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Tag: Music Review

  • In Case You Missed It Vol. 4

    In Case You Missed It Vol. 4

    With Summer winding down it’s time to wrangle in singles and albums you might have missed due to the hustle and bustle of daily life. This edition of ICYMI proudly serves up a piping hot tray of punk rock for you to feast upon. Punk wasn’t the only thing releasing over the summer, but, man, was there a lot of it. 

    First up, bringing the heat of gritty punk rock, Scarboro’s Hate Season starts off horny (as in full of horns) and ends with a frantic plea to not kill yourself. Which honestly just sounds like a Tuesday night for me. Hailing from New York, Scarboro delivers short and frantic punk rock romps in spades. They’ve got the usual amount of anger a punk band has while managing to carve out a place for themselves. One of my favorites on the album is “Got Soul?”. The main reason being that life is a bitch and then you die. But it also tells you that like, you’ll be okay in spite of that fact.

    I first discovered the goofballs (said with the utmost respect and affection) in Homestyle Dinner Rolls thanks to the good ol’ instagram algorithm, it was a classic “our impression of you if you like this band” video. I can’t remember the context or what they had me figured for, but I do remember I learned exactly two things about them then. One, they were from Utah and two, Worthless Highs was kinda a banger. Just a few weeks ago, they released a song called “I Don’t Want to be Your Enemy”. If you’re also fed up with the usual suspects trying to convince you that everyone who doesn’t look like you is the problem, then give the track a listen. It feels like an instant classic with its The Ramones era punk style and tenacity.

    Forming in 1997, The Cryptkeeper Five from New Jersey and have chugged along in the punk rock genre ever since. They released a new single called “the Big Picture” from their first album release in nearly a decade. The song is just a preview on what appears to be an exploration on grief, sadness, and whatever else humans do in order to just get by. Definitely plan on keeping an eye out for news of the album drop. 

    Leaning more towards the pop side of punk, California based solo artist Gavin Prophet has worked tirelessly to build a following over the last two years and deliver his politically-charged music to as many people as possible. On October 2nd, “Love Thy Neighbor” was released as a single featuring two other songs released earlier in the year. The song, as you can imagine, criticizes the conservative mindset of quoting the bible without actually living by its word. While the core of his music focuses on the flaws he perceives in the system, he also has not so political music like “Forever (West Coast Emo)” which was also released over the summer. 

    Just a casual reminder that lesbian cyberpunk band CHROMERA exists and released a new single shortly after being featured in our Queering the Airwaves article called “Skeletons.” The single was released on an EP featuring all previous tracks by the artist and therefore is conveniently packaged for your listening. It even has a cool as all hell music video. Self-proclaimed music for the apocalypse, they definitely deliver with their distorted, off kilter sound. Skeletons has a more emotional message of recovery and struggling to heal from trauma. 

    Unfortunately, that’s all for the time being as we’d never get any of these articles out if we featured every artist you might’ve missed out on new releases. Hope there’s something in here that’s to your taste and keep checking back for more!

  • I Was Shot Through The Heart by The Male Pattern

    I Was Shot Through The Heart by The Male Pattern

    Artist: The Male Pattern

    Album: I Was Shot Through The Heart

    Release: September 25, 2026; Audio Antihero

    Queens, New York based singer-songwriter, William Schwartz of The Male Pattern serves up a slice of modern day Americana. On paper, this release is everything I look for in an album. It’s satirical, story driven, often times humorous, AND it shines the light on a pattern of behavior often exhibited by some of the most toxic types of men. 

    The opening song “The Television Watcher” introduces the main character of this story, which I will from this point refer to as the ‘hero”— he certainly sees himself as a hero. A man fully content to live his life through the proxy of television. There is really no need for the “hero” to fix his life. He gets all the benefits of a well lived life vicariously through all his favorite television shows; the ups and the downs. Sometimes, rather than being brave enough to stand in the life you’ve made for yourself, it is easier to withdraw. This is a great set up for the type of guy the ‘hero” is– a coward. 

    “I’m a Soldier” has to be the most amusing song on the album. It further establishes the “hero” as a recently divorced dad. He often claims that he could have been a veteran through the song. It reminds me of a specific type of dude bro that likes to talk about how he would have joined the military if it weren’t for this or that flat excuse. He also compares arguing with people online to the Vietnam War. Bargain-box commandos in ill-fitting body armor springs to mind. Absolutely the best way to further distill the type of guy the ‘hero” is. The song ends with a list of menu items which is hilarious especially when given added context from the following track “Voicemail to Corporate”  

    Schwartz really goes out of his way to illustrate to listeners that the problems the “hero”, is having and will have are of his own creation. Let me assure you, the “hero’s” problems are numerous and compound exponentially as he continues through a downward spiral over the course of the album. That spiral eventually culminates in a shoot out with cops. Even as the “hero’s” life flashes before his eyes it becomes explicitly clear that he has learned nothing, excepts no responsibility, and is still very much a d-bag. 

    All in all I found the album to be an exceptional piece of storytelling. I, honestly, would expect nothing less from a seasoned English professor like Schwartz. Where the album falls off for me is in the music itself. It is slow and melodic but lacks any hooks that really grab me. That being said I think the album is worth a look. The story is fantastic and hell, I’m willing to admit that the music might be right up someone else’s alley.