ISSUE 5 | november 2015
Megan & Liz featuring
one ok rock, louder than life fest, courage my love & more ISSUE 5, NOVEMBER | 1
Table of Contents Staff Editor Ethan Blackbird Design Andi Rogers Alyson Coletta Contributing Photographers Acacia Evans Alyson Coletta Nolan Knight Contributing Writers Acacia Evans Anna Kaplan Jonathon Renner Kaitlyn Midgett Karen Plate Lexy Fields Luke Duran Nolan Knight
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Halsey, Badlands Tour photos
Get Social with BCT Website: bigcitythoughts.com Instagram: @bigcitythoughtspress Facebook: facebook.com/ bigcitythoughts Twitter: @BCTpress
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BMTH That’s the Spirit Album Review
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KOA @ LOUFEST, Photos
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The Color Morale, Interview + Photos
{
50
Megan + Liz, Interview + Photos
04 - Badlands Tour 10 - KOA @ Loufest
56
70 - The Color Morale Interview + photos
18 - ZZ Ward, photos
74 - Goodbye June Interview + photos
24 - Blurryface Tour, photos
76 - Raveneye Interview + photos
30 - Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party
78 - Back to the Future Hearts Tour
38 - Clay Cages Interview + photos
Review + photos
44 - Suzy Jones Interview + photos
86 - Getting to Know Mr. B
48 - Interview with One OK Rock
93 - Album Review: Halsey
50 - Featured: Megan + Liz
94 - Album Review: The Wonder Years
56 - Courage My Love
95 - Album Review: BMTH
Interview + photos
64 - Louder than Life Fest
}
Courage My Love, Interview + Photos
96 - Album Review: Pentatonix 97 - Album Review: Demi Lovato
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PHOTO BY ACACIA EVANS
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FLOR
PHOTOS BY ACACIA EVANS
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PHOTOS BY ACACIA EVANS
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HALSEY
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KOA | loufest
photos by acacia evans
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zz ward
photos by nolan knight
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BlurrYFAce
T Our photos by alyson Coletta
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Twenty
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ONe pIlOtS
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EchoSmith
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finish ticket
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Radio 104.5
summer Block Party
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Good old War
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The Front Bottoms
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Joywave
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The Wombats
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Panic At The Disco
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claycages ...we aren’t trying to become the next big alternative band, we are writing music because we love it... interview by acacia evans + nolan knight, photos by nolan knight
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c
s
Nolan: Tell me some history about the band? Danny: The story beings. I moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University, as did every other member of the band. I moved up here from Atlanta all by myself and knew no one. On the first day moving into the dorms, I heard a guitar playing down the hall, so I thought, “I have no friends here yet, lets go make some.” So I walked down the hall, looked inside, and there’s Hayden, future guitarist of Clay Cages. Hayden and I started hanging out and jamming in the dorms. One day, Hayden and I we re hanging out and we rand into this kid, Pierce Kinder. Pierce was super into music and we all started hanging out more. Later, Pierce mentioned that he knew a guy who lived on his floor, Matt Scheumacker that played guitar. He also mentioned other guy named Austin who played guitar but also played around with drums and he had a kit. After we all met, we thought our intentions for playing music were similar and Matt had been in a band before. We were in the student union one day, and we talked about the band for the first time. A few days later, we were hanging out in the dorms, and we mentioned to some guys that we needed a bass player. A guy named Daniel Farrin was in the room and said, “I have a bass back at my place, let me go grab it and we can jam!” Daniel went and grabbed his bass and we all met together and had the first Clay Cages practice. Austin was tapping on a long board, Matt had a pocket amp, Hayden had an acoustic, and Daniel had his electric bass. We figured since we lived in dorms, the most logical place to practice was a storage unit. We wrote all of our first EP, Tension, in that storage unit in the cold winter of 2013.
Me: How do you guys use your musical influences to create your sound and lyrics? Danny: It’s not that we are going for or trying to create another sound. We think in a sense of how a song or band makes us feel, and we want to make others feel the same way we do when we hear it. When we are writing, sometimes we get stuck on songs. These are the times when we use our musical influences and think, “hey, this band makes me feel this way, so if we take what we did and make it our own, maybe we can recreate that feeling in our own way.” That is the best way to describe it. Hayden: I think that’s why I love being in this band. We aren’t trying to become the
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next big alternative band, we are writing music because we love it. Me: What is the backstory to your upcoming EP, The Lenses we see Life Through. Danny: We pretty much had this idea: When you are growing up, your outlook on life completely changes. When you are a child, everything seems permanent. As you grow, you experience love, loss, and all kind of things. We decided to write an EP of this untold character that also has experience that stand from each of the band members. It’s one guy that comes from all 5 of us. There were times we had to pull from our imagination, like the last song on the album, which is about death. We haven’t experienced that yet, so we tried our hardest to incorporate how we might feel emotional and musically towards that situation. This was such a fun EP to work with. I’m glad we had the experience of writing a concept record. We are still a growing band and this was a huge growing experience. Me: How do you as a band handle being in a band and also being full time students? Hayden: It’s not easy, but it’s very rewarding when we do well in school. I love that we are all Recording Industry Majors. I’m learning about the music industry from both sides. From the classroom learning the business side, and
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trying to grow as an artist with our personal experiences. Danny: I think it’s good for us though. If anyone has the opportunity to go to school, I think they should go for it. Me: What are your goals as a band for the next year? Hayden: Tour, put out this EP, and continue to write. Danny: Focusing on finishing school, putting out the EP this fall, hopefully playing more shows.
