Andy Smythe is a singer/songwriter based in Greenwich and has for the past twenty years been stealing the hearts and minds of all that hear his songs. Even Mike Scott from The Waterboys says of him; “Beautiful voice – songs straight from the heart.”

Prodigal Son is Andy’s latest single and was released on 23/06/2023.

The track is an easy to listen to song, that starts of quite serenely and calmly but one which builds in intensity as the song progresses.

With laid-back drumming and piano playing, the guitar work is also accompanied by some strings of all types, creating a real orchestral feel to the song. The stringed instruments provide the solos for the song, and this really creates depth and dimension to the track.

Andy’s vocals are soft and gentle yet quite haunting and hard-hitting at the same time and accompanied by some layered backups, the vocal arrangement on this track really is top-notch.

This is a great track, and the perfect first song if you haven’t heard of him before. This is a fantastic crossover of rock and power pop and takes the listener on a nostalgic trip around different genres. Blurring the lines between genres, as Andy has done here, shows just how talented he really is, and I really look forward to hearing more from him.

Awesome job!

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum

MAL is an original rock power trio from Van Nuys, California and, having previously reviewed music by them I was eager to hear more.

Madness As Lift is their latest single and was released on 23/06/2023.

This track has a slightly different feel to the previous track, which was more based in classic / alternative rock. This one, however, has a more experimental feel to it and the progressiveness of the music really does add another dimension to the song, really standing out as a difference from the previous track.

With a distortion on the guitars, which burst into life for the choruses, there is a fuzziness that borders on psychedelia to the track, and this really gives the song character.

Musically, this track switches rom fairly laid back to in-your-face rock and this shows just how diverse and talented this band is. This was evident in the previous track I reviewed but is even more so in this one.

As with the music, the vocals switch, with ease, from laid back and mellow to full on screams, and this creates a great contrast in singing styles throughout the song, always keeping the listener on their toes.

This is a great track and one that should be listened to more than once to hear everything it has to offer. Fans of psychedelia, classic rock, prog rock and maybe even the odd stoner rock fan, are going to love this track!

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum

The Candy Republic are a four-piece indie – pop – rock band, based in Devon and consist of members Ian Pirrie on guitars, synths and vocals, Grit Girl on vocals, Cheech on drums and Alison People on piano and keyboards. With influences such as The Velvet Underground, Bowie, Kraftwerk, Tubeway Army, LCD Sound System, Sonic Youth the band have created a sound that is unique to them, blurring the lines between genres.

Army Of Robots is their latest single and was released on 23/06/2023.

With fuzzy, distorted guitars, the track almost has a grunge feel to it while also maintaining an edgy feel, and riffs are thrown at the listener from all angles. The bass lines are funky, giving the track a swagger and the drumming keeps everything together and tight.

The male vocals are very quirky and use distortion to give the song a shoegaze feel, the music and the words merging together, and with the addition of the female backups, there is a great depth to the track.

This is a great track, their debut, and one that I think will appeal to fans of alternative rock and shoegaze as well as classic rock alike. Please check out The Candy Republic and see what you think!

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum