Search Results

Mindy Rafferty April 13, 2026 Photo: Bethan Miller-Carey Our favorite band from Wales are back and better than ever with their new single ‘Whisper of a Dream’ released April 2nd.  Holding Absence started in 2017 with their duo-single release of ‘Permanent’ and ‘Dream of Me’, debuting their iconic moth logo. They were closely followed by ‘Penance’ and ‘Heaven Knows.’ 2018 Continued to be the year of Holding Absence. Releasing their This Is as One EP on February 16th, the debut EP featured ‘Saint Cecilia’ and ‘White Hot’, two singles that were also previously released in 2017 as a duo-single. In 2019, Holding Absence gave the fans what they wanted: a debut, self-titled album. Featuring songs like ‘Monochrome’ and ‘Like a Shadow’, which has been a staple on their setlists as of recent and a fan-favorite, it was the perfect debut album for our favorite UK band. The self-titled record included emotional songs, such as ‘Purge’,  that’s bound to make anyone stop and listen. They were back in 2020 with two singles: ‘Gravity’ and ‘Birdcage.’ But that wasn’t all. Their second album, The Greatest Mistake of My Life , would be released just the next year. ‘Afterlife’ from the 2021 album holds the most streams for the band at 95,000,000 streams as of today. Their arguably most iconic album, The Noble Art Of Self Destruction , was released two years later in 2023 that August, an album that brings mental health awareness to light, with songs such as ‘Head Prison Blues’ and ‘The Angel In The Marble.’ Just under ‘Like a Shadow’, ‘A Crooked Melody’ from the 2023 album holds 14,000,000 streams as of today.  Holding Absence picked up the pace after joining the iconic Sleeping With Sirens on their ‘Lets Cheers To This Tour’ in 2024. And now, they’re back and better than ever. The Wales-based band caused quite a stir with a cryptic video that read ‘2/04’ on March 27th across all their socials. Their caption read “the cogs have begun to spin…” and urged fans to comment a robot emoji to find out more. Before we knew it, ‘Whisper of a Dream’, also known as Holding Absence's first single in 1,000 days, was out into the world with a music video and a new era to match. The band additionally announced their signing to Sumerian Records, who welcomed them with open arms; Sumerian Records is known to sign big artists such as Bad Omens and Sleeping With Sirens.  Lead singer Lucas Woodland never fails to amaze us with his powerful vocals and lyrics, as well as the equally talented Benjamin Elliott and Scott Carey. ‘Whisper of a Dream’ was a collaborative work by the entire band, as well as Daniel Braunstein. Mental health is a big factor when it comes to Holding Absence songs. ‘Whisper of a Dream’ captivates how it feels to reach out for a God, who instead turns away from you; I saw a God, I saw a God // I saw a God, but he looked and turned away . As well as the feeling of nobody being there for you, including your God; I’m pathetic and cold, an orphan alone in the open // I begged him to stay with me in the grey . Feeling as if you’re all alone in this world is something a lot of listeners can relate to. And being so desperate for just a sign of life that’s even there for you during your hardest times, you eventually have to fix and mend the pieces of you that’s left yourself; It’s hard to be whole, I’m mending a soul that I had broken . ‘Whisper of a Dream’ is a song that really captivated and displayed those feelings. Whispering for a dream. A slimmer of hope in the darkness. A glimmer of hope in the shadows. Knowing there’s hope for light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing although it might be far away, you can find peace in the darkness and acknowledge that your peace and light will be here eventually, and illuminate your darkness; A shadow in the darkness, a whisper of a dream // I know it’s far away, but there’s hope ‘cause I believe .  Holding Absence have done it again with another iconic song with a special message and meaning behind it. Want to see more from our favorite Wales band? Catch them at a multitude of shows this year including Welcome to Rockville, Sonic Temple, and Aftershock. Additionally, you can catch them this November supporting Enter Shikari in the United Kingdom and Europe! Grab tickets while you can! https://www.ticketmaster.com/holding-absence-tickets/artist/2338130

Ash Rafferty April 2, 2026 Photo: eazyvisuals From the city of Nashville, In Color’s been making moves and entering the alternative pop scene with a bang, and they’re doing it in style with their new single ‘Jet Lag Mouth’. After In Color’s successful 2025 EP release of Snow Day,  the release of ‘Lighter’ that currently holds 700,000 streams, their three-song EP titled Snowed In containing slowed down, live renditions recorded at Blackbird Studios of ‘Headlights’, ‘Liar’, and ‘I Want You’, and finally ‘Big Deal’ that ties in at 400,000 streams, ‘Jet Lag Mouth’ is bound to get the same attention. And the way that the band promoted their single was filled with equal parts humor and equal parts cryptic-ness to excite In Color fans. Starting on March fourth of this year, the indie band began teasing fans across social media with snippets of ‘Jet Lag Mouth’ paired alongside captions signed off by members Val, Miles, Matt, and Holden. Captions from the band noting, “i need this song injected into my veins. i need it like water” (@incolorincolor on Instagram) left In Color fans on their toes for the inevitable drop of yet another single following their two previous releases. Lo and behold, after nearly three weeks of cryptic teasing from the Nashville band, the pre-save link for In Color’s new single ‘Jet Lag Mouth’ was made available to fans with the announced date of the official release (3/31) two days later.  So, what do we think of ‘Jet Lag Mouth’ after all that waiting? The best way to describe the two-and-a-half minutes of this song would be galactic, free-flowing, and  beautifully done. The main synth melody that occurs throughout the song has been used as the main snippet to promote the song on social media, and it’s a most definite earworm. Singer Matt Hastings easily blows those who listen away with his vocals in any of In Colors’ songs, and ‘Jet Lag Mouth’ proves this point further.  The lyrics to ‘Jet Lag Mouth’ are carefully done and poetic that suggests fear in a newfound relationship. The verses captivate a feeling of desperation.  See your life in the kiss of a jet lag mouth from the inside out // There’s a knife in the ditch // Did you leave it? Captures the feeling of yearning for love with somebody who might be unsure beautifully. The entire band was involved in the lyric-writing process, displaying how well the four work with each other in terms of songwriting.  To conclude, In Color’s done it again with yet another perfectly executed single rollout and release. If reading this has you wanting to hear or see more from everyone’s favorite Nashville boys, catch them on their FIRST headline tour kicking off this month on the third!  Grab some tickets for the shows that aren’t sold out while you still can! https://laylo.com/incolortheband/m/pdOTkl?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAQ6vylleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAafZXgpScJ8oVn6Bu_LeP8yep5i-kxP7KVZlHAEjSiMAZuGfoTZWj6HfkjLAyw_aem_HRgMWeME6QRx0U0plqQx-g

ISSUE #3 Bad Omens put on quite the show in Philadelphia (Xfinity Mobile Arena) on Friday the 13th, and we were lucky enough to attend. From pop-up shops, to incredible visuals, to trading a Wawa hoagie for a drumstick, we really felt the love with Bad Omens in Philly! WE FELT THE LOVE WITH BAD OMENS IN PHILADELPHIA Just one week prior to the Philadelphia date of the “Do You Feel Love” tour (March 5th), fans in the area and visiting were notified of a unique pop-up shop with exclusive merch and relics relating to the current lore of Bad Omens’ current singles. We noticed the cities prior to Philly’s date having pop-up shops as well, so we knew that what we were getting into wasn’t only a concert, but also an exclusive merch shopping experience the day of as well.  The shop held an eerie feeling prior to stepping inside, and a black curtain concealed what was contained inside. Within the pop-up shop, a collection of picture frames were hung on the wall displaying scenes from the newest music videos. VHS tapes of their show filmed in Amsterdam were also on display for purchase. This was particularly interesting since VHS tapes are considered outdated now!  ​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​Contrary to popular belief (and rumors circulating online), we were only in line for around thirty minutes before being allowed access in. Mindy bought the pink “Do You Feel Love” t-shirt with the band's most iconic ghost, and she would still like to know if any of the blind boxes can be spared (that don’t cost an arm and a leg on resale sites).  After grabbing some drinks and visiting a record store in the area, we were then off to the Xfinity Mobile Arena (don’t get us wrong, we still call it the Wells Fargo Center and always will…although the new purple theme is cute) for the show itself. We spent some hours tailgating and entered doors when the mind-boggling line to get in died down.  Bad Omens completely immersed fans into the theme of their recent singles. The most memorable factor was by far the photo op that the Xfinity Mobile Arena provided where fans could pose in front of one (or both!) backgrounds that were then sent to them directly via text or email. Mindy was able to grab the ghost hoodie, and ended the night with a whopping nine dollars in her bank account! Nice!  