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Sunny clime chime: Valkyrie and Scary Hours | Alternative music review

Valkyrie and Scary Hours

Scary Hours – I’ll Meet You There

Similar artists: NOFX, Leftover Crack, Comeback Kid, No Trigger

Genre: Skate Punk, Pop Punk

“Where’s the chorus?” or “Do you have any songs about falling in love at the shopping mall?” I’d imagine that these were important topics of conversation in the offices of record labels that catered to pop-punk. 

I suspect that things aren’t much different nowadays. Like it or not, some of the offspring of The Ramones and The Sex Pistols hit it big. They did it with the help of fashion and hooks that would make a Swedish pop producer blush in envy. 

Riches and fame are one thing. But what about respect? It comes at a time when we all plead for it. For pop punks, this usually means a late-career stab at respectability. Maybe an album about drug addiction? Perhaps they can muddy up their sound?

Maybe pop-punk-elders can learn a thing or two from Scary Hours’ I’ll Meet You There. It’s a song that feels like it could have become a radio single, but the vision of the artist was for something different. Instead, we get a song about addiction and self-destruction, an ode to finding one’s way, and a punk song that skids off the tracks. Some folks chase their vision, and there ain’t much hope in telling them to stop. 


Valkyrie – California

Similar artists: No Doubt, Sublime

Genre: Pop Rock, Indie Pop

When a band falls upon a successful formula, it’s like they’ve cracked a secret code. Is this a big deal? Sure it is. As we speak, there are thousands of musicians working on The Enigma

But what about when bands give up their formula? Sure, they called brave. Their biggest supporters make claims about their artistic restlessness. Everyone else, however, sits saddened. 

A band that disavows its greatest triumphs provokes its loyalists. Bands that choose to no longer play together create a powerful need. The fans raised on that formula need more of their fix. Who can blame them? 

In the early 1990s, a sunny but muscular ska-influenced alternative-rock sound dominated the airwaves. Then it all but vanished. Valkyrie looks to bring it back with their single California. They’re so convinced of their mission that they’ve invested heavily in the production. The technique is there, and the vocalist could easily be confused for Gwen Stefani. There is no doubt a hole in the market. Luckily, the old faithful now have something with which to plug it. 

Scary Hours - I'll Meet You There

7.5

Valkyrie - California

7.5

Pros

Cons

About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
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