If Morrissey ever smiled or sung happy songs in the days of The Smiths, then he probably would have written something similar to Skint & Demoralised’s This Sporting Life. He didn’t though and if you ever see Morrissey with a smile on his face, it’s probably not actually Morrissey.

Thankfully though, Skint & Demoralised can smile and they play joyful indie songs to brighten your day right up. From opener Hogmanay Heroes, the band’s Englishness shines through. Clearly proud of their home country, it’d be harder to find a band more English unless your band consisted of two blokes with the last name Gallagher. Skint & Demoralised are to England what The Proclaimers are to Scotland – except not embarrassingly shit. Maria, Full of Grace has a little bit of a ska feeling to it – it’s like Jamie T fronting an indie band. Take Jamie T’s ability to write great songs and mix him with Johnny Foreigner’s sound and you’d get Skint & Demoralised. Maria, Full of Grace is upbeat, catchy and yet harmonic.

The Lonely Hearts of England proves how English the band really are, they sound it, they sing of it but the best thing about them is that they do it with such grace and finesse. This Sporting Life is the high point (so far!) of the band’s career – with each year of existence, Skint & Demoralised have grown and grown and in 2012, they are bigger than ever. Did It All Go To Plan? is more stripped down than the rest of the album but it doesn’t do any harm whatsoever, infact it adds to the band’s credibility. It shows diversity and although every track on the album has something to love about it, Did It All Go To Plan? stands out for being so unique.

As Lowlife brings This Sporting Life to it’s climatic end, one thing is left on the mind: where do Skint & Demoralised go from here? Of course, Yazz sang that the only was was up but how do they top this record? They’ve managed to top their last record but how do they do it again? Can they do it again? It’s probably best not to worry for the time being and just enjoy the chirpy goodness that This Sporting Life will bring to everyone’s lives.

For fans of: Jamie T x Johnny Foreigner, The Smiths.

Skint & Demoralised on Facebook

Coming straight from the same punk scene as bands like A Loss For Words and Such Gold, it’s no surprise that Maker’s latest offering, Mirrors, is a fantastic record. Mixing their punk with the 90s emo sound, Maker do just about everything they could possibly do right on this record. It’s raw, gritty and it’s honest – something that is becoming extremely difficult to find in music these days. Sure, we have bands like Basement and The Wonder Years but the more the merrier.

Kicking off with the fantastic Mirrors, Maker prove that they are head and shoulders above the rest. The band’s sound is something old, something new and something borrowed yet with a unique twist and they really do make Mirrors something special. Tsunamis is a stand out track that has passion and emotion packed tight in to it but this is what makes band like Maker so spectacular. They’re not afraid to write what’s really on their mind or how they’re feeling and this is what music lacks. Bands have no drive – they sit down, jam, write a song and come back with something to be lost in time – but not Maker. Even if Maker’s musical journey stops soon, Mirrors could easily become a cult classic punk album.

The heavier, fast paced For Every Mistake I’ve Ever Made is easily one of the best songs on the record, it’s quick punk riffs and brilliant lyrics make it a straight up punk rock tune with no bullshit. Just how punk should be done. The instrumental 1989 gives way for the sublime What’s In Your Head, which sounds relatively similar to Basement’s Earl Grey but with a more American feel – that’s not a bad thing though, if anything it gives the song it’s own extra special feel to it. What Maker are able to do on Mirrors is what most bands fail to do these days and that’s simply make and produce fantastic songs. Without a bunch of great songs, a band might as well not be a band – what’s the point in writing music if it’s not any good? Thankfully for Maker, there is a point as writing fantastic songs is a speciality of theirs.

A Postcard I Never Sent To You solidifies the fact that Maker are a great band. The song is a stripped down acoustic track and is almost the calm before the storm for the epic 14 which knocks down everything in it’s way. Basement Song has the same feel to it as early Alkaline Trio – simple punk rock played with hearts on their sleeves and feet firmly on the ground, while …I’ve Been Wondering closes out the album in the best way possible.

