With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“Hangover Cure” – Guilhelm August 14, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 1:50 pm
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This new single from Montreal based singer songwriter Guilhelm has pop, punk and a slacker laid-back Weezer type vibe. A summer anthem for 2025 with a wonderfully positive “I know I’m not gonna die” vocal hook. Guilhem described the song “This song explores the different ways to overcome a hangover in some sort of quest for self-improvement. It’s about inadequacy and self-destructive behavior, but it also expresses a hopeful, yet uncertain, desire for a better future“. The video, finely shot by Alex Charron, exaggerates that cool laid back vibe too. I love the song and I love the video. Guilhem’s new album ‘A Good One’ hits the streets on 5th September. It was mixed and mastered by the one and only Frank Turner, a great favourite here in Mayhem Towers!

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“Born All Wrong” – Museum Of Light February 19, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 11:09 pm
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Photo by Scott Evans

Seattle band Museum Of Light have just released their third single of 2025, “Born All Wrong” on Spartan Records. The track follows hot on the heels of “Blunt Force Drama” and “Undone”. All three tracks will form a part of their sophomore album, ‘Diviner’, produced by Scott Evans, which will be released on March 14th. The song is full of earth shattering dark riffs that pound the song forward in a slow march forward. The vocals reminded me of Ozzy Osbourne at his peak. The music is dusted with some gorgeous prog moments, particularly in the final part of the track. There is a vast sparseness to the sound as the song reaches its conclusion. It gave me a feel of wide open wilderness. Is that the influence of being recorded at Ocean Sound Studios in Giske, Norway? The band made the most of their time there by taking a plunge into the icy Norwegian Sea each morning before starting to record.

The band’s drummer Rob Smith said, “As with much of Diviner, “Born All Wrong” is a continuation of all the things that interested us on our first record, just taken further.” he added “The song dives into some of the expanded sonic palette that sets this record apart from ‘Horizon’. The big riff that anchors the first half of the song was written several years ago when we were between bassists. So, we were leaning more on huge, monolithic ideas that sounded good with the guitar running through both guitar and bass amps at the same time. As one of the older songs on the album, we weren’t sure if if was going to make the cut, but as soon as we heard playbacks in the studio, we all had the same thought: ‘well, that’s definitely making the record.” This is a great song and makes me feel rather excited to hear the album!

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“Safe & Sound” – Pip Lewis January 24, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 8:19 pm
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Pip Lewis is a 22 year old British singer-songwriter based in San Diego, California. She has just dropped a great single from her forthcoming album ‘Growing Pains’. Pip sees some of her key influences coming from Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers. The song has a heavenly indie pop sound with a beautifully crystal clear vocal. The flowing and sometimes stuttering musical accompaniment gives the track a soulful dreamy feel. Interwoven in this film-like sound is an occasional funky acoustic guitar riff. Pip said this of “Safe & Sound”: “This song is inspired by the idea that one can feel alone in a room full of people. It’s a cry for help into the crowd and a love letter to those who answer it.” The video gets across the image of being lonely in a crowd perfectly. I think that this gorgeous song will stay with me for a long while. I love it!

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“Where The Wind Blows” – Drop It First November 12, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:22 pm
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Drop It First is a mega-talented melodic punk band from Quebec City, Canada. The band is made up of members of Our Darkest Days and Go Great Guns. They have just launched their first single “Where The Wind Blows” in advance of their debut album ‘Fundamentals’ which is scheduled to hit the streets on 17th January. The song is overflowing with hardcore emotion and describes dealing with grief and loss. It is anthemic and stares sorrow straight in the eyes and says I can live through you and reach the other side of the dark chasm of loss. The harmonies are huge and even the riffs ooze emotion. An obvious comparison might be Rise Against, but I hear a little Head Automatica here too. If the rest of the album is this good it could become a classic! the video is wonderfully dark and apocalyptic and I love it! The video is dedicated to two of the band members’ mothers who passed away in 2024, this makes it clear where the depth of this loss comes from. My own mother is still alive, but I will never forget losing my father back in 2001.

