Home Blog Page 7

Avenged Sevenfold’s Zacky Vengeance Trades Distortion for Dust on Solo Debut ‘Dark Horse’

Eric Alper
-
0
Avenged Sevenfold’s Zacky Vengeance Trades Distortion for Dust on Solo Debut ‘Dark Horse’

Nobody saw this coming, and that’s exactly the point. Zachary Baker, the guitarist and founding member of multi-platinum rock band Avenged Sevenfold known worldwide as Zacky Vengeance, has released his debut solo album ‘Dark Horse’ independently via his own VNGNZ Records, and it lands squarely in alt-country and outlaw territory.

The album arrives alongside new single “Lighthouse,” the second taste from the record following the title track “Dark Horse.” Together the 2 singles sketch the outline of a project built on raw honesty, Americana grit, and the kind of poignant storytelling that has nothing to do with the distortion and spectacle Baker is best known for.

He puts his philosophy plainly. “The beauty is in the imperfections.” That restless spirit drives every track on ‘Dark Horse’, an 11-song collection that blends outlaw influences with deeply personal lyricism, signaling a striking and fully committed evolution from his hard rock roots into something entirely his own.

Baker describes himself as an unlikely storyteller, and ‘Dark Horse’ makes that self-awareness part of its appeal. Driven by the outlaw heroes that shaped him, the album delivers what he calls a raw sermon of honesty, carving out a lane that borrows nothing from his day job and everything from the Americana landscape he clearly loves.

‘Dark Horse’ is available as a limited edition vinyl in gold, pink, or black. An exclusive, limited edition handwritten and signed lyric sheet for “Lighthouse” is also available through his webstore for collectors who want something genuinely personal.

‘Dark Horse’ Tracklist:

  1. Dark Horse
  2. Misfit Hearts
  3. Unlikely Cowboy
  4. I’ll Stop Pretending
  5. Before I Go
  6. Lighthouse
  7. The Storm
  8. Long Highway
  9. Star Crossed
  10. Someday
  11. Fireflies

Country Storyteller Kimberly Kelly Gets Real and Unapologetic on New Single “Stripper For A Week”

Eric Alper
-
0
Country Storyteller Kimberly Kelly Gets Real and Unapologetic on New Single “Stripper For A Week”

Kimberly Kelly has never been interested in playing it safe, and “Stripper For A Week” is her boldest move yet. The new single is out now, and it arrives as the next chapter in a run of unapologetically honest country songwriting that has been turning heads since her return to the scene.

Co-written by Jenny Tolman and Marty Dodson, with personal lyrical tweaks from Kelly herself, the track blends humor, grit, and empathy to spotlight the choices women make when survival is on the line. The question at its core is direct and deliberately uncomfortable: what would you do to keep the lights on and the kids fed?

Kelly frames it simply. “The song asks, what would you do if you had to keep the lights on and the kids fed? I like to think of it as the next chapter in the Book of Modern Day Woman.”

The vocal performance is sharp and deeply human, grounding every lyric in the kind of lived-in authenticity that can’t be manufactured. Kelly made personal adjustments to the co-written material to ensure the song felt entirely her own, and it shows in every line.

“Stripper For A Week” follows “Modern Day Woman,” the single that marked Kelly’s return after stepping away to expand her family and navigate a difficult pivot following the closure of Show Dog Nashville, the late Toby Keith’s label. The comeback has been anything but tentative.

Kelly’s credentials are serious. Her 2022 album ‘I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen’ earned critical acclaim, the same year she made her official Grand Ole Opry debut. She was named to the 2023 Class of CMT’s Next Women of Country, recognition that reflected the depth of her songwriting and the strength of her voice.

“Stripper For A Week” continues the mission she’s always been on, telling the stories that go unsaid, with catchy hooks, real feeling, and zero apology.

Brit Award-Winning Anti-Pop Star PinkPantheress Brings “An Evening With” to Europe This Weekend

Eric Alper
-
0
Brit Award-Winning Anti-Pop Star PinkPantheress Brings “An Evening With” to Europe This Weekend

PinkPantheress is mid-tour and the European stretch is just getting started. Following her historic win as Producer of the Year at The Brit Awards 2026, the anti-pop star’s “An Evening with PinkPantheress” continues this weekend with Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin still to come, supported by iKeda.

