We’re firmly into autumn and Halloween is just around the corner. Already, the warmer days seem like a distant memory. In Boston, the change of seasons certainly hasn’t hampered anyone’s creative flow, even if a few folks might feel seasonally affected. This visit to the city brings a couple of punkier tracks, numbers that blend country and rock in cool ways, the return of an old favourite and more besides. We hope you find something new to enjoy…
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Singer songwriter Baxter Hall has recently released a very enjoyable EP entitled ‘The Work’. One of its focus tracks, the fantastic ‘You Are The One’, wastes no time in sharing Hall’s thoughts on a fractured relationship: “I was building a bridge while you were burning it down”, he opines as its opening statement. He follows this by recounting the story of meeting someone who avoided his gaze, someone who “made things awkward” and how the person in question had chances they “shouldn’t have had”. It all seems rather accusatory for something that’s obviously a two way deal. However, rather than giving this an angry send off that would make everything seem like an absolute bitchfest to the outsider, the musician has applied an arrangement that’s light and bouncy, blending folk and pop with a pinch of Americana in the most flawless way. The intricate acoustic riffs coupled with warm basslines immediately evoke the singer songwriters of the 90s – hints of Duncan Sheik, Howie Day and others colour this work, whether intentionally or otherwise – and the breeziness with which Hall delivers the vocal helps this track to sound somewhat perky, when you’d think it really shouldn’t be that way. That said, one of the pay-off lines where Hall suggests that if the perpetrator “didn’t want this to end up in a song”, they probably shouldn’t have been close to a songwriter, suggests that none of this is without a sly humour…
In the summer of 2025, Wayward Vine released ‘The Fall’, a superb piece of pop tinged Americana that captured the band’s sense of melody in an almost effortless way. Their current single ‘Salt’ takes an even more reflective approach with slightly reverbed guitar work tempered by light piano motifs, setting a great melody in place. A slightly wordy vocal occasionally conveys hints of a Paddy McAloon style narrative, but overall, the rootsy feel doesn’t veer too far from some of the Vine’s best work. It’s definitely the kind of track that expects the listener to pay full attention – there are moments where the lyric definitely seeks to outshine the music itself – but everything here works very well indeed. In fact, songs about drowning – metaphorically or otherwise – have rarely sounded so inviting.
When it comes to retro rock sounds, Ape Hangers can be relied upon to deliver a banger or two. Their current single ‘Miss You Girl’ is a perfect primer for their upcoming full length (‘Ape Hangers II’, due for release on November 13th). From the outset, the number leans into a huge sounding garage rock riff which, coupled with a slightly sneery vocal and enormous drum sound, comes close to sounding like peak Ape Hangers. Even before they’ve capitalised on a chorus that injects a touch more melody, the band reel in their audience by dropping the song title repeatedly during a driving verse, providing a hook that’s just as big and immediate. The retro sound makes the track impossible to date, so for lovers of the style, this could just be an instant classic.
It’s been a somewhat busy period for Boston based country singer Elisa Smith. Not only has she released the ‘Perfume’ album within the past month, but she’s also appeared as a special guest on The Sean Coleman Project’s debut release ‘Apropos of Nothing’. A stand-out cut from ‘Perfume’, ‘Smut’ brings a pleasingly moody edge to a country number. With reverbed guitars aplenty, there’s a huge cosmic vibe at play here, which really gives the slow, almost waltzing arrangement a huge amount of atmosphere. What’s more impressive is the way Smith chooses to offset this with a relatively clean tone that feeds further into far more a country sound that really sells her strong vocal abilities. There are certainly moments when the country rock of this number is more rock than country, but Smith’s twangy vocal and a more traditional melody bleeding through a superb middle eight both hrlp to give this single a crossover appeal that really works.