Their two openers President and Beartooth effectively warmed up the crowd. President by far was one of the coolest introductory acts that we’ve seen by far. The mask is spooky yet effective! Beartooth absolutely killed it to follow, the band was tight and with the numerous mosh pits and crowd surfers to prove it, so was the audience.  Bad Omens, who we came for, was a breathtaking performance. Each song contained unique visuals with stunning images, lasers, and fire (that we could feel the heat from our seats in the 200’s). With every few songs throughout the show, a video would be displayed on the Jumbotrons that followed the story that is currently being told in Bad Omens’ current era. It left fans on their toes and in anticipation for not only the next part, but also the next song. Not only were the visuals on point, but so was Noah Sebastian, despite his claim that his voice was tired. Needless to say, Noah’s vocals are unmatched no matter the circumstance. His vocals left many breathless and the rest of the band displayed their skills as equally as Noah’s. The energy was high, the pits and walls of death were superb, and Noah considered a fair trade of a drumstick for a Wawa hoagie from a fan. And according to him: “Fuck Sheetz, Wawa’s better.”

ISSUE #1 The idea for DSALT came to us when various people in our lives continuously urged us to create any form of content to document our various adventures in the music industry. Over the course of our Winter break from college, we created this very website from the ground up with our first article already in mind: our top albums from 2016. AKA when we were ten years-old with not the most knowledge of the music industry. Regardless, the early-to-mid 2000’s had some of the best music that properly shaped our childhood into adulthood. We chose four EP’s/albums to share with you.  Our Top Albums/EP's from 2016: #4: Terrible Things: The Orphan The Poet Mindy’s Favorite: Terrible Things (basic)  Ash’s Favorite: Wild & Young ​ We first discovered TOTP’s Pop Rock sound when they opened for one of oldest-loved band Weathers on their 2022 “My Frie nds Have Better Friends” tour. Since that day and onwards, our love for th eir sound and them as people has done nothing but grow within each day and each time we have the opportunity to watch them live. Their Terrible Things EP was their first release as TOTP with a more grunge/rock-leaning sound. In comparison to their music today, it can be observed how their genre has changed but still keeps that edge. Regardless, every song released since then such as their most recent song titled “Eureka” has been nothing but bangers. Additionally, this is our formal request to bring back “Terrible Things” to their live shows as we’ve nagged them to do for the past four years. #3: Sounds Good Feels Good (B-Sides And Rarities): 5 Seconds Of Summer  Mindy’s Favorite: Safety Pin ​ Ash’s Favorite: The Girl Who Cried Wolf ​ Sounds Good Feels Good is a top tier album, as everyone knows. After its 2015 release, the band released a B-Sides And Rarities EP including two new songs ti tled “The Space Between A Rock And A Hard Place” and “Story Of Another Us”. Our favorites from this collection already exist in the Sounds Good Feels Good album, but out of the two newer songs in the EP, our collective favorite has always been “The Space Between A Rock And A Hard Place” also known as “Catch 22” to most fans. You can catch us blasting this song (and album in general) in our cars or rooms most days, and it’s Ash’s favorite album! #2: Misadventures: Pierce The Veil Mindy’s Favorite: Dive In  Ash’s Favorite: Sambuka ​ Coming at #2 is a band everyone is more than familiar with, Pierce The Veil. We also let Mindy have full-reign writing this one (she’s very, very annoying about PTV). Not only was Misadventures one of the most iconic releases of the year 2016, it also was their last album that would be released before their seven-year hiatus. With the release of Misadventures, the San Diego-based band paved the way for experimental albums and songs, an example being one of their top songs off of the album titled “Floral & Fading”. “The Misadventures Tour” was just as iconic, where the band played the entire album from start to finish. #1: Double Dare: Waterparks Mindy’s favorite: Gloom Boys Ash’s Favorite: Hawaii (Stay Awake) ​ And finally last but absolutely not least, we have “Double Dare” by the amazing, unique band, Waterparks. Waterparks also serves a s our collective favorite band, who we have been fans of for eight years now. This past November through December, we had the pleasure of being able to follow “The Prowler Tour,” where we attended four dates. From Washington, DC, all the way to Sacramento, California. This album solidified the ongoing success of their careers. Lastly, according to Ash, “we love Hawaii and Awsten is wrong.” "Double Dare" is their favorite album so they're automatically right.