The tour marks a major expansion of last year’s 2 sold-out nights at O2 Academy Brixton, and the scale reflects exactly how far PinkPantheress has come in a remarkably short time.

Alongside the tour, she’s dropped a new streaming-only remix, “Illegal + Four Tet,” and the collaboration carries real personal meaning. “When I first heard about the Four Tet remix, I was kinda stunned. I’ve always admired his music and his song ‘Alap’ has been a personal favorite of mine for some time. I’m so honored to have him on ‘Illegal.'”

The remix sits within the broader ‘Fancy Some More?’ project, a 22-track remix collection of her album ‘Fancy That’ featuring an extraordinary international roster. Artists including Kylie Minogue, Kaytranada, Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada, Nia Archives, Sega Bodega, Bladee, JT, Zara Larsson, Sugababes, and many more each bring a fresh perspective to the PinkPantheress universe.

‘Fancy That’ was written and produced entirely by PinkPantheress alongside Aksel Arvid, Count Baldor, Phil, Oscar Scheller, The Dare, and others. Physical formats for ‘Fancy Some More?’ are also available now, including a 2LP vinyl edition in transparent purple and clear, a 3CD box set, a single CD wallet, and a standard cassette.

Remaining “An Evening With PinkPantheress” European Dates:

May 31 – Paris, France @ Zenith

June 1 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live

June 2 – Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom

Genre-Defying Rockers Goose Reimagine ‘Everything Must Go’ With All-Star Electronic Remix Album

Eric Alper
-
0
Genre-Defying Rockers Goose Reimagine ‘Everything Must Go’ With All-Star Electronic Remix Album

Goose have spent the past year redefining what a rock band can be, and ‘Everything Must Go Remixed’ pushes that conversation even further. The full-length electronic remix album is out now on No Coincidence Records, featuring reinterpretations of the band’s celebrated 2025 studio album from some of the most respected names in contemporary electronic music.

The roster assembled here is genuinely impressive. Chromeo, LP Giobbi, Louis The Child, Daily Bread, Naomi Wild, Gilligan Moss, Koastle, Dan The Automator, and more have each taken fan-favourite tracks and rebuilt them from the ground up, bridging Goose’s improvisational rock roots with electronic sensibilities that open the music to an entirely new dimension.

Fan favourites “Your Direction,” “Give It Time,” and “Dustin Hoffman” arrive transformed, maintaining the emotional depth and intricate musicianship that defined the originals while moving through entirely new sonic territory. Across 14 tracks, the album functions as both a companion piece and a standalone listening experience.

The original ‘Everything Must Go’ gave the band plenty to build on. Debuting in April 2025, it landed at No. 2 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists and Current Alternative Albums charts, No. 3 on Current Rock Albums and Vinyl Albums, and has since amassed over 25 million streams with more than 35,000 albums sold.

2025 was a remarkable year by any measure. Goose sold over 280,000 tickets across 60+ headline shows, with sold-out performances at Madison Square Garden, Forest Hills Stadium, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, and TD Pavilion at the Mann. Festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Newport Folk, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage, and Austin City Limits rounded out a live schedule that few bands could match.

Their fifth studio album ‘Chain Yer Dragon’ arrived as a surprise release just 4 months after ‘Everything Must Go’, debuting at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top New Artist Albums chart and producing another Top 5 AAA radio hit with “Madalena,” alongside a second appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

‘Everything Must Go Remixed’ is the natural next move from a band committed to evolution at every turn.

