Song Review: Sakurazaka46 – “What’s ‘KAZOKU’?”

In April 2026, Japanese idol group Sakurazaka46 released “What’s ‘KAZOKU’?,” which is being used as the opening theme for the second season of the Mission: Yozakura Family anime.

http://aeschtunes.com/2026/06/09/song-review-sakurazaka46-whats-kazoku/

#Music, #MusicReview, #Sakurazaka46, #2020s, #2020sMusic, #JPop, #AeschTunes, #Anime, #MissionYozakuraFamily

The Download Festival Warm Up: Feeder

We’re highlighting the essential bands playing this year’s Download Festival so you know exactly who to add to your schedule—including exactly when and where they’re playing!

Today, we’re chatting with a band that has been going for over 30 years, has sold over 7 million records and has hits like Buck Rogers & Just The Way I’m Feeling. That’s right! Feeder! All answers were provided by Guitarist and Vocalist Grant Nicholas.

Interview

Could you introduce yourself and describe your specific genre of music?

Hi , I’m Grant Nicholas guitarist and vocalist from the band Feeder, I’d describe our music as Indie rock .

How does it feel to be playing at Download Festival 2026?

It’s been over 20 years since we last headlined the main stage so great too be back.

I think some people don’t realise the history and  heavier side of the band ,so it’s nice to be back doing a rock festival where our roots are.

Which day, time, and stage can fans catch your performance?

We are headlining the Avalanche stage at 7.55pm on the Friday.

Which of your tracks should new listeners check out first to get a taste of your sound?

https://open.spotify.com/track/70Hz40RYlUS8GsSnIoypkT?si=0b905fd93ea243ad

It’s hard to pick but maybe some old school songs like Descend,  High, Just the way I’m feeling and Come back around. Also some  later recordings, like Kyoto or Playing with Fire or When it all breaks down.

https://open.spotify.com/track/08DO757dzPTgeHSwOQvnIS?si=082af2f0d11a4b34

If you could cover any song by another artist on this year’s line-up, which would you choose, and how would you put your own spin on it?

It’s hard to pick one but probably ‘Insane in the Brain’ by Cypress Hill . I’d add some extra vocal harmony parts and some heavier guitars and fat synths.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1oTHteQbmJw15rPxPVXUTv?si=fc26893a15a44fd2

What do the next 12 months look like for Feeder?

I’m busy writing the next Feeder album and we may also re-release something from our early days .

All rights to the music in this post are retained by the recording artists. This site claims no rights over them. All images were provided by Feeder.

Album Review: Veruca Salt – “American Thighs”

Alternative rock band Veruca Salt released its debut album, American Thighs, on September 27, 1994.

http://aeschtunes.com/2026/06/09/album-review-veruca-salt-american-thighs/

#Music, #MusicReview, #VerucaSalt, #90s, #90sMusic, #1990s, #1990sMusic, #AlternativeMusic, #RockMusic, #AeschTunes

New Rock Roundup Vol 53

This is our brand new weekly feature (Normally) on a Monday! The New Rock Roundup will rank the latest releases spanning across the world of rock music. With entries from rock, metal, metalcore, punk, pop punk, alternative and indie!

There will be a brief explanation about why I (Fox) enjoy the song in question from each category before I rank them at the end in terms of my own preference. I would love to hear your own person ranking as well as why you agree with or disagree with my comments.

Follow the playlist!

• Spotify

New Rock Roundup

Rock

Howlin’ Jaws – Living The Dream.

This Paris based band NEED to be listened to! Like seriously only 2401 listeners last month, you should be one of those and tell all your friends too. Well crafted song, great guitars and vocals. What more do you actually want? Pay attention to the solo towards the end.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1m6W06dOLNVNRbqN783Ab9?si=7a5cca05fdf6499c

Metal

Onlap ft As The Structure Falls & Youth Never Dies – Dark Ages.

So if the one French band was not enough, I have decided to give you another! This song is crafted really well for saying that 3 bands are involved… I love the combination of harsh vocals on the start of the lines, while the clean and angelic voice finishes it off. The chorus is AMAZING.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4DzSw0CoPAc5eCC5HrbmMs?si=dadbd6d6cc7749cf

Metalcore

Henkore – Resonate.

Spanish based metalcore band say they are influences by one of my favourite bands Spiritbox so I can’t say I am shocked I like this. With riffs that drive things along and turns sharper than a knife the instruments are doing a killer job. The female harsh and clean vocals just do it for me. Maybe for you too!

https://open.spotify.com/track/1te0tabYdTrSoUe7sbwqFq?si=e48c48bd663b4a79

Punk

Hukies – Alt-Right, Not Right!.

