The Ocean Cure - Re: Discover

1. Structures

2. Huntress

3. Crystalline

4. Divided

5. Weapon

The Ocean Cure have released their second album titled "RE: Discover." This album follows along the same sound and style as the debut. Right off the bat, you can tell the band has a stronger male presence in the secondary vocals, which the band was missing. This band has a similar sound to that of The Animal In Me, or The Word Alive, so if you like bands like these, you could really like this album. They have stepped it up on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album has been recorded to a pretty decent quality. Nice and crisp recording. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the main vocals on this album sound a little quiet and give off a bit of timidness when you listen to them. We feel, a bit more power, like the background vocals give you. She can certainly sing, and there is something to them, and we hope they just keep evolving. With the background screams, they are powerful and bring each song up a notch, definitely feeling those here. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about regret, relationships, not falling for toxic people, and more. We feel that these are pretty common topics for bands, especially younger bands to sing about. This is however something their fanbase and relate to, which is what you want to do as a band. Not a band job over all. If you are looking for a single to this album, the song "Structures" is far and away the best song from the band so far, so listen to that one for sure. We personally like "Weapon" as well, we are a sucker for that into. The Ocean Cure have made an album that gives them more of a list to play live, and out of that starter local band place. We like this album and have played it a bunch. Minor note, the packaging on this album is super flimsy, and may not hold up for people who like to hold on to their music collections, plus the case isn't replaceable if damaged. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it. 

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Screamo 

Release Date: June 14th, 2019

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Label: None

Confine - The Beginning Of The End

1. Misguided

2. The Beginning Of The End

3. The Disease

4. In The Name Of...

5. Believe The Lie

6. Mend

7. Death's Head Revisited

Confine have released their debut full length album titled "The Beginning Of The End." This album has a similar sound and feel that you got off of the split album with Avarice. This time the band has decided to make a full release on their own. These guys have that very raw and rough sounding 90's and older, original hardcore punk sound to them. You would like this band if you are into bands like Agnostic Front, 7 Seconds or even on a newer side, Expire. So if you like any of those bands, you could really like this album. They have done an okay job here. When looking at the quality of this album, you have to look at it from the perspective of being a 90's release with raw and rough everything. The album doesn't sound to great, and could definitely use more production to get it more crisp and clear. Looking at the instrumentation on this album, it seems more like the band was going for hard and fast, as opposed to technique or skill. Now they do change it up every once in awhile, but for the most part it is pretty standard playing from a 90's hardcore band.
Now onto the vocals and lyrics. The vocals are sung very fast, with a mostly high pitched scream. Due to this, and the quality of the recording, the lyrics are pretty hard to pin point. However, the singer can sing the style and genre the band is going for, so his vocals fit right in. Now with the lyrics, the band goes for a more political side of things here. They also sing about diving and conquering, mending the things people have screwed up, and more. Overall we find these lyrics a little hard to get behind as we aren't political, but we know they have their place. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feel of the album. Confine have made an album that shows you a bigger range of the sound the band wants you to get into, and more songs to pull from. All in all, we are not the biggest fan of this type of hardcore, but we know it has it's place. Give it a listen to decide for yourself what you think of it. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Hardcore/Punk/Rock

Release Date: July 16th, 1999

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Label: One Day Saviour Recordings

Den Mother - Lucid Dreaming

1. Lucid Dreaming

2. Months And Days

Den Mother have released their debut two song EP titled "Liquid Dreaming." This album has a very indie feel to it, along with deep scratchy vocals. We see this as more of the style a solo artist would go for. These two songs have a similar sound to that of a Misser, Northcote or even a Grey Kingdom, so if you are into that kind of music, you could get into these two songs.They have done a decent job here. When looking at the recording quality of this album, you can tell that it is a bit rough around the edges, but is done ell enough to have that balance of raw indie and polished to it. The instrumentation on both songs are pretty average. That is not saying the band can't play, but they just don't have a punch to make you turn your head in this part of the album mechanics. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals here are done quite well. The singer can really hit that sad, down, dark vocal style, all while keeping everything very clear and easy to listen to. With the lyrics, the song "Lucid Dreaming" talks about wanting to be with someone but knowing that you can't. While the song "Months And Days" talks about wishing someone would make choices and let them know what they want. You can tell the singer has difficult relationship with the person in question. We feel people can relate to these situations and feel for the singer. If you are looking for a single to this album, either song is done pretty well, so just pick a song or listen to both to see what the band is about. Den Mother have made a two song album that really shows what they were going through in this period of their life. They have also given us a taste of just how they want their music to sound. Now to just make a longer album and get out there so people can hear them. Listen to this two song album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Indie/Rock/Acoustic