Tracklist:

  1. Everything Must Go (Maddy O’Neal Remix)
  2. Give It Time (LP Giobbi Remix)
  3. Dustin Hoffman (Koastle Remix)
  4. Your Direction (Chromeo Remix)
  5. Thatch (Abe Seiferth Remix)
  6. Lead Up (Dan The Automator Remix)
  7. Animal (Louis The Child Remix)
  8. Red Bird (Daily Bread Remix)
  9. Atlas Dogs (DJ Houseplants Remix)
  10. California Magic (Doey Joey Remix)
  11. Feel It Now (Covex Remix)
  12. Iguana Song (Gilligan Moss Remix)
  13. Silver Rising (Naomi Wild Remix)
  14. How It Ends (Bad Snacks Remix)

Georgia Country Riser Austin Snell Gets Stuck in a Good Way With New Single “Circles”

Eric Alper
-
0
Georgia Country Riser Austin Snell Gets Stuck in a Good Way With New Single “Circles”

Austin Snell has a new single that he freely admits he can’t get out of his own head, and after one listen, that’s entirely understandable. “Circles,” out now via River House Artists/Warner Records Nashville, is a whiskey-fueled singalong about the vicious, cyclical pull of a toxic relationship, and it’s as ruthlessly catchy as the dynamic it describes.

Penned by Snell alongside Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth, and Austin Nivarel, the track rides Snell’s rip-saw vocal over lyrics that don’t bother with metaphor or misdirection. It’s transparent, direct, and completely relatable, the kind of song that earns its earworm status honestly.

Snell is candid about how deeply the song got under his skin. “‘Circles’ has been stuck in my head for months. Ever since we wrote this song, I’ve been singing it. I feel like we can all relate in some way or another, and it’s so fun to sing.”

The single arrives alongside an accompanying visualizer and follows Snell’s EP ‘Home Sweet Hell’, a 7-track turn toward his roots that established the Georgia-born singer as one of country’s more boundary-pushing new voices. Raw, direct, and built on real feeling, ‘Home Sweet Hell’ set the table for exactly the kind of single “Circles” delivers.

“Circles” is one of those tracks that earns repeat plays not through novelty but through craft. Snell and his co-writers built something genuinely infectious here, and it sits perfectly within the roots-forward sound he’s been sharpening since day one.

Gorillaz Unveil a Breathtaking Hand-Crafted Animated Short Film Alongside New Album ‘The Mountain’

Eric Alper
-
0
Gorillaz Unveil a Breathtaking Hand-Crafted Animated Short Film Alongside New Album ‘The Mountain’

Gorillaz have never separated the visual from the musical, and ‘The Mountain, The Moon Cave & The Sad God’ is proof of exactly why that matters. The new 8-minute animated short film, streaming now, arrives alongside the band’s new album ‘The Mountain’, out now via their own Kong label, and it’s one of the most visually ambitious things they’ve ever put their name to.

Directed by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett alongside Max Taylor and Tim McCourt of BAFTA-nominated London animation studio The Line, the film took 18 months and thousands of artist hours to complete. The result is a richly textured, hand-crafted homage to the golden era of 2D animation, reinterpreting Gorillaz through the timeless aesthetic of 1960s animated features.

The process was deliberate and exacting. Hand-painted backgrounds, real materials, practical effects, and period-accurate limitations guided every frame, with a hybrid analogue-digital workflow that actively resisted contemporary shortcuts. It’s a genuine celebration of traditional craftsmanship and human creativity at a time when both are increasingly rare.

The film follows Noodle, Murdoc, 2D, and Russel as they journey across India, having made their way to Mumbai with the help of 4 fake passports courtesy of a New York business acquaintance of Murdoc. The band has turned its back on international pop stardom, now immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of life itself.

Those themes connect directly to ‘The Mountain’, which explores the journey of life and the thrill of existence across its full runtime. Hewlett’s return to the purest form of his art brings a detailed, beautiful intricacy to his distinctive style, while pushing it somewhere genuinely new.

For a band that has always operated on their own terms, ‘The Mountain’ and its accompanying short film represent Gorillaz at their most expansive and most themselves.

Southern Storyteller Willow Avalon Returns With Sharp New Single “Easy On The Eyes”

Eric Alper
-
0
Southern Storyteller Willow Avalon Returns With Sharp New Single “Easy On The Eyes”

Willow Avalon wasted no time making 2026 her own. “Easy On The Eyes,” her new single via Atlantic Records, arrives as the first solo music from the Georgia-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter since her debut album ‘Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell’ in January 2025, and it lands with the same sharp wit and rebellious spirit that made that record turn heads.

