Purple Sun

Band Logo/ Taken from the
Purple Sun Facebook Page

In the past few years, alternative rock has had a rise in popularity. It is evident in award shows; most now have a “Rock” category. Purple Sun is a new addition to this ever growing rock scene. The band is comprised of five members: AJ Ruiz (vocals), Jake Lara (lead guitar), Matias Sanes (rhythm guitar), Xadrian Gonzalez (bass), and Nick Garcia (drums). They were formed in 2012 in Miami, FL. They have just recorded their first self-titled EP thanks to their sound engineer Sebastian Hidalgo.

The album consists of five songs. The one that really stood out to me the first time I heard it was the song “Descension.” The song starts out with a guitar repeating a muted melody. There is a slight high hat cymbal from the guitar before AJ’s voice enters the song. Another guitar strings a few chords together underneath his voice during the verse. The song livens up during the chorus with the band picking up the tempo and AJ’s voice nearing a shout. The verse appears again, and the song is stripped away of the added tempo, reverting back to the way it opened. It repeats, picking up again at the entrance of the second chorus, however, after this second chorus, the song keeps its tempo up. Near the middle Jake Lara shows off his skills during a long guitar solo accompanied by drums and bass. The guitar solo ends and we’re left in silence. If you think the song’s over, you’re wrong. Keep waiting until you hear the third part of this song. The kick drum and guitar accompany AJ’s voice as he sings the final lines of the songs. His voice fades into drums and guitar before it’s just the guitar–the way we were introduced into the song.

Photo of Purple Sun during a performance
Taken from the Purple Sun Facebook page

“Trapped” is another great song on the album, which highlights the band’s diversity. The song starts off with a guitar and drums. The bass is slightly heard underneath it all. “Hey there” rings as the first words AJ sings. There is along instrumental with guitars, drum, and bass before AJ’s voice appears again with the words “Hey there” ringing through. The second part of the song ends to a nice and mellow instrumental. The song style changes by the end of that instrumental; it stays slow, but it shifts into minor chords. It continues the instrumental until AJ’s voice fades in. He shows off his own skills holding notes and carrying the song with his voice. It’s simply a beautiful song. Uncomplicated, clean and beautiful.

There are more hidden gems on Purple Sun, but those are for you to discover on your own. The band is currently streaming their music on SoundCloud (and if you click that link it will take you directly to it). They have other social networking websites that allow them to keep in touch with fans: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you live in Miami, Florida then you’re in luck. The band has a few dates where they’ll be performing their music live for everyone to hear:

• Saturday March 22nd at Sunset Place
• Sunday March 30th at The Stage
• Saturday April 12th at Talent Farm

If you would like anymore information about any of these dates, contact them through their social media sites. Purple Sun is also selling hard copies of their CDs for five dollars. If you’d like to support the band, please contact them.

The 1975

Formed in Manchester, England in 2012, The 1975 is an unsigned indie rock band that consists of four members: Matthew “Matty” Healy on vocals and guitar; Adam Hann on guitar; Ross MacDonald on bass; and George Daniel on drums. They released their debut album “The 1975″ on September 2, 2013. If you like the Arctic Monkeys or the Black Keys, chances are you’ll like this band.

Matty (as Matthew is referred to by band mates and fans) has a unique voice carrying unheard tunes and melodies. Their music is definitely uncommon with a mellow indie-rock vibe. If you can’t understandwhat Matty says as he sings, don’t worry. “You’re not the only ones,” a tweet from the band jokingly said.

Their debut, self-titled album has a lot of great songs, but my favorite out of the songs is “Chocolate.” Based on the lyrics, I can guess that the theme of the song is about smoking marijuana. The song is catchy and starts with a crescendo of a slight tambourine. There’s a slight break where the guitar and the bass begin their looped progressions. The song really shows off what Matty can do with his voice and highlights the sound of the band as a whole.

“They’re unique. I love how do can hear their accents when they sing.  What’s great is that their songs are catchy, but not in a bad way,” said Junior Alexandra Salguiero.

Their album not only has self-written songs, but it also has a cover of the song “The City” by Ed Sheeran. “The City” is another song that highlights how unique The 1975′s sound is compared to those already out there. It opens with a simple drum beat and keeps it that way through most of the first voice. Again, Matty’s voice is highlighted against the simple and catchy instrumental. The instrumental is creatively put together make it sound giving it a busy sound without making it overly chaotic.

The 1975 is an unsigned indie rock band who is just starting to gain fame for the music that they make. They have catchy tunes and great vibes that anyone would like to listen to.

Avion Roe

Formed in Dallas, Texas in January 2011, Avion Roe has taken the underground rock scene by storm. The band is comprised of four members: Josh Cutlip (drummer), Evan Couture (lead singer), Jordan Modro (guitarist), and Sean Humphrey (bassist). Avion Roe has gained a large following over the past few years, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching their fame grow since the beginning. They have one full length album and two singles currently out. A second album is still in the works, hopefully being released sometime in 2014.

“The Art of Fiction” Avion Roe’s first album. One of the most well-known songs is “Who I Am. . .”. It starts off with a simple guitar rift. Add in the drums and bass by both Josh and Sean, respectively, a few seconds later and you can already have an upbeat and catchy song. Evan’s voice adds to the mix carrying a lovely melody over the already great beat. The chorus brings the rock vibe back in with heavy drums, bass, and guitar. The song slows for the bridge before picking up for the last chorus.

Another well-known song is “The Difference Between Us.” It is a song that shows the diversity that Avion Roe has in its music. It’s a slow song with a solitary guitar at its introduction. Evan sings over this guitar with a mellow voice full of emotion. Guitar (Jordan), drums (Josh) and bass (Sean) lift the song, giving it a dream-like quality. The bridge is comprised of singing the same line until leading into the third verse. The song ends with the repetition of the line “You’re not who I thought you’d be,” fading out with the outro.

Picture of the band from their Instagram

My favorite song, however, would have to be “Hollow Hearts.” It’s the first song I heard by them back in 2011 and I fell in love with it almost immediately. It has a similar intro as “The Difference Between Us”: a guitar and Evan’s voice, but it picks up in tempo a lot earlier on. This song really highlights the band’s talents and the band’s sound.

Avion Roe recently announced their new album titled “In Separation.” We’ve heard a few previews of how it’s going to sound with the songs “The Escape” (which has a 3-D music video, making them the first unsigned band to have a 3-D music video) and “Skin Deep (Adderall).” They’ve released behind the scenes videos on their Instagram (@AvionRoe) and have tweeted a lot about it on their Twitter (@AvionRoe). This is the most excited I’ve been over the release of a band’s album since Black Veil Bride’s “Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones.”