A Massive Rock Record from Ic1s
- BuzzSlayers
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A new album release from IC1s recently dropped, and this thing definitely delves into a whole mesh of amazingly displayed and very energetic Indie and pop rock with other elements blended in. You definitely hear a little bit of punk in there, and soul as well.
It's not every track that you hear the slight Southern tonality in the underbelly of the sound, but sometimes it's there. I definitely love how each song sort of speaks for itself, and the whole record comes together and gives you this big anthemic powerhouse of a rock album that blends this new school and sort of '90s radio rock sounds together and, in doing so, breeds its own atmosphere.
The album certainly doesn't waste much time with its first track, "Armada", which is most certainly one of the ones that display that anthemic approach with killer guitar work and progressions, and this sort of hands-in-the-air rock vibe.
This is definitely an intense track and an amazing way to open the door to the rest of the record, simply because you're getting some of the great staples that you're going to hear displayed across the whole release.
The drummer crushes it the entire time, but on this track, in particular, he really adds a lot of that drive with a particular beat that feels semi-old School.
It's almost like a heavy rock doo-wop style beat, and it works amazingly for the song itself because you can hear these elements of punk rock shining through on this one.
Meanwhile, tracks like "Don't Change" give off a much more driving and edgy sound. The drums are absolutely slamming on this track, and those crash symbols are really adding tons of power to the song.
Still, one of my favorite tracks on this record is called "Beautiful Ugly", and this is mainly because it bears a lot of honesty and tells a great story. On top of that, this is one of those tracks I mentioned earlier that gives you some of that southern undertone.
The progression is a bit freeing; the guitars have a little bit of a twang to them, although they still do get a bit heavier later on in the song.
The whole track gives you a bit of a ballad kind of feel and certainly showcases a bit of a cinematic undertone as well.
This is one of the tracks I really got caught up in the lyrics of, and I love a good story the way it's told on this one. It's got a great perspective, and the lyrics can be a bit detailed, which helps you paint the picture as the song unfolds.
"Not Perfect" hits harder as well. This song leans more towards alternative rock, in my opinion. The guitars are heavier and a bit edgier in their tone, there's a bit of a different distortion going on, and the whole thing definitely has a lot of Sonic presence.
That's the thing with this record; it goes in different directions. All of these different influences in rock music come together to create one solid album.
This is definitely one of those albums I'm going to suggest that you listen to all the way through, in one shot.
In case you haven't picked up on it by everything I've said already, listening to one or two tracks may give you a bit of an idea as to what you may expect, but it will not give you the full spectrum of what the whole album offers.
This is important because it's a big record. As I said, it veers in different directions, and there are no two songs that are really alike in that sense.
The other thing that hits really well with this album is the energy level. The energy is super intense at times. It almost feels like some of this stuff was tracked live on the floor, and everyone involved was just feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.
Of course, I wasn't there, so I'm not sure exactly how they recorded it, but listening to the record certainly makes you want to go see them perform it live.
If they can capture this kind of aesthetic and energy on record so well, then seeing them live must be awesome.
It's not really all the time that you hear a record and almost immediately know that the band would be great in a live setting.
These guys are like the exception to that rule.
One of the most memorable songs on this record is actually its closing track. It's called "Soul On Trial", and it displays such a great soul.
You really find yourself getting pulled into this track and it just feels like a great ending to a massive rock record.
It reminds you how much heart the band has.
Again, listening to the full record is the only way to go. If you're going to just skip around and listen to some singles then I would suggest some of the songs I've already mentioned, but I definitely feel like popping this whole record on and going for a drive is the best way to listen to it.
There's a lot to chew on and plenty to soak in because these guys have that energy, charisma, heart, and are able to create an aesthetic that feels hard and heavy at times, but also warm and welcoming other times.
I definitely fell right into this whole thing, and I think you will too.
The record is called What Took You So Long?
Dive in and don't forget where you heard it first.
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