New Music Friday Review: 8th January Part 2. The Bandit and Flame Come in Closer

 "New Truck" by Florida Georgia Line

In short: NOT GOOD and an early contender for the worst song of 2021, If you want to see my full thoughts on this atrocity than here's the full review. 

Rating: 1/10

"And So It Went" by The Pretty Reckless feat. Tom Morello

So I am a bit of a Pretty Reckless fan and they've been rolling out the singles for their up coming fourth album called "Death by Rock 'n' Roll" due out next month with "And So It Went" being the third single for that project and I got to say, it's pretty good, it's not anywhere near what "25" (hell, that song is firmly entrenched as one of my favourite songs of 2021 already) is but its still solid..the guitars are crunchy and Tom Morello's guitar solo turns the song from merely being good to kicking butt and taking names...its good...check it out.

Rating: 7/10

"Come In Closer" by Rhye

So while we got the absolute worst of the year in Florida Georgia Line's "New Truck, we may also have gotten one of the best songs of the year in "Come In Closer" from Canadian R'n'B composer Rhye. This thing is slinky, there's grooves for miles longer than a motorway in any country and Rhye's voice sounds incredible, this has got me hyped to hear that new album in a couple of weeks. PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT.

Rating: 9/10

"Flames" by Mod Sun feat. Avril Lavigne

Okay to explain...Mod Sun (an acronym standing for "Movement on Dreams, Stand under None"), his real name being Derek Smith, he is a rapper, author and also rock musician..somehow and so he collaborated with Avril Lavigne for this song and...I'm left confused...I don't think the song is bad but Mod Sun and Avril don't mesh well together at all and the lyrics are pretty close to generic filler. The instrumentation is fine enough pop rock...if this is your thing than fair enough but otherwise I'll wait (nervously) for that next Avril album because this didn't do much for me at all.

Rating 4/10

"The Bandit" by Kings of Leon

I haven't thought much about this band in a long time...I know they released an album called "Walls" in the 2010s that wasn't well received by the critical set but I hadn't cared about a release from Kings of Leon in awhile so how is "The Bandit"?

Honestly it's not bad! The instrumentation sounds tighter and heavier sound that yeah works well with the vocals. The content of the song is pretty vague about this group of people who are desperate and frustrated in their chase to catch this bandit and it's never implied if they caught this bandit or if he or she got away, it's an interesting song to say the list.

Rating: 7/10