Archives: Shows

The Lemon Twigs’ two previous Captured Tracks albums, A Dream Is All We Know (2024) and Everything Harmony (2023), certainly indicated something of a ground zero in their then five album career. “It was the beginning of making records that we would listen to ourselves,” says Michael D’Addario, the younger Twig brother, now aged 26. By the time of A Dream Is All We Know and the future Michael classic “My Golden Years”, The Lemon Twigs’ new era had truly begun. And now comes the third Lemon Twigs album for Captured Tracks, Look For Your Mind!, which underneath its poppy exterior contains an undercurrent of paranoia and suspicion. Opening with title track “Look For Your Mind”, a jangly Michael number, the listener is introduced to the guitar-driven harmony sound that is the centering theme of the album. Much of what was achieved on A Dream Is All We Know is here, just more laser focused. It’s classic Twigs, indebted to the golden age of guitar pop, but in no way slavish. New to this album is the inclusion of live Twigs Reza Matin (drums) and Danny Ayala (bass), as well as Eva Chambers of Tchotchke, to the rhythm section. With the brothers previously having handled everything in the studio themselves, this shows a newfound sense of freedom. “Gather Round” is one of Look For Your Mind!’s bigger productions. A Brian song with joyous orchestrations, it feels like a turn of the century campaign song. The writer is looking for an uncorrupted leader, but resolves that collective action is the only way forward. Musically it’s ornate and delightfully 1967, but the mood and sentiment is distinctly 2026. “Every time we try to write something that’s completely straightforward, we can’t help adding an element which comes out of left field.” explains Brian. Brian’s “Fire And Gold” starts off with a ringing power pop riff before turning everything inside out. It’s also the first song on the album to feature the powerhouse drummer Reza Matin, whom the brothers favorably compare to Big Star’s Jody Stephens, The Raspberries’ Jim Bonfanti, and The Move’s Bev Bevan. Closing side one on the vinyl record is Michael’s beautiful ballad, “Mean To Me”, with vocals The Beach Boys would be happy to have committed to wax 60 years ago, care of Michael, Brian and Danny. The closer of the second side, “Your True Enemy”, completely throws a spanner in the works. “We at first approached the song as a simple rock arrangement, but it didn’t fit the moodiness of the lyric,” states Brian. “So that’s when we started to get more experimental.” The Lemon Twigs sixth studio album may at first seem like a direct continuation of the previous two, but it is also a lot more, with nods to the earlier records, a new found collective spirit, and most importantly great songwriting.

The Kilans are an indie rock band from Salt Lake City known for their raw sound, kinetic guitars, and electrifying live shows. Formed in 2023, the lineup — Jack Ongman (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jacob Shultz (lead guitar), Cooper Brezoff (bass), and David Wiseman (drums) — came together after Jack and Jacob met while skateboarding in college and started jamming in basement sessions that quickly turned into something bigger. Just five months later, they released their debut single “Curly,” a burst of unfiltered energy that made waves across the local scene. Their follow-up, “Why Is It Light Out?,” sharpened their songwriting and expanded their reach, pairing introspective lyrics with dynamic, guitar-driven production. The track landed them on multiple editorial playlists and marked The Kilans as one of the most promising new voices in indie rock. Now, the band takes their next major step. On October 23, 2026, The Kilans will release their debut album Could You Keep It Dark via Mom and Pop Records. Anchored by key singles “Cherry, Please” and “Oliver,” the record marks a bold leap forward — channeling the raw energy of their basement origins into a fully realized body of work. In support of the release, the band will embark on a North American tour, bringing their signature live intensity to stages across the continent. With Could You Keep It Dark, The Kilans aren’t just delivering on their early promise — they’re announcing themselves on a national stage, authentically on their own terms.

