Tag Archives: Earshot Media

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: 

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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 🙂 

Release Alert! Ultrabomb – “Artificial Stars” off the upcoming album The Bridges That We Burn

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Three men dressed in black t-shirts (with lettering) look out at the viewer. They appear to be pretty happy.

This band has been one of my favorites since they first joined forces around 2021 and although the lineup has changed slightly since then all the music has been great.   Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü) has remained the front man throughout and seems to have a special talent for both finding skilled musicians to play with and also for pulling them from bands that I have spent a lot of time listening to over the years.  In this current version of Ultrabomb he is joined by Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion, D.I. and Adolescents) and Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum).

For me the best thing about this track is the overall tone and sound that it has – there is something just a little bit vintage and throwback about the whole thing and I find it awesome.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in the Minneapolis music scene of the 80’s and there are echoes of the energy and urgency from those days coursing through this song.  These three musicians are tight and seamless in their playing with driving drums, a punchy bass line and the kind of melody work that sticks in your head.  

You can check this out on your streaming channels (quick link here): 

https://ffm.to/ultrabomb-artificialstars

The album is scheduled to release April 3, 2026 on DC-Jam Records / Virgin Music Group

Keep an eye out for any pre-save or pre-order info that surfaces out there as this one is going to be a hot commodity 🙂 

Release Alert! Jaguero – “Lit

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Four casually dressed men, front lit as the scene is dark, stand in a field looking forward the viewer.

This just released single is from a band that is new to me, in this case hailing from the Italian alt music scene.  After giving this one a few listens I also jumped back in their catalog and gave their 2022 EP Worst Weekend Ever a spin.  It is a good one with a few different vibes and sounds going on that keep you interested.  You can check it out as you wait for the expected upcoming new album from them.  

“Lit” is loud right from the start with drums and nice little squealing guitar clips in a couple places as it leads into the vocal track.  It keeps the guitar sound at the front throughout and has a supersonic bass that really fills a lot of the back space with buzzy goodness.  This song moves along at a nice pace and has an engaging energy that makes it memorable.  

You can check this on your usual streaming services and catch it here also: 

There is also more info and music at their Bandcamp page https://jaguero.bandcamp.com/

…and if you can, think about purchasing this after you hear it as streaming music does not pay well even times a thousand.

Support that local community when you can 🙂 

Song Review- Dhärä  –  “A PLACE IN TIME, (the entities, divided) off the upcoming album Elemental Four 

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A spilt black and white image of four musicians each of whom are playing their respective instruments.

So, a song title like that is likely to give you a second or two of pause…it did for me anyway.  Not that I do not like interesting song titles…you may already know that I am a huge fan of such things.  This one though has a bit of the mystical about it so I was caught off guard for a moment as I opened up the press release from Earshot Media.  In my mind was the question, “What the heck is this all about?”  I had not heard of Dhärä before that moment so I read on and quickly found out that they are a progressive rock band.  That genre is outside of my usual space and those opportunities always intrigue me so we were now officially at, “Exactly just what the heck is this all about?!”

I pushed play to find out the answer and wow, what a cool experience!  This is a composition with great instrumentation and quite a range of atmospheres within its 4:18 play time.  It opens with brash guitars and drums that rise up before falling away to a subtle, melodic place with a swaying bass line to carry you along.  Eventually you get to about mid-point in the song which is this great combination of guitar sound set against a rumbling drum line.  And then…a fade out to a quiet space that slowly fills with a pulsing note pattern, kind of reflective but a bit demanding also…like it is asking a question that you cannot answer.

This is available for streaming in your usual places and there is quite the interesting video here (which also includes the opening piece of the album called “the conduit”:

Musicians on this are: Austin Sandick (guitar), Chris Rodriguez (drums), Kay Tyagi (guitar) and Ryan DiPietrantonio (bass)

It is a big help to the band if you pre-save the album (due out January 11, 2026) and you can do that here: 

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/dhr1/elemental-four

Your community – us and you and everyone else – is powerful…remember to support and engage.

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Let me know you think! 

Album Review- Calling All Captains – The Things That I’ve Lost

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Four casually dressed young men stand on a hill.

Like in many other instances over the years,  I had first found Calling All Captains through one of my sessions cruising through music news sites and blogs back in the early 2020’s.  There was an article about the band and their  Slowly Getting Better album.  I went back and tried to find this and am pretty sure it was the one still on the New Noise Magazine website.  

Track-By-Track: Calling All Captains – ‘Slowly Getting Better’

That had prompted me to check out some of their music (although I somehow never did get to listening to Slowly Getting Better) and I had picked up their 2019 EP Nothing Grows Here which is a solid five song alt-rock set.  My favorites are “Chasing Ghosts” and “Disconnected”  and they are definitely worth a listen if you have time.  On a side note, in the article I read it had referenced some co-writing by a friend of the band named Ty Elgie.  He also co-wrote some songs on Nothing Grows Here which led me to check out his band Norell and the very good 2017 album Careless which is another worthy side mission.  

The preview opportunity for this upcoming release from Calling All Captains came courtesy of Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media and it has been great to listen to for the past few days.   There is a lot of energy in the seven songs and some interesting arrangements that keep your ears alert …these are not dozing off compositions.  It opens with “Stay Away” which is hard drums and booming guitars right from go and that wall of sound is maintained at the front of this track all the way through.  They drop in a bit of a different groove on “A New Type of Grey” which has some subdued, melodic moments that rise up into loud choruses framed by anguished vocals.  As with much of their music the lyrical themes on this are about dealing with hard things in life and getting through those challenges.  They bring much feeling and power to their music and this entire album reflects that very well.  

You can check out the video for the single “Blood for Blood” off of this upcoming album (out January 9th on New Damage Records) here:

Musicians on this are:  Connor Dawkins (guitar, vocals), Tim Wilson (drums), Luc Gauthier (vocals) and Brad Bremner (guitar, vocals). 

You can get more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://callingallcaptains.bandcamp.com/album/the-things-that-ive-lost-2

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Let me know you think!