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es interview + photos by nolan knight
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Me: You are about to release your first EP, tell me some stuff about it? Suzy: When I came to Nashville, I knew I wanted to pursue music. I knew I needed a debut and I had a general idea of what I wanted to do. When it came to producing the EP, I found myself lost because the songs sounded different. I needed to find my sound. First, I wrote 3 songs that I’m extremely proud of. They turned out great and I highly identified with all of them, but I think I found my sound when I wrote the debut song, At All. Me: Why was At All the debut single? Suzy: I think it was because I finally discovered my sound and he direction I want to go with in the music I write. Mostly, the sound of “At All” felt right. That song closed a huge book in my life, and it was a big deal to finish that song. Me: What are some of your music inspirations? Suzy: I honestly think I am influenced by everything I’m surrounded by. From the musicians I listen to, my friends around me, to the beautiful landmarks I see when I travel, they can all inspire a small piece to a song. But I think my whole entity as a musician is the fact that I am a product to everything I’m surrounded by. Me: What is something you took out of making your EP? Suzy: Finding my sound, which I think is very important to a new artist. Me as a musician will always be a work in progress. There will be room for improvement, polishing, room for identifying myself, and building myself as an artist who is on a pedestal for people to see. I think a big part of debuting with this EP is narrowing down to where I stand as a musician.
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Me: What is one thing you want to keep your entire career? Suzy: I always want the freedom to do my thing, and to create something that I can respect myself for. I want to make myself proud of what I do. I always want to improve and connect with the people who watch me do my thing. Me: How has your fan base come along in this process? Suzy: It’s been great. I do what I do and what I love and they love it. They are so sweet and supportive and as a rookie, I have such a long way to go, but there is still a bunch of people watching me and supporting me. I love it, because I’ve been able to make a personal connection with a lot of them and it makes me feel like I’m doing something right.
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ONE OK ROCK. story by acacia evans
It was really good but really hard...At that time we couldn’t speak any English at all.
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J
apanese rock band One Ok Rock formed when they were back in high school in the year 2005. After finalizing their band members, they began making music and ended up dropping their debut album in 2007. Since then, the band has released seven full length albums and have gained over one million Facebook likes. Acacia got the chance to sit down with lead vocalist Taka before their show in Nashville, TN to discuss influences, their current tour, and plans for the future. One Ok Rock released their most recent album 35xxxv this past February. The band got to work with producer John Feldmann to drop their first album ever recorded in the United States. Feldmann has worked with bands of all kinds, such as 5 Seconds of Summer, Panic at the Disco, Hilary Duff, and so many more. “It was a dream come true!” said Taka, who’s always wanted to record in the States. During the recording process, One Ok Rock met with Sleeping With Sirens’ vocalist Kellin Quinn and Issues’ vocalist Tyler Carter to have them as features on their album. One Ok Rock was able to join the Back To The Future Hearts Tour because of how well Kellin and the band got along in the studio and mutual connection John Feldmann.
Last summer, the band was asked to join Vans Warped Tour. Knowing absolutely no English and knowing that they were going to be going to places they’ve never been before, the band decided to take on this adventure. “It was really good but really hard,” said Taka. “At that time we couldn’t speak any English at all. It helped a lot with learning!” While on tour, they realized many differences between the fans in Japan and the fans in the United States. As most of us know, here in the United States fans go wild the entire set. In Japan, the audience stays silent until the end of the song. “It’s more emotional,” says Taka. In fact, Taka has a group of American bands he looks up to such as Good Charlotte, The Used, and Linkin Park. For One Ok Rock, touring and recording in the United States is a dream, as I’m sure it is for many other bands. “Keep trying, never give up!” says Taka. “Just do it.” As for the future, Taka hopes to eventually have a big house here in the United States with a family. He also hopes to continue touring in and out of the States. “We love you!” Taka says to his fans. “Thank you for listening to my music!” Make sure to pick up their newest album 35xxxv and catch them on the next couple of weeks of the Back To The Future Hearts Tour.
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by acacia evans
megan & liz
“...Aly & AJ were the reason why, that’s why we’re Megan & Liz.” Big City Thoughts Founder Acacia Evans got the chance to get together with YouTube sensations and twin sisters Megan & Liz. “We started music literally as long as I can remember,” said Megan. “Both of our parents were always singing around the house, and our mom was always singing in the car.” To Megan & Liz, being around music was a normal thing. The girls were obsessed with Disney bands and especially Swedish girl band Play. “I don’t know why we were weirdly obsessed with them,” says Liz. “Them and Aly & AJ were the reason why, that’s why we’re Megan & Liz.” The girls were about twelve years old when their mom started driving them around to talent shows in different cities, winning many. That was when they realized that music is what they wanted to do. The “This Is Me” duet by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas in Camp Rock was Megan and Liz’s first real break though song on YouTube. “We didn’t have high speed Internet in our area yet, it didn’t exist,” Megan said. The
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girls lived in the middle of nowhere, Michigan and had to drive twenty minutes to their grandma’s house just to upload the video to YouTube. It was then that the girls decided that singing is what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. “This is all Megan’s plan,” said Liz laughing. “I can’t take any credit for it.” Growing up as YouTube stars can vary from growing up on the television or on the radio. “People on YouTube are way meaner than people in high school. It helped us build up really thick skin really early,” explained Megan. Going into it, the twins weren’t aware of how intense and real the music industry actually is. What some people don’t realize is that when you’re putting your videos on YouTube, the entire world can see.
