NEW EP REVIEW! Vienna - For Friends ‘…knows when to deliver playful whimsy, and when to deliver surprisingly emotive gut-punches; it remains immense fun to behold without ever feeling as though the band lack earnestness…’

NEW MUSIC REVIEW! Youth Novel - I Went Through This Experience Smiling ‘…an essential listen for screamo fans, blistering in its ferocity and rich in its depth…’

Love seeing this from La Dispute. I stand on business regarding strobe lights: they’re non-essential, and make concert pointlessly less accessible. ‘Not having them ruins the vibe!’ Or maybe if you rely on strobes, your live set is a bit wank, eh?

NEW MUSIC REVIEW! Granite State - PROPER FORMS OF PROTEST ‘…‘PROPER FORMS OF PROTEST’ is here to remind you of what hardcore should be about; confrontation, defiance, and community…’

Genuinely heartbroken over this. ‘A Black Mile To The Surface’ was one of those special records that transformed part of me, in no short part thanks to the phenomenal drum work. ‘The Silence’ remains one of the finest drum performances I have ever heard. A joy to watch play live. Rest easy.

If you call something ‘coworker music’, I instantly will disregard your opinion and spend the rest of any interaction booing you loudly. All you’re telling me is that you have a MASSIVE main protagonist complex.

NEW MUSIC REVIEW! Hungry - Cambridge is on Fire ‘…The satirical dynamics of modern post-punk collides with the scrappy hedonism of 00’s indie rock…’

Finneas is better at political messaging than 99% of the Democratic consultants in DC.

I get that Leeds is north in England, and that bands can only visit so many cities, but it is a kick in the nuts whenever a cool band announces Leeds as a tour date. Our public transport system is so shite, the last train home is 10:30.

NEW MUSIC REVIEW! Power Snatch - EP1 ‘…Superfans of Williams will no doubt relish this, and those who enjoy bedroom pop, dream pop, and trip hop will find something to really get their teeth into…’

I miss bands doing free downloads with physical purchases. Like, if a record is only getting a physical release that isn’t CD, then I have to buy it again digitally in order to own a copy I can put onto an audio device. It’s part of why I have always loved Bandcamp.

NEW MUSIC REVIEW! Ugly Jumper - Everything Is Not Alright! ‘…the band’s future direction feels clearer and brighter than ever; this is the sound of an emo band that, in their refusal to adhere to expectation or convention, has the potential for a masterpiece…’

Incredibly funny to read about Earth refusing to play unless a Palestine flag was removed from the venue, and then whining about the venue putting ‘politics above music’… and then blocking all comments on their social media. Utter cowardice.

Not to be all ‘and yet you participate in society!’, but it irks me when a fairly sizeable band bangs on about shunning the mainstream, yet are quick to share every single Spotify and Amazon playlist they’re on, custom graphics included. Come on lads, let’s have a backbone x

I think there are plenty of valid criticisms to be levelled at Sleep Token. But it really frustrates me when I see people say that all of the songs sound the same. Emergence, Gods, The Way That You Were, Say That You Will, The Summoning… you don’t have to like any of them, but variety is there.

Also whilst I’m being a miserable little grinch, if you are in a band, please stop with the ‘it’s sad people watch an influencer for 7 minutes but won’t give us 30 seconds’. It’s giving ‘old man shouts at clouds’. It’s giving boomer. It’s weirdly low-key giving misogynist.

Sometimes I remember criticising a band for using AI for a joke and being told to ‘kill the cop in your brain’. Now Suno is here and musicians are realising that the Sloppening was never going to stop at just images.

I'm old enough to have seen a version of this story repeat over multiple decades. It's old and tired. It's also very gendered. If you're counting Coldplay as a rock act, and not counting Olivia Rodrigo, that's a you problem.

If you unironically share the ‘place/place (Japan)’ meme, I am going to assume you have the critical thinking skills of a walnut.

every year is a good year for music if you like music

I still unfortunately use Spotify; I’m in the process of switching to physical, but a multitude of excuses have me still streaming. Regardless, Spotify wrapped remains a bittersweet feeling. It’s nice to see people supporting their favourite artists. Music should be a community.

I have a full review coming out for this soon, but I am absolutely fucking blown away by what this band have achieved here. Extreme pop. Hyper punk. Chaos pop. Call it whatever you want, but this genuinely feels like I’m listening to the cutting edge. malegazeband.bandcamp.com/album/too-la...

