7 Oct 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Tomahawk Radio - Single Review: Missiles

03 Apr 2023 // A review by Karl Brinsdon

Dunedin band, Tomahawk Radio’s latest single Missiles is the first release off their upcoming album. Reading the bands incredible and inspiring story makes me feel really quite lucky that we get to hear this music. During the post production phase of the album, Jeff Avery (vocals/guitars/keys) was airlifted to Auckland hospital to await a heart transplant. Luckily, he has since made a recovery and looks forward to living life to the fullest. Drummer, Scott Mason has also had a kidney transplant three years ago. They’ve beaten the odds to be here creating music like Missiles.

Brian Graham (vocals/bass) explains that Missiles is about “coming to grips with the confusion of not fitting into life”. The lyrics are delivered with almost constant harmonies that never cease to catch my ear and remain interesting throughout the song. It seems that Tomahawk Radio have a great understanding of what every instrument should be doing; the song has so many musical layers, but it’s not to the point of being overcrowded. Each instrument has its own place in the mix with everything complimenting everything else.

I really enjoy the use of space in this track, much of the power comes from varying the complexity of parts rather than the classic technique of kicking on a distortion pedal for a chorus. The delay on the guitar tracks reminds me of U2’s guitar tones, using the delay to emphasise the space while not leaving the soundscape bare. As with a lot of great New Zealand rock music, the bass isn’t playing simple root notes, it has its own melody to drive the song. Missiles does this spectacularly, the bass it sits alongside the other instrumentation rather perfectly and provides a beautiful build throughout the entire song. The drumming throughout is locked in and feels like it steers the rest of the instruments through the song. The drums keep it pretty simple, and I say that as a compliment. The selective use of drum fills puts the emphasis in all the right places and makes those fills shine. The best emphasis of all is that short and sweet drum intro that slaps you in the face and opens your ears to the rest of the song.

Described by the Tomahawk Radio as a “good taster for the rest of the album” I must say I’m excited to hear the rest. Missiles is an incredible demonstration of a band who understand the power of space in a track and understand the role of each instrument within a song. As I said in the beginning of the review, these guys have been through a lot to get this music to you and that drive is so evident in the music. Of course, don't just take my word for it, check it out for yourself on April 7th!

Spotify Presave
Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Tomahawk Radio

In a studio perched high on a windswept hill, the kind of full on place where the trees hunker sideways and the ocean views stretch to Antarctica, a new Dunedin sound is brewing. If it weren’t for the four solid walls of Tomahawk Radio’s HQ, the melodic strains of guitar, vocal harmonies and Rhodes piano would be snatched away in the teeth of southerly gales.

Singer, bassist and surfer Brian Graham bought his wind buffeted Otago Peninsula home so he could keep an eye on the waves at both Tomahawk and Smails Beaches. When he realised his dream of building a music studio adjoining the house, he and bandmates Jeff Avery and Luis Rodriguez got serious about developing the band’s sound and releasing some songs.

After a couple of years trying different drummers to join them, they finally found the perfect match with drummer and composer Scott J Mason, who brought his Rock playing experience into the sound.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Tomahawk Radio

Releases

Dreaming With A View
Year: 2023
Type: Album

Other Reviews By Karl Brinsdon

Black Smoke Trigger - Album Review: Horizons
14 Aug 2024 // by Karl Brinsdon
Horizons by Black Smoke Trigger is a great album to listen to all the way through and with every listen I notice something new. I would be foolish to attempt to put into writing everything that is great about this music, but I have attempted to express my thoughts and feelings about each of the whopping 12 songs.
Read More...
Parallel Park - Album Review: Growing Taller
24 May 2024 // by Karl Brinsdon
Growing Taller from Parallel Park is a very interesting listen. To call it indie pop rock is like putting it into an existing box when it’s something unique that deserves to proudly stand alone.
Read More...
Frei - EP Review: Emergence
24 Oct 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
It's not often that I hear something that I struggle to define with some sort of genre but Emergence by Frei really has me stumped. I must say, that's not a bad thing at all, in fact I totally welcome it.
Read More...
Mismatch - Single Review: Burn
04 Jul 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
A thunderous tom roll drumbeat pans through the stereo field and immediately Mismatch’s latest track, Burn has my attention. A few bars later, the full band comes in, fronted with a simple ostinato lead guitar line which gives a hint of what’s to come later in the track.
Read More...
Impostor Syndrome - Single Review: See Everything
25 May 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
Impostor Syndrome’s latest track, See Everything opens with the lonesome jangle of a twelve-string acoustic guitar, making for an interesting introduction. Such an instrument is more common in genres that don’t have the same edge as your typical alternative rock track, but when the bass and drums kick in after the first phrase suddenly the listener is transported away from acoustic folk to something much grungier.
Read More...
Tablefox - Single Review: Mother
09 Feb 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
Tablefox’s latest track, Mother is an example of everything that modern rock music should be; a great performance that makes use of modern production technologies without becoming overproduced. Finding a good place to start talking about Mother is truly a challenge as with every listen it seems that I notice something new about the track.
Read More...
View All Articles By Karl Brinsdon

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TIMELESS
    The Weeknd And Playboi Carti
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • TOO SWEET
    Hozier
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem