Brass Phantoms - Holding Out for Horrors (2020)

I started Independent Music News in 2010 in a one-bedroom flat while at university. Throughout the years, I’ve seen bands and artists come and go. Record labels and PR companies too. It’s been a constant thread of new content and ideas. What hasn’t changed, though, is the rather self-critical thoughts I feel daily. Is the site worth my time? Should I give it all up and find a better job? All dangerous feelings, never positive. Then I heard Hurricane, the new single by Brass Phantoms, and I immediately remembered why I started promoting independent and unsigned acts in the first place.

An upbeat indie rock song about adapting and growing as a person, Brass Phantoms have created a tune packed full of sweet tones and honest lyrics. Ryan Cashell’s vocals are positively cheerful, as he recognises that life is a learning curve: “Throw away the past and not the pain”. You can feel the maturity seep through each chord and riff throughout Hurricane, as Greg Whelan (guitar, backing vocals), James Geraghty (guitar), Adam McCabe (drums, backing vocals), and Colleen Heavey (keys & backing vocals) blanket the words with care and attention.