This week’s rock has something on its mind. Dystopian dread, misinformation, the cost of ambition and a heartbreak drowned at the bar: these are songs that hit hard and mean it, trading empty bombast for riffs with a reason to exist.
JFK Blue – Restless City
“Restless City” is a superb slab of classic blues rock from JFK Blue, a slow-burning dystopian anthem that reaches deep into your heart
JFK Blue’s latest banger is rock that trusts the groove over the flash. Built on a full six-piece sound with organic, played-in-a-room warmth, “Restless City” rides a classic rock and blues swagger toward something genuinely ominous, its dark undercurrent drawn from headlines and endless scrolling. It is not musically complex by design, and that is its strength: the hook serves up the vibe slowly, gaining weight each time round. Guest vocals from blues rock singer Rebecca Downes add a wonderful richness to the sound, giving the track a smoky, widescreen edge that makes it even better.
JFK Blue are a London six-piece led by singer-songwriter and lead guitarist Stef, making their return with their first new material since 2019. The song was sparked by a weekend re-reading Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, capped off with a speeding ticket the next morning, a collision Stef sums up as Orwell meets Blade Runner. Recorded at Bonafide Studios in Muswell Hill with producer Brian, it is the debut single from their forthcoming second album. Its a banger, and I’d very much like to see it live. An essential listen this month.
Terminal Fear – Quicksand
“Quicksand” is a brilliant, hard-hitting rap-rock statement from Terminal Fear, the sound of a band with something urgent to say and the muscle to say it.
This one comes out swinging. Snappy, groove-laden rock riffs lock into a classic hip-hop feel wrapped in a rock framework, and the whole thing carries the coiled tension of a message that refuses to be ignored. It captures that sinking feeling of knowing the truth and struggling to make it heard, the frustration built right into the propulsive push of the track. Musically, there’s such a groove that it makes you sit up and listen, the delivery stays taut throughout, and it lands as a song designed to grab you by the collar rather than merely soundtrack the room. I love the guitar on this, it moves things along in style.
Terminal Fear are a Winchester four-piece made up of Skip, Stu, Rumm and Twiggy, players who have been building their chemistry together over several years. Their sound fuses the funk-rock elasticity of Red Hot Chili Peppers with the political fire of Rage Against the Machine, filtered through a shared love of hip hop. “Quicksand” arrives in both standard and radio-edit versions, and takes aim at how divisive narratives get painted onto shared symbols by unseen forces rather than by ordinary people. An essential track this month.
Richard Green – Purpose and Price
“Purpose and Price” is a stunning genre-melting rock track from Richard Green, an aggressive, ambitious piece that doesn’t shy away from the important questions. Or the groove.
Richard Green serves up rock built from many moving parts. Funky grooves, rock energy, electronic textures and hip-hop rhythms all fold together, underpinned by subtle blues and jazz shading, and the fusion never feels like a novelty. There is an intentional aggression driving it, a hard edge that matches the weight of its subject: the human cost of ambition, the idea of selling your soul to succeed. That tension gives the track real propulsion, the sound heading forward in all the best ways. I love the boldness here, and it’s an ambitious piece that wears its philosophical streak in style.
Richard Green is an Italian guitarist and composer based in Milan, whose sound was shaped by eleven years spent in London, where he earned his music degree. He is defined above all by his versatility: since his 2020 debut Dark Horses he has moved between electronic experiments and a neoclassical trilogy for piano and string quartet, collaborating with pianist Irene Veneziano and the Archimia quartet. “Purpose and Price” was inspired by a line of television dialogue asking how much success costs you, and very excitingly, precedes a forthcoming EP. We’re eagerly awaiting more from Richard, as this single is fantastic.