The members of Ellen May met via social media in 2022, and quickly realising their shared musical interests, Matt Matusik and Matt Branton began sharing demo ideas. Seemingly just as quickly, they began working on demos with a plan for a full length release. Despite an album’s worth of tracks being completed, the Ellen May debut features just two numbers, but ‘Dying To Live’s digital single format is actually a perfect way to introduce their emo/melodic punk sound to the masses.
Author Archives: Real Gone
ADVERSE96 – Clear The Lane
Adverse96 have worked hard to build a following since their formation in 2012. Extensive live work has seen them trek across Europe, sharing stages with 90s legends Dog Eat Dog, ska band The Interrupters and cult punks Against Me. The fact that they’ve managed to support such musically differing rock bands is testament to their huge crossover sound. Their 2023 full length ‘Clear The Lane’ takes in a swathe of melodic hardcore influences, a smidgeon of rap metal and even a few cues from US inspired melodic punk. This huge melting pot of sound often centres around melodic hardcore breakdowns to give the overall sound a common thread, but in terms of whipping up some familiar sounding (and often retro) excitement, it’s clear that this Belgian band know, almost instinctively, how to push all of the right buttons.
SVARTANATT – Last Days On Earth
Following a couple of strong releases in 2016 and 2018, Svartanatt made a long overdue return in 2023 with their single ‘Child of The Devil’. By opening with a riff that sounded like a souped up version of ‘Born To Be Wild’ meeting with a rough approximation of the early Blue Oyster Cult, the track wasn’t exactly shy in advertising the fact that the band’s music had taken on an even more retro feel than before, but with the aid of swirling organ worthy of Ken Hensley, a rousing chorus loaded with gang vocals – albeit half buried under a bluster of guitar and keys – and a strong speed driven groove, it suggested that the forthcoming album would be an absolute blast. Fans were not to be short changed.
THE JACKLIGHTS – Final Girl EP
The Jacklights’ double A-side ‘Womanchild’/‘Underachiever’ – released in November 2022 – was a solid slice of power pop. The pair of tunes retained a garage rock/90s alternative roughness, but were far more melodic than anything that had appeared on the band’s self-titled EP from two years previously.
GOTUS – Gotus
Gotus? In terms of band names, that’s pretty ugly. It certainly isn’t terrible – that would be reserved for the likes of Smoking Gives You Big Tits, Dohny Jepp, and Fuck Yeah Dinosaurs, all of which not only have the misfortune to exist, but also the distinction of somehow being better than anything else those bands could come up with – but it certainly doesn’t inspire. It was chosen with solid reasoning, however: it’s a portmanteau designed to advertise the fact that this European supergroup features members of Gotthard and Krokus. That should be enough alone to secure the melodic rockers a decent audience, but in many ways, the biggest draw here is their choice of vocalist.