ISSUE #2 It’s no secret that the amount of concerts we attended in 2025 is nearly impossible to describe in one word, that would be downright ridiculous. But to give a few to set the mood for our concert season: chaotic, emotional, wild, energetic, and most of all memorable provides a wide genre of ways to try to put our 2025 experience into perspective. With well over 20 concerts attended together (and apart, Ash enjoyed crowd surfing to ‘Makedamnsure’ by Taking Back Sunday in August), new and old cities visited, and credit card debt achieved, here’s our top five concerts that we attended in 2025! OUR TOP FIVE CONCERTS OF 2025: #5: Hot Milk Loud & Fast in the USA Tour - 09/28 Arden Gild Hall (Arden, Delaware) To begin our favorite concerts in 2025, we have perhaps one of the craziest shows we attended over the course of the year. Announced in June, Hot Milk’s tour was promoted just two days before (June 25th) the release of their second album Corporation P.O.P. (June 27th). An iconic album followed by an equally notable tour, we attended their second-to-last (non-festival) date in Arden, Delaware on September 28th. Full disclosure, this show was quite literally in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no air conditioning in the venue. But what made it all worth it was the memorable experience that came along with it. From our first time stage diving, to our chats with the band after the show, Hot Milk truly knows how to put on an absolutely amazing and thoroughly intimate show for fans. Corporation P.O.P was also Ash’s favorite album release of 2025! #4: Sleeping With Sirens I Can’t Hear You Tour Sideshow - 05/23 The Paramount (Long Island, New York) At number four is by far our most emotional concert attended to date. Taking place the day before Pierce The Veil’s Bristow, Virginia’s date (May 24th) for their ‘I Can' t Hear You’ Tour, is Sleeping With Sirens’ sideshow headliner. Announced  on April 29th, Sleeping With Sirens surprised fans with a headliner at The Paramount in Long Island, New York in between the plethora of dates for their direct support of Pierce The Veil’s summer tour. As avid Sleeping With Sirens fans for the past seven years and counting, we were on top of attending the show with VIP to tie it all together immediately, especially since it had been three years since we’d seen the band as headliners. Not only was this show a celebration of Sirens and their opener Daisy Grenade, but it was also both a celebration and grieving of a life lost just one day prior to the show’s date. Dave Shapiro, co-founder of Sound Talent Group and well-known friend of the band, was lost in a tragic plane accident on May 22nd. The concert was centered around his honor as not only an icon in the music industry, but also a dear friend to many. The most notable moment by far was the band bringing back their 2011 song ‘Fire’ off of their sophomore album Let’s Cheers To This since it was Dave’s favorite. With Kellin’s powerful yet unique voice, a setlist absolutely filled with surprises, and Mindy’s phone getting whisked away on stage (yes, that was us!) by Keaton of Daisy Grenade, the high volume of traffic experienced along the way from New Jersey to New York was worth it for the night we had. #3: Pierce The Veil I Can’t Hear You Tour - 05/18 The Mann Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Who would we be if we didn’t include arguably the most iconic tour of 2025? Just two days after we attended their fall tour in Reading, Pennsylvania at the Santander Arena, Pierce The Veil were already on top of teasing yet another tour on December 2, 2024. The band began with a cryptic video showcasing various symbols to represent all five of their studio albums. Shortly after, the I Can’t Hear You Tour was announced. And as if it couldn’t get any better, they announced Sleeping With Sirens would be joining them on the road. We would finally be hearing the iconic ‘King For A Day’ featuring Kellin Quinn live. The tour brought back fan-favorites, such as ‘Yeah Boy and Doll Face’ and the transition from ‘Where Is My Mind?’ by the Pixies into ‘Floral & Fading’, as seen on their Misadventures Tour. Deep cuts, such