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Hailing from Michigan, the girls actually moved in Nashville in early 2011 before they graduated high school. They were given the opportunity to complete their classes online while still being able to walk with their class at graduation. Post graduation, they ventured out to LA for a year before returning back to Nashville. “There was just something pulling us out there,” said Liz, including their friends, label, work, etc. “I was in my car eighty percent of the day. We’re Michigan girls, we’re country girls. It wasn’t where we belonged,” explained Megan. Living in either Los Angeles or Nashville can be the deciding factor on what exactly your music is and where you then need to go from that point.
egan & Liz
Megan & Liz are currently the hosts of My Country Nation, a YouTube channel devoted strictly to country fans to promote Country music and lifestyle. The girls get to interview artists such as Hunter Hayes. Liz said, “It’s something that we never thought we would do.” Megan & Liz take every chance they are offered and turn it into a learning experience for the both of them. “Nobody is one thing, and we are not one thing,” says Megan. Beauty bloggers, social influencers, interviewers, and songwriters are just a few of aspects that these talented girls cover. At the age of eighteen, they started their beauty blog YouTube channel after being constantly asked about their looks. Talking about their change in style, the girls explained that their style and roots haven’t changed, but the music industry has changed. The definitions of “Pop” and “Country” these days aren’t the same as how they used to be. At the beginning of
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their career, their label at the time told them that their Country style dipped into Pop, so of course they were going to push them into more of the Pop scene. “We have to move with the industry,” explained Megan, “We feel so at home in this genre and in Nashville.” Megan & Liz are hopefully planning on dropping some new music at the beginning of next year. They plan on signing to a country label, releasing some new music videos, tour, and continue their work as beauty bloggers. “It’s a revival,” Megan said. Staying true to themselves and to their fans, they give their fans a huge, “thank you” for sticking with them for over eight years and allowing them to be themselves. Keep an eye out for what these talented ladies have to come!i
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courage My Love
interview + photos by acacia evans BIG CITY THOUGHTS | 56
S
traight out of Kitchener, Ontario, the dynamic trio that is Courage My Love has been working hard on writing and recording for their upcoming album, hopefully to be released at the beginning of next year. Being recorded in New Jersey with the legendary David Bendeth, this album is bound to be another hit. Switching up their sound a bit, CML is hoping to tour this upcoming summer to show their fans their new material. I had the awesome chance to fly to Canada and join their current tour for a couple of days. Starting in Toronto with Riot Fest, CML’s crowd was incredible. Even without knowing the new songs they performed, fans caught on and were singing the chorus as if they had known these songs already. Playing alongside bands such as Alexisonfire,
Weezer, All Time Low, and more, this was an incredible opportunity for CML to create new fans andappreciate the old. After Riot Fest was a six-hour drive to Montreal for Rock N’ Roll Marathon series. This is a collection of marathons across the United States and Canada that features special guests and entertainment before and after the race. Considering I was running on three hours of sleep, having load-in at eight in the morning was difficult, but it was worth it for the show. The crowd jumped up and down and yelled their lyrics right back at them––another indicator of success. As Courage My Love finishes up their Wolves of War Tour, be sure to keep an eye out for new music in the near future!
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LOUDER THAN
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LIFE FESTIVAL
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RED RISING SUNS
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ALL THEM WITCHES
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WE CAME AS ROMANS
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I SSUES
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an interview with garret rapp of
The Color Morale
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Q: This is a broad question, but do you enjoy into the crowd and offered high fives to people
festivals like this (Louder than Life), or do you prefer shows in smaller venues?
Garret: I like anywhere I can make noise. I
band is more of a packed out punk rock band, but with days like today it’s a new taste for a lot of people. Reaching out to people who has never heard our music before is awesome.
Q: What is some music you jam on the road? Garret: I actually have a playlist on Spotify that
surfing over the barricade. I noticed one of those kids had a “Know Hope” tattoo. It’s kind of cool. Those two words I made as kind of a lifestyle decision at that point in my life, not just a record title, so it’s cool to see something that authentic connect to someone and brand themselves for the rest of their life. I feel like those kinds of people are the kind of people that relate to what I do and why I do it. I get reaffirmed daily that people are in the same field as me. I might be the artist and they are the listener, but I’m the listener as well. I have that epiphany where people come to me and tell stories about how our music relates to them. At that point they’re the authors and I am the listener. That roll reversal keeps me grounded and very driven as to why I do this; not just for me but for others.
anyone can go listen to. It’s called the Garret Rapp Flow Jam. The stuff that I jam out to when I’m driving or relaxing is the stuff that brings me back to life. There is this band I’m really into now called SIX60. They are an R&B band from New Zealand. One of my favorite bands of all time, Jimmy Eat World, is a band I can always Q: Being in the scene I see a lot of people trying put on rotation. I like a lot of singer-songwriter to stand out with what they wear. Is there ever something you have worn on stage and thought, stuff as well. “I’ve really messed up wearing this today”? Q: Are some of the artists you listen to Garret: No, never! I’m a simple white T-Shirt influences on your writing? and black jeans kind of guy. That’s 90% of what Garret: For The Color Morale, I’ve got a very I am wearing in all of the photos you will see of broad influence spectrum. It can go from me. If I don’t, someone gave me a shirt for free Pantera to Machine Head, to even Boyz II Men. and I felt like wearing it. I’m all about creative A lot of stuff I used to listen to in high school and expression, but for me I prefer it’s more about influenced me to sing. If it wasn’t for country the music I write then what people see. music I don’t think I would be a singer. There are lots of layers of dynamics no one would Q: What can we see from The Color Morale in ever guess. I grew up listening to country music 2016? so that’s what I learned to sing along to. Garret: We got a busy rest of the year. I’ll be Q: “Hold On Pain Ends” came out about a year flying to LA to do some co-writing with some ago and I believe it had an incredible impact amazing artists. Then we will be off to the studio on a lot of people. Why do you think it is it so and release a new record next summer. important for people to hear the message of you’re music? INTERVIEW BY JONATHON RENNER Garret: Today when we played, I jumped out PHOTOS BY NOLAN KNIGHT
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Goodbye June
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Q: How would you describe your bands sound? Q: What are the most important lessons you’ve Tyler: Well…we love classic rock. I think we
learned out on the road?
are a modern take on the old school feel. We’re Tyler: As far as that goes, we try to give thee trying to bring that back in a new way. I feel like best live performance leaving it all out there, we’re creating a new take on heritage. and of course being professional about it.