Release Date: September 18th, 2016
Location: Oakville, Ontario
Label: None

Coldfront - Is This Where They Found You?

1. Molly Blooms

2. Reduced

3. Shed Light

4. Up

5. Lifted

Coldfront have released their third album titled "Is This Where They Found You?" This album is a small taste of how the band wants to progress and move in their career. They have the main components of their previous work and still have a conldfront sound, while putting a bit more of a pro feel to it. This band has a similar sound to that of Seaway or Like Pacific, so if you like those bands, you could like this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the album could of used a little bit more production and polish in a couple areas, but all in all it sound pretty good. The instrumentation is nothing that is really going to make you turn your head, but they do know how to play. They have a nice solid playing ability here. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are pretty decent. He can certainly sing, but more in a raspy punk style than a clear voice. His voice may not appeal to everyone, but he does well for the style the band is going for. With the lyrics, the band goes for songs about girls/relationships and vices. These are the more typical subjects for pop punk bands to sing about, but they do an alright job on it.There is nothing too ground breaking with the lyrics, they just do a pretty good job at repackaging the same topics as many other pop punk bands. Not too bad though. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Molly Blooms" your attention as it is the best song on the album and really gives you an idea of how the rest of the album sounds. Coldfront's label debut EP is one that shows the band does have potential but also will need a little work to make themselves stand out in the global pop punk scene. Not bad all in all. Now the band just needs to actually get out there and play shows. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it. They have since called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: June 3rd, 2016

Location: Oakville, Ontario
Website: http://www.coldfrontmusic.ca

Label: Equal Vision Records

Avarice/Confine Split

1. Mask

2. Content With Nothing

3. Sink

4. Emptiness

5. Statue

6. Open Arms

7. Follow The Leader

8. The Tie That Binds

9. Death's Head Revisited

10. Believe The Lie

11. Mend

12. Painkiller

13. Last Place

Avarice and Confine have released their split album. This album is Avarice's second after their demo album, and Confine's debut release. This album has a very heavy late 90's feel to it with that late 90's metal/hardcore sound. Avarice have a very metal sound to them, which we feel is similar to people like F The Facts or even a Ion Dissonance, so if you like those bands you could be into the first half of this album. For Confine, they have a similar sound to maybe a Comeback Kid or a Converge. This album could use some work but its not so bad. When looking at the recording quality of this album, both artists halfs of the album could use more work to get them louder and clearer. The album is very raw and low quality. The instrumentation here isn't bad, both bands can play and belt it out. We also like the style both bands give off on this album. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals from Avarice are very heavy and screamed. With the screaming and low quality recording, the vocals are pretty hard to make out. However with the style the band is going for, it usually is hard to make out lyrics. Not bad overall. Now Confine's vocals are a little more hardcore in style. They are a little easier to understand, but we feel the vocals could use a little work on them. With the lyrics, avarice goes for messages of being empty, down, sad and just having a depressed lifestyle. While Confine goes for messages that are pretty similar, with being depressed, wanting to die and just being in that horrible spot in life at a bad moment. These are things younger peoples can really relate to. Hopefully it helps people know they are not the only ones. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so at least give a listen to a song from each band and see what they are like. Avarice and Confine have made a split album that seems to fit well with each other, but could use work on the studio side of things for the most part. The album its' self wasn't bad for a late 90's first for both the bands. We just hope to hear more about both of the bands. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it. Both Avarice and Confine have called it quits (R.I.P.)