When this Vienna band sing about the Alt-Right I think it is only fair that I give them a bit of a listen! It’s loud for sure, but also melodic and catchy. Something that most punk bands miss. The guitar is brilliant too!

https://open.spotify.com/track/1MmRJscEftTvhwIA3I47vh?si=840df1677b604a1f

Pop Punk

Keep Flying – Talk.

New York based Keep Flying have managed to combine punk, pop and hardcore to create a sound that delves a little deeper into the roots of those sounds. I think traditional pop-punk lovers might not be as impressed as me, but give it a chance especially because of the brass instrument hiding throughout.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1pUHCVVdQm1kjYiALTeWLe?si=ed3eda1513f04d06

Alternative

Kill Strings – Goodbye.

I do love me a fuzzy duo! Reminding me of Royal Blood a bit here are Kill Strings. With a decent flow, great vocals and wow that bloody guitar! Two-piece bands always amaze me when they fill a song out, and the vocal harmonies here do that trick really well.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0hRMnI3t1xVDmf4mpscCDT?si=809a21db45864e86

Indie

The Kilans – Television Screens.

If you love your Indie with jangly guitar riffs then this is for you! His voice is PERFECT for an Indie band too. At times it does go a little too Coldplay for me, but lovers of that group will be happy. If I had to say one thing I wish the drums did a bit more.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4KQ0ZMKbwNRVbjqqhnPIrQ?si=b06b3554850b4f93

Fox’s Ranking

1st Place: Howlin’ Jaws

2nd Place: Onlap

3rd Place: Kill Strings

4th Place: Henkore

5th Place: Hukies

6th Place: The Kilans

7th Place: Keep Flying

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2XNSN4wu2Zvhh19VzWdjfH?si=ec9729e89d1b4b00

Let us know if you agree with the ranking and the comments about each song!

All rights to the songs in this post are retained by the recording artist. This site claims no rights over them.

Song Review: Sophia la Mode – “Ciao Ciao”

In April 2026, Japanese idol group Sophia la Mode released “Ciao Ciao,” which is being used as the opening theme for the Spring 2026 anime, Ichijyoma Mankitsu Gurashi!

http://aeschtunes.com/2026/06/08/song-review-sophia-la-mode-ciao-ciao/

#Music, #MusicReview, #SophiaLaMode, #2020s, #2020sMusic, #JPop, #AeschTunes, #Anime, #IchijyomaMankitsuGurashi

How Does Ambiguity In Lyrics Open Songs To Interpretation?

Ambiguity allows songs to mean different things, to different people. Instead of giving a clear message, it creates space for people to interpret and form their own emotional connection.

Personal meaning

With open-ended lyrics, listeners can apply them to their own lives. The same song and words could mean very different things depending on who is listening to it.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6PypGyiu0Y2lCDBN1XZEnP?si=f3101c75aba2484a

Emotional flexibility

It can help capture complex emotions that are hard to define directly. This in turn can help make songs more relatable and enduring.

https://open.spotify.com/track/10nyNJ6zNy2YVYLrcwLccB?si=9a67061b96764ed7

Encouraging discussion

Songs that are unclear often inspire debate. With different people arguing their own interpretations, keeping interest in the song alive long after it is released.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0hKRSZhUGEhKU6aNSPBACZ?si=035006dec3f24b42

Reflecting uncertainty

Life is complicated and unresolved. Lyrics can mirror the uncertainty and allow songs to feel more authentic to the human life experience.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5HNCy40Ni5BZJFw1TKzRsC?si=6e3c399c881940d1

Longevity and mystery

When a song does not reveal everything at once it can continue to reward on repetitive listens. New meanings might emerge as listeners grow and encounter different circumstances.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3ZE3wv8V3w2T2f7nOCjV0N?si=b9dea36febe74b6e

All rights to the songs used in this post are retained by the relevant artists. This site claims no rights over them.

Song Review: Rainy – “7 DAYS”

In June 2026, Rainy released “7 DAYS,” which is being used as the 75th ending theme for the Detective Conan anime series.

http://aeschtunes.com/2026/06/07/song-review-rainy-7-days/

#Music, #MusicReview, #Rainy, #2020s, #2020sMusic, #JPop, #AeschTunes, #Anime, #DetectiveConan, #CaseClosed

Download Festival 2025 Sunday

For the final day of Download Festival we got to the arena and finally found Mr Fox to watch Alien Ant Farm on the Opus stage. It was great to catch up with him and finally watch a band together in the beautiful sunshine.

Alien Ant Farm opened up with ‘Courage’ followed by ‘Wish’ where Dryden (Lead Vocals) shouted out ‘Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3″ as this song was on the very popular video game.

