“2010 called, and said this is a BOP!”
Written by Jesse James Smith
CRAB CORE IS COMING BACK BABY!!!! So is the song names that are long for no reason, and guess what everyone, I AM HERE FOR IT! Today we’re setting our sights in Texas, with a band with probably top 10 weirdest band names. Ashtray For Aliens is a new up and coming back out of the great state of Texas. With only 2 singles out, they are proving they are the embodiment of that electronica metalcore that was huge in the early 2010s. We wil be deep diving into their latest single “Diamonds Never Looked So Rough (On You)” which, reading that, made my scene kid heart smile. Buckle your 15 studded belts you chose to wear at once, we’re going back in time!
It all starts with the one liner and the bouncy riff, It has to. Well AFA checked that box as the song’s opening kicked off with high energy and a great bounce. As the song kicked in It got me thinking, why did everyone shit on these types of songs? The riffs be riffing and it’s not that basic. It isn’t all 1’s and 0’s and they prove that! With seamless transitions, the song from front to back has a consistent flow and never feels choppy, meaning it doesn’t feel like it’s random parts thrown together to make a song. The layered vocals are INSANE and they nail that Asking Alexandria style brilliantly. The chorus is a straightforward almost pop style chorus which is exactly what you’d expect. The ending is what I and I bet everyone was waiting for and they did not disappoint! Finishing with the breakdown was a key move and they executed perfectly!
The song is accompanied with a music video which has cut aways but also is a little house party. I wish that the house party was more involved and crazier like in Enter Shikari’s sorry you’re not a winner, but it’s still cool! This band was straight out of 2010 and that is the era I personally grew up in and this was a major throwback. I know we talk a lot about nostalgia in these reviews but this transported me back into my mall rat days. I love how heavy they wear their influences on their sleeve and I hope they dive more into it as they release songs and progress. If you’re going down this road, I say do it 110% and give the people what we want, and this song is a great start.