Panic! At The Disco have undergone drastic changes with every album, resulting in a distinctively different sound on each album – some will enjoy the change and musical exploration, others will frown upon yet another departure from the band’s roots.
Packed with colossal hooks and melodies, State Champs’ debut album The Finer Things stands out as one of the best pop punk releases this year and raises the bar sky high for the genre.
Into It. Over It.’s sophomore album Intersections still contains his signature vivid guitars and genius lyricism, but ditches the more straightforward pop melodies for something rawer yet more complex. Evan Weiss returns to the roots of Into It. Over It.’s original recordings while also exploring new directions in his music, achieving two goals where artists normally strive for one.
With their self-titled album, The 1975 have crafted an incredible debut that will without a doubt go down as one of the best of the year.
Disillusion is one of the most versatile records of 2013. O’Brother blend a multitude of genres and experiment with creative instrumentals and arrangements to artfully execute their self-defining sophomore record.
Forever Halloween digs deep to unearth some serious human truths – and sounds appropriately mature doing so. The album boasts worldliness in comparison to The Maine’s earlier catalogue, and it’s evident from the authenticity of the collection how effectively the members have channeled their experience of growing up into their work.
After releasing a few solid EP’s that teetered between emo and hardcore, Daylight have debuted their first LP Jar, defining their shamelessly 90’s alt-inspired sound.
The latest recruits to Equal Vision Records, Northern Faces recently released their debut EP Southern Places, a strong effort consisting of five self-produced tunes that spotlight the band’s indie rock roots while pulling elements from noise, experimental, and even blues rock.
After shocking fans and supporters when his one-month long IndieGoGo campaign raised over $50,000, Mae’s former frontman Dave Elkins has independently released his first album Color (n.) Inside The Lines under the name Schematic. The album shows a musical side of Elkins that fans have yet to see, and while his creative ambition is admirable, one can only hope that his experimentation won’t backfire and leave fans confused about where his music is going.
If a listener ever found himself or herself in need of an album to narrate their life story at the point where they’re staring up at the sky asking the big questions of life, Satellite’s Calling Birds may be the one.
