Degreed
Public Address FRONTIERS
A sure-fire contender for the melodic rock album of 2024.
One of just a handful of groups up for challenging the status quo within the melodic rock scene, Degreed keep on getting better and better. Public Address, the seventh album from the Stockholm-based band, begins with Big Plans, a fist-punching anthem that fuses rock, pop and metal into one gloriously moreish whole, and keeps that grip until the final chords of its closer, Pressure.
With all four members contributing equally, Degreed have a remarkable chemistry. The explosive guitar playing of Daniel Johnansson and Mikael Blanc’s enterprising keyboards are rightfully placed front and centre of the mix, and bassist Robin Eriksson has a fabulous voice that elevates the material to whole other level (his brother Mats is no slouch on the drums, either). It’s tough to pick highlights from these 12 tracks, but the delicious light and shade of Don’t Be A Stranger is particularly dramatic. ■■■■■■■■■□
Dave Ling
Starbenders
Take Back The Night SUMERIAN
Androgynous Atlantans add volume to melodic nous on album number three.
In 2020, Atlanta band Starbenders released their second album, Love Potions. It didn’t change the world, but it probably deserved to, with a stream of brilliantly written singles giving the collection the feel of a glam/goth/punk Thriller or Hysteria, but without the accompanying sales spike. Take Back The Night carries on in much the same vein.
Led by the extraordinary Kimi Shelter – abewitching hybrid of Stevie Nicks and Cruella de Vil – Starbenders sound like a band who’ve studied the great crafters of pop-rock, from Pat Benetar to Blondie, stirred a bunch of crunching riffs into the mix, and come up with an album that’s defiant, spooky and sexy, yet somehow more fun