They played 7 songs in total in front of a big band, it was awesome to watch ‘Movies’ and their version of ‘Smooth Criminal’ which is an amazing cover of the Michael Jackson classic.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0DVxWV6V1nWa7Ml68Frd3D?si=zYfZ9iW0QG2xllT_jXqy6A

Before the next band we went and got ourselves ice cream and made our way to the Dogtooth stage to see President for their first ever live performance. When we arrived at the tent it was already full and we had to watch from outside struggling to see anything, we listened to a few songs and then decided to leave due not not being able to see anything. The songs we listened to were ‘Fearless’ and ‘Dionysus’ which we enjoyed.

President where masks to hide their identity but everyone knows the singer is Charlie Simpson from Busted and Fightstar.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1ouWNCUOwqv5FnHLj4QnSr?si=RaVKIQufTci_pToJyahldw

After the disappointment of not getting to watch President properly, we made our way back to the Opus stage to see Airbourne, a band from Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.

They opened up with ‘Ready to Rock’ and Breakin’ Outta Hell’ getting the party started with a high energy performance and awesome riffs.

During a break between songs, Joel O’Keeffee (Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar) started to throw plastic cups of beer into the air and watching them fall down onto the crowd for them to catch, this was really fun to watch, especially when one of the beers landed perfectly onto a person sitting on someone’s shoulders, he caught it and got themselves a free beer which got a massive cheer from the crowd, we would like to see more of this from other bands.

Airbourne played 7 songs in total finishing off with new single ‘GUTSY’ and fan favourite Runnin’ Wild’. We really wanted them to stay longer and play ‘Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast’ and ‘Diamond In The Rough’ but we plan on seeing them again in the future.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1wXuogT7bvqnhuWzDBNOdV?si=1je9E_bkRHymxBDqQa2JjQ

For our last band we went to the main stage to see Melodic Metalcore band Bullet For My Valentine, from Bridgend Wales. This is the first time we’ve seen this band live and was very excited, even more so as they were playing their debut album ‘The Poison’ all the way through.

After the intro played in the background they came out performing ‘Her Voice Resides’ to a massive crowd. Mosh pits followed as they performed fan favourites including ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ and ‘All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me) which we thoroughly enjoyed seeing live.

They continued through the album finishing with ‘The End’, to our surprise this wasn’t the end, as they came out again to do an encore, performing ‘Knives’ and ‘Waking the Demon’.

Overall we enjoyed our time at Download Festival and proved that we can visit everyday travelling from home, however we would like to experience camping there someday.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5pKCDm2fw4k6D6C5Rk646C?si=PdWeGT_bTriYn6jgH4Ekhg

St. Jimmy and Rex 🖤☠️

All rights to the songs in this review are retained by the relevant artists and this site claims no rights over them.

Download Festival 2025 Saturday

Download Festival 2025 Friday

Download Festival 2025 Review: Standouts, Disappointments & Future Headliners

Judging By The Cover: Vol – 41

This is the series where we give you an abstract description of some of the most famous rock and metal album’s art! See the description below and try to see if you can figure out what we are describing… Let us know what it is in the comments!

Album Art Description

A vibrant portrait that emphasises glamour. It uses bold colours and a sleek design to create a sense of luxury and escapism.

Last Weeks Answer

https://open.spotify.com/album/5Dgqy4bBg09Rdw7CQM545s?si=e44013dcc42e4839

All rights to the music used in this post are retained by the recording artist and this site claims no rights over it.

This Week’s Tunes Vol – 90

Welcome to our weekly post dedicated to what each member of the team has been listening to. Delve into the inner workings of what comes out of the speaker at Fox Reviews Rock HQ!

What’s more is that every song in these posts will end up on a dedicated Spotify playlist. Meaning you can catch up on all our favourite new tunes!

There are now over 180 songs in this features playlist now! Don’t forget to give it a follow…

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5sOTw56Kj3Nq5w6t1YSO3C?si=87a801548cd44b7e

• Spotify

Fox

If I had to put money on any smaller band making it huge in the next 5 years then it would be these guys! I think it is a crime they are only getting 25 minutes on the smallest stage at Download Festival. But I will be there. Unless I go Belly Up!

https://open.spotify.com/track/1IZR2yJzCjHkaxbv5rCdP8?si=9e894be229f8446a

Rex

St Jimmy

Cozzer

Did you enjoy this week’s songs? Let us know which song you liked the most in the comments! Also, share your personal experiences with those artists. Suggest any tunes you think we should listen to for next week!

All the songs used in this post belong to the relevant artists and this website claim not right over them.