as ‘She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty’, also made a return to the setlist. The setlist offered a wide variety of songs from each of their albums, celebrating each and every one in their own special ways. The band even reached a milestone in their career with playing at the infamous Madison Square Garden. It goes without saying that this was one of our absolute favorite concerts of 2025, and we think a lot of you would agree. #2: Waterparks The Prowler Tour - 12/13 Ace Of Spades (Sacramento, California) Coming in at number two of our favorite concerts we attended in 2025 is the furthest we’ve ever traveled for a concert, which was Sacramento, California for Waterparks’s Prowler Tour. Announced on July 21st, Waterparks fans were warned of the tour via a cryptic message by Awsten Knight just one day prior. Not only did we attend Sacramento as our last date, but also DC’s 9:30 club, Philadelphia’s Franklin Music Hall, and finally, Brooklyn’s Brooklyn Paramount date that ended off our east coast run. From the conclusion of New York’s date, three weeks later we were on a plane to the west coast to conclude our wild following of the tour. A plethora of moments that will last us a lifetime occurred that night, and our VIP experience was one for the books with tears shed (mostly by Mindy) for our last meet and greet with the band (that featured their manager Lucas!). Not to mention the absolute whiplash of secret songs Awsten had in store for the crowd. Getting to hear ‘Silver’ from the band’s 2012 Airplane Conversations EP in 2025 is not a sentence you get to hear every day! Sacramento tying up our following of the ‘Prowler Tour’ was the best decision we’ve made, and we’re already looking forward to what Waterparks has in store for their already infamous “J album”. Also, Ash’s toothache on both flights to Sacramento was one-hundred percent worth it. The Prowler Tour isn’t stopping in the U.S. however! Grab your tickets for the UK/EU as Waterparks continues to take their tour overseas at www.waterparksband.com/tour  before it sells out! #1: 5 Seconds of Summer Pop-Up Show - 11/19 Times Square (New York City, New York) pop-up show at Times Square. The free show was teased the day before on November 18th, with the caption telling fans to “stay close to your phone and be ready!” With an additional comedic video that showed the band “preparing” to go to space (I mean, the album’s called EVERYONE’S A STAR! After all). Of course, we panicked. But that didn’t mean we weren’t in the Waterparks line in Brooklyn frantically buying Amtrak tickets the night before, getting ready for the scavenger hunt of a lifetime. Not only did the band have a free pop-up show ready, an additional pop-up shop   was announced at the Hard Rock Cafe, where they sold two t-shirts, as well as an exclusive New York pressing of EVERYONE’S A STAR! on vinyl. 5 Seconds of Summer started off by instructing fans to gather at the Columbus Circle via X (formally Twitter ). We all waited there eagerly, ready for whatever chaos was about to ensue. Before you knew it, an open-air, pink bus was seen in the distance with none other than Michael, Luke, Calum, and Ashton on board blasting ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ Fans (including us, of course) ran into the streets of New York, all while stopping traffic with the beeps of car horns around us. Pink shirts thrown into the crowd were flying everywhere and a camera crew was seen filming; they were actively recording the ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ music video. The next part was something that could have been from a movie scene. Even with Ash’s bad knees and Mindy’s horrible back, we ran through the streets of New York alongside other fans to Times Square. Some ran on foot, while others opted to take the subway. 5SOS naturally arrived in the pink bus in fashion, and performed a four-song setlist  that consisted of ‘NOT OK’, ‘No. 1 Obsession’, ‘Telephone Busy’, and ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ They would describe this day as “by far the most insane thing we’ve ever done.” (@5sos, Instagram ), and we wholeheartedly agree.