Spinning - St. Stephen's Green [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Written immediately after a trip to Ireland, ‘St. Stephen’s Green’ is a Punk Pop track with a nice bit of reflective emotion pushing it forward. We all get in our own way from time to time and let our emotions color the world around us. this can spoil our own joy as well as our relationships and just recognizing that fact can be all we need to find solid ground once again. This track just might help, as with a lot of great art, it simple resonates in a way that lets us know we are not alone in our thoughts feelings, and anxieties. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Attics - Comic Sans [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Unreliable narrators are tough to pull off in literature and even more song in song form but the Attics do exactly that with ‘Comic Sans.’ Channeling the voice of their braggadocios and self-described dishonest grandfather, the band has a Tom Petty kind of vibe as it unfolds the wisdom of a misguided man. This unique perspective lends the song a uniqueness that carries the listener along wondering what to expect.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Matt McKnzi - Dying Breed [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Some artists are able to distill events from their life into a track that spans but a handful of minutes and yet encapsulates something much bigger. This is what Matt McKnzi does on ‘Dying Breed,’ and here, the artist explains the intent behind the song far better than I could in a brief review.

So says McKnzi ... Before I got sober I was self-destructive. I hated me- whole-heartedly believing I didn’t deserve love. I carried a TON of shame. Dying Breed is centered around that shame, and around our inability to let people in. At its core, the track is about owning your truth—no matter what that looks like, no matter what the consequences are.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

WellBad - Robbery [Music Video Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Riding a funky little bass line and beat, WellBad gives us a bit of everything on this track. The lyrics tell the story of a man who gave a vixen everything in a ‘Robbery’ of the heart. The vocals convey a bit of Nick Cave and a Splash of Tom Waits and really it just one of those songs you simply feel in your bones. Especially if you’ve ever been in a similar position. Attitude and passion carry the day on the track and sell the emotions quite well.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Penny Lame - I Don't Talk To Boys That Make Me Cry [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Penny Lame strikes Pop Punk gold with their latest single, ‘I don’t Talk To Boys That Make Me Cry.’ Fed up and pissed off, the lyrics leave no room for doubt that the time has come to move forward. The energy and build feel like Pink meshed with Avril Lavigne with an old school splash of No Doubt tossed in for good measure. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Eric Lee - Come Break My Heart [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Written for his wife, ‘Come Break My Heart’ is a tender and heartfelt ode of love. Could be classified as Country or Americana or simply a songwriter sharing his heart but what you can the track isn’t nearly as important as the emotions fueling it. With a hint of gravel and a nice emotive tone, Eric Lee delivers a track that sticks with the soul. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Jon McCollin - Scenarios [Review]

“We often play different scenarios in our head just to escape reality. Jon McCollin “Scenarios” allows us to musically see how life can be. The vocal tone relaxes your mind to visually create every
lyric and relate it to your own scenario. ”

— Kreadiv Kesh [LA On Lock Blogger]

Wild Giants - If God Only Knew [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“The gravel in the vocals provides instant emotional connection, and while the track does have a slight retro feel of the mid 90s to early 200s sound it does so more as a homage than a reliance. That gives the track a fresh contemporary feel on top of that familiarity. The emotional resonance carries the day and a down tempo shift at the end of the song really brought it all home for me. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

RIVER - Someday [Review]

“Nostalgia and melancholy ride tandem in this track from Hamburg’s RIVER. ‘Someday’ is the kind of track that can mean different things to you from day to day depending on your own mood and headspace, but no matter what you take away the easy groove and clever writing will engage you and pull you deep inside the rhythm of this Indie Rock effort. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Khamari - Doctor, My Eyes [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“A soft acoustical track of heartfelt vulnerability, ‘Doctor, My Eyes’ is not the track you might expect, but it is the track you need.

