Music
SLUG Magazine’s collection of reviews covering the latest and greatest of Utah-based music, covering all varieties of genre, style and type.
Local Reviews: Dustin Christensen
Christensen, the former lead singer of Provo-based indie group Jerrytown, finally put together his much anticipated solo album Highway Lines, with hopes of capturing the audience of old and new indie fans. … read more
Local Reviews: Johnny Utah
Johnny 3:16 is a massive collaborative effort with over 15 emcees and producers lending Johnny Utah a hand on the album, including well-known locals Linus Stubbs, Yoga Flame Kane and Brisk One. The wide variety of beats keeps your ears from glazing over. … read more
Local Reviews: Huldra
After an EP and a split with fellow locals Dustbloom, Huldra have finally released a proper full-length, and it’s a beast. It’s bigger. It’s louder. It’s more intense. It’s simply more of everything Huldra does well. … read more
Local Reviews: Calm Paradox
Guitar-driven writing seems to be a fairly defining characteristic of Calm Paradox’s style—the arrangements, other instruments and vocals are built around guitar riffs, for better or worse. … read more
Local Reviews: Broken Silence
“Broken Silence means a change in the way music is viewed and heard.”—Words from their Facebook page. Three emcees come together to form this hip hop group that has nearly a decade under their belts. We See Everything is pretty good for an EP. … read more
Local Reviews: Bellrave
Local dance musician Allison Martin continues her quest to become the resident queen of the disco scene. Her latest project—a collaboration with Allister Marx, under new moniker Bellrave—certainly takes her one step closer. … read more
Local Reviews: Fever Dreams
Even though they’re from St. George, I’m pretty sure that anytime Fever Dreams play a show in their hometown, we’d be able to hear ‘em all the way up in Salt Lake. This is dirty, mean, evil shit. … read more
Local Reviews: Vena Cava
Easily my favorite new local band, Vena Cava have given us a recorded taste of their jarring, experimental punk. The band has captured the ethos of their live performance—a rickety and staggering simulation of monsters that snarl against the straight-laced disposition of normal society. … read more
Local Reviews: Scenic Byway
Local rap band Scenic Byway have been taking Salt Lake by storm with their cool raps, sweet sounds and appealing messages. The track “Surprise Surprise” is the perfect song for anyone who has ever found themselves stressing out more than necessary. … read more
Local Reviews: Eyes Open
The EP is short but sweet, consisting of just three four-minute-plus rock-ballad style songs that flow in and out of each other easily. They are pretty, nicely executed, neatly produced, and clearly reflect the influences (such as U2 and Foo Fighters) that the band members have listed on the back of the album sleeve. … read more