Q: Where does the name, “Goodbye June,” Q: Like learning not to complain when things come from?
don’t go your way?
Tyler: Back in 2005, my brother passed away. Tyler: Absolutely. Learning not to complain is We wanted to do something special for him so we named the band because he died in June way too young. That event is what brought us together. At that moment it changed all of our priorities.
Q: If your band were a movie, what section of Netflix would it be titled under?
Brandon: OH! It would be under the Quentin Tarantino section!
a tough one.
Landon: I think ZZ Top taught us a lot because
they are the most professional both on and off the stage. The first couple shows we had with them, we just sat back and were in awe at how much we were soaking in from just watching them. Their crowd to how they acted on stage, it was a great learning experience.
Brandon: For sure, we only had a handful of
shows with them and now that we’ve been in Landon: Yeah! It’d be right after you watched that environment I don’t want anything less Django. It’d be like “Fear and Loathing,” now. “Inglorious Bastards,” “Pulp Fiction,” that’s exactly where we would be! Q: I think that’s awesome. It’s one thing to learn from a band musically, but in a business Q:: You guys could not have answered that any orientation – that’s something else! better. So I understand you guys have been a band for 10 years? Tyler: Oh yeah. That’s a big thing today is the business side. As an upcoming band, you can’t Tyler: Well, we grew up playing in a Pentecostal just sign a deal and go play to a million kids like church. But we really started when we moved that magic just happens. It’s business and art. to Nashville in 2009 and we really started in 2012 when we signed to our first indie label. So that’s when it got professional.
INTERVIEW BY JONATHON RENNER Q: It seems your career is taking off rather PHOTO BY NOLAN KNIGHT quickly. I heard ZZ top took you guys out?
Brandon: Yeah we’ve learned a lot and have had so much fun!
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Q: I’ve seen you guys talking to everyone around set was canceled so we will probably wander this tent and you seem like a hot commodity, around aimlessly without looking at the especially for a young band. So tell me, what’s schedule and just enjoy the day. your fan base like in the states as opposed to Q: Oh yeah, and maybe grab some Kentucky Milton Keynes? Burbon! Ollie: Honestly nonexistent. We’ve done one show. We actually played in Nashville a couple Ollie: Well yeah maybe not so much due to the nights ago at the High Watt, this is out first waking up early. What would have been perfect tour and run in America. We’re on tour with is playing our set and then drink the day away Slash through the U.S., which is an incredible and then feel like shit on the drive to Chicago! opportunity as a band. So right, none, zero, in terms of an American fan base, but we’re hoping Q: What are your influences as far as musical to walk away with a good turnout or something and lyrical content? Do you take from your personal experience or like other bands? like that.
Q: So I saw your single got about 100,000 plays Ollie:
Lyrically, it’s definitely personal within a month. How did you feel about the experiences. I think it’s cool to write with and it seems to be more honest when you’re singing feedback? it as well. I like being able to narrate a story Ollie: We were just blown away. I mean it as well, which is something we haven’t done as didn’t really make sense ya know? The EP was a band yet. We’re currently in the process of released to sort of give people our sound and writing a song called ‘Home Sweet Home,’ which give them a chance to hear our band. It wasn’t is a huge personal interpretation. meant to be like, “Hey this is it” and the EP took off in a way that I never really expected and now Q: My last question is do you guys have any other festivals this year? we’re here because of it. It’s wicked.
Kev: It was confusing really. Soundcloud had a Aaron: Yeah! We are playing Aftershock in
few thousand hits within a few hours.
Sacramento.
Aaron: It made perfect sense to me. I just put Ollie: Yeah, that’ll be a wicked festival to do, and
it on repeat on my laptop, so it easily reached then of course the days with Slash and taking us through the U.S. and a bit of Canada are going up a million hits. to be madness. Ollie: Yeah, that’s how we did it! We went into a library with all these computers and just INTERVIEW BY JONATHON RENNER pressed play. (all laugh) PHOTO BY NOLAN KNIGHT Q: Since y’all are fresh in the states, who are you super psyched to play with today?
Ollie: Krikie that’s a hard one. Well, Slash is
playing tomorrow and so are we because our
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raveneye
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back to the future hearts tour photos + review by acacia evans
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I can honestly say that I haven’t seen a set like One Ok Rock’s in a very long time. Their live sound is so crisp and clean...
