Alt-UK

Music, Film, and Gaming

Rich

Busted x Hanson – MMMBop 2.0 Review

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After previously releasing Loser Kid 2.0 and Meet You There 2.0, I kind of figured that this trajectory would continue and Busted would once again reimagine one of their own previous songs here, but 26 years on from its original release; Hanson’s MMMBop has now been given the 2.0 treatment as Busted continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary by this time teaming up with the band that they’re set to tour with later this year and collaborating with them for an updated version of this 90s classic.

Whilst a Hanson song is probably not what most people were expecting, what these two bands have produced here is actually genuinely really good, and Charlie Simpson’s vocals in particular sound like they always should have featured on the track. Charlie is obviously an incredibly talented vocalist (as evidenced in him having won the most recent series of The Masked Singer), and it’s great to hear him performing such a prominent and impressive role within the track. The song sounds big, it’s well produced without sounding overly polished, and it’s very possibly actually my favourite of the three singles that they’ve put out so far.

As someone that was never a huge fan of the original growing up, MMMBop 2.0 is a song that I never knew I needed but am definitely very happy to have. The lyrics hit so much harder as an adult, the content of the track is so much more relatable, and Busted and Hanson have definitely done a very good job here of breathing new life into it and making it feel fresh.

Year 3000 2.0 featuring the Jonas Brothers remains the dream, but once again Busted have put out a very solid piece of music here, they’ve worked extremely well with Hanson, combined their talents nicely, and MMMBop 2.0 is definitely a track that I highly recommend listening to.

The Barbie Movie Has a New Trailer and it’s Awesome!

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Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

I really didn’t think that the Barbie Movie would be the film that I’d be most excited about seeing this summer, but here we are, and it looks to be a huge amount of fun!

Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the Barbie Movie will officially hit cinemas on July 21st, and from the looks of this trailer should provide a really refreshing take on something that could easily have been so throwaway.

It seems to be channelling some serious Mean Girls energy; it’s funny, thought provoking, and with very real potential to be the best social commentary we’ve seen in years.

We’ll see you at the cinema on July 21st!

Bring Me The Horizon – LosT Review

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One thing you definitely can’t accuse Bring Me The Horizon of is remaining static with their sound. Throughout the years this is a band that has constantly been reinventing itself, melding different genres and shifting their approach.

This is definitely something that remains true with LosT, with its hyper-pop tinges and heavy leaning towards pop punk, LosT also comes complete with a breakdown thrown in for good measure, taking you on a chaotic journey that at times runs the risk of sounding slightly… Lost.

There’s a lot to unpack with this one, a cacophony of sound that takes time to adjust to and work out where you stand. For me, however, after multiple listens I finally found that I was really enjoying what the band had put together here, appreciating the absolute bricolage of sounds.

As someone that loved 2020s Post Human: Survival Horror, LosT feels like a very natural progression from that, and should sit well alongside Die4U and Strangers on the next album. Die4U also had some strong hints of pop punk, so it’ll also be very interesting to hear how fully they explore that sound with the next release.

Love it or hate it, LosT is definitely doing things differently and Bring Me The Horizon continues to keep pushing boundaries. It’s energetic, it’s fun, it’s a little bit crazy, and on a personal level I’m definitely finding great enjoyment in it.

Rolo Tomassi Announce US West Coast Tour Dates

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Rolo Tomassi will be heading out on a US headline tour next month, hitting the US West Coast with support from Pound and The Callous Daoboys.

They’ll start out in Denver on June 6th, and then perform a variety of different dates throughout the month, concluding the tour at Seattle’s Substation on June 20th.

The following is a full list of their US West Coast tour dates:

6/6/23: Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater 
6/7/23: Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad 
6/9/23: Dallas, TX – Sundown at Granada 
6/10/23: San Antonio, TX – Vibes Underground
6/11/23: Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live
6/13/23: Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater
6/14/23: San Diego, CA – Voodoo Room
6/15/23: Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre
6/16/23: Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s 
6/17/23: San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods
6/19/23: Portland, OR – Star Theater
6/20/23: Seattle, WA – Substation 

Wilmette – Hyperfocused Review

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Wilmette will officially release their debut album Hyperfocused on August 4th, and as we wait in eager anticipation for their long-awaited debut to finally drop; we now have a tantalising taste of what’s to come in the form of the albums title track.

Clocking in at just over two minutes in length, Wilmette wastes very little time getting things going with Hyperfocused, hooking you right in from the very first note with a frantic bombardment of highly energetic pop punk. The accompanying music video is extremely bright and bold, and the music is equally so, with the band absolutely blasting through it and very much demanding your full, undivided attention.

There’s a supreme level of style and musicianship on display here, some silky smooth vocals, an extremely strong hook, and a drumbeat that packs an incredibly heavy punch.

It’s fast, it’s frantic, it’s extremely well composed, and if Hyperfocused is at all a sign of what’s to come from their debut album? Then we’re undoubtedly in for an absolute treat with that one!

New Features Confirmed for F1 Manager 2023

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F1 Manager 2023 is all set to launch this summer, and we now have an official list of new features for the game, building upon last years title and providing some further depth and ability for exploration.

There will be an all new ‘Race Replay’ mode, allowing you to rewrite key moments from the current F1 season, a new Sporting Director role to help add further depth to career mode, and car weight will now be another important factor to consider as you look to find a healthy balance between car performance and reliability.


Sprint races will also now feature in F1 Manager 2023, with all six sprint events included, in addition to all 23 races. Adding to this, these races are now said to be more dramatic and dynamic than ever before, with a brand new driver confidence system that will help determine how likely drivers are to attempt high risk moves such as bold overtaking manoeuvres as drivers verbally respond to commands from their race engineers.

F1 Manager 2023 seems to offer a good deal of difference from its predecessor, it’ll be available on PC, PS5/PS4, and Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One, and it’ll be very interesting to see exactly how the game handles when it’s released this summer.

Your Broken Hero – Red Light Kisser ft. Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory Review

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Matt Cutshall has truly been living out his best life in recent years, filming videos with the likes of Ronnie Winter (The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus), Ryan Key (Yellowcard), and even Tony Hawk, producing some truly fantastic content alongside his partner Arielle Vandenberg.

It started out as nostalgic parody, but the boundaries have very much been blurred at this point, becoming a real life emo icon and using Kickstarter to help fund a full length album.

Red Light Kisser is the latest offering from Your Broken Hero’s forthcoming debut album, featuring Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory fame, and co-written and produced by Andrew Goldstein, a man that’s helped pen and produce some huge hits in the past including Blackbear’s Hot Girl Bummer and All Time Low’s Monsters.

There’s a huge amount of sheen and polish to the production here, Jordan Pundik’s vocals sit extremely well in the sound, and the references to the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Silverstein can’t help but raise a nostalgic smile. It’s catchy, it’s well put together, and with a chorus that’s sure to be lodged in your brain for weeks to come.

Matt Cutshall has done himself proud here, putting together a piece of music that easily could have been a huge hit 20 years ago, yet also feels at home in the current wave of emo revival.

It was never a phase, and Red Light Kisser is an absolute emo banger.

The Ultimate Sloth Skater?! Driftwood is Officially Coming Soon…

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Ever fancied indulging in a downhill longboarding session as a sloth? No? We can’t say we’d ever considered it either, but trust us; Driftwood is absolutely awesome!

Launching into early access on June 1st, Driftwood allows you to cruise, drift and slide around on your longboard at great speeds, dodging traffic as you go, racking up points and unlocking new items as you attempt to make a name for yourself with a place on the global leaderboard.

If you played the demo that was previously available then you’ll already know just how fun Driftwood can be, but if not? You don’t have long to wait now until early access officially begins, and you can even get yourself prepared by adding the game to your wishlist over on Steam so that you’ll receive an email update as soon as it drops.

You can check out the official early access trailer for Driftwood below:

Busted x Neck Deep – Meet You There 2.0 Review

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If you never knew that you needed to hear Busted working together with Neck Deep? You’re definitely not alone. That’s exactly what’s happened here with Meet You There 2.0 though, and the end result is truly magnificent.

Taking a song originally so acoustic and mellow, Busted have completely rearranged and put a whole new spin on this soon to be 20 year old ballad, with a drumbeat that hits incredibly hard, a fantastically well put together bassline, and Charlie Simpson’s vocals combining absolutely beautifully with those of Neck Deep’s Ben Barlow.

It’s well composed, builds extremely well, and although it took a few listens for me to really fully get this new take on Meet You There as it is just so different in tone to the original; as a huge fan of Neck Deep that also absolutely loved the original A Present For Everyone version, this new take on the track definitely does the original justice, whetting the appetite perfectly for the further new music to come from the band.

With Loser Kid 2.0 already out there and Meet You There 2.0 now having followed; the signs are certainly looking strong that Busted’s 20th anniversary will be celebrated in style, and it’ll be very interesting to see what song they select to reimagine next.

You can check out the official lyric video for Meet You There 2.0 below:

F1 23 to be released in June

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Codemasters and EA Sports are officially back with another F1 video game, and this years version of the game is all set for release on June 16th 2023.

It’s the third game in the series to be published by EA, comes complete with all new precision drive technology, and will also feature two new racing locations with both the Las Vegas Street Circuit and the Losail International Circuit (Doha, Qatar) now being included.

You can check out the official reveal trailer for the game below: