SLUG Magazine’s collection of reviews covering the latest and greatest of Utah-based music, covering all varieties of genre, style and type.

Local Review: Book on Tape Worm

Local Review: Book on Tape Worm
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Book on Tape Worm have struck a perfect balance of expressing themselves artistically and considering their audience. Their folksy aesthetic is unique because of its whimsical nature and delicate sound, which is accented nicely by cello and bells. … read more

Local Review: The Arcadians

Local Review: The Arcadians
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The Arcadians released an EP earlier this summer, this Provo-based indie band is back again with a 10-track album, No More Nightmares. Like a lot of indie bands these days, The Arcadians follow a trend of putting less focus on song melodies, keeping the spotlight on vocals, along with simple chord changes and guitar riffs. … read more

Local Review: Accidente

Local Review: Accidente
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With an opening track eye-catchingly titled “Listen Bitch,” Accidente kick off their most recent endeavor with a chunky bass line as frontman Peter Mackowski emits sarcastic, guttural growls that build into a riffy number.  … read more

Local Review: Zombie Book Club

Local Review: Zombie Book Club
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This local duo still has a ways to go to catch up with Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, but nonetheless, this debut album features some decent zombie tunes, if that’s your kind of thing. … read more

Local Review: Wildcat Strike

Local Review: Wildcat Strike
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The word that best describes this album is “raw.” It’s safe to say that Wildcat Strike’s debut release is nothing short of original. Psychedelic and folk influences are present. There’s even a tinge of blues, but with raw talent, this band has melded their own form of rock. … read more

Local Review: Porco Rosso

Local Review: Porco Rosso
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Porco Rosso is the chillwave project of Park City’s Davis Johnson, and the One Day As A Lion EP is on Bandcamp for a name-your-price deal. There is no other information about him online, but that’s fine, because the music is capable of speaking for itself.  … read more

Local Review: Mystique

Local Review: Mystique
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This three-song EP is packed with delightful bounciness. Urgent piano riffs and a really rich female vocal execution stand out on the first track. Even the second song, which is more of a ballad, continues with a great rhythm. … read more

Local Review: Mooninite/RS2090

Local Review: Mooninite/RS2090
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Side A, Mooninite’s side, treads lightly in familiar ambient territory, owing much to the sampled instrumentation of Boards of Canada and the swirling arpeggios fancied by fellow compatriot OK Ikumi. The beats are slightly off, staggering with a seasick lurch. RS2090’s side is all absurdist rhythm patterns, pitch-shifted lecture notes, squiggly synths, bottom-scraping low-end and an angular, almost geometric approach to composition. … read more

Local Review: A Lily Gray

Local Review: A Lily Gray
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A Lily Gray has released a solid and highly enjoyable EP with The Fall. The album is ethereal and emotive, a bit more complex than most standard rock, but not quite stepping into any “progressive” territory, and has a strong foundation in the complementary sound of the music with singer David Lynn’s unique and far-reaching, clean vocals. … read more

Local Review: KonSICKwence & Skip Sanders

Local Review: KonSICKwence & Skip Sanders
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Utah hip hop just keeps getting better. I mean it. I know many of these kids have been around for a minute, but they’re hitting their strides. Utah. Jazz. is just that—full of dusky, distant piano samples over bass-heavy boom bap.  … read more