“Easy On The Eyes” picks up exactly where ‘Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell’ left off, showcasing an artist fully in command of her voice and her story. The debut album established Avalon as one of country music’s most compelling new voices, and this single confirms that momentum is only building.

Avalon’s path to this point is anything but ordinary. Her first word was “Elvis.” She grew up in a small Southern town, raised by her mother and grandmother, playing piano in church before teaching herself guitar at 12. Songwriting became both an escape and a means of self-expression through a life-journey that demanded resilience at every turn.

That resilience shows up in everything she does. Sold-out headline tours across North America, Europe, and Australia, hundreds of millions of views across social platforms, and shared stages with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Zach Bryan, Cage the Elephant, Paul Cauthen, and Charles Wesley Godwin have all contributed to a profile that keeps growing in every direction.

With festival dates across the globe still ahead, including Railbird Festival and Headwaters Country Jam among others, Willow Avalon is redefining what it means to be a modern Southern storyteller, one sharp, honest song at a time.

Guitar Virtuoso Paul Gilbert Turns 16th Century Etiquette Into Rock Gold on New Album ‘WROC’

Eric Alper
-
0
Guitar Virtuoso Paul Gilbert Turns 16th Century Etiquette Into Rock Gold on New Album ‘WROC’

Paul Gilbert has never done anything the conventional way, and ‘WROC’ might be the most unconventional thing he’s ever done. The guitar superstar’s new album, out now on Music Theories Recordings/Artone, uses George Washington’s Rules of Civility, an etiquette guide dating back to the late 1500s, as its entire conceptual foundation. The result is 13 tracks of intelligent, genre-traversing rock that somehow makes centuries-old table manners feel urgently relevant.

The new video for “Keep Your Feet Firm and Even” drops alongside the album, offering a vivid introduction to where Gilbert’s head has been. The track draws directly from Washington’s Rules 10 and 19, covering posture while seated and maintaining a pleasant countenance in serious matters. In Gilbert’s hands, those directives become something far more entertaining than any etiquette lesson has a right to be.

Gilbert describes how the project began. “Decades ago, when I first came across the Washington Rules of Civility on my bookshelf, I read the introduction and thought, ‘I am a civil person. I bet I can follow all these rules easily!’ As I read further, I realized that some of the rules might be more challenging than I had anticipated.”

The creative process turned out to be one of the most enjoyable of his career. “I’ve never in my life had such a good time writing songs,” he says. “I would look through the rules, sing them out loud and see which ones worked. A lot of these songs are word-for-word.” The result is Gilbert’s first vocal album since 2016, and it arrives with the full weight of his four decades of experience behind it.

‘WROC’ was recorded live over 4 days at The Hallowed Halls in Portland, with Nick D’Virgilio on drums, Doug Rappoport on guitar, and Timmer Blakely on bass. The album moves through AC/DC-style riffs, Burt Bacharach chord shapes, Todd Rundgren influences, Steppenwolf grooves twisted into 7/8 time signatures, and the rhythmic mastery of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, all while keeping the flow completely natural.

“The trick was to make it flow,” Gilbert explains. “Sprinkle in some Burt Bacharach and Todd Rundgren and you’ve got WROC.”

From pioneering pop-rock anthems in Mr. Big to pushing the electric guitar to its outer limits in Racer X, Gilbert has spent his career refusing to stay in one place. ‘WROC’ is the latest and perhaps most gloriously odd proof of that restless creative spirit.

The Grateful Dead and Upper Deck Team Up for a 60th Anniversary Trading Card Collection

Eric Alper
-
0
The Grateful Dead and Upper Deck Team Up for a 60th Anniversary Trading Card Collection

The Grateful Dead have always existed at the intersection of music and visual culture, and their new collaboration with Upper Deck leans directly into that legacy. The worldwide leader in sports and entertainment collectibles has announced a partnership with the band, launching with a 60th Anniversary trading card set that is available now.

‘The Grateful Dead – 60 Years So Far… A Visual Trip’ is the first release from what promises to be an ongoing collaboration. Each box includes a full 50-card base set spanning the band’s rich history, covering iconic imagery, classic characters, and show posters, with an additional 5 cards that could include serial-numbered hits, themed inserts, or an autograph card.

