Tag Archives: Earshot Media

Release Alert- The Dollyrots – “Attention Span”

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A man and a woman lit with a spotlight and goofing off.

Band photo by Jen Rosenstein 

I have definitely been swirling around the fringes of this band for awhile – hearing their music in various places, missing chances at a couple shows, breezing through a few articles…so aware and disconnected I guess.  I do distinctly remember hearing their Arrested Youth EP (years ago…maybe 2015?) and thinking that they had a pretty cool energy and a bit of an eclectic sound that was a mix of punk, pop and rock.  It was a band that sounded authentic to me so kind of a bummer that I did not stay up on them over the years.  

They have released a lot of music since that time and you can check their Bandcamp page to pick up a few songs or albums if you have the inclination.  I got the heads up on this new single (out March 13th on Wicked Cool Records) from Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media and really like the way it kicks off with rowdy guitars and big crashing drums.  It then jumps into the strong vocal track that is carried along on some nice bass textures.  The guitar sound and tone do a great job of giving this pop-punk song a little bit of an extra edge.  This single is an engaging track that deserves a spot in your collection.  

The band also just jumped on tour for most of March and have a slot on the Van’s Warped Tour June 13-14 (Washington DC – Festival Grounds at RFK Campus).  

Vote here to nominate this for my best of 2026 list: 

Musicians on this are: Kelly Ogden (lead vocals, bass), Luis Cabezas (guitar, vocals) and Simon Hancock (drums).

Pre-save:

https://orcd.co/dollyrotsattentionspan

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://www.dollyrots.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thedollyrots

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Song Review- The Crash Years – “Afterlife”

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Five cartoon style images of men look out toward the viewer. The men appear content.

I just received the news that this new single had dropped a few days ago and it had been a very long time since I heard anything about this band.  Long enough in fact that I had to go back and try to figure out what songs I may have listened to from them in the past.  That search took me to the 2013 album Disposition and the track “Therapy” which rang a familiar bell.  It holds up after all of this time and is worth checking out on their Bandcamp page.  My research also brought up mention of a couple EPs that I tracked down on Apple Music (2014’s Cope and 2015’s In Search of Better Places) which look to be the most recent releases from the band other than a couple of singles in the late 2010’s.  The song “Stay Dead, Stay Down” off Better Places really struck me due to its stark musical composition and lyrics.  

This new single “Afterlife” comes in mellow with a catchy melody over a heavy drum and bass giving a bit of a solemn feeling that echoes the lyrical message of loss in the first verse.  The song does not stay in that somber groove though as the chorus has an energetic message of hope and reunion.  The bridge is a soaring crescendo of vocal and guitar that crashes over into prominent but desolate keys that ride out the remainder of the track.  This is an interesting and engaging song that marks a solid comeback for The Crash Years.  

Vote here to nominate this for my best of 2026 list: 

Musicians on this are: Joel Cox (vocals, keys), Will Watkins (drums), Tyler Brantley (guitar), Clinton Reed (guitar, bass), Clayton Welborn (guitar)

Streaming link:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/thecrashyears/afterlife-2

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://www.instagram.com/thecrashyears

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Release Alert – Ryan Hamilton “The Come To Jesus Moment” 

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A man wearing a hat and denim jacket looks out toward the viewer. He is also holding a guitar that is pointed toward the camera.

If you run back in time to 2006 you can find a song called “Taking Its Toll” from Blue Roses by Smile Smile.  I am not sure how I ever came across that song but it has this wonderfully slow, melancholy kind of vibe that made an impression on me.  That band was a joint project between Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme that also released a couple other records between 2006 and 2012.  After that Hamilton went on to other endeavors including Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts.  Their album This Is The Sound is a solid 12-song set from 2019 with my favorite selection being “All Fall Down” and the title track a close second.  

This new single (just out on February 20th via Wicked Cool Records) has a short little organ intro before bumping up quickly to a pretty groovy alt-rock style that gets you toe-tapping along right away.  The vocal track is front and center with lyrics that mange to wrap some humor around a deeper theme of struggling with faith and what to do about it.  This is a nice preview also for an expected upcoming album from Hamilton.  