This past Tuesday, I relived my 15-year-old dream by attending a sleeping With sirens and all Time low co-headliner at the new ascend amphitheater in downtown nashville, Tennessee. By dream I mean that my first tattoo was a sleeping With sirens quote on my foot at the age of seventeen. you could say that I was a little bit obsessed. For starters, ascend amphitheater is incredibly beautiful. right in the heart of downtown nashville, you are able to see the “batman building” along with the Pedestrian bridge and some gorgeous apartments. Just a few blocks away are other venues and places to visit such as the country music hall of Fame, rocketown, the hard rock cafe, and more. at two o’clock the day of the show, I had the opportunity to interview Japanese alternative rock band one ok rock. With a huge international following, one ok rock is about to take over the united states as well. They recently released their seventh and first united states release album 35xxxv. Produced by John Feldmann, we are so grateful to finally be able to physically have one ok rock’s music in our hands. I got to sit down with lead singer Taka and talk about differences in culture between the united states and Japan,
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their current tour, plans for the future, and everything in between. The band played six of their hit songs with outstanding energy, half of which have music videos that you can catch on YouTube. I can honestly say that I haven’t seen a set like One Ok Rock’s in a very long time. Their live sound is so crisp and clean, without any mistakes. Smiling throughout the entire set, you can just tell that the band is so unbelievably grateful and happy to be here in the United States. Ending their set with Paper Planes feat. Kellin Quinn was quite the way to end their performance. The fans were pumped and eager for the acts to come. One Ok Rock weren’t the only foreign performers that night. The next band band to take the stage was UK quintet Neck Deep. These rowdy pop punk up and comers are on their second run with All Time Low, their first going across Europe. Not all of the boys made it to the states for this tour, though. Neck Deep is touring with the loss of founding member and guitarist, Lloyd Roberts. Roberts previously stepped down as a member of the band after sexual harrasment allegations. This has not stopped the rest of Neck Deep from touring; the band is on the road promoting Life’s Not Out To Get You, their sophomore
release on Hopeless Records. Needless to say, they electrified the stage and put on a performance that pop punk fans will be talking about for weeks. The third band to take the stage was one of post-hardcore’s founding bands, Sleeping With Sirens. SWS graced the stage with an amazing light show and consistent enthusiasm. Being seasoned veterans in the alternative world means that their dedicated fans know every word to every lyric, even dating back to their debut album With Ears To See and Eyes To Hear. Now with four studio albums out, an acoustic EP and and three compilation features, it’s no wonder why the band has over three million likes on their
Facebook page. From Gabe’s drum solo to Justin balancing his bass on his hand, there is no knowing what these guys have in store with every upcoming show. Sleeping With Sirens makes sure that their most dedicated fans are treated as they deserve by offering VIP packages to meet them before their set! Singing some of their hit songs such as “If You Can’t Hang,” “Congratulations,” and “Kick Me”, it’s safe to say that these guys have the whole package. Last, but not least, to take the stage were “Dear Maria Count Me In” pop punk stars All Time Low. Hailing from Baltimore, MD, All Time Low has been touring ever since their high school graduation in 2006 and after
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their label contract to Hopeless Records was signed. All Time Low has been serving as the middle man between the “alternative” scene and “mainstream” scene for as long as they have been around. This basically means that they pleasure the ears of pretty much anyone and everyone. Personally, I have seen All Time Low more times than any other band and can honestly say that I never get bored. From Jack bouncing around stage to Alex belting, “... six feet under the stars,” there’s never been a band quite like All Time Low. Overall, this show was an absolute delight, and quite the throwback, to cover. If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out a date (or more) of the Back To The Future Hearts Tour when it’s in your area.
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SWS graced the stage with an amazing light show and consistent enthusiasm...
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GETTING TO KNOW
MR. B
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he Nashville rapper Mr. B hails from Scottsdale, Arizona. It was there that he developed the confidence to begin freestyling. “I can actually trace my first written rap back to fifth grade, which makes me think that I was probably rapping before then because that’s the first piece of documented history. It didn’t get serious until my sophomore year of high school when my buddy who had a brother in a band actually had a microphone and was like, ‘Let’s record you’ because I used to freestyle a lot throughout middle school and throug encouragement of friends. That’s how I kept doing it. They were like, ‘You’re pretty good; you should keep doing it.’
t
One day we were just sitting around freestyling and someone was like, ‘Blake, you’ve gotta rap; you gotta record this’ and I remember being like, ‘Nah, I just freestyle for fun; I don’t do music. I rap for fun.’ Then he was like, ‘No, for real, you should,’ and my other homie interjects with, ‘My brother’s got a microphone. He’s in a band.’ So then there was just this silence. Then I was just like, ‘Fuck it. Let’s do it then.” When it came time to pick colleges, Blake knew that he wouldn’t stick with whatever he was studying if he discovered he wasn’t passionate about it. Through research he found Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The school offered a Songwriting major, perfect for Blake’s interests. The only catch is that Blake had to send in his songs to get into the major. “I didn’t really follow criteria 100% with it. I just spit a 40-second a cappella rap––that and an actual song that I sent them. I cussed a little bit in the song, too, and my mom was worried that I wouldn’t get in. I still got in, and that’s what brought me to Tennessee.” It was at Belmont that Blake met the other members of his band, and “The Tribal Hoose” took shape. “Logan introduced me to Max [the guitarist], who is like the co-captain of “The Tribal Hoose.” So it started with us. Everyone fell into place, and it came about super organically. We’re all Belmont students, and we were all friends before we started playing. It was like friends coming together, which is why I think it works.”