Letdown. is ready to embrace the positive. The Texas-born, Nashville-based rocker, singer, and multi-instrumentalist has tackled a slew of personal demons—many of which turned up on his catharsis-packed debut EP, 2023’s Crying In The Shower—in order to come out on the other side, stronger than ever. The prolific artist’s latest batch of songs, which he is constantly churning out as a therapeutic way to process daily life, are upbeat, hook-packed anthems that invite audiences to shout along in unison. “I think I’m at the end of writing about my problems,” Coddington muses. “I’ve been putting myself through emotional music therapy for three years now, and it’s working. I’m finally looking back and laughing for the first time. I consider it the upswing of the depression. I’m about to enter this whole new phase in my life. Everything feels new again for the first time.” Ever since he first began releasing music in 2020, Letdown. (real name Blake Coddington) has poured his soul into crafting soaring rock anthems that vulnerably chronicle his mental health journey and sonically intersect with punk/emo, metal, electronic, pop, and hip-hop. Posting a series of unguarded videos to TikTok, Letdown. has seen his following grow to more than 675K, plus nearly 1M monthly listeners on Spotify, and more than 100k on Instagram — and that’s not even counting the 200M total streams Coddington’s songs have earned. As he steps into a new era with his debut album, fans will be swept up into a whirlwind of poppy and propulsive beats, guitar-driven compositions, and impassioned choruses. “That’s the greatest part of this,” Coddington says of his more buoyant direction. “We’re all dancing around the studio. It’s the most natural writing I’ve ever done. When I met my producer Carlo, we started working on our first song together, which ended up being ‘Hate Myself.’ We were like, ‘This sounds nothing like any of your other stuff. We don’t know if anybody’s gonna like this. Let’s just see what happens.’ And then we got to the studio and everything happened. I remember looking at him, and I was like, ‘I don’t care who doesn’t like this. This is the most me I’ve ever felt.'” Coddington continues to unpack a dysfunctional romantic dynamic on “Be Ok,” which he wrote near the end of a serious relationship—one he didn’t fully grasp was unhealthy until it was over. “I was so focused on my love for someone else that I didn’t realize how much it was actually shooting me in the foot,” he says. “I didn’t understand that everything could be better if this was over. At the same time, it immediately says ‘I never thought I’d miss you this way.’ It’s something I think about all the time. I left everything negative in my life that has affected me, but I still think about it in a way that is almost like I miss it. It’s a weird headspace to live in—to hate something and know it’s gone, but still want it somehow. I think it’s something that everyone feels, and a lot of people don’t talk about that much.” In other instances, Coddington just gives himself over to the feeling of a magnetic melody and hard-chanting refrain. On the harmonizing “Dead Right,” Coddington looks back at recording a track “we just thought was really bumpy, fun, and catchy. We weren’t thinking about one thing in particular. This one happened really fast.” On the rushing “Crying In The Shower,” which went Top 25 at Alternative radio last year, Coddington illustrates the feeling of chasing a fleeting high in order to drown out the loss of a broken relationship. “I feel overwhelmed and trapped in a cycle of despair. I attempt but fail to wash away the memories and pain of this lost love,” Coddington says. “This song conveys a sense of emptiness as I resorted to unhealthy habits like chasing fleeting highs and taking pills to numb the pain. This relatable story is the promise of a perfect relationship that ultimately leads to heartbreak.” “‘Crying In The Shower’ was our first song that got some radio play,” he adds. “As we play this song live, we notice some of the audience nodding familiarly in acknowledgement that this is all too common. It seems everyone either has gone through this or knows someone who has.” Finally, Coddington’s clipped vocals shine on the punchy and anthemic “Go To Hell,” a kiss-off track with the power to get a packed crowd on their feet and pushing toward the stage. “This song captures the complexities of love and pain, illustrating the struggle between knowing you should walk away and being unable to let go of my intense feelings for my abusive partner,” Coddington shares. “This song has always been my most reactive release and a testament to how relatable this situation is… Though I wrote this from personal experience, I also hope that the message can resonate with people as they consider their own choices.” If anything unites Letdown.’s debut album, it’s mixing audible joy with the darkness that haunts his past. “This latest group of songs is my upswing—I’m literally finding the fun and light in the bad things,” he says. “The music I’m writing currently has been a lot more fun than it ever has been, and a lot less depressing. It’s less self-loathing. This is what’s been handed to me—now I’m gonna have to make something awesome.”

So far evolved from who they were when they first began releasing music in 2017, The Aces deserve the sense of celebration they feel in their new music. With 3 albums, over 250 million streams, and countless other milestones under their belts, sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez (lead vocals/guitar and drums), Katie Henderson (lead guitar/vocals), and McKenna Petty (bass) are in full form on their 4th LP Gold Star Baby. Continuing to reach new pop heights, the band is rapidly becoming one of the genre’s most exciting and authentic voices. The Aces have toured with the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer, X Ambassadors, The Vamps, COIN, Goth Babe, and have played at festivals all over the world, including NY Pride, Lollapalooza, Firefly, Bonnaroo, OUTFEST, Sziget, Pukkelpop, All Things Go, Summerfest, and more. After an exciting run supporting Louis Tomlinson’s 2026 North American arena tour, the Aces are ready to hit the road again on their own fall headline tour and are steadily continuing to release new music.

