Tripper and the Wild Things – Rollercoaster
It’s no easy trick to make 90s inspired music, without sounding as if you’re milking nostalgia for all it is worth. First of all, those doing it, need to tap into the anger, or despondency that was at the heart of most of the alternative bands that made a name for themselves back then.
Tripper and the Wild Things possess an animosity that bubbles under the surface. It’s in their bass-driven verses, followed by “switch on your distortion pedal” choruses. While it never descends into a full-scale shouting-match, we can detect some genuine anger here, something we always like to promote on Alt77.
Single is released on July 31st, 2020.
Gambling Hearts – I Am A River
Gambling Hearts understand one great truth about pop-rock music. A great, heartfelt melody can excuse any lyrical inaccuracies or omissions. Echoing REM, and other great singles bands of the 1990s, I Am A River is an animated breakup song with perfectly mastered folk-rock refrains and tunefully strummed guitars.
Star Garbage – Sane
A mixture of biker-gang music, and grunge power-chords, Star Garbage have little trouble in echoing the doomed-inflections of groups like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, or Soundgarden.
This single doesn’t so much flow, as it slithers. Frankly, hearing this makes me yearn for attending smoke-filled, sweaty club shows played by bands whose enthusiasm for making music has not succumbed under the pressures of “making it”.