If you like some good old, clean cut, catchy guitar driven rock, ‘the Sow’ from Sheffield alternate rockers Sabella will be well worth your time. It is a tightly controlled, slow rock anthem, and everything about the song is well put together. 

The easy on your ears vocals, the clean but crisp guitars, or the well crafted imagery of the lyrics: “don’t reap before you sow…”It all adds up to a well thought out, radio friendly feel that grows and grows with each listen. The lead guitar also adds a nice little bit of spice, when allowed to take centre stage with a nice wailing melody that builds into a decent but mellow solo towards the end of the song. 

If you like things a little rougher around the edges then this may not be your thing, but if you have any sentiment at all for some nice accessible rock then Sabella are the one for you. Checking out some of their other songs shows that this is a band with some good variety with some pacey tracks such as ‘Hang me Dry’ and ‘Hard Enough’. 

Sabella also seem to be pretty active playing gigs in and around the Sheffield area, as well as some festivals. Be sure to check them out if you like what you hear and they are playing near you. ‘Sow’ is certainly a worthy addition to their set list and your ears will be reaping the benefits.

3 out of  5 Hooks 

Written by Jimmy Rock

Sinclair first grabbed our attention back in February when we were at The Fleece, Bristol ready to watch headliners Area 11, but before they even started we were absorbed when Sinclair hit the stage with their track ‘Palms’, a pleasant and well-crafted song. So a few months later when we received a message from Sinclair that they had a new track, ‘Prada Glow’, they wanted to share with us we pounced at the opportunity to listen. The days of their “indie on a come down” style have come to pass, and we have been introduced to a style of Indie-Rock-Pop which is so crisp, fresh, current, and intriguing. It’s simply fantastic. 

The four piece playing out of their base in Bristol are; Liv Weston, Jordan Round, Rafael Martins, and Jonathon Poulton. They have been busy hidden away in the recording studio developing new material and in the process formed a sense new identity which is apparent in their new sound and artwork for the record ‘Prada Glow’. All of those hours working hard has been more than been worth it as Sinclair will catch a lot of new eyes and ears with this new record.

‘Prada Glow’ starts with a menacing guitar intro which sets you up for the tension to follow, and this is only built on as Liv sings the lyrics “How much are you paying your preacher” sending sinister waves across through the track. They have managed to effortlessly mould multiple tempo changes into the record which makes the whole song absorbing as you don’t know what’s around the corner. When you don’t think it could get any better the verse throws in a flair of techno rock making everything you listen to have an edgy stance that engulfs you fully.

When you listen to the whole track you realise that Sinclair has found a trademark vibe to hold firm to and mature into something special. With catchy lyrics like “won’t find god in the gutter” you sense that this track could get even better when played live with a crowd chanting the lyrics back to the band.

For me this is a near perfect track and shows great signs of things to come, Sinclair seems to have evolved into a confident band with something every special in their grasp and I can only hope that they continue down this road and fully embraces this new sound.

4.5 Hooks out of 5

Written by Kess Anthony 

Photo by @dominika_scheibinger

Lavde's debut single 'Facts Not Feelings' lyrical story is matched by its musical development. A slow-burning start that breaks through midway along is ambitious progressive rock done with a modern touch. 

A gentle and spacious opening means that you can really get drawn into the lyrics. The build up of the song also describes the build towards a possible romance. The second phase is underscored by some rapid electronic percussion before Pink Floyd-esque guitars sweep in and land on a repeated guitar hook that ascends towards the heavens. 

This opening salvo makes me curious to hear more. There is clearly talent and ideas here that promise much much more!

3 out of 5 Hooks

Written by Matt Nicholson 

China Bears are an indie four piece band based in Buckinghamshire but this band originally formed in Somerset in 2015 when twin brothers Ivan and Frazer Proctor decided to make music together and now with Dean McCaw and James Zealey adding their musical talents to the band, China Bears have dropped their new single ‘Stay for good’, so let see what’s it’s all about.

