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I keep on banking on a new rock guitar based revolution to take over and New York City’s The Mystery Lights may be that band to break through and switch up the scene along with the UK punk scene. The Mystery Lights are Mike Brandon (lead vocals / guitar), LA Solano (lead guitar), Alex Amini (bass), Lily Rogers (keys), and Zach Butler (drums). They formed in California and then made the move to NYC about ten years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2o-3-TTXjI The band reminds me of Velvet Underground’s sound with twisted distorted guitars and muffled vocals reminiscent of the early garage rock…

Scottish singer songwriter Theo Bleak is on the verge of releasing new music. Her new single “In My House” is an ethereal haunting song full of despair and sadness but she insists that it’s a lighter song and loves being alone. She nails down her feelings at the moment of each song no matter how melancholy she may be feeling at the time. She truly writes with her heart on her sleeve. I talked to the singer about all the emotions she encapsulates when writing and recording music, her mesmerizing vocals, and getting cosigned by Noel Gallagher. At what age…

Colossus, Mondo, and now United Sounds NYC Festival are all indie festivals that have been taking the place of CMJ Festivities as of late. UNITED SOUNDS NYC is another festival that celebrates the indie and underground sound of New York City. Some of the performances include: Blonde Redhead, The Dismemberment Plan, Sunflower Bean, Model/Actriz, and more. “We wanted to start an annual music festival in New York City during the fall season, in the spirit of great indie-focused events of the past like CMJ,” notes the festival’s talent booker Diane Perini. “Our goal is to bring celebrated independent artists and…

My interview with Dave Monks, lead singer of Tokyo Police Club, was a quick path down the Tokyo Police Club musical history. The band (along with Graham Wright, Josh Hook, and Greg Alsop) established themselves on the Canadian rock scene back in the early 00s. Call it alt rock if you want, but theses fellas stayed true to their indie rock roots all these years and now they are hanging it up, but not before one last hurrah. They released their final album, TPC, in 2018, unknowingly to them that it would be their last. The band is now on their…

Austin, Texas’ Urban Heat overflows with dark 80s synth throwback melodies. The band is currently on tour in support of their new album, The Tower, which is out now. Even though their lyrical content can be heavy at times, it’s definitely relatable. I talk to Jonathan Horstmann, the lead singer of Urban Heat, about beating his drug fueled demons, what The Tower brings to the table musically speaking, and the band’s fashion sense. Check out their song “Seven Safe Places” below our interview as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1rHeK4MktU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_s0fANgjdw

Showing feelings and being vulnerable is a tough thing to illustrate in music, but The Collection succeeds in that. The melodic six piece from North Carolina put out an incredible album called Little Deaths. Something that can be pessimistic finds all its glory on this album. Lead singer David Wimbish turned it all around on this powerful and positive upbeat project. I talked to Wimbish about what ties the large band together, the album, and the challenges of fitting into today’s pop and hip hop landscape. Watch the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XITQGxJtOKU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3SYwcJbc4g

Carbon Leaf’s journey began in the early 90s. Though the band line up has changed a bit, their folk infused indie rock sound the band created in Richmond, Virginia still resonates today. The band’s most notable song “The Boxer” off of 2001’s Echo Echo, is when the band accepted their first American Music Award. They followed up with Indian Summer shortly thereafter. It’s been ten years since the band has released a full length project. Busy with other side gigs and EPs, the band reunite to put out Time Is The Playground, an introspective look at what path the future…

In the next installment of Modern Frequency’s Podcast I talk to rising indie pop star Mila Degray. Mila’s music is in the vein of indie pop rock and is guitar based. Her new single “Masculine Charm” which just dropped this past Friday 8/9, is about a relationship she had when she was younger. You can check out the video below. The comparisons are piling up, though, as many are quick to compare the rising pop star back to Sky Ferreira. Looks are comparable to Sky with the bleach blonde locks, but Mila’s music is reminiscent of Soccer Mommy or Beabadoobee,…

East London rapper/singer InderPaul Sandhu is ready to crossover. His style is remarkably unique. He is creating an empire from the ground up with his hip hop and fashion sensibilities. Based in London, the rapper is defying the odds by bringing his own unique style to the game. Some of the highlights and achievements he’s made include connecting with Pharrell and having his music being featured on NBA 2K. And I feel this is only the beginning. The BBC featured his single “Money Ain’t A Thing”. The song shows his prowess not only in the rap game but in R&B…

One listen to the rock band Die Tired and you might hear the resuscitation of the 90s alt rock scene. The boys of Die Tired (Guitarist and vocalist Matt DeAngelis, bassist Jamieson Lee and drummer Brandon Ballantyne) are helping to revive the rock scene one single at a time. “Need To Feed”, “Better Off Alive”, and the trio’s newest tune coming in August “Open Hearts Club” are testament that the band, based out of Reading Pennsylvania, can release catchy rock singles instead of an entire album and still have an enduring impact in this day and age of quick attention…