In terms of crossover, Effi really isn’t messing around. The intro to ‘Soul Lovers (Quartet)’ mixes elements of rock with an Americana feel, then adds a busy string quartet for good measure. Moving into the verse, a slower melody tips the hat at something a little more easy, before the track completely derails itself by dropping into a quiet drone where the performer’s vocal takes more of a dominant role. Even that vocal doesn’t sit as naturally as you’d expect: Effi’s deep delivery, often settling into a moody croon, but occasionally reaching an unsettling cry, owes more to art rock – with a faint nod to Nico – than anything else. A busy instrumental coda revisits the opening melody to bring everything full circle, but there’s still a feeling that this arrangement never quite hangs together. That said, for those with a more adventurous ear, it definitely presents something quite interesting,
‘The Deep’, a recent single from Boston punks Hell Beach, doesn’t even give the listener time to settle in. A track without a traditional intro, it crashes in at full pelt with an enthused vocal and a barrage of punk ‘n’ roll riffs, creating something that’s genuinely exciting. It’s not entirely about speed and bluster, however; a great sense of rhythm drops in a couple of stops before the chorus, bringing extra tension, and that chorus itself is absolutely brimming with decent melodies, despite Hell Beach’s love of speed and sharp edges. You’ll also encounter a great bass fill or two, and latterly a gang vocal that really cranks up the sense of urgency. In short, this is bloody great punk.
At the end of October, award nominated songwriter/musician Derek Smith will release his very first “best of” compilation, featuring tracks recorded with his band The Cosmic Vultures. Across the ten songs, you’ll find various musical styles, all helmed by a distinctive voice. The slightly psychedelic ‘Waiting’ and acoustically driven ‘Write It In Blood’ should provide highlights for a first time listener, but if anything on that disc telegraphs Derek’s melodic strengths, it’s the wonderful ‘Songbird’. An arrangement inspired by 60s melodies redressed with a 90s retro charm, it taps into some fine pop-rock. The mid tempo arrangement allows for a great melody and an emotive, soaring guitar line to kick things off, and Smith’s light vocal tones feed a little further into an almost dream-like quality. The addition of filtered harmonies filling a hook with a world of doo-doo-doo’s adds a poppier touch, while elements of the verse hint at the performer’s love for light psychy fare. This draws influence from a lot of places and sounds like a lot of bands from the past, yet at the same time, Smith’s talented hand means that the end result doesn’t slavishly aim to sound like anyone in particular.
America is falling apart and being dragged through the mud. Lonely Leesa and The Lost Cowboys have something to say about the state of things. On ‘New American Dream’, the alt-country/rock band address the “dumb distractions”, the “deviations” and days “spent drowning”, before calling out those who refuse to see the damage being done. There are a few more quite obviously outspoken tracks regarding the political slate at the time of this release, but this track strikes a perfect balance between anger and despair. Just as importantly, this song has a solid musical arrangement. The first half of the number presents a terrific guitar tone, drenched in echo against a solid bass part, working a very solid country rock vibe. It’s almost as if the lead guitar is as despairing as the lyric, but its a stylistic choice that really works. As things progress, Leesa and the band take on a slightly rockier stance, eventually reaching a climax where the vocal reaches full cry, and a lead guitar break adds a melodic texture that leans a little further into a blues rock sound. This ‘New American Dream’ isn’t what most sane people wanted, but this anthem isn’t afraid to tackle that head on, shared by a band with their eyes and ears open.
Steve Geraci of The Tear Downs takes a wild musical detour on his recent solo track ‘Top Shelf People’. Fans will be familiar with him sharing various roots rock and rock-pop tunes over the years, but this track comes right out of left field. Centring around a drum part that comes closer to a sample from The Beastie Boys circa ‘Check Your Head’ than any Boston rock band you’d care to name, it’s really busy from the off. Against the rhythm, Geraci adds a hard edged funk bass, drops in various brass led hooks, and even makes room for a jazz influenced sax break. Between the heady grooves, he shares a heartfelt lyric that celebrates family and friends, contrasting the slightly abrasive music with a sentiment driven by pure love. This is interesting… Whether it works or not will be solely down to the listener. ‘Top Shelf People’ will certainly divide opinion, but that could be a good thing, and it proves that Steve isn’t just coasting…
It takes all of a minute and a half for Adios Fatso to deliver their sledgehammer of a message. ‘AI Is Taking Your Soul’ is a punky/alt-rock workout that’s big on riffs and even bigger on warnings. Against a buoyant sounding guitar riff, a sneering vocal repeats the chorus line, and taps into classic Terminator references, while the space where a verse should be is, unironically, taken up by inhuman speech and various phrases that don’t land especially effectively. With a strong melody in hand, however, this Boston band make impending doom sound somewhat appealing… This number is almost over as soon as it has begun, but it definitely works on its own terms. Fuck AI.
October 2026
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