Khamari showcases his artistic talents in both the delivery and the writing of this emotionally laden single. This is a song you feel as much as hear, and it definitely conveys a mood of melancholy and hopeful observance than we have all felt from time to time.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Faded Rose - Judgment Day [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Faded Rose delivers a sound that falls somewhere between Lucinda Williams and Maranda Lambert. Perhaps a touch more commercial than Lucinda, but still with that jaded and ticked off attitude. Faded Rose is not quite as commercial as Lambert, but still possesses that same strong feminine determination that has made Miranda a star. ‘Judgement Day’ is a well-written track with emotion and musical punch to make you feel it deep in your bones.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Zo - Never Meant [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Zo delivers power and passion and of course talent on this track. “Never Meant’ is the track Stevie Nicks and Florence and the Machine would team up to create and the emotion is tangible in every single line. The passion lands with razor sharp talons and grabs on like a raptor intent to instill its will. That might sound harsh, but this track is anything but. Simply intense and purposeful.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Sophie Powers x DE'WAYNE - Greed [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Sophie Powers is pissed off, and she brings in DE’WAYNE to help her call out the ‘Greed’ of those who have left her in this state. Think of a angrier and edgier Gwen Stefani and you have a solid idea of of what Powers brings to the table.

This track is an anthem you can belt out when the world has backed you into a corner. Solid Alternative Rock with an edge and hint of Pop Punk/Hip-Hop fusion.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Kellen Joseph - Shade of Blue [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“LA artist, Kellen Joseph offers up this emotive and vulnerable Rock track dealing with grief. The emotive vocal talent brings to life the well-written track that instills the sense of loss and confusion when the entire world seems to be moving on and you are still stuck in that place of sorrow.

This track has just a hint of Hip-Hop vibe, but really is more in line with the Alternative Rock sound of the late 90s or early 2000’s.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Maximilian Thanksalot - Toe on the Trigger [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Sneaky clever writing and attitude lift this track from Maximillian Thanksalot above the fray. ‘Toe on the Trigger’ is an in your face Pop Punk track that blends intense lyrics and hard guitar licks to create a vibe that carries the day.

This is the kind of track you have to give a few listens to pick up on everything being laud down but you won’t mind at all. A true mood setter. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

ROE x Ciaran Lavery - Destroyer [Review]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“A dark brooding Indie Rock sound that hit me like Joan Jett fronting Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The emotion is present in the delivery as well as the music, and the writing insures that you have little choice but fall in and feel this one start to finish.

ROE and Ciaran Lavery team to bring the track to life, and the combination works to perfection on this single.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

BEXX - Daydream [Music Video Review]

Rating : 4 out of 5

“What are you willing to do for love?

That seems to be what BEXX is asking on this supercharged Indie Rock trip that is both surreal and exotic in a psychedelic kind of way. The video adds to all of that as well and in conjunction with the message of the lyrics gives this complete project a polished intent that few songs/video combinations offer.

This is the type of project that sticks in your mind and instills new meaning with each watch/listen.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

ODDA - Mama [Music Video Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“ODDa grew up on an island off the south of England and that landscape feels much like the tone and vibe of his music. There is a soft beauty and an underlying harshness that speaks of crashing waves and win swept shoreline. The track is heavy on emotion and feels all consuming much like the salty spray of the sea when you stand near it. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Mr. Max - I Hate My Life [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Falling somewhere between The Beastie Boys and Weezer, Mr. Max brings nothing but attitude with ‘I Hate My Life.’

Riding a hard edge beat and build, the track hooks and holds with a set of vocals that demand your attention. The writing commands its own level of engagement as it is sharp and pointed and hits its mark throughout the build.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

The Late Greats - Better Then [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

“Indie Rock perhaps even more so that most genres, is about capturing an attitude and vibe that establishes both a song and the band’s identity. The Late Greats are new to me, so this is the first track I’ve heard and already, I feel like I have a sense who and what the band is. For me, listening to this song was like getting to know a new person that I straight away think is going to be a very good friend. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger