You may or may not recall the stellar debut from this band.  It is called Runaway and made quite an impression on me when it was released back in 2023.   Throughout the album there was just a little bit of grittiness and unpolished edge showing through that made it even better…in my opinion anyway.  That touch of roughness happens on a lot of opening releases of course but it is not always a good thing and it does not always add positive energy to the songs…but it worked really well on Runaway.  A good example to check out there is “Take a Number.”

On this new single release that original edge is gone but hey, that happens also and is not a drawback here.  The band is in fine form on this song and have evolved their sound away from mainline pop punk toward a more rock vibe.  Opening on a blistering and heavy rhythm section that quickly drops off for some vocals from Tess Stevens, the track climbs to some anthemic heights.  The lyrics are pointed and relevant to our modern day online craziness.  As Stevens remarked in the Earshot Media press release for this single: “The song is about rejecting the stupidity we see online, unplugging ourselves from the things that cause us self doubt. It’s about telling the world to ‘take you alive’ as you truly are.” On the way out at the end you can hear some nice guitar work before Tess bids us all ‘bye.

Video to check out here: 

If you go out and give “Take Me Alive” a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

That local community that surrounds you is awesome – remember to support them!