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: American Hitmen
American Hitmen would be considered a somewhat modernized offspring of 1980s era metal/thrasher tunes. Not so much like the metal creations who have done away with melody and music altogether—the “roll” in “rock n’ roll,” if you will. This EP seems to pay homage to some of the original interpretations of the genre, aligning more with Alice Cooper and Def Leppard stylings. … read more
Local Reviews: Curseworship
Many bands have tried—and many bands have failed—to blend genres as seamlessly as Curseworship has been able to on this three-song release. The band is able to flow in and out of relatively harsh noise (à la Wolf Eyes), crusty metal and straight tone-worship without batting an eye. … read more
Local Reviews: Creature Double Feature
Davis and Mason Johnson aren’t only brothers, but also are an example of today’s precocious youth—the kind that terrifies old people. Ground Zero is an impressive digital dream-pop effort, especially considering the bandmates are just 17 and 14 years old. … read more
Local Reviews: The Awful Truth
Whether it’s intentional or a happy accident, the release date of Birthright seems very well timed to me. By this, I mean it’s possibly one of the best fall albums I’ve heard in a while from a local artist. … read more
Local Reviews: Atheist
I was blown away by this release, straight up. It has everything I love in a hip hop record: rich and dusty beats from classic source material, tight verses by the main emcee and more than a few collaborations. … read more
Local Reviews: The Young Electric
It takes about 150 seconds for this album to establish itself as one of the tightest, most well produced local efforts this year. It’s a seamless transition between the opener, “Patterns & Processes,” which subtly incorporates elements of its successor on the album, “Machines,” that sets the feeling for the remainder of The Young Electric’s debut effort as more of a complete package rather than an assortment of randomly distributed tracks. … read more
Local Reviews: Various Artists
The sampler begins with a fantastic track by Mystique, a local amalgam of young musicians from varied backgrounds who came together under the guidance of Spyhop. It is a delightfully upbeat, bouncy song paired with rich, soulful vocals performed by the female singers of the project. It’s a great way to start the album. … read more
Local Reviews: Totem and Taboo
From the ashes of The Suicycles, we are given Totem and Taboo. Former frontman of the “dirty electronica-rock”-branded Suicycles, Camden Chamberlain, along with others in the band, have teamed up with some newcomers to deliver a new sound that is certainly dark and proggy. … read more
Local Reviews: Secret Abilities
The feminine sound of Tink Safeer’s backing vocals gives the already danceable “You’re Alive” a dash of ’60s pop. Decapitated slows to an end with a narrative sung from the perspective of a deceased lover accompanied only by acoustic guitar: “I Stopped Loving You Tonight” could be Deadbolt on open mic night. … read more
Local Reviews: Quiet The Titan
This is definitely a high school band, but if you take the pubescent-sounding vocals with a grain of salt, you’ve got the skeletons of a fairly impressive debut garage rock album. Using acoustic guitar intros, Weezer-ish bass progressions and youthful lyrics to their advantage, these teens manage some great jams that seem to be echoing the successful indie Provo/Velour scene. … read more