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Freshman year, Blake’s rapping started to gain some traction. In January 2013, Blake posted a Wendy’s rap video that went viral literally overnight. The idea came about when Blake and a friend from back in Arizona were watching the McDonalds’ drive-through video. Blake said that he could definitely rap it better, and his friend challenged him. And the idea was born. “Literally, no lie, that night I left his house, went to Wendy’s, and stood outside the drivethrough––not in a car, just standing there–– and I was looking at the fat-ass menu with like a notepad. I was mainly writing the words down and getting some of the rhymes. I took it home, wrote it that night, synched the beat up with it, and then I showed it to my friend, and he really liked it, so we were like, ‘Let’s do it.’ “ The video itself was filmed back in Nashville. After the video originally went live on YouTube, Blake turned off his computer and went to bed. By morning, it had gone viral. “I remember the next morning I was woken up by my roommate saying, ‘Your video’s on the Today Show!’ Like, my aunt watches that show.” Blake says that before the video was even released, he knew that there was something special about it. “That’s the only project that I put out that if you had asked me beforehand if I thought it was going to go viral, I would have said, ‘yes.’ I used to sit just facing the TV with the TV off and actually see myself on TV. Visualization is big. And I remember when that video actually blew up a few days later, channeltwo news, the local one, did an interview on us. It aired on the 10 o’clock news, and it aired at 10:05, so we were like primetime coming on. I remember sitting on a couch, watching a TV with a bunch of Freshman roommates and I had this crazy effect of, ‘Wow, now it’s actually real.’ Of all the times that I actually sat and visualized it, now it’s actually here and this is really going on. Yeah, I am very thankful for that video. It has opened up a lot of doors for sure.” Doors like the opportunity to open for GrammyAward-winning rap group “Bone Thugs N Harmony” on their twentieth-anniversary tour when he was 19. Blake said, “I was just reading a book where it said, ‘A mediocre musician can win over a crowd by emotion alone,’ and I was thinking like my very first time I ever performed
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live my freshmen year at Belmont. When I look back on the songs that I performed, it was so mediocre, so white-kind-of-like-pop-rap shit, but I won over the crowd and the crowd was hood as fuck, and I won them over by sheer emotion alone. So what I’m saying is that I’d rather be in this position where we have the natural showmanship and we will develop our ability as musicians rather than the other way around. It’s easier to develop the skill to be good at instruments or that skill rather than develop a personality on stage.” Blake’s a senior now, and he definitely feels like his stage presence with “The Tribal Hoose” is strong. “We’re very good about putting on a show. At one show I was wearing a Japanese kimono and a camp hat, so we’re definitely really big on trying to put on an experience and a show and not just be playing music. That’s where we thrive.” The following year, Mr. B’s mixtape “Ice Cream for Breakfast” dropped. “It was released in 2014; that’s right at the very end of my sophomore year. That was like my sophomore-year-ofcollege project I worked on. That’s when the idea of me wanting to play with the band started to form. I met the people, but we weren’t actually gigging yet. This was me just doing mixtape recordings and eating ice cream for breakfast with the president.” Yes, you read that right: Blake Mankin ate ice cream with the President of Belmont University. Blake told us that he “just asked him and literally within five seconds of it leaving my mouth. I pretty much got out ‘new mixtape, ice cream for breakfast, promotional video, me and you eating ice cream’ and he was like, ‘Yes, let’s do it. Talk to Sue.’ I actually walked him up the stairs. He’s on the second floor, and the amount of time that it took to get from floor one to floor two, he was already on board with it. We set up for like two weeks later. He had Sue look at his schedule for him, and then we just set up a date. He was an awesome sport about it. Fisher’s got a great personality.”
of sixth graders just rapping and shit, and it just blew my mind. The craziest was the second graders. Like second grade kids rapping and some of them were actually not bad. Holding the rhythm, going at it. I feel like I almost had better luck with the little kids than if i maybe went to a highschool class ‘cause young kids are a lot more outgoing.” Motivational speaking at schools (and tying in the app) is something that Blake is interested indoing in the long run. He told us, “Just speaking out on creativity, I feel like a lot of people don’t see themselves as creative or they get beat down, so I just want to speak and inspire people and let them know that [they] do have value.” Mr. B’s Rap App makes freestyling easy for any user. The app will give you set beats (all created by Belmont Students) and a list of rhyming words to use together. The app helps to establish a baseline for freestyling that has never been seen on an app before. Freestyling has changed Blake’s life, and he wants it to change the lives of others as well. “We’re doing this to hopefully help people become more self-confident to freestyle. I think that the outgoing personality I have has been developed through freestyling. I feel like working that muscle has helped me to become more outgoing and self-confident, and I feel like if we could create something that helps other people strengthen a muscle that helps them become more self confident, that would be awesome. Rapping came naturally to me but it doesn’t [always come as naturally] to other people. This could be a way where it’s like giving them a tool to use and develop the skill. Rapping is learnable.”
Although Mr. B is a busy guy with his app and performing shows with his band “The Tribal Hoose,” he still has time to focus on motivational speaking and trying to change the world through the art of rap. He says, “I think music is the best way to influence the world. I think that that’s Next up for Mr. B: The Rap App. He says, “That’s what everyone’s going to do at the end of the the next move, and I feel good about that one. day. If you really want to get something heard I feel like it’ll really bring some color to the and get a point across, coat it in a great song. world.” And he’s right; this summer he went to That’s the best way to deliver something.” his old middle school and elementary school and tested the app with them. “We actually INTERVIEW BY KAITLYN MIDGETT projected the app onto the screen so that the PHOTOS BY ACACIA EVANS whole class could see it. And there were a bunch
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www.bigcitythoughts.com
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REVIEW BY: Lexy Nicole Fields “Those are the Badlands. We don’t go there.” Imagine yourself in a broken-down town, surrounded by a desert, with nothing but the passion of music to get you through. Listen to Badlands by Halsey and you’ll start to feel this way. This incredible concept album by the up-and-coming artist captures exactly what it feels like to live in the mind of Ashley Frangipane, better known as “Halsey” to her fans.
Artist Halsey Album Title Badlands Realease Date August 28, 2015 Tracklisting 01. Castle 02. Hold Me Down 03. New Americana
The album starts out with “Castle,” a song that Halsey wrote to portray her sudden and demanding entrance into the industry. As the album progresses, you can almost feel (and hear) the blue-haired girl leaving the barren and corrupt world behind in search of a brighter horizon. As “New Americana” starts, it’s obvious why this song has become a new-age anthem. With lyrics such as “raised on Biggie and Nirvana” and “viral mess turned dreams into an empire,” this song encompasses what this generation is all about.
04. Drive
Halsey is often quoted saying that she was just a songwriter forced to sing her own songs so they would be done right, but I would disagree. Her voice, so raw and real, captures the soul, and she somehow seems to sing exactly what you were thinking or feeling. It’s magic. There are a few explicit songs on the album, such as “Gasoline.” This incredible song tackles the reality of mental disorders and learning to thrive with them, as Halsey has. She describes herself as “having a flaw in her code,” which echoes what a large part of our generation can relate to.