The track starts with blistering guitars that takes you by surprise and you begin to realise you have caught up with the record but just at that moment, the track calms right down to a rhythm which introduces Ivan’s voice and mellowed tones.

Ivan then gently pulls outs catchy lyrics which makes your ears pay attention to the record’s words about struggling to get over a break up and lyrics like “Oceans between us on unsettled seas” allows this record to be an Indie display with great momentum and layer of upper tempo and slower beats blinding into one another successfully.

During the song there are a couple of sudden bursts of spiky guitar from Frazer and James which comes out of nowhere which are a nice contrast from the quieter moments within the song, the structure of the record comes from the a good base drum beat from Dean throughout the song. 

At the end of the track China Bears strip the song back to just the vocals of Ivan which allows a sadness to bleed out of the lyrics, then a fitting end appears with a smack of guitars to bring the curtains down on Stay for good. Great track!

3.5 Hooks out of 5

Written by Kess Anthony 

 “Some good old, head nodding, alternative rock” - Off The Hook Music Reviews

Black Lakes have all the ingredients to deliver some good old, head nodding, alternative rock. If like me, you grew up on a diet of Kerrang in the early noughties, then you will find much to like about their sound. It puts you in mind of a whole host of bands whose patches were sewn onto my ridiculously baggy ‘Bleubolt’ jeans. If this is blowing away some cobwebs in your memory then Black Lakes are well worth checking out. Dissident, the second single from their debut EP is a great place to start.

Beginning with an interesting, almost oriental, arrangement of guitars and programmed drums, ‘Dissident’ quickly breaks into a big chunky riff backed up with pounding drums with some nice work on the snare. The opening guitars return as the vocals kick in and it really should be stated that vocalist, Will Preston has a great voice for this kind of music. Whether on a gruffer growl or the more melodic, Preston’s delivery is certainly among one of this bands many strengths. From here the song is driven by a catchy chorus that will rattle around your head for hours after listening.

At this stage it would be fair to say that this is not the most original work but there are plenty of reasons to think that as Black Lakes grows in confidence that their sound will grow with them. If they could start to incorporate the intriguing sounds that feature at start and end of  ‘Dissident’ more fully into the song as a whole, then this would certainly make it stand out.

If alternate rock is not your thing then this will not be the song to change your mind but if like me you love something that is catchy, heavy and dark then give Black Lakes a go. You will find a band that is already much accomplished and well worth keeping an eye on.     

Four hooks out of five!

Written By Jimmy Rock

As soon as we heard Busted were making a comeback and releasing their new single, Radio, we hoped our radios would be broken. This is partly because we never got the craze first time around and 13 years later it seems a little cringe worthy watching three men in their 30’s pretending to be teenagers. We’ve grown up with Busted but they seem to have done very little growing with their sound.

The other reason is because like most of Busted’s other tracks it’s Charlie Simpson’s rustic voice which is their saving grace, you’ve got to feel sorry for Charlie his strong sounding voice deserves a song with better lyrics and music than Busted’s current offering. James (Bourne) seems to have slipped into the background, with Matt (Willis) and Charlie  taking the majority of the vocals, which begs the question do the two main members really need their backing singer?

The band have also seemed to have left their guitars at home for this track and gone with a sound which most generic pop acts have harnessed recently. Maybe this is Busted’s way of showing us a different more developed style or maybe they are showing a willingness to adapt to where the money is in the industry.

‘Radio’ is very much a pop track with a catchy chorus, but it's pushed on you so much, you can find it tedious after a few listens. No matter what we say here at Off The Hook Music this track will over excite boy band fans and harden the views of Busted’s die-hard fans, and all they really want is more of the same.

This is a song which that will be totally forgotten by the year 3000 and more than likely by the end of 2019.

2 out of 5 hooks

Written by Kess Anthony