Genre: Metalcore/Hardcore/Rock

Release Date: July 1998

Location: Hamilton/Oakville, Ontario

Label: Redstar Records

Coldfront - Some Things Never Change

1. Borrowed Time

2. Scratching The Surface

3. After You

Coldfront have released their second EP titled "Some Things Never Change." This album continues the style and sound that the band created with their first EP. These guys still follow the new wave of Pop Punk music and on this album, they have seemed to up the game a bit. They have done a pretty good job on these three songs. Looking at the recording quality of this album, the album  has been recorded fairly decently and the instrumentation on this album is pretty solid here as well. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are on par with their previous album, maybe even a bit better, while the lyrical content of the songs has been raised as well which is what you want to see. If you are looking for a single for this album, give the song "Scratching The Surface" your attention, as it is the best of the three songs, but maybe just listen to the whole thing as it is only three songs, then you will know the album. Coldfront are heading in the right direction, and it is nice to see a band just doing what they like while making good music. A nice effort has been put into these three songs and we can't wait to see what the band comes up with next. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: May 6th, 2014

Location: Oakville, Ontario
Website: http://www.coldfrontmusic.ca

Label: None

Stereokid - Young Heart

1. Young Heart
2. Get Lost
3. Everything Keeps Changing
4. All Night Long
5. Staring At The Sun
6. I Get High
7. Waiting On You
8. Everything Keeps Changing (Acoustic)

Stereokid have released their third album titled "Young Heart." Young Heart is an album that expands on the sound that the guys have come to with their previous two albums,  lighter rock with some hip hop styled lyrics to it. The closest band we can really come up with to this band would be illScarlett or KO, so if you like those guys, you could like this band. Stereokid has done an alright job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the recording has been done fairly well here as the album is quite clear and you can hear the singer. With the instrumentation, it is pretty average, but they can play well here. Now onto the lyrics and the vocals, the lyrics on this album are light and summery while the content seems to be mostly about girls. Now the singer and his vocals are pretty decent, nice crisp and clear so you can tell just what he is saying. if you are looking for a single to this album, give the title song "young Heart" your attention as it is the best song on the album and it gives you the best representation of how the rest of the album sounds. Stereokid has done an album that really has a different sound on every song, this shows off what the band can really do, but maybe just strip it down and give us just one sound, other than that, good job overall on the album. We do hope the band gets out and plays more so more buzz can get out about the band. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Ska/Rock/Hip-Hop
Release Date: July 27th, 2015
Location: Oakville, Ontario
Website: http://www.stereokid.ca
Label: None

The Ocean Cure - Daydreamer

1.Waiting For You

2. I'll Survive

3. The Uprising

4. Too Close For Comfort

5. Take Cover

6. To Keep You From

The Ocean Cure have released their debut album titled "Daydreamer." This album has a very young, youthful sound in their post-hardcore, while having female vocals which have yet to come into the generic post hardcore scene yet. They have done a pretty good job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, it has been recorded quite well and has a nice sound to it. With the instrumentation, it is  pretty standard, but thats alright for a debut. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are pretty solid actually, this girl can certainly sing, not a Maria Brink or anything, but she does alright, and so does the background screamer. The lyrics are pretty good as well, but they could use a bit more work to get more of a meaningful message into the songs. The Ocean Cure have done a pretty good job on their debut, welcome to album and it's nice to see the female vocals. If you are looking for a single to listen to on this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen so you get the feel of the album. The band has made an album that should really get them some attention and start playing some more shows which will be nice to see. We hope that with some progression, they can make this even more their own. We can't wait. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Hardcore/Screamo