Instead of making ripples of noise, Maker have made waves of them. Mirrors is an achievement. Maker have made a record that most bands only dream of making and they make it look easy. Maker are pop punk’s great white hope – not that it needed one, but if pop punk ever goes down the shitter then Maker will be their to pick things right back up. Thanks lads.

For fans of: Basement, Alkaline Trio.

Maker on Facebook

Solo records. Some are just downright piss poor. Some people have the talent to play everything themselves and some just don’t – it’s not exactly an easy feat, let’s face it. For the sake of all things fucking brilliant, Sammy Mitchell (or better known as Sea Is For Sailors) can play every instrument on the record used perfectly but not only that his voice is perfect when singing or just tearing shit up.

The opening to Forward Forewarn is Forward (Foreward) and it’s a brutal onslaught of what’s to come. It’s like someone took Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan and even Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed, mixed them in a blender and called it Sea Is For Sailors. The follow up to the opening track is Shark Bait – a riffaholic monster of a mosh anthem. There’s no better way to describe it. It’s heavy, it’s brutal, it destroys anything in its path but the most amazing thing is that it’s just one bloke. Maybe this proves that the tension in bands can often be too much and doing EVERYTHING (right down to the production) on a record yourself is much better than spending years or months reconcilling and writing a new (shit) album.

Smokestack sounds like something straight off of Calculating Infinity – imitation is often referred to as the most sincere form of flattery and if Ben Weinman heard Sea Is For Sailors, he’d probably be pretty happy. Everything on Forward Forewarn is perfect. Not a single strum of a guitar, a single beat of a drum or a single note or word sung is out of tune or out of place. Trail Dragger sounds like a cross between Clutch and Cancer Bats – although listing a tonne of reputable bands does not do Sammy Mitchell justice in anyway possible.

The record comes to an almighty close with the epic Forewarn, if Sammy Mitchell could clone himself a few times and go on tour with Sea Is For Sailors then he would easily be the next big thing in the rock scene. This music couldn’t physically be made with anyone but Mitchell. Nobody has this amount of passion for music, it’s unbelievable. To sit down, write a record this good and not be doing big tours is insanely odd. Sammy Mitchell AKA Sea Is For Sailors has possibly written one of the finest EPs of 2012 and it WILL stay that way, despite there still being over 300 days left of this year.

For fans of: Cancer Bats, Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Sea Is For Sailors on Facebook

When one mentions Switzerland, the alps are usually what comes to mind. Not punk. Building a fanbase in the worldwide punk scene when you hail from a place like Switzerland isn’t easy however slowly but surely, it’s inevitable that Archers and Arrows time will come.

They’re straight up, no holds barred punk rock is reminiscent is The Get Up Kids with a modern twist – it’s Latterman with an old school punk feel to it. Opening song It’s So Cool, We Will Die All Together couldn’t introduce Archers and Arrows better – it’s a stunning punk song pulled right out of the bag. It’s surprising to hear something as fresh as this, punk isn’t the easiest genre to perfect but Archers and Arrows have truly made it their own on this record.

The Support is just as good – sounding like a European version of Off With Their Heads, they continue to dominate throughout the EP with Swan Song followed by the fantastic Truncated Humanism which sounds like Such Gold with accents. Of course, being from Switzerland it’s obvious that the band will have accents, but that’s what makes “foreign” bands so great – they have their own sound and own feel to them, they don’t sound the same and they push the boundaries.

The Young Carpetbaggers has a massive Rancid feel to it – there’s no better feeling than turning on a punk record and being pleasantly surprised with what you hear. This was the case with Archers and Arrows, the feel of a band totally catching the listener off guard is how music should be. The audience crave originality and in 2012 it’s not easy – sure, there’s inspiration but when you twist it and turn that inspiration to become your own, it becomes something quite special. Archers and Arrows self titled EP is what will hopefully put Switzerland on map for punk rock and hopefully the band will spread across the world like wildfire. Whoever said punk was dead?

For fans of: The Get Up Kids, Rancid, Have Nots.

Archers and Arrows on Facebook. You can also find links to download the bands music for free on their Facebook page!

