Last week’s Tracks Of The Week competition was one of those, pitting acts with active social media followings (The Warning, Myles Kennedy, Those Damn Crows) against each other in a battle that raced wildly through space, time and the internet, darting back and forth like atoms in a hadron collider. And at the end of all the collisions, Mexican sister group The Warning triumphed. So congratulations to them.
This week we don’t have any bands from south Tijuana, but we expect the ongoing brawl to be no less fierce.
Below you will find this week’s selection. Aren’t they nice?
Massive Wagons – Missing on TV
It starts with a delicious slice of classic rock riffs and rises from there to clever, catchy heights – think AC/DC spiced up with politics, pop-punk sugar and skater jeans – the first taste of Massive Wagons’ next album is a banger. “The song is about the government, all sides milking the rest of us to fund their lifestyle,” says frontman/mouthpiece Baz Mills. “They have no shame, no responsibility and no remorse when they trample on the common man. We’re washed out to sea and missed on the telly. It’s an age-old message, but more relevant today than it’s been for a long, long time.”
Bones UK – Bikinis
With a follow-up to their 2019 debut album, now scheduled for September (titled SOFT), rock mavericks Bones UK are back with this dynamic, sexy fusion of industrial blues swagger, powerful sentiments and hypnotic beats. “This is the brand new sexy,” they sing. “It’s everything you loved about the first record, just turned up,” says singer/guitarist Rosie Bones. “It stays fierce, raw and real, with enough electronic beats to keep our industrial dance fans happy and enough heartbreakers to keep our romantics listening.”
Orange Goblin – The fire at the center of the earth is mine
Marinated in all the delicious sounds that have long characterized this troupe of noisemakers (Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd…), the opening track of their upcoming album, Science, not fictionis a catchy, galloping lion’s cry of a song. Heavy metal, hard rock, rock’n’roll… call it what you will, it’s Orange Fucking Goblin Baby doing their thing in style. “Lyrically it’s about how we can’t change our past, but while the rest of the world seems to be falling apart, we all have a chance to change our future,” says newly sober/fit frontman Ben Ward. “We’re really looking forward to adding this banger to the live set at future shows!”
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse – Wild Woman
Blue-haired singer and co-founder Greta Valenti has always stayed true to her craft: she swings from a harness, karate chops bad guys (that is, stunt people) and literally sets herself on fire on Beaux Gris Gris’ new single/video extravaganza. A raunchy blues-rock boot-stomper with a shoutalong chorus and a hint of tequila poured over shot glasses. A very good reason to listen to her new record. Hot nostalgia radio.
Crobot – Come down
Crobot, the Pennsylvania natives with freaknik beards and groove-mongers with a penchant for the fantastical, dig deep into their heaviest influences on this first cut from their new album. Obsidian. Brandon Yeagley channels his inner Layne Staley, Chris Bishop rips out some of his most powerful, metallic riffs yet (along with some super-atmospheric grunge interludes), and drummer Dan Ryan, the song’s main architect, thunders into those skins with avalanche momentum. Welcome back, guys.
Broken Hearts Club – Hate It
Lithuanian-born pop-rocker Bea (mastermind of new project Broken Hearts Club, whose eponymous EP is out in August) may look like a poster child for everything that makes up “cool Generation Z,” but Hate it is much more old-fashioned than we expected. We reveled in the freedom that Bea had by coming out as gay (after a strict, conservative upbringing), and the general mood and beat reminded us of The Bangles’ Walk like an Egyptianpermeated with punky energy and bright tones of McFly at their rockiest. Nice.
Mr. Big – Up On You Translation
Mr Big’s 10th studio album with the clever title Tenwill be released next month and On you is the latest song, which gives a taste of the sappy content. The video sees Messrs. Martin, Gilbert, Sheehan and D’Virgilio “going completely nuts” (their words, not ours), switching instruments and having more fun than an overactive kitten on a catnip high. The songs drum along nicely, the playing is exemplary and the “switcheroo” (their words, not ours) bodes well for the climax of the shows on the band’s upcoming European tour, which begins next month.
Redd Kross – I’ll take your word for it
It’s almost unbelievable: Californian legends Redd Kross have been together for 46 years now and are still releasing songs that are as youthful and lively as they are well-written. I will take you at your word has a Teardrop Explodes vibe to the melody and a chorus bigger than a bulldozer, with harmony vocals that soar high and generally make life all around better, even when the song is about people making your life worse. “If you’re considering telling your arch enemy to f*** off,” says Steve McDonald, “it might be wiser to put on your best suit, matching bass and band (if you’re as lucky as I was) and f*** off yourself.”
