Fly Trap Honey – Away
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: The Vaccines, The Academic, The Killers
One of the reasons why pop music continues to be a bigger mood changer for the majority of the world, more so than caffeine, alcohol, or, even, playing video games, is that a song, if well-written, can capture a particular fleeting moment better than even a photograph.
When it comes to exuberance and hopefulness, arguably nothing works quite as well as a song featuring the energy of electric guitars and manic vocals. Bands like the Vaccines or the Killers have trapped your teenage years between 12 bars and are selling it back to you.
More of these kinds of songs are needed and Fly Trap Honey is happy to try and oblige. Away sounds like the kind of pop-garage-rock number that the aforementioned might create after a particularly rowdy night out. The musicians, especially those providing the vocals still sound wobbly, but this only adds to the charm of the tune.
The Shirts and Shoes – Something to Chase
Genre: Alternative Rock
Arguably, there’s never been another heavy-rock style as progressive and inclusive as 90s alternative rock. Sure, sure, it was composed of bands that were taking their cues from early punk and heavy metal bands. But, where live shows for those groups occasionally descended into head-cracking chaos, alt-rock bands publicly declared their desire for inclusiveness.
None were more preoccupied with this than the Seattle grunge bands. Yes, upon their arrival to the charts, they were accused of jumping on a bandwagon of virtue signalling. Years later though, we’ve no evidence to consider that Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vedder weren’t genuinely interested in making the world that encompassed their scene a better place.
The Shirts and Shoes take inspiration, both in terms of sound and message, from their alt-rock forefathers. Something to Chase is a song about the aggression implanted in modern man’s thoughts from an early age as a tool meant to be used to attain goals. It’s a subject worthy of consideration, especially in a world largely built by people both blessed and cursed with immense ambition. The group pounds through riffs and howls the lyrics throughout in a way that would make their Seattle predecessors proud of themselves and of who they’ve managed to inspire. The kids are alright!