Following a hugely successful UK tour last year that included a supporting stint with Madina Lake, the band felt they’d received so much love from UK audiences, that it was time to give some back so head over to either of the following links to get yourself the free new track from the band!

Download link number 1!
Download link number 2!

“Happy Valentine’s Day UK! We are really excited to release our new single WAY BACK as a free release! Everyone in the UK has been so great to us, we wanted to take this opportunity to give back and say Thanks for the all of the love and support! Send it to your significant other, send it to your grandma, send it to your neighbor, send it to everyone! This message has been approved by the Super Happy Fun Club.”

The band are currently recorded the follow up to Go Fun Yourself and will be touring the UK later this year!

The Super Happy Fun Club on Facebook

The Los Angelos indies new single Life Boat is something quite special – it contains real emotion and passion within the single itself and the band’s music is perfect. It’s hard to find music with such grace and finesse in 2012 but Early Morning Rebel prove that it does still exist on their new single and with appearances in London during London’s Fashion Week this month, the band will soon be making more noise than before.

Early Morning Rebel on Facebook

The band will be making appearances at the following dates:

Feb 16th ON/OFF LONDON @ Rook and Raven Gallery Rathbone Place
http://www.onoff.tv/feb12/

Feb 17th Sex and London City Party @ Kensington Roof Gardens
http://sexandlondoncity.com/

Feb 19th Shoreditch house
http://www.shoreditchhouse.com/

Feb 19th Felicities Presents at Somerset House
http://www.felicities.co.uk/

New York City has a vibrant music scene and it’s also a hard one to break through in, hoping to be the next up and coming band from NYC though is Casual Hearts. One of the hardest working bands in NYC, Casual Hearts put on non paying shows for them and fellow bands just to get their name heard and they released their debut EP, Primetime Trauma back in 2009. The band do have new songs on the horizon, but Rock Reviews 24/7 is reviewing their only current release until they get more records out.

A short piano intro breaks into a catchy hip hop rock track called The Cure (LOL), it’s got a certain feel to it and does the whole hip hop/rock genre far better than Hyro Da Hero ever could. Sleek riffs and soft (yet hard hitting) vocals bring the track together, it’s a bit repetitive at times but it comes to a fantastic end with more rockier riffs before the band rip in to Break Me. It’s heavier than before and shows that Casual Hearts have bite to their bark, the mix of singing and rapping give the songs a certain edge to them.

Many people write off hip hop/rock fusions but with bands like Public Enemy and Run DMC perfected it many years ago and becoming some of the biggest groups in the world, Casual Hearts have hope. They have a long way to go before they ever get that big or that good, but they have to start somewhere and with their work ethic being at an extremely high leval they won’t be giving up anytime soon. Little Puerto Rico is the first song to have more of a rock feel to it than a rap feel, but the rap vibe is still in there – the vocals echo around and the chorus blasts through the stereo perfecting a sound that other bands in the genre could only ever hope to.

Closing track F.O. has a more upbeat feel to it and although the track is 18 minutes long (F.O. actually finishes around 8 minutes), it’s hard to stop listening. Ending on a high note seems the right thing to do. With a “hidden”/bonus track kicking in, the EP finishes on an instrumental note – it’s soothing and different to the whole EP, but it does bring it to a great close.

Primetime Trauma was the first chapter in Casual Hearts musical story and it’s slowly coming to a close. Having been release almost 3 years ago now, the band are gearing up to release bigger and better material, they have a long way to go before they hit the top but it’s something that they could easily acheieve and if there’s a band in the NYC scene who deserve it – it’s them.

Casual Hearts on Facebook

If bands like Florence and the Machine turned their hands to proper rock and had a bit of bite in them, then Auction For the Promise Club is what they would hope to sound like.

Kicking off One is Under China and from the word “go”, Auction For the Promise Club can’t be faulted – another British band that aren’t where they deserve to be at the moment. Sounding like a cross between Paramore and Feeder, the indie rockers mix a bunch of different genres to get the perfect sound on One. Liquid follows Under China and once again Auction For the Promise Club continue to impress, a pinch of electro is thrown in – there’s a difference between a catchy song and a sublime track but somehow the band have pulled off a sublimely catchy song. Zoe Chambers voice is second to none and with equally amazing music to back her voice up, Auction For the Promise Club show huge potential.