Release Date: January 31st, 2016

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Label: None

Parkside - Burnt Out

1. Burn Holes
2. Marie

Burnt Out is Parkside's second album. This one consists of the two songs "Burn  Holes" and "Marie".  The first song Burn Holes is a fast pop punk song that fits the mold of the new pop punk in the vein of Neck Deep and Handguns. It has lyrics about feeling lonely and wishing for someone to like them, while the song "Marie" is slower, more acoustic song about a girl that they don't like anymore and wishing that things were different. The recording quality of these two songs is pretty good is pretty good but the acoustic song could have been done a little better and the instrumentation is pretty average on these. Now onto the lyrics and vocals, the lyrics are pretty average and have themes every band talks about but the vocals are pretty decent for the style of pop punk they are going for. If you are looking for a single for this album, there isn't one, so just listen to both songs as this album isn't very long at all, then you will know if you like them or not. Parkside do have something here, its just there are a lot of bands doing this style now so it may be a bit harder to break in now. Hopefully the band just keep making songs and plays as much as they can, to get their name out. Listen to this album to decide for yourself if you like it or not.

Genre: Pop - Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: September 4th, 2015

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Label: None

Ivy James - Ivy James

1. Thunder
2. Your Escape (Nate's Song)
3. Galaxies
4. Let You Down
5. Ashes To Ashes
6. Sincerely, Forget You

Ivy James is a female acoustic artist who has  recently released her debut album. This is a very typical of what you'd expect an acoustic release to sound like with the female vocals. Just think of any acoustic artist and you'll have the sound here. When looking at the quality of the recording, it has a bit of an echo and the vocals feel a little bit in the background, but other then that, it's an alright recording. Ivy seems to be alright in her playing ability as well. When looking at the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are pretty good, but typical of the female style and the lyrics seem to be pretty average for a young artist. If you are looking for a single to this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen to get the feeling of the album. Ivy James has a lot of potential and this album is a good start for her career so hopefully she just keeps plugging away and can really show off what she is made of while breaking out of the solo female stigma. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it and make sure to see what she is up to now.

Genre: Acoustic/Rock

Release Date: June 11th, 2012

Location: Oakville, Ontario
Website: http://www.ivyjamesmusic.com

Label: None

Coldfront - Coldfront

1. Untitled
2. Waiting
3. Still
4. Withdrawal

Coldfront have released their debut self titled album. This album is a sort of welcome to Coldfront as it shows off the band doing their style of the new pop punk that is becoming really popular right now. This album sounds pretty good. When looking at the recording quality of this album, the band have done a pretty good job with it and they seem to be able to play in the style of the new pop punk so that is going to work for them. The band is also a bit more skilled than the average band in this kind of music. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals are pretty good and the singer can sing well along with some pretty skillful lyrics.If you are looking for a single for this album, there isn't one, so just pick a song and give it a listen so you know what it sounds like. Coldfront have something pretty good going on with this album and hopefully with some progression, and plugging away they can make something out of this. Listen to this album so you can decide for yourself what you think of it. Make sure you get on this band sooner than later.

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: August 2nd, 2013

Location: Oakville, Ontario
Website: http://www.coldfrontmusic.ca

Label: None

The Fullblast - Contagious Movement Theory

1. All I Need Is A Jetpack And Rollerskates
2. You Came Out And You Were Wearing A Hoodie
3. Why Does Banana Get Shotgun?
4. Jerk Circus Is For Jerks
5. Lee Majors, Now There's A Man In His Prime
6. No One says Anything Funny Anymore
7. Dial B For Brown
8. I Dislocated My Shoulder For Rock And Roll
9. Hemiola I'm Peddling Home
10. Phase One: The Epidemic
11. It's Cool, But Moneen Already Did It

The Fullblast have released their Dine Alone Records debut. This album has all of the punk rock melodies and fast guitar riffs you are looking for when it comes to a punk rock band. This band has done a great job on this album and it has a nice sound. When you look at the recording quality of this album, it has a really good sound and the instrumentation is really good and so are the lyrics, but the vocals need to be recorded a little better, as they seem to echo and be far away. If you are looking for a single to listen to on this album, give the song "All I Need Is A Jetpack And Rollerskates" your attention as it shows what the feel of the album is and has those fast paced guitars/bass you will like. this is The Fullblast's best album and most commercially successful one, so give this album a listen for sure and you will not be disappointed. Good job to these guys and hopefully we will see more in the future.

Genre: Punk/Rock

Release Date: March 1st, 2004

Location: Oakville, Ontario

Label: Dine Alone Records