TOP 5 ARTISTS OF THE WEEK:
STEP ROCKETS: Back at the number one spot on the TOP 5, Step Rockets have developed a reputation as one of the most exciting new live bands on the scene, seamlessly blending wailing guitar solos and anthemic melodies with infectious dance grooves. Comprised of Josh Von Mink, John Synhavsky, Brady Lillie, and Anthony Schulz, the band has found the right balance between refining their classic sound, and embracing their new one. Although Future Nature is the band’s debut release, it sounds nothing like what one would expect a debut album to sound. The release is polished and compelling, and is proof that Step Rockets have something new to bring to the table, in the form of electo-pop punk mixtures.
COAST MODERN: Another band returning to their spot on the TOP 5, this Los Angeles-based duo, who infuse their breezy, west coast electro-pop with elements of hip-hop and indie rock, Coast Modern was started by Luke Atlas and Coleman Trapp. After two years of failing to cast their creations into the mainstream, Trapp retreated to Denver, Colorado to get a little perspective, and began writing songs for himself, rather than the latest tastemaker. He would send theses back to Atlas, who would add bits of production, and before long, Atlas was back in L.A., and Coast Modern was born. Their first single, Hollow Life, in 2015, drew rave reviews and comparisons to artists like Grouplove, Cage the Elephant, Twenty-One Pilots, and Alt-J. A second single, Animals, followed in 2016.
NOFX: Back on the TOP 5 for a second week, and formed in Berkeley, California, in 1983, NOFX is an American punk rock band that rose to popularity with their fifth studio album Punk in Drublic in 1994. NOFX’s mainstream success was signified by a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, but unlike many of their contemporaries (including Bad Religion, Green Day and The Offspring), they have never been signed to a major label. First Ditch Effort is the thirteenth studio album, released on October 7, 2016. It is the band’s first studio album since 2012’s Self Entitled, marking the longest gap between two NOFX studio albums to date.
FICTIONIST: An alternative rock band from Provo, Utah, the band Fictionist began in its earliest formation as Good Morning Maxfield in 2007 and released an eponymous album under that name. Fictionist formed in their current configuration to release their first album Invisible Hand in 2009. Their most recent album, Free Spirit, which has been described to be “clean and modern” with roots in “indie pop and indie rock”.
BALANCE AND COMPOSURE: From Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Balance and Composure is an American alt-rock band that formed in the winter of 2007 after the breakup of two local Doylestown bands. The band’s music is often suggested having similarities to Title Fight, Brand New, and Nirvana. They’ve released three studio albums and five EPs since their inception. Developing an effective, muddy, emo, hardcore post-grunge sound, the band has just released 2016’s Light We Made, the band’s much-anticipated third studio long-player, where the band incorporated electronic elements into their sound.
Check back next week for more TOP 5!