If begins slowly and has a spine chilling effect, Chambers voice is even better than the first two tracks. The band’s music weaves in and out creating the most perfect of sounds, switching from tempo to tempo and making the utmost perfect music. Ending on the massive Dancer, Auction For the Promise Club have left their competition in the dust (eh? get it? no? Listen to the EP then!) and for One to be their debut EP may come as a complete shock. No band should be this good first time round.

Auction For the Promise Club on Facebook

Since releasing Myths back in 2009, Moonlight Bride have come along away and with 2012 well and under way now the band’s latest EP, Twin Lakes, is an slice of fantastic indie/noise-pop. Opening with the brilliant Diego, Moonlight Bride make music look easy – it’s simple, but it’s mesmerising.

With a strong opening to the EP, it only gets stronger with Lemonade. It’s got soothing melodies but also a little bit of an edge, the harmony of Lemonade works so perfectly together that Moonlight Bride really can’t be faulted with whatever they do. Moonlight Bride are a mix of Algernon Cadwallader and Dandy Warhols making love to Johnny Foreigner. But it doesn’t sound as crazy as it sounds. They have the experimental indie sound to them which is not only rare to find, but even more rare to find a band who do it so well.

Versinthe feels like an isntrumental interlude in placed in the middle while Drug Crimes is almost haunting. Sending shivers down spines, Moonlight Bride continue to impress throughout Twin Lakes and to criticise their work would be a crime in itself. And The Death Ship Had A New Captain brings the record to a hypnotising close – it’s the climax of the EP and as the music comes to a halt and the ending of the song slowly fades the record out to a perfect ending.

The only thing that this EP lacks is songs. The songs are there and they’re all perfect but there isn’t enough – or is that just being greedy? It’s been three years since Moonlight Bride’s debut album and it’s safe to say it’s time for a whole lot more. For now, Twin Lakes will do and with shows at SXSW just round the corner, Moonlight Bride will only get bigger and better from now on.

For fans of: An experimental version of Dandy Warhols.

Moonlight Bride on Facebook

The one thing that stands out on Dead Southern Tree’s Metamorphosis is the riffs – they’re good, but there is lack of them. But riffs alone don’t make fantastic records. Metamorphosis might have some good riffs but it seems that in reality, that’s all they have. And a very minimal amount too.

Eternity’s Reach gets the album off to a slow start and Thresholds is not a strong point either, but The Emerald Nymph helps to pick things off the ground. The vocals are a mix of recent Axl Rose and classic rock and would sound better if the production on the first two tracks hadn’t let them down. At times Metamorphosis is melodic, at times it’s solid rock n’ roll and at times it’s hugely sloppy. With The Emerald Nymph picking things up, the album takes a turn for the worse with The Re-crafting of the Physical Form. It’s slow and dreary and boring.

You could call Reality’s Affliction a ballad, but ballads usually have passion and feel heartfelt. What you get here is just another slow, dreary and boring song. After that however, The Devil Rides South picks things up but it all feels a little too late. It’s a half decent track at best and that’s only because the music and composition are pretty decent. Dedication is a piano driven song which is (believe it or not) even more slow and boring than the rest of the album – just when the album couldn’t slow down, it hits a cool 1mph and you have to check it’s pulse to see whether it’s still alive or not. It is, but barely. One piano “ballad” is enough so why Metamorphosis contains two of these is ridiculous – a cover of John Lennon’s Working Class Hero could have ended Metamorphosis on a high but it just proves that Dead Southern Tree aren’t cut out for rock. A classic song ruined and a terrible album is thankfully finished.

Metamorphosis contains a couple of good riffs and this is the only real high point. That rest of it has poor production and slow, dreary songs that nobody wants to hear. Dead Southern Tree need to morph into something good or just give up music altogether.

Dead Southern Tree on Facebook