Godfathers in the Bay Area metal scene, Forbidden have returned with their first album in 16 years to unleash 12 fierce, uncompromising, and supremely progressive songs which signal an almighty return. Forbidden will be released by BLKIIBLK Records and charts a defiant journey through scything riffs, incredible melodies, 24 karat lead guitars, simply thunderous drums and bass, plus the studio debut of Norman Skinner (Niviane & Imagika) whose soaring vocals elevate the material to unprecedented levels. Conceived by founder and guitarist Craig Locicero alongside his creative brother, drummer Chris Kontos, the foundational energy of bassist Matt Camacho, the versatility and poise of guitarist Jeremy Von Epp, and Skinner’s voracious fresh approach, Forbidden sees the band arriving at their finest hour with their richest-ever line-up. With Skinner stepping up to take on lyrical duties, Forbidden takes a fierce and uncompromising look into the eyes of our times without taking sides, instead imploring people to recognize the false conflicts created by the current society and how they can conquer and rise above them. Take the blistering roar of “Single Point Failure”, the beautiful orchestral savagery of “Flower of Life”, and the relentless charge of “Burning The Lungs Of Earth.” There’s also the mid-paced brooding power of “Psyclops,” the twisting, winding power force of “Sycophantasy” featuring guest vocals from Mastodon’s Brann Dailor, and a thunderous ode to women “The Burden” featuring guest vocals from Kayla Dixon. In addition, Forbidden pay homage to classic American heavy metal band Savatage in the shape of a malevolent and mesmeric cover of “Sirens”, which embraces Greek mythology. Recorded, produced and engineered at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer and co-producer Zack Ohren, Forbidden is the the resounding realization of a band which has finally found inner-peace, and furious cohesion, in expressing its true passionate angst and incredible metal heart.

Prika Amaral formed the band in February 2010 together with Fernanda Terra (the first drummer). The band began gaining notoriety in March 2012, when they released their first music video, “Masked Betrayer,” which reached the incredible mark—especially for a new band—of 20,000 views in just one week. This earned them an Honorable Mention from YouTube as the 17th most-watched musicians’ video of the week and the 55th most-watched of the month of March that year. Shortly after, they independently released a 3-song demo. In the following months, NERVOSA achieved a major milestone: signing with the Austrian label Napalm Records, one of the world’s biggest record labels specializing in rock and metal. In March 2014, the band released their first full-length album, titled Victim of Yourself. The strong reception of the album was essential for the band to leave Brazil for the first time and begin touring across Latin America and Europe, where they also performed at some of Europe’s biggest summer festivals, such as Summer Breeze, Brutal Assault, MetalDays, Obscene Extreme, among others. In 2016, the band recorded their new album, titled Agony. Recorded and produced in California and Oregon, United States, by Brendan Duffey, and mixed and mastered by thrash metal master Andy Classen, the album had its worldwide release announced for June 3rd. In June 2018, the band released their third album, Downfall of Mankind, through Napalm Records, and embarked on several tours across Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The album was critically acclaimed, and in 2019, they performed at Rock in Rio for more than 70,000 people. In 2020, during the pandemic, the band released the single Guided By Evil in October of that year, and the new album Perpetual Chaos was released in January 2021, reaching top positions on music charts in several countries. That same year, the album was highly praised by the press and appeared in multiple rankings as the best album of the year, among other categories. 2023 began with a major change, with the announcement of Prika Amaral taking over lead vocals, along with the addition of a second guitarist, Greek musician Helena Kotina.

Daley is an acclaimed British singer, songwriter and creative artist from Manchester, UK, whose unmistakable falsetto and soul-bearing songwriting first emerged through London’s underground music scene and swiftly carried him onto the global stage, where he established himself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary soul. Touched by the sounds of Prince, Chaka Khan, Sade, Radiohead and George Michael, Daley’s sound seamlessly blends classic soul sensibilities with contemporary, alternative R&B. With two critically acclaimed studio albums and several Top 10 Billboard R&B singles, Daley’s artistry has been acknowledged by the Grammys, MOBO Awards, BET and Soul Train Awards. His collaborations with legends including Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius, Gorillaz, Pharrell Williams and Jessie J have further cemented his place among some of the most respected artists in the world. Now entering a new era, Daley prepares to unveil the next chapter of his artistic journey with the release of his long-awaited third album project, supported by his USA Tour…

Ceremony can’t stop. Can’t stop pushing forward. Can’t stop changing shape. Across two decades, the California-born hardcore outfit has earned its standing as one of punk’s most adaptable and unflinching bands, always ready to meet the moment without surrendering its principles. True to form, Ceremony’s seventh album, Tell Me Your Dream pushes the group’s punk-forged intensity all the way to the fore, capturing the quintet at its most expressive, most expansive, and most timely. “We’re living in an era of mass uncertainty,” says Ceremony vocalist Ross Farrar. “In punk, I don’t see how you can’t respond. It’s taken over our lives in so many different ways — economically, politically, spiritually. We want people to wake up and get into what’s happening.” Ferociously alert, Tell Me Your Dream reunites Ceremony — Farrar, guitarist-keyboardist Anthony Anzaldo, guitarist Andy Nelson, bassist Justin Davis and drummer Jake Casarotti — with producer John Reis for ten songs of searing breadth. That means everything from bristling hardcore to moody post-punk — all while taking fundamental inspiration from Discharge, Crass, and other anarcho-punk troupes that first helped certain members of Ceremony find their own political voices back when they were teenagers. The result is a culmination of the band’s 21 years together, if not some kind of riddle: Ceremony knows how to make a return-to-form sound like evolution — and vice versa. Equally loud and clear is the fact that Ceremony isn’t hesitating to raise its voice at a moment when the underground has grown strangely quiet. “Why aren’t punk bands actually saying the word ‘Palestine’ on their records?” asks Ceremony guitarist Andy Nelson. “We didn’t want to make anything that felt light, or empty, or apolitical. Our intent is to not waste anyone’s time, and to encourage people to think about what they settle for.” On Tell Me Your Dream, you’ll hear Palestine cited over the ferocious bounce of “Madness,” a post-punky indictment of war’s obscenity — and the obscene amounts of cash required to wage it. But if you listen closely, you may also hear Farrar working to reconcile issues of broadscale sociopolitical violence with his most intimate personal struggles. “If you write a political song, it can have this black-and-white effect,” Farrar says. “I think Ceremony is good at walking the line on that. This album is very much about the inside and outside battling, and trying to find a way.” Hard subjects, harsh sounds. Tell Me Your Dream finds a steadying hand in producer John Reis, a punk lifer whose eclectic noisemaking in Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes and other legendary bands runs in parallel to Ceremony’s multitudes. After working on Ceremony’s acclaimed 2015 album, The L-Shaped Man, Reis maintains a unique perspective on the quintet — as a hardcore punk band, as participants in the greater California rock-and-roll tradition, and as friends. “John sort of joined the band on this one,” says guitarist-keyboardist Anthony Anzaldo. “We could not respect him more as a guitarist, as a singer, as a songwriter. He understands what it’s like to be in every position. So we really gave him the keys.” Together, they’re unafraid to shift gears. Within the space of 30 minutes, Tell Me Your Dream revisits all previous eras of the greater Ceremony arc, with each track gaining intensity as it plays off the prior. Check out how the anarcho scorch marks of “Other Hells” give way to the deep-pocketed groove of the aforementioned “Madness,” followed by the jet-black jangle of “Dark Summer,” a post-punk rumination during which Farrar reminds us, “You only hit bottom when you stop digging.” Such wild swings — from rage to beauty and back again — might feel familiar to attendees of Anzaldo’s Homesick music festival where Ceremony’s incandescent headlining performance in 2019 seemed to channel preceding sets from electro-punks Cold Cave and avantgarde harpist Mary Lattimore at once. All of this is made possible through an enduring sense of trust forged within the band — no surprise considering Ceremony’s roots date all the way back to a grade-school friendship between Anzaldo and Farrar. “We’re bound together like family,” says Anzaldo. “Our relationships are beyond the band. Ceremony is going to live no matter what. We’ve shifted into this dynamic where the choice isn’t ours anymore.” Deep connections in a shallow world. A clear sense of purpose in uncertain times. These are the reasons Ceremony continues to grow, to expand, to adapt, to endure. This band can’t stop. And it won’t. To meet the moment, you have to be there for it.

As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2000 by vocalist Tim Lambesis, the band’s first full lineup (including Lambesis’ Point of Recognition bandmate Jordan Mancino) was completed in 2001. The band has released eight albums, one split album, and two compilation albums.