If you go around dunking on people for liking certain artists, I’m going to assume you’re very lame and very boring. If you go around recommending cool upcoming artists you know, I’m going to want to hang out with you and have hot dogs. It’s that simple.

Progressive rock bands 🤝 Alan Watts samples

remember: music is supposed to be a community you're a part of, not a thing that's on in the background that you passively consume

Just checking back in here to state that the Grammy’s are nothing but a self-congratulatory wankfest for major labels and represent sweet fuck all about how wonderful music truly is. Go to a local show x

Discogs has become totally useless as a UK user who likes a lot of niche American bands. Nobody is willing to ship out of the US anymore, which is a real shame.

Fun fact for people that don’t follow UK politics, this guy promised to abolish student fees, got into power via a coalition with the Conservatives, then tripled the fees. He tanked his own party so hard they went from 22% of the vote, to 8%. He is a total clown and will be remembered as such.

I’ve had the privilege of listening to the new Massa Nera record that drops later this month, ‘The Emptiness of All Things’. If you like screamo, progressive metal, doom metal, or anything else that seeks to unsettle, it is a true must listen.

Aoty candidate dropped today, and it involves zero billionaires complaining about people pointing out that they are friends with fascist sympathisers. open.spotify.com/album/1ZjQgt...

Can guarantee if this was fronted by Genette Gallagher, they would be decried as industry plants, instead of being lauded as the next big thing in rock

You think you’ve got it rough? Try being a CD girlie in a vinyl world 😔

In today’s episode of ‘sentences I never thought I would type’, Foxy Shazam’s collaboration with Corey Feldman (yes, that one) is the best thing they have released in 13 years. open.spotify.com/album/3glq9E...

Didn’t anticipate finding out that Starset’s drummer left homophobic remarks on a Smash Mouth pride post, but every day is a new journey filled with discovery!

When the emo band got a lead singer with a complicated relationship with religion

I wrote more stuff. My music taste is better than yours, and therefore you need to read it. vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/07/26/a... Hot Milk make a visceral, politically charged pop punk statement on their electrifying sophomore record.

Since 2019, Swift has released an album every single year. Five of those are new, four are re-recordings. Much of it in between the biggest tour ever seen that dominated headlines. It’s like the Marvel of music. It begins to feel like content, not art.

My name is Ryan Ward, I run Vinyl Fantasy Reviews, and I have a serious confession to make: I fucking love the 2022 Muse single, ‘Will Of The People’.

@mudwhale.bsky.social you know we’re celebrating Mud Whale Monday in this UK household 🩵

I wrote more things that you need to read, or I’ll cry. danger dog continue to show why you need to be paying attention to the grassroots of the UK emo scene right now. vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/07/20/s...

Time to go over some music you need to listen to or I’ll get sad and cry. Purge Of Sanity offer genuinely inventive metalcore that puts 90% of the genre’s front runners to shame. On top of that, this might be the best heavy vocal performance of 2025. vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/07/12/s...

Every time I have the misfortune of reading about Daniel Ek, I am given another reason to finally save up for a DAP.

I’ve already posted about them before, but my god please listen to Animalcules. The fucking groove on this track is phenomenal. open.spotify.com/track/78rHFa...

We all know too much about each other , many of the things some of you post could have been a journal entry or a conversation with a beloved friend, or words spoken in a quiet voice to the mysterious forces that live in the dark of the forest

Still nobody doing it like nightlife. open.spotify.com/track/52Oemw...

I never thought depressed music could sound so fun, but Arm’s Length’s new album manages it. vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/06/10/a...

Turnstile put together some really cool ideas. They also completely neglected to string them together in any meaningful way. This was a deeply frustrating album to listen to. vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/06/09/a...

Social media is a blight on our existence BUT… it does make me genuinely sad to see a band’s social media become completely corporate. Like, you’re no longer interacting with a musician, or even a close associate, but a Social Media Person who clearly posts things according to algorithm.

My ‘too woke’ opinion is that strobe lights are unnecessary for concerts, and do nothing but make another accessibility barrier. ‘They help with the atmosphere!’ I’m sorry but if your atmosphere relies on shitty flashing lights, it’s not a very good atmosphere

After listening to House of Protection’s latest EP, and looking at where Fever 333 are, it’s clear who were the real creative powerhouses in that outfit. vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/05/31/e...