Vote here to nominate this for my best of 2026 list:

Streaming link:

https://orcd.co/cometojesusryanhamilton

The b/w on this is a cover of Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right” which you can check out here:

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://ryanhamiltonmusic.com/

https://ryanhamilton.bandcamp.com/

https://ryanhamiltonwcr.bandcamp.com/music

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Song  Review- Melonball  “The Static”  from the upcoming album Take Care

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Four men and one woman sit in what looks like an older style living room setting. They are looking out toward the viewer with neutral expressions.

Band photo: Manual Wieslhuber

This band traces back to 2023 for me when I heard the song “Sicker” off their debut album Breathe.  That track was full of some furious guitar work and a heavy, thundering rhythm groove.  I have not followed along in their progress as closely as I probably should have but I did get a chance to hear their 2024 EP eup•nea which has some very nice acoustic versions of five selections off that debut album.  

Although much of Melonball’s music has political overtones and foundation (which everyone can have their own opinion about of course) the solid musical arrangements of the songs and skills of the musicians are always on display.  This particular track (part of their upcoming album Take Care) is a step away from their more prominent themes as it centers specifically on personal relationships.  The song has a classic clean vocal intro with a simple backing melody that feels very exposed and unguarded.  After about forty seconds it jumps into a fast, drum heavy cycle that is like a rush of hectic adrenaline.  Oli’s vocals are as powerful as ever throughout the song and do a nice job of alternating between vulnerability and boldness.  Overall, this is a great rocker with a bit of a punky edge to it.  

Album to be released via Thousand Islands Records / Rookie Records on February 27th

Vote here to nominate this for my best of 2026 list: 

Musicians on this are: Oli (vocals), Tommy (drums), Basti (guitar, backing vocals), Jens (bass) and Vik (guitar, backing vocals)

Check this video for the song:

Pre-save the album here: 

https://bfan.link/melonball-take-care

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://www.instagram.com/melonball.punkrock/

Bandcamp page https://melonball.bandcamp.com/

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Song Review – Crimson Riot “Cross The Line”  from the upcoming album Third Time’s A Charm

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One woman and two men stand against some a wall with busy wallpaper. The woman is looking at the viewer while the men look up and off to the left and right.

Getting the email from Mike at Earshot Media about this single dropping on January 20th was one of those strange coincidental moments. I had actually been listening to Classy Punk for Trashy People (Crimson Riot’s 2019 album) a few days before it arrived.  That all came about courtesy of yet another Apple Music “chase the next suggested band” session after I had started with the great Minneapolis group Banner Pilot (jump on Collapser when you get a chance).  After a couple more turns I arrived at Classy Punk and was pretty impressed both with the unique quality of Gunn’s voice and also the straightforward direction and clarity of sound that only a talented three piece band can deliver.  I picked that album up on Bandcamp and had looped through it a few times when I got the chance to hear this new release.  

“Cross The Line” has one of those great soaring guitar beginnings that gets you pumped up right away.  It steps down just a little bit for the verse bars although the rhythm groove from a very punchy bass and choppy drum line keep much energy flowing.  The vocals are delivered with Gunn’s characteristic strength and edginess to round out a well-crafted alt-punk song. 

One more quick recommendation about this band – check out “St James Gate” (off 2020’s It Took An Apocalypse) …yes, it is another song about Guinness and related stuff but this one is quite good…have not heard the entire album yet but I will be hoping to get to it soon.  

Vote here to nominate this for my best of 2026 list: 

Musicians on this are:  Chris Reject (bass, vocals), Roxy Gunn (guitar, vocals) and Ryan J (drums)

Stream this now in your usual places and check the video: 

The full album (via Leg Lamp Records) is due to drop March 20th – Pre-order for Third Time’s A Charm now open here: 

Home

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://www.instagram.com/crimsonriotband/

https://crimsonriot.bandcamp.com/

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Album Review- SkyTigers – …Injustice For All

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One woman and three men, all casually dressed, stand in a long hallway looking out toward the viewer.

