"Young & Relentless" - Against The Current, Single Review

Above: album artwork for In Our Bones (www.atcofficial.com)

On August 16th, Against The Current released the music video to the song "Young & Relentless" taken from their debut studio album "In Our Bones". The album is outstanding, as is the talent of the New York 3-piece.

This track is an upbeat song which highlights the unbelievable talents of vocalist Chrissy Costanza as well as reflecting the incredible musical talents of fellow band mates Dan Gow and Will Ferri. Lyrically, this track is driven by youth and spontaneity providing it to be a very positive, summertime track and musically, this song simply wants to make you get up, dance and seize the day.  This fun pop rock track is a great listen and presents the excellence of their album.

Rating: 7.5/10

You can download Against The Current's debut album on iTunes here and can watch the music video to "Young & Relentless" through their Youtube channel here.

What are your thoughts of "Young & Relentless"? Why not comment below or on Twitter @TheRiffReviews ?

"The Hurt Is Gone" - Yellowcard, Single Review

Above: album artwork for Yellowcard (yellowcardrock.com)

2 days ago, Yellowcard released the second single, "The Hurt Is Gone", from their final upcoming album, "Yellowcard". The self-titled record will be their 10th studio album and is expected to drop on September 30. 

This track has a laid-back beat with a solid drum track throughout. The song is seemingly reminiscent and in a way, like a comfort about the band's career and their decision to end the journey of Yellowcard. In many ways, "The Hurt Is Gone" has a melancholy, regretful feeling about things ending and change. Lyrically, this song is very strong and musically, it is very good. From the forthcoming album, Yellowcard have so far released "Rest In Peace" which takes a different tone to this song.

The two tracks currently released suggest that this album will be very good and something fans of Yellowcard will be able to hold onto forever as the band's final farewell. Both songs are excellent and have been met with pleasantries from fans across the globe.

Rating: 7.5/10

You can pre-order the album "Yellowcard" and get 2 tracks immediately on iTunes here and can view the music video to "The Hurt Is Gone" via Hopeless Records' YouTube channel here.

What do you think of this track? Why not comment below or on Twitter @TheRiffReviews ?

"Girls Talk Boys" - 5 Seconds of Summer, Single Review

Above: album artwork for Girls Talk Boys (@5sos/Instagram)

The new single by 5 Seconds of Summer, "Girls Talk Boys", features in the motion picture "Ghostbusters". The pop-rock band's track is very catchy and does just what it needs to as a song for a film. With elements of groove and pop featured throughout, this song is an easy listen. It is very repetitive in parts which is tiring and slightly disappointing as 5SOS are a good band who are capable of things much better than this track. 

Overall, the song is good but definitely lacks uniqueness and the flair that the band have created on their most recent studio album, "Sounds Good Feels Good".  "Girls Talk Boys" is a fun song and definitely worth a listen.

Rating: 6/10

You can get hold of "Girls Talk Boys" on iTunes here and can watch the music video on YouTube here.

What are your thoughts on the single? Why not comment below or on Twitter @TheRiffReviews ?

"Better Weather" - With Confidence, Album Review

Above:album artwork for Better Weather (@withconfidenceband/Instagram)

On June 17, With Confidence dropped their debut album, "Better Weather". Newly signed to Hopeless Records, the Australian band are undoubtedly one of the pop-punk bands to watch over the upcoming year. Their record merges catchy riffs with manic screams in a way that simply hasn't been done for a very long time. 

The band delve into issues of mental health in the first track "Voldemort" while maintaining a positive outlook and summertime vibe. A stand out track from the album is "Keeper"  which highlights the talent of each member of the band, particularly lead vocalist, Jayden Seeley. On the record, their is a good balance of upbeat songs such as "We'll Be Okay" as well as slower tracks like "Long Night". While being a brilliant album in itself, the four-piece choose to end it with the song "Waterfall" and the final moments of record being an automated answer machine which rounds the album off in a way that can only be felt by listening to it. 

With Confidence are a very talented group of lads and "Better Weather" is an excellent presentation of the fact. Fresh on the scene, they are bringing new ideas with them and are definitely ones to look out for. This album is an essential - the soundtrack to summer '16.

Rating: 8/10

You can buy "Better Weather" on iTunes here and can go view their music videos via Hopeless Records' YouTube channel here.

What are your thoughts on the album? Why not leave a comment below or on Twitter @TheRiffReviews ?

"Bang Bang" - Green Day, Single Review

Above: album artwork for Bang Bang via Revolution Radio (@greenday/Instagram)

Green Day dropped their hot new track on August 11 and it is incredible. The highly anticipated song was released on Thursday and the reception of it has been amazing. It is taken from their upcoming 12th studio album, "Revolution Radio" which is expected on October 7, 2016.

In its entirety, "Bang Bang" touches on some very heavy topics of deranged chaos and terrorism. It raises awareness of these increasingly important topics in a way that only Green Day know how to do: through a catchy melody, providing something for people to feel connected to. Both lyrically and musically, "Bang Bang" is a stroke of genius as it combines punk music with political direction. If the album is anything like this track, it is going to be beyond brilliant.

Rating: 8.5/10

You can pre-order "Revolution Radio" on iTunes and get "Bang Bang" immediately here and you can view the lyric video on YouTube here.

What are your thoughts on the single? Why not comment below or follow The Riff Reviews on twitter @TheRiffReviews ?

"The Chaser" - Twin Atlantic, Single Review

Above: album artwork for The Chaser (@twinatlantic/Instagram)

Freshly released, "The Chaser" is a single taken from the four piece rock brand's upcoming album "GLA". This song is a light-hearted and fun listen. Musically, it doesn't push any boundaries however it is extremely catchy and great to sing along to. This track has a much softer and more pop-like feel to it than the others so far released from the album which gives the sense that the album is going to be musically varied.

This song is very good and along with "Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator", "No Sleep" and "Ex El" leaves me confident that "GLA" is going to be a great album.

Rating: 7/10

You can pre-order Twin Atlantic's upcoming album on iTunes and get 4 songs straight away here and can watch the music video for "The Chaser" here.

What are your thoughts on the single? Why not comment below or find us on twitter @TheRiffReviews ?

"California" - Blink-182, Review

Above: album artwork for California (@blink182/Instagram)

The pop-punk 3 piece released this album, produced by John Feldmann on July 1 of this year. It is the first album of the trio with Matt Skiba and without Tom DeLonge. This guitar-driven album portrays a more mature version of Blink than we have often seen, while of course maintaining the comedic aspects of the band that we all love, e.g. "I Built This Pool".

The first single taken from the album, "Bored To Death" essentially defines the album and is certainly a stand out track. It is within this song that fans can hear an updated version of Blink singing about mature themes while staying true to their own unique sound. The title track of the album "California" represents the album and could not have been done in a better way. This album has just the right blend of seriousness and light-heartedness to entertain fans.

Musically speaking, the album remains clearly in the style of Blink which is great because that is exactly what fans love. However, it would be refreshing to see them evolve their sound further and experiment with a wider range of new ideas. While it is favourable to many fans that their sound is the same, it would be nice to see them adapt their sound in trying new things.

All in all, this album is a great listen, particularly if you are a Blink-182 fan. It isn't the best of their work but is still very good. Through everything, Blink have stayed true to their sound which in itself is an admirable act.

Rating: 7/10

You can get hold of "California" on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/california/id1107053773

and can view their YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/blink182