December is supposed to be a quiet time for the music industry but this month’s mixtape was the longest in ages. And there’s no hangers-on here either, I love all of them. And if you’re thinking the mix is maybe too long, trust me, the amount of tracks grabbing my attention could be downright inconvenient at times- although I had […]
Read moreIt’s all about time, right? Moderate Rock is a small site, the smallest of sites, and will never have the time to listen to every new release of any year. Not ever. So I make space and I make time for some records, some music that I’m pretty sure I know I will love, and often that turns out to […]
Read moreAdd Thousandaire to the long long list of bands with plans permanently altered by COVID-19. The Atlanta, Georgia trio released their self-titled debut in 2020 but instead of being able to hire a van and take their tunes on the road, the band were trapped at home, their strategies stifled. If he was frustrated, frontman Andrew Wiggins was at least […]
Read moreI hope you find something to love.
Read moreMike and Nate Kinsella, cousins and colleagues as members of American Football and Joan of Arc, have formed a new band named LIES. The somewhat subdued, daydreamy sound of the all-caps outfit will be familiar to fans of the duo’s previous work but there have also been a few new ingredients in each of the handful of songs they’ve released so far. ‘Camera Chimera’ […]
Read moreIn another universe Anxious Arms are a straight-up punk band. The Californian outfit are adept at barrelling riffs, skating rhythms, and hard-edged melodies. In the here and now though, they are weighed down by the state of… well, everything. You can hear that in their lyrics, in lines like “A future with no hope, I’ve seen it all and I’m […]
Read moreWhile a lot of new records arrive on cue, fresh and clean, at the end of an extensive promotional campaign to an expectant and prepared public, others seem to appear from nowhere. They’re born in darkness, formed without fanfare, and yet haul themselves out of the vast ocean of new music and still somehow, some way, end up in your […]
Read moreDosser seem to be the opposite of their chosen moniker. The Baltimore boys have only been together for a few years but seem to have worked non-stop. Will Teague, Bret Lanahan, Eric Dudley, and Max Detrich, already developed a fully-fleshed sound, recorded a killer EP, and toured with the likes of Caracara and Pianos Become the Teeth. No lazy bones here. […]
Read moreShiner frontman Allen Epley will release his debut solo album, ‘Everything’, on January 6th. While not a complete departure from his previous work, ‘Everything’ will see Epley attempting to channel the smooth grooves, soft rock, and lovelorn lyrics that he heard on the radio in his youth. Epley is calling the combination “space country”, which might not mean much until you […]
Read moreThis month’s mixtape was a (relatively) long one, but I couldn’t help myself- there was so much music I wanted to shout about. And, from pioneering elder statesmen of rock to one of my favourite brand new bands, from skittering electronica to Scottish shoegaze, I hope you find something to love. SLEEP KEEPER– ‘Paper Knife’ SUNSTINGER- ‘Only in the Morning’ […]
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