10. Strange Love
Realistically, there is not a single song on this album, especially the deluxe version, that I would not highly recommend listening to. Listening to the entire album straight through is almost an unrealistic experience, each song dripping with rage and reality. Not only does Halsey question today’s society, but she challenges the constricting boundaries of what we deem to be acceptable. This goddess is a warrior for all who cannot speak for themselves or cannot reach the top of the hierarchy. She embodies a new age of acceptance and love for all. Halsey is fighting her way to the top of the industry and refuses to back down to those who defy her. This album truly showcases who she is as an artist and what she desires to accomplish. Everyone should take a trip through the Badlands.
05. Hurricane 06. Roman Holiday 07. Ghost 08. Colors 09. Colors, Part 2 11. Coming Down 12. Haunting 13. Gasoline 14. Control 15. Young God 16. I Walk the Line
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REVIEW BY: Luke Duran
I will preface this by saying that I have an unashamed bias for everything that this band touches, but I would be lying if I said I’m not afraid of life outside of what has come to be known as “The Trilogy”–– the three-part pop-punk masterpiece by Philadelphia sextet, “The Wonder Years.” Over the past five years or so, those three records have been a soundtrack of sorts to my transition into adulthood, and I will be forever grateful for the stories these men have shared, but I digress. “No Closer to Heaven” is what I’m really here to talk about.
Releasing “Cardinals” as the first single and music video for this album was the best move the band could have made. It was a harbinger of what I was thoroughly convinced would be my favorite album of the year. Weeks later, after my first listen through the band’s fifth fulllength release, I can’t say that it will be able to leave 2015 with that title, but not because it’s not great. The truth is, it’s a great album––a great album that perhaps holds some of the best songs that they have ever written in the entirety of their career. What keeps it from being my favorite album of the year is that it also may hold some of the worst songs they have ever written. Though they are few, they contribute to a less cohesive, less consistent collection of songs than their previous works. While “No Closer to Heaven” is, for the most part, a lyrical jewel like everything else that vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell has written, but the album has its weak points and strong points alike. First off, on a more technical note, the mix was simply no good. The guitars, while more creative effects-wise and compositionally, were overpowering and drowned out the vocals at times and the bass for the majority of the album. The drums were mixed well, though. As I mentioned previously, the songwriting was both a victory and a shortcoming on this release. In my opinion, the largest victory on the album lay in “Cigarettes & Saints,” which is arguably the best song the band has ever written. However, the weakest track, “Thanks for the Ride,” is easily my least-favorite in the band’s catalog. Truthfully, I could go on and on about this album. I could tell you that, even as a Christian man, I could appreciate the songwriting behind the obligatory atheist anthem, “Stained Glass Ceilings.” I could say that the guitar work in “The Bluest Things on Earth” is the best that the group has ever done. I could say that, although the album is a beautiful piece of art, I was longing for the album’s opening line, “We’re no saviors if we can’t save our brother,” to intertwine further into the record. Truthfully though, the best thing I can say to sum up my thoughts on this album is that this is a case of the best band in the genre putting out an album that is nothing more than “pretty good.” Long live “The Wonder Years.”
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Artist The Wonder Years Album Title No Closer To Heaven Realease Date September 4, 2015 Tracklisting 01. Brothers & 02. Cardinals 03. A Song for Patsy Cline 04. I Don’t Like Who I Was Then 05. Cigarettes & Saints 06. The Bluest Things on Earth 07. A Song for Ernest Hemingway 08. Thanks for the Ride 09. Stained Glass Ceilings 10. I Wanted So Badly to Be Brave 11. You in January 12. Palm Reader 13. No Closer to Heaven 14. Slow Dancing with San Andreas 15. Palm Reader (alternate version)
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REVIEW BY: Anna Kaplan
Bring Me the Horizon has always been consistently inconsistent; the band’s sound changes with every album, and their fifth studio album “That’s the Spirit” is no exception. Released on September 11, 2015, “That’s the Spirit” successfully blends classic metalcore elements with current alternative-pop sounds. At first I was a bit apprehensive about listening to this album, but “Doomed” immediately cast all my doubts aside. An intricate network of layers, including breathing, beats, and heart, this song is one of the best on the record. “Happy Song” is another track in which Oli Sykes’ voice oscillates between screaming and singing in the most natural way. The dichotomy between the children chanting in the beginning and the intensity of both Sykes’ vocals and the guitars lets this song resonate in your head. “Throne” and “True Friends” are two of the best songs lyrically. Overall, this album shines in its relatability. Oli explores ideas beyond the generic love issues and consistently writes about wanting to prove yourself to others as well as to yourself, like coming back from the depths of depression. “Follow You” is my favorite track on the record. The guitar loop fits perfectly with Sykes’ softer side seen on this track, and the message is beautiful. By far the most romantic the band has ever been, it establishes this vulnerability between artist and listener that is rarely experimented with today. “What You Need” is another tune that comes off more alternative at first and then flows into a heavier chorus. Normally that doesn’t sit well with me, but Bring Me the Horizon consistently manages to make me a fan every time they do it on this record. “Avalanche,” “Run,” and “Drown” are the heaviest songs on this record and the ones I think older fans will appreciate the most, but connecting with them was more difficult for me. After my attention was waning through the middle of the album, “Blasphemy” perked me back up. It rolls right off the tongue lyrically and is an interesting song to listen to sonically.
Artist Bring Me the Horizon Album Title That’s the Spirit Realease Date September 11, 2015 Tracklisting 01. Doomed 02. Happy Song 03. Throne 04. True Friends 05. Follow You 06. What You Need 07. Avalanche 08. Run 09. Drown (New) 10. Blasphemy 11. Oh No
Oli Sykes describes the final track on the album, “Oh No,” as “an empty dance song.” He illustrates how, now that he is older, he sees his friends wanting to be something they aren’t anymore: younger. He created the track to sound like something you’d hear at a club, but when you listen you hear that it isn’t as happy as it sounds. Through that, I feel this song is the best representation of this record as a whole. As Bring Me the Horizon has matured, their sound has evolved. Many people, including me before I listened to “That’s The Spirit,” discounted and categorized them as being exclusively hardcore, which is a severe misconception. This record introduces a much more accessible sound, without losing any meaning. “That’s The Spirit” continues to provide a refuge for fans––fans who relate to Sykes––while creating a beautiful vulnerability when the band opens up to a larger audience by moving to a poppier sound.
