets Full of No”, Coast Modern brought an interesting yet diverse vibe to the room. With their eclectic and psychedelic sound, Coast Modern’s upcoming album is one to watch out for.

MISSIO

http://www.missio-loner.com/

After they wrapped up their performance and the plants were cleared off the stage, it was Missio’s turn to play. As an Austin-originated band, it was a performance bursting with energy for their hometown show. Missio will be playing their hometown once again in October for ACL Festival.

Overall, the night was one for the books; all of the performers were unique in sound and in stage presence, yet all left an impression and were fun to listen to. If you are looking for new music, I would definitely recommend checking out all three of these bands, as they are for sure ones to watch.

San Cisco // The Water

If you're in need of some entrancing music and good vibes, we have the perfect thing! Australian indie pop band San Cisco just released their new album The Water, and it will keep you captivated from start to finish.

San Cisco is also hitting the road soon for tour to promote The Water, be sure to check out their tour dates below!

State Champs // Around The World and Back Tour

State Champs have been all around the United States playing awesome shows, and we had the chance to cover one! Check out our gallery from their Austin, Texas show on April 28th at Emo's Austin!

All pictures were taken by Chapin Patel and edited by Makenna Magdaleno-Mague