This edition of LITM Rock Picks showcases absorbing releases from artists Alternative Influence, GLEET, James M Larocque, The Heroic Enthusiasts, and Sareena Rama.
Alternative Influence - Come on in & Join The Party
Alternative Influence makes an exultant comeback with their latest single, Come on in & Join The Party. Lead singer Lee and the band saturate the music with such an eruptive verve and vitality that you simply cannot resist it. The distortion-heavy, soaring riffs declare their energy with an emphatic charisma while urgent, driving drum beats inject you with a foot-stomping groove. Slick solos infuse a feeling of swelling thrill. Lee’s revelrous singing, cushioned by layers of backup vocals, lights up the music with uplifting, catchy melodies—the title-touting chorus being the most ear-sticky—that are sure to make you come back for more! This song’s garage rock, indie rock atmosphere instantly transports you to dimly-lit, smokey, sweaty parties where the speaker is blasting rock hits, the floor is trembling with the resounding thuds of dancing feet, and the room is reverberating with the voices of people singing their lungs out. Listen here!
GLEET - Hour 00: Robust Portfolio
GLEET presents a cerebral, genre-blurring track titled Hour 00: Robust Portfolio. This song is the opening single from their latest album 24– an audacious and ambitious effort to document thought-provoking perspectives on life experiences through immersive soundscapes, where each track corresponds to an hour in the 24-hour day cycle. With equal measures of calculated chaos and decisive design, the production of this track feels seamless, bold, and imaginative. Vast spreads of rippling, shimmery, warbling synth layers interlace hypnotically. Metallic beats flutter and shuffle softly, underscoring the music with a pulsing rhythm. The singer’s anguished vocal melodies bring to life the hard-hitting irony in the lyricism, calling out the egotistical, execrable facets of accumulating wealth in today’s capitalist society. If this conceptual brilliance does not intrigue you, then surely the surreal sonic construct will grip your senses. Listen here!
James M Larocque - All About Me
James M Larocque (JML) is a Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, performer, and writer. Each of JML’s soundscapes reflects his impressive musical knowledge, mastery, and eclecticism. You can expect his sonic influences and atmospheres to fluidly flow anywhere between The Beatles to Bach, Bowie to Zappa, Imagine Dragons to Billie Eilish. So there is a lot to like and look forward to. In All About Me, his latest release, you get a narrative that is as entertaining as the sound. If you’ve ever had to deal with a self-absorbed, self-righteous person who makes it all about them, then you’ve just found yourself a new favorite, replay-worthy track. Musically, the track delights; warm, catchy riffs and a gentle, galloping drum beat forms a country-tinged, classic rock backdrop against which the free-spirited, lilting vocal melodies are drawn. JML comfortably nestles into a corner of your mind—and most likely, a permanent place on your playlist—with this memorable and amusing release. Listen here!
The Heroic Enthusiasts - Clear
The Heroic Enthusiasts is the musical banner of New York-based musical duo, James Tabbi and Thomas Ferrara. A shared love for Brit-pop, New Wave, and Post-Punk brought the two artists together, and their sonic synergy has since led to some spellbinding and refreshing releases. As they gear up for the release of their forthcoming record, Illuminate, the duo, in collaboration with Stephen Hague, presents their third single, Clear. A gripping adventure unfolds, giving you a taste of passion, thrill, and mystery. As the lyrics draw you in, the music keeps you from getting out. The music opens to a dark, alluring start. Somber, ominous synths thrum with the same pensive immediacy as the pulsating beats. The singer dots the music with expressive melodies creating an air of frisson and enigma. As the musical currents and textures mount, you find yourself blissfully cruising—through radiant riffs, racing rhythms, rich refrains swelling in tandem—towards the final fate of the sound and story. Listen here!
Sareena Rama - Dead End
Sareena Rama is an emerging pop-rock artist based in Los Angeles. Keeping in line with her captivating, charged musical style, Dead End, her third single, packs a punch with its riotous, raw energy. The song’s punk-like pop-rock atmosphere perfectly captures the intense, eruptive emotions—frustration, betrayal, confusion, disappointment—provoked by a disastrously tasteless breakup. The lyrics don’t hold back either, taking shots at the mess that modern dating has become in a social media fueled culture. Moody guitars and thumping drums open the song alongside glum vocals. Fierce, angrier riffs set in just as the vocals become impassioned, thrusting you into a chorus that explodes with catchy, lush melodies. Dead End is another promising, compelling release from Sareena Rama, establishing her as a rising force to watch out for. Listen here!
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