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Wow That’s What I Call Mayhem – Volume 4 September 30, 2024

Filed under: Now That's What I Call Mayhem! — justwilliam1959 @ 8:31 pm
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With continued humble apologies to the creators of the iconic NOW series of compilations that began in 1983, I posted and compiled the first WOW That’s What I Call Mayhem collection back in March, with volumes 2 and 3 following just a few weeks ago. So are you ready for volume 4? I certainly hope so, because here it is! This includes the fourth 20 singles we reviewed in 2024 in another maniacal eclectic playlist for your listening pleasure! With more than 60 minutes of music, click the Spotify link below and lose yourself in the music!

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“That Way” – The Jellybricks July 15, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:20 pm
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The Jellybricks from Harrisburg, PA have a new single out via Wicked Cool Records, it is called “That Way”. The song is an impeccable illustration of perfect power pop. The harmonies and melodies weave their way through an immaculate production. The hooks are top-drawer and mesmerise you until they simply barricade themselves into your brain and refuse to leave. Guitarist/vocalist Bryce Connor says of the track, “‘That Way’ is a song about finding the perfect girl, and the perfect love, and… always wanting it to be exactly that way.” Meanwhile, guitarist/vocalist Larry Kennedy says, “‘That Way’ evolved a little bit through our creative process, starting out with a slightly different chorus than what landed on the record. This is part of the fun of the band working collaboratively with Producer Geoff Sanoff. We keep fine-tuning these songs until we think they are the best they can be, and that means sometimes there are pleasant surprises for us in the sound of the end result.” This song is a fine slab of 21st-century rock ‘n’ roll. You need to listen to it right now! How has this band been around for so long without me hearing about them? I need to rectify that by listening to much more from the Jellybricks!

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“Pretty Pictures” – Ear Ringers May 21, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:48 pm
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East LA rockers have a spectacularly good new single out, it is called “Pretty Pictures”. It feels like a heavenly slice of chilled power pop magic with great 80s vibes and an emphasis on some opulent, elegant, sumptuous pop. This is a perfect anthem for summer. Singer/guitarist Miguel Angel Estrada says, ““Pretty Pictures” was brought together by scrap compositions and one guitar riff. While I was writing the main guitar riff, I wanted to do something a bit challenging, I was having trouble playing it until I eventually got it down, that’s when I knew I had a good part. I intended this song to be upbeat and poppy, but I think the most interesting part of the song is the second verse which is a completely different vibe giving Spanish lyrics & 80’s synths. The song was brought together beautifully that it quickly became one of the band’s favorite songs.” The video is spectacularly good too. Get this song onto your summer playlists now!

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“A Thousand Shots” – F.O.D. February 5, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:37 pm
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At last, Belgium has given us a better punk representation than Plastic Bertrand! F.O.D. is classic punk in a Green Day mould, in fact, they started out as A green Day covers band in 2008. By 2011 they decided to move forward with their own songs and released the EP ‘Dance To This’, they have subsequently released some great singles and five albums. There is a Green Day reference in their name, it comes from the song “F.O.D.” on Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ album, the acronym stands for ‘Fuck Off and Die…’. The band is new to me and I am glad I eventually found my way to them. Their new single “A Thousand Shots” is a fine slab of magnificently put-together pop punk. It is fast, full of excellent punk riffs and hooks, and has some fabulous melodies. If I have any criticism it would be that it only lasts for 76 seconds, but with the ability to repeat on streaming who cares? F.O.D. are Hans Roofthooft (guitar god and prime vox), Stijn de Waele (bangin’ backing vox), Pierre Janssens (bombastic bass), and Lode de Feyter (dynamite drums). A quick footnote, I actually quite like Plastic Bertrand’s “Ça Plane Pour Moi”, but it wasn’t real punk was it? Anyway get some F.O.D. into your lugholes, their new album ‘The Once A Virgin Club’ is out on 5th April, followed by a handful of European dates. The single “A Thousand Shots” is out now. The video has a rather wonderful old-school graphics feel about it, which fits the tune perfectly.

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‘Stay Hopeful’ – Sun Dried Vibes September 10, 2018

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:40 pm
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Click here to read my review of ‘Stay Hopeful’ the most magnificent new album from supreme skankers and uber roots rockers Sun Dried Vibes. A massive spliff of thank you to those irie folk over at 3 Songs & Out for sending this awesome album my way for review.