The visual language is unmistakably Dead. Familiar symbols including the Dancing Bears and Uncle Sam appear throughout, while 1-of-1 High Potency Purple variants and Dancing Parallels offer serious collectors something to chase. For the deep historians, a dedicated subset called ‘Transmissions from Dave’s Desk’ illustrates the work of official archivist, producer, and legacy manager David Lemieux, featuring artwork, set lists, and show facts from the first 50 ‘Dave’s Picks’ albums. Collectors also have the chance to pull parallel cards autographed by Lemieux himself, each numbered to 5.

Lemieux brought genuine enthusiasm to the project. “I’ve dedicated much of my life to showcasing the joy that the Grateful Dead spread through their music, so working with Upper Deck to translate that journey into trading cards has been really special. From characters that have become synonymous with the band to tour posters that are a trip through time, there is so much for Dead Heads to enjoy in this set.”

Upper Deck’s Travis Rhea frames the partnership in terms of what makes the Grateful Dead uniquely suited to this format. “In addition to amazing, iconic music, the Grateful Dead are known for vibrant colors and incredible visuals, perfect for music trading cards. They also have one of the most dedicated fanbases the industry has ever seen.”

This is just the beginning. Future releases in the collaboration will include additional trading card sets with different card technologies and original art, gallery prints, and more. Dead Heads have plenty to look forward to.

Merseyside Newcomer Ty Freeman Brings Raw Roots Energy to Debut Single “Dig For Gold”

Eric Alper
-
0
Merseyside Newcomer Ty Freeman Brings Raw Roots Energy to Debut Single “Dig For Gold”

Ty Freeman has been earning his stripes the hard way, on the streets of Liverpool, in bars from Hamburg to Zurich, and now in the studio with some of the finest musicians the Northwest has produced. Debut single “Dig For Gold” is out now, and it announces a genuinely compelling new voice in British roots rock.

Recorded at the legendary Kempston Street Studios in Liverpool, the track sits at the crossroads of Merseybeat spirit and American rock ‘n’ roll groove. Swampy, bluesy, and riding a loose, emotionally charged rhythm section, it carries the kind of tape-era feel that most modern recordings work hard to replicate and rarely achieve.

Freeman describes the track directly. “Raw, soulful and unfiltered, this track leans into a tape-era feel, live, loose and emotionally charged from start to finish.” That description nails it completely.

“Dig For Gold” is the lead track from Freeman’s debut EP ‘One Way Love’, out now via all major digital platforms. Produced by Chris Taylor, whose credits include The Coral, She Drew The Gun, and Bill Ryder-Jones, and mastered by Graeme Lynch, the EP features Ian Skelly and Paul Duffy of The Coral as the studio rhythm section, once Freeman’s childhood heroes and now his bandmates in the room.

That dynamic shaped the sessions in a profound way. “In the studio, my head can get five steps ahead, ideas firing everywhere. But Ian, Paul, and Chris grounded me. They helped us surf the chaos without losing the spark,” Freeman says. “I’d show them a song and within a few takes, no rehearsal, they’d nail it live in the room. Paul kept things anchored with melodic bass lines while Ian and I spoke our own language, ‘Beatles middle 8 into a Who-style bridge, then a CCR groove.'”

No click tracks. No polish. The sessions ran on instinct, precision, and the kind of lived-in energy that Freeman has been accumulating since he first started gigging guerrilla-style on the streets of Liverpool. Raised in foster care in Birkenhead, he found his direction through music, working his way from street corners to sold-out headline shows, including a 200-capacity sellout at Zurich’s Dynamo Werk 21.

‘One Way Love’ has already drawn support from Classic Rock Magazine, Louder Than War, and BBC Introducing. Previous singles “One Way Love,” “Monareen,” and “Better Man” established the emotional range that “Dig For Gold” now anchors with gritty confidence.

Freeman is the real thing, and ‘One Way Love’ makes that case without a moment’s hesitation.

‘One Way Love’ EP Tracklist:

  1. Dig For Gold
  2. Up In Lust
  3. One Way Love
  4. Monareen
  5. Better Man
1...678...3,731Page 7 of 3,731

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper