Category: Playlist Review

  • In Case You Missed It Vol. 3

    In Case You Missed It Vol. 3

    Folks, it has been 6 months since the last volume of In Case You Missed It. I thought I would take this time to talk about some singles that have recently dropped or otherwise caught my eye. If this is your first installment of, In Case You Missed It, this is the general vibe of this series. I hope you like it.  

    Free Dom” by Bad Operation; March 06, 2026: This song has everything I think a perfect song should contain. It is politically engaged. The overall message of the song is fantastic and most importantly, for me anyways, the chorus has a solid call to action. On top of all that, the music is just so good. The bass line that opens the song is peak. There is something about organ driven ska that just gets me fired up. Honestly, if I went all mad scientist and sat out to distill the new tone ska movement into its pure essence, I am almost positive that something close to this song is what would come out that mad science. Free Dom was the first single off of Bad Operation’s upcoming album releasing on April 24, 2026. If this and the other single are any indication, this is going to be a must have album.

    Peachy‘ By Chromarama; March 19, 2026: Chromarama is a hardcore punk band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Peachy is their newest single. If hardcore is your thing,, this single is definitely worth a listen. As expected, the music is intense and goes hard. The vocals are screamy with just a hint of anger. A perfect pairing for a song that is about the ceaseless onslaught of life, and how we (humans) are wired for better or worse to keep grinding along relentlessly in spite of all the hardship inherent in life. This song is a battle anthem that I can see myself fire up the next time I decide to go to war with life.

    Liar’ by Omnigone; March 28, 2026: I have since I started this blog missed several opportunities to cover Omnigone; much to my chagrin. They are a band out of California with strong Ska and hardcore influences and this song is no different. It’s got the must have ska guitar licks punctuated by a pretty gnarly guitar solo at the end. The song is about how liars use hate and deception to stoke division and bigotry. Based on my parasocial understanding of the type of person Adam Davis is, I am going to venture a guess that the song, while vague, is aimed at a particular type of modern political actor. I like it. I like it quite a lot, and I think that y’all should definitely give it a listen.     

    Panorama by Mike Honcho; May 21, 2024: Mike Honcho is an electronic music artist based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Panorama is shining bit of instrumental electronica. The thing I find most intriguing about this track is the click rhythm line that flows through the piece. The synthesized whir gives an almost alien feel to the composition. Combine this with the rest of the multilayered sounds and they coalesce to bring together an otherworldly contraption of electronic music that offers seemingly endless opportunities to find something new every re-listen. Panorama can be found on Mike Honcho’s up coming album, “Day to Day” releasing May 01, 2026. Pre-orders are currently available on Bandcamp. 

  • Dave’s Re-Tracks Volume One

    Dave’s Re-Tracks Volume One

    This is a collection of reviews for various singles that I have written for Start-Track.com’s blog. It’s my plan to republish stuff here from time to time so that this website remains the definitive place for my musical writings, as much as possible. Please enjoy these reviews and tracks, if you haven’t read them already and also consider going to the Start-Track blog and giving it a look. There are a bunch of reviews for a whole lot of good music that are written by a whole host of people that truly enjoy music. 

    All This Time” is Yasu Cub’s newest single. In it, they craft ethereal soundscapes that reach across the expanse of space and time. Seriously this song is packed full of timeless vibes. Front man, Jacob Oki Ahearn, delivers a smooth vocal performance seems to reach right through your heart and into your soul. The main guitar piece is also something special. It provides a twinkle effect that is inlayed across rhythm guitar to create a dream like charm. The lyrics speak of love, missed opportunities, and ultimately of being left wanting more. All this combined develops a resonant sincerity. “All This Time” is off Yasu Cub’s New Album, expected to be released March 2026. I, for one, have definitely been left wanting more. 

    iVy is an alternative pop duo based in Japan and formed during 2023. “Yugamu Pink” is their newest single following the release of their first album back in August of this year. The song features a stellar dreamlike music offering a vocal performance that is soft, sweet, a little forlorn and yet also in parts somehow optimistic. While I don’t speak Japanese, I do have a computer translation of the lyrics sheet. I am positive this translation fails to do the words justice. However, I am able to glean that the song is about regret and wanting to be with someone again and just be happy together. I think this matches well with the mood presented by the music and perhaps even suggests that maybe a little joy can be found in yearning for what was lost. 

    Here For You is an indie folk band from Brooklyn, New York. “Theme Song 2” is one of their newest singles released in the run up to their debut album, “The First Year”. If it is representative of the rest of the album, then folks, I can honestly say that we are all in for something special. The song starts with an understated guitar melody and a clicky beat. Then, in short, kicks up with a great guitar riff and accordion that is to die for. If you are a fan of unique instruments that fall outside of the prevue of mainstream popular music, I think you will fall in love with this song in the first 20 seconds. I know I did. The message of the song is about taking life as it comes with your friends by your side. It is imbued with such wide-eyed hopefulness that it is hard not to feel empowered by it. Not in a “I feel like I can punch a mountain in the face” kind of way, rather it’s a less intense, deep breath, “we got this” kind of way. It is honestly quite endearing. Check out “Theme Song 2” now and the rest of “The First Year” when it releases on the 24th of October.  

    Champ, from North Eastern, England, takes what it feels like to grow up in a small town, bottles and distills it into their latest release “Born in the Wild End”.  The crushing weight and expectations of tradition. The desire of your elders for you to continue to do what they have always done versus your desire to very much not do that and your need for something more. This song evokes a weird sense of bitter sweet nostalgia. Sweet, because you yearn for a time where you had it all figured out, because back in your small town everything seemed so simple. Bitter, because you now know that simplicity never really existed. This heartfelt retrospective is set to a smooth rock soundtrack with a soaring guitar solo to carry you out the back end of the song. It’s the perfect punctuation to a song that is packed with some much raw emotion. 

    If you liked the songs I reviewed here and want to support the artists as well as this blog please consider picking them up digitally via these Amazon affiliate links—>

    All This Time

    Yugamu Pink

    Theme Song 2

    Born in the Wild End