Recently a promoter sent WKNC (and I don’t use this term lightly) a boatload of vinyl records. However, our initial excitement quickly turned into confusion. Not one of these albums had been released within the past year. Furthermore, they were all from incredibly small bands. Almost nobody we asked was familiar with them, and if they were, it was a hazy memory hidden somewhere behind newer, more contemporary music. This is pretty unusual because nobody ever sends in vinyl records. They’re just too expensive to produce. But if they were going to do so, you would think it would be from a bigger band. We don’t even have a record player. And so, the vinyls sat on our shelf, resting, building up potential energy like a bowling ball preparing to roll down an alley. But little did I know that my ears would be bowling pins, hit by a strike of indie rock. Finally, one day when I was walking out of the studio, I decided to grab one of the vinyls, just to see if it was any good. I didn’t get a chance to listen to it until later that night. As I sat on my balcony, by chance I decided to play Float Away from the album. The song’s introductory harmonies first graced my ears as a cool fall breeze swept over my body. I sat down and in disbelief listened to the song get better and better as it went on. The harmonies eventually built up to a frenzy of drums and guitar riffs with echoed vocals that could not have fit the song more perfectly. I quickly listened to the rest of the album and found that “Heaven on the Rocks” is a great mix of garage punk and spacey, indie rock. With only 4,000 “Spotify Monthly Listeners,” it’s surprising that Ladada is still this small. However, you can hear the hard work put into “Heaven on the Rocks” and hopefully this band will start to get some of the recognition that they deserve.
Hope you guys enjoy the music,
-DJ Chippypants <3