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revIeW by: Karen Plate
Ever since winning the Sing Off in 2011, a cappella group Pentatonix has revived the dying art form of vocal music without instruments and has helped integrate it into the pop culture of today. Since their victory, they’ve swept the globe, performing on four separate tours with big names like Kelly Clarkson, as well as producing six albums in the past four years – three EPs, two Christmas albums, and their first studio album, released in Japan. Their newest release is the long awaited, arguably first ever full-length album, self-titled Pentatonix and the longest yet at seventeen tracks. While many fans were hoping for an entirely original album, the group did include one cover - the classic “If I Ever Fall In Love”, a tune originally recorded by Shai in 1992, in which Pentatonix incorporated and featured Jason Derulo. Three other covers are included as bonus tracks on the deluxe album, but I agree in seeing them as not necessary to the original album. Covers, which have been their primary means of producing music in the past, don’t suit their sound any longer; the ones included on this album seem too uptight and almost forced, and have the feel of novice a cappella groups. Pentatonix’s original songs, however, blew me away. The sound and groove produced on this album is so drastically different from their previous EPs that you can tell just how much they’ve grown as a group in the past year. “Sing” is a sassy tune full of attitude that is literally impossible to not get up and dance to, scientifically proven. The beat and harmonies make you want to roll down your windows and sing as loud as you can; coupled with the music video released on the same day as the album, this song is bound to be an instant classic for the group.
Artist Pentatonix Album Title Pentatonix Realease Date October 15, 2015 Tracklisting 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Na Na Na Can’t Sleep Love Sing Misbehavin’ Ref First Things First Rose Gold If I Ever Fall In Love Cracked Water Take Me Home New Year’s Day Light In the Hallway Where Are Ü Now Cheerleader Lean On
“Rose Gold” is a song that appears halfway through the album with a different feel than all other tracks leading up to it. It slows things down in a chill, indie feel that I haven’t experience from the group before. The chorus itself is catchy and simple, and I love how Pentatonix has really expanded their reach to different genres of music instead of sticking with the pop radio feel. “New Year’s Day” is a tune I know I will be obsessed with as the holiday season grows closer. It’s such an epic end-of-the-year anthem that inspires me to want to gather with all my family and friends, conquer the world, and accomplish everything I possibly can. “Light in the Hallway” is the quiet, pure vocal tune without vocal percussion that gives me the chills every time I listen to it. A lullaby to children and weary adults, it reassures and calms the frightened and weariest of hearts. I think parts of the chorus could be rearranged to sound less like a typical a cappella choir, but it still is arranged beautifully with interlacing melody lines and tight harmonies. Overall, Pentatonix has done an outstanding job with this almost fully original album, and I expect great things from them in the future, considering how far they’ve made it already in the mere four years since forming the group.
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october rElease
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revIeW by: Karen Plate
Demi has been systematically producing albums ever since her debut as a fresh face on Disney. She’s been teasing for her newest release of Confident for months now, with posts of photos captioned and eluding to songs on the album, with hashtags #coolforthesummer and #confident. Her second single from the album, “Confident”, was released and immediately set the scene for the album titled after it. The entire attitude and feel of the album is stronger than those of her other albums; while previous releases such as Unbroken and Demi amped up the toughness and became more rebellious as time progressed, Confident certainly tops them all. Demi creates “Confident” as a classic anthem for any individual, male or female, encouraging people to own who they are and be bold with their actions involving their own life. Between the lyrics and tune, a strong, independent portrait is painted that is inevitably a call to action for listeners to shed their scared skin and become fearless. Lovato herself seems to be adopting her own principles, as she has become arguably more and more comfortable in her own skin – from initiating a “No Makeup Monday” hashtag on Instagram, to shooting for Vanity Fair sans clothing, makeup, or retouching. But has Demi actually lost herself in the process? Her success thus far has been built upon heartfelt ballads and belted lyrics that stir up emotion within listeners. This album, however, seems lacking in such emotion. She even states herself in “Old Ways”: And I just keep changin’/These colors, colors, colors, colors/I’m not in the same place/That I was, I was, I was, I was. Demi certainly seems to be changing and disregarding her old self in return for a new, sexier, confident woman who doesn’t care what other people think.
Artist Demi Lovato Album Title Confident Realease Date October 16, 2015 Tracklisting 01. Confident 02. Cool for the Summer 03. Old Ways 04. For You 05. Stone Cold 06. Kingdom Come 07. Waitin for You 08. Wildfire 09. Lionheart 10. Yes 11. Father 12. Stars 13. Mr. Hughes 14. Cool for the Summer (Jump Smokers Remix) 15. Cool for the Summer (Suraci Remix)
The only emotionally vulnerable songs included on the new album are “Stone Cold” and “Father”. “Stone Cold” depicts a post-breakup love letter to a former beau, revealing her pained feelings towards him, yet still reluctantly abandoning hope and breathing I’m happy for you when he moves on to another woman. In “Father”, Demi allows herself to break down during the album, producing a heartfelt message of forgiveness to her father as response to his passing away. She acknowledges his mistakes and shortcomings, but still offers her love and respect for someone who did the best he could amongst his own brokenness. Demi’s new album could be praised for its bold and strong message of individuality and confidence, yet may be criticized for it’s lack of emotion and personal connection to the music. I think fans are excited to have strong anthems to belt along to, but will miss the heartfelt relatability they’ve come to know later down the road.
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