"Give Up The Ghost" - Gravler

Favorite Tracks: Only Gets Better, Burial, Graves

Gravler are a pop punk band from Riverside, California. Their debut full-length album, titled "Give Up The Ghost," came out on June 22nd, 2017. The opener and title track is a great introduction to the album and one that really shows off the vocalist's vocal style. "Angst" is a very fast paced and seemingly angry song. The lyrics in here are very blunt, but that's something that makes the song as good as it is. "Red Sweater" sounds a bit different from the other songs on here. Although it is the shortest track, it kept me intrigued the whole time. Instrumentally, I love the guitar on "Wasted" and "Splintered Sunrise," and "Buried" is an interlude that shows a lot of emotion through each note being played on each instrument. "Home," "Sentiment" and "Give Up The Ghost" are some of the hardest hitting songs on here, while "Splintered Sunrise" and "Only Gets Better" are two softer tracks that slow things down a bit. "Graves" closes the album just as well as "Give Up The Ghost" opened it, if not better. The composition and lyrics are incredible and every member of the band put on an amazing performance.

"Worst Confessions Best Intentions" - Rocket Ship

Favorite Tracks: Absent, My Car @ Your House, Out Of Place

Rocket Ship are an alternative rock band from Massachusetts. Their latest release, titled "Worst Confessions, Best Intentions," was released on June 1st, 2017. "I Said Forget" is a really good opener that made me like how this band sounded and wonder what the rest of the record would sound like. There is a bit of variety in this record, mainly in the lyrics, but I'll get to that in a moment. I thought "Buckley," "Selfish," and "What's Eating Gilbert?" had really great instrumentation. One thing I like about this EP and this band in general is how blunt and honest but also detailed and descriptive their lyrics are, and "Out Of Place" is a perfect example of this. "My Car @ Your House" is a song that stood out to me lyrically. It seems to be about opening up (or not doing so) to someone about how you feel. The situation that the lyrics are trying to portray makes it one of the most emotional songs on here and a bit different from the lyrics of the other songs. The lyrics weren't the only thing I loved about "Absent." I enjoyed every part of the track, from the instrumentation to the lyrics to the vocals. "I've Got To Leave" is a softer acoustic number to conclude the release. I enjoyed a lot of the songs on this record and a lot of what this band has to offer with those songs.

"Survivor's Guilt" - Drop The Girl

Favorite Track: Denial

Drop The Girl are a pop punk band from Virginia. Their debut EP, titled "Survivor's Guilt," came out on June 23rd, 2017. Each song on here shows a lot of emotion; from the vocals to the instrumentation to the lyrics. The opening track, "Heaven," shows a glimpse of what this band sounds like and I was impressed by their sound from the start. I thought their sound made them catch my eye and after hearing this track, I definitely wanted to hear the rest of the EP. The song touches slightly on the topic of religion, particularly in the beginning of the song. This song is a fairly bitter track lyrically, along with the third track, "Broken Bones," which is definitely a more pop punk leaning track. "Home," is fast paced and has incredible instrumentation. The instrumentation is very prominent and it's great to hear each part very clearly. The fact that each part is as good as it is is an added bonus. I would say the last two tracks are the most emotional on here, especially lyrically. "Denial" talks about addiction, a person refusing help and that person thinking that they're not addicted. "White Lines," which is probably the heaviest song on here vocally, seems to be about the memory of losing someone and trying to cope with it. I loved this EP a lot, especially the emotion that was put into it and was shown on each track. I surely see myself coming back to it in the future.