If there is a place where the tides of punk, the waters of alt-rock and the undercurrents of pop all mix and merge, then it is where you find Atlanta’s ANTHMZ standing firm…if a little damp underfoot…sorry, poor analogy. And such a place must surely exist because how else would you explain all of the sonic threads that run through their debut single, “Soft Core?”
Those genres might seem like odd musical bedfellows, but I assure you that they make up the bedrock of the song. Even on your first spin, it is easy to spot all these forces at work. There is a brashness to the delivery that speaks of punk belligerence, a wave of raw guitars builds a great backdrop through which other alt-rock six-string sonics work their magic, and there is a, perhaps unexpected, accessibility to the song that is about as pop and pop gets.
But that is just the start. Dig a little deeper, and you find a new wave sheen and shimmer. Dig deeper again, and there is a vibe of indie swagger at work, and then right at its heart, there is no small amount of 60s power-pop exuberance to be found.
In fact, it is hard to see if they have left anything out. Hang on, let me think—no, not a thing!