My first exposure to this band was back sometime in 2018 or 2019 when I heard “Casualty Friday” off the 2015 album Appetite for Reconstruction.  That song was highlighted by a very heavy rhythm groove that lent a bit of a doom vibe to what is already some great thrash metal sounds.  That track, and the entire album itself, has a bit more of a stripped down feel to it and lacks (for better or worse depending on your POV) some of the added chaotic refinement of their later work.  Another song (which I consider to be one of their all-time best) on Reconstruction is “Knuckleduster” and includes the fantastic lyric:

“So pardon me for choosing sides, I put the I in team, It’s amazing how jealousy can turn self- preservation into vanity.”

The upcoming album from SkyTigers …Injustice For All is set to drop February 6, 2026 (on Sound Investment Records) and I had the good fortune to preview it through Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media.  To describe this album as twenty-five minutes of unrelenting fury would be a severe understatement.   The first single “Immortelevision” is available now and you should check it out (see below) for an introduction to what this band is bringing to the table this time around.  The energy comes from all sources here with passionate vocals, driving drums, loud distorted guitars and a power-packed bass line.  The nine songs are a bit chaotic for sure but it has structure and definition also…a good balance that gives you all the power without becoming a jangled up mess (…and we know…it can happen if you are not careful…).  A couple other favorites of mine on Injustice are: “Rubble Without a Cause” (cool sonic opening moments and the guitars are just fantastic) and “Spared No Expense” (clear, prominent vocal line and very nice guitar solo included).  They also bring back “Casualty Friday” here and it is a nice redux (even though I prefer the original but I am always stuck in vintage land as we know…).  

You can stream “Immortelevison” here:

https://show.co/Fm1TEiN

And check out this cool video for the song:

Vote here to nominate this album for my best of 2026 list:

Pre-save on Spotify and pre-order the vinyl via these links:

https://show.co/uuqqnW1

https://www.soundinvestmentrecords.com/shop/p/skytigers-injustice-for-all

 Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://skytigers.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/skytigers_music

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Song Review- ghostbells – “Immortal Lovers”  from the album Catacouture

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Two people (one sitting on a cot and one standing) inside a prison cell, both of them looking toward the viewer. The person on the bed has a musical device on their lap.

Sometimes it can be very cool to step back into a musical moment from your past and re-experience a bit of those special rhythms, grooves and beats.   This new single from ghostbells has some good fresh energy to it but definitely throws back to the electronic dance sounds of the 80’s.  The first couple of times listening to this song I had a few flashbacks to some rather interesting times in Tijuana.  All of those nights were fueled by entrancing waves of bass and synthesizer played loud and accompanied by those wonderful flashing stage lights.  This track has all the heavy rhythm you could want blended well into a relentless techno framework.

This band was new to me and they have a pretty cool back story on getting to this point in their journey.  As detailed in the press release from Earshot Media: 

“ghostbells’ rise has been anything but conventional. After spending nearly two years writing, recording, and filming videos before approaching labels, the band signed to Out of Line Music in June 2025 with nearly two albums’ worth of material already completed. Just weeks later, with no released music and newly launched social media, they made their live debut at Poland’s Castle Party Festival.”

I have also recently heard that this full EP is going to be out February 5th via Out of Line Music.   You can get a pre-order for the CD here:

https://www.outoflineshop.de/ghostbells-catacouture-cd.html

And pre-save the album (which really helps!): 

https://ghostbells.lnk.to/Catacouture

The video for “Immortal Lovers” can be viewed here and is certainly quirky enough to be worth a view: 

Please let me know your opinion in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://ghostbells.bandcamp.com/music .

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Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Album Review- Mylo Bybee – Revisions 

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Four men stand in front of a cement wall.

Having had a chance to preview the first single off this album (“Time Machine”) I was excited to see the press release about this upcoming EP which is set to drop February 20th on Gold Ship Records.  I was definitely curious about what the rest of the music would sound like and was not disappointed when I gave Revisions a listen.  

Opening on “I Wish You Well” (which is also the second single and out now) the EP starts soft and slow with a gentle guitar melody.  That leads into some prominent drums which sound heavy but manage to retain a little lightness…kind of an emotional beat.  That general tone carries through the first 2:20 of the song accompanied by an airy vocal.  The bridge has a faster rhythm to it with a kick drum and bass guitar giving an impression of running out toward something.  Then the vocal comes back in and it all crashes gloriously to a rising finish.  

“Surrendered Notions” (a bouncy, energetic blast with soaring guitars later in the song that feel like they touch the sky) is followed by “Liar” (a mellow but infectious track complemented by more great guitars) and then the previously released “Time Machine.”

The fifth song “Misinformed” is a nice change of pace from the general tone of this EP.  It has a  bit of an alt-pop groove that runs along nicely for the first two and a half minutes before switching gears to a booming finish that has a bit of controlled chaos about it.  The album then finishes on “Scaredy Cat” which might seem long at 5:20 but I found it to hold together well all the way through.  Overall, the six selections on Revisions make up a memorable set of alternative rock music especially if you like it served with well-crafted sonic guitar moments.  

Musicians on this are:  Tyler Schlagenhauf (vocals, guitar), Tim Fahlen (guitar), Tony Caruso (bass) and Jason Guadalupe (drums) 

You can stream their new single “I Wish You Well” here:

https://ffm.to/iwyw26

And check the video:

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below

Interested in more info on this Artist?

https://mylobybee.bandcamp.com/

See my prior review of their “Time Machine” single here: 

Song Review –  Homebase “Nuff Said”

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Five young men, casually dressed and standing in front of a music stage, look out toward the viewer.

This group’s first single “Bold” (out in 2025) was an energetic, guitar heavy song right in the middle of the pop punk space and a solid debut.  Even though it has only been a short time since that first release this new track (set to drop on January 23rd) shows some added refinement and growth for this young band and a lot of promise for the future.  

“Nuff Said” opens on some nice, loud guitars that are soon joined by a very heavy rhythm section that booms out in front of this song all the way through.  There is such a lively pace to the music that I was a bit surprised when it finished to realize it was a little over 3:30 in length.  There is also a dual vocal here and they play well off of each other with some clever phrasing in the lyrics.  And standby for the last 45 seconds as it is quite a finish!  A really good song and we can hope for some more from Homebase in 2026 and beyond.  

Musicians on this are: Chris Ochoa (drums), Dave Caruso Josh (bass), Antonio Valentino (vocals), Arturo Cordova (guitar) and Matt Valentin (guitar) 

Pre-save this song here (yes, it helps a lot!) 

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/homebase2/nuff-said/

Please let me know your opinion also in the comment section below 🙂 

Interested in more info on this group?

https://homebase.band/

https://www.instagram.com/itshomebase

Just a few ideas if you have the time:  purchase music when you can as streaming does not pay much even times a thousand, support and get to know your local community, live well and be a good neighbor 🙂 

Release Alert! Seahaven- “Long Goodbye”

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Four men standing in a dimly lit area. They are all dresses in black.

You may remember I had written about this band and the upcoming tour to support the 15th anniversary of their Winter Forever album.  That tour kicks off January 21st in Santa Ana, CA and news just dropped about this new single.  I gave it a spin and was pleased to hear the energetic rhythm, smooth vocals and a soaring guitar solo that comes in around the 1:30 mark.  This track is a nice blend of the energy of Seahaven’s early work and the polish they added on later releases such as Halo of Hurt. 

You can catch this one on streaming in your usual places  –  easy access link below: 

https://lnk.to/seahaven

Also, if you want to get jazzed up a bit for that Winter Forever music there is a very nice acoustic version of “Understanding” offered up here by the band:  

A quick note that this tour now looks to be eighteen US dates and six over in the UK and is selling out so if interested…it might be a good idea to jump on some tickets soon.  

And keep that awesome community around you in mind always 🙂