Catapults are coming from Oldenburg, Germany and this is their first album with Uncle M Music. Besides building their guitars from old skate decks these guys play great music. These ten songs offer more slower or mid tempo version of melodic punk rock, just made to keep you smiling on a sunny day and making your day a bit better if your life deals you bitter cards all the time. This is emotional punk rock par excellence. Guitar melodies in well written songs are just fantastic, musicianship is superb, drums and bass are just perfect and vocals are soo sweet, just making goosebumps on your skin. Add to that lyrics from the heart that you can totally relate to, you get just perfect little album which makes you happy that you listened to it and discovered another soon to be one of your favorite new bands. If I must choose some songs for being highlights for me that would be: Newfound Home, Vacancy and Open The Blinds.
Back Garden Light were already featured on the pages of this zine, but this time, they released their new full length album. Hailing from Bordeaux and being formed in 2014 these guys manage to mix melodic punk, pop punk and metalcore in their music and they do it fantastic. This record contains 13 songs. What can we find here? Well, let us start with melodies. For all of us fans and us who love and grew up on melodic side of things, this one is a keeper. Epic melodies, both in guitar work and vocals which are harsh when needed and also emotional and melodic at the same time in song parts that make your skin crawl with goosebumps and make you wish for more. I am usually not an avid fan of metalcore, I am more on hardcore punk and skatepunk side of things, but this one is a keeper sounding energetic and modern at the same time, yet retaining that old school pop punk feeling. The lyrics are personal, but I can totally relate to them in many songs. My personal favorites are: The Right Side, On My Own and Live And Learn. Great record!
Scott Sellers is one of the most prolific musicians in punk rock scene right now, delivering new music very often and it is fascinating how he manages to make every of his releases sound awesome. This time there are five songs on this e.p. What to expect here? If you didn´t hear Scott´s music yet, it is melodic skate punk with many influences from those nice epic old school melodic punk records that I grew up on in the nineties when I was a teenage kid. The melodic guitar work is nice, enough technical to appeal to kids who love their skate punk more technical and prog, yet remaining with both feet in the old school considering the songwriting. Vocals are superb, backing vocal harmonies too. Songs are mainly fast, yet there is one slower called From the Wild which is one of my favorites on this record having soo sweet melody and chorus. Back to Reality is also one of my favorites, being so uplifting and having lyrics I can really relate to in my personal life. So, if you are a fan of Scott´s work, you will love this one, if you wasn´t before, you will be now.