Author: Shannon Shumaker

Review by Shannon Shumaker Twiceyoung’s new EP Prefer You is beautiful – that’s the best word to describe it. The airy vocals coupled with gorgeous synth parts and hypnotizing drum beats easily transport the listener to a different world. Prefer You is relaxing and surreal, and though it’s only six tracks long, it’s an adventure. The first track on the album, “Uncover,” starts off slow, then blooms with the large chorus before shrinking back down into mellow verses and a haunting bridge. This song swells and each chorus is like taking a deep breath. Every little move that Twiceyoung makes…

Review by Shannon Shumaker It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when listening to Gruff Rhys’ new album, American Interior. The entirety of the record is incredibly upbeat and catchy, and on top of that, the different musical stylings throughout each track manage to keep the album interesting and unique – no two songs on American Interior sound the same. In some tracks, the vocals are most prominent, (such as the album’s title track and “Walk Into The Wilderness”) in other tracks, the synth parts are especially catchy, and then in others, the song is carried by strong bass lines…

Review by Shannon Shumaker The worst mistake a fan can make when listening to a band’s new material after a lineup change is to compare it to their old work and expect it to sound the same. If you go into Major League’s new record, There’s Nothing Wrong With Me expecting it to sound like a rehashed version of 2012’s Hard Feelings or any of their old material, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you listen to this album expecting it to be an incredibly heartfelt, lyrically driven pop-punk record by a band that is absolutely comfortable with their sound, then…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Night Lights’ new EP, Here We Come caught me by surprise. The first track on the five song EP, “Hit The Water,” starts off with a slow, mellow guitar part and soft vocals, and within a few seconds I think that I have the band pegged. That is, however, until the dancy, poppy chorus comes in and shakes things up. Night Lights manage to jump from mellow, toned down verses into catchy, upbeat choruses in the first track with ease. They don’t play it safe, and that’s easily one of the coolest things about Here We…

Fans of NBC’s The Voice will likely recognize powerhouse singer Kat Perkins from last season’s Team Adam. Perkins dominated with songs such as Heart’s “Barracuda,” Sia’s “Chandelier,” and even Frozen’s “Let It Go,” and now, fresh off of The Voice, the inspirational singer is paving a path of her own. Having just released a touching video for her heartfelt single, “Fearless,” we decided to have a chat with Kat Perkins about her journey on The Voice, her new album, and her goals as an artist. You can check out the video for “Fearless” below! Interview by Shannon Shumaker How did you first get started in music?…

Review by Shannon Shumaker It’s hard to decide what the best thing about Cut Teeth’s newest album Night Years is. The intricate guitar work on this album is absolutely amazing, the rhythm section is flawless and the vocals are just the perfect mix of rough and clean. The guitar tone that Cut Teeth have found is absolutely gorgeous, and the overall guitar work is flawless and sweeping throughout all of Night Years. In fact, it might be a sin to just choose one great thing about this album. Each track on Night Years is strong in its own way. The…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Man Overboard have once again managed to release some amazingly fresh, heartfelt tracks with their newest EP, Passing Ends. It seems that, with every new release, Man Overboard’s sound seems to evolve and change, and these five tracks are no exception. While four out of the five songs on Passing Ends are acoustic (which was an interesting, but not poor choice on the band’s part) they manage to sound fuller and more matured with this release, branching away from their most recent LP, Heart Attack. The acoustic first track on the EP, “Twenty Years” sounds more…

It’s impossible to be in a bad mood at a Vacationer show, and vocalist Kenny Vasoli’s positive and upbeat attitude towards life definitely has a lot to do with it. We got the chance to sit down with Vasoli before Vacationer’s nearly sold out headlining show at The Marquis Theatre in Denver recently, and the good vibes and happiness were absolutely infectious. Check out the interview as well as Vacationer’s new music video “Go Anywhere” below! Interview and photos by Shannon Shumaker I know it’s only been a couple of days, but how has tour been so far? The last…

Interview & photos by Shannon Shumaker How has tour been so far? Since you’re currently touring with label mates, is it different than other tours you’ve been on? Yes and no. Yes because this is the first time we’ve done a tour with everyone on Pure Noise – though we’ve toured with other Pure Noise bands before. What makes it different is that we’ve known everybody before this tour. It makes for a lot of fun. It’s been pretty insane. I think I’m losing my voice mostly because of laughing. I kind of said this in an interview the other…

Review by Shannon Shumaker Guerrilla Monsoon have managed to create a very well-rounded record with their new album, Big City Plans. The first thing that stands out about the first song on the album, “Flock” is the strong lead guitar part, the second is the unique bass lines and the third are the gorgeous harmonies in the vocals. The great thing about this record is that not one instrument or member outshines the other – they’re all strong in their own aspect and all compliment each other well. The spot-on harmonies and multiple vocal parts really add a new level…