Artist Spotlight | Halocene

This isn't how I plan to normally do Artist Spotlights as I will essentially have an Album Review (a feature I haven't written yet) incorporated into this alongside my thoughts on the featured artist. But oh well, I have a venue to lay out my thoughts here and that's all I care about right now.

So chances are you haven't heard of the band Halocene unless you, like myself, got sent a YouTube video of their lead single, "Secret." I was about to dismiss it as spam but out of boredom and because I kinda liked the band name, figured, "Well whatever this is, it won't stab me in the face through the computer screen. Not like last time anyway...."

So, Halocene. A little background to set the stage. I've gathered that they are an independent band hailing from Arizona. Not exactly sure where in Arizona, there seems to be some dissension over whether they're from Phoenix or Tempe but I don't know Arizona very well so maybe it's both? When I say "independent" I truly mean independent. They are independently recorded, produced, funded, etc. Now, while I can respect that in a band, and I don't really have any love for some of the ways the record labels run things, I think Halocene is in a position where getting signed would do them a lot of good. And I only make that obvious statement because I can't tell exactly how proud they are of being indie. They seem to have garnered some good local success but they're completely cut out for Top 40 radio and don't seem to have that much attention yet. More on that in a bit though; this paragraph is becoming convoluted.

Halocene has a solid pop-rock/alternative sound. Easily compared to the likes of Paramore or Avril Lavigne but I'm not going to mention that. Normally I wouldn't begrudge anyone their choice of genre. [Openly at least.] Sure, I think there's a lot of pop artists whose actual talent is being wasted in the pop genre but that's another story. The only problem I have with Halocene is the potential I see with them. They're one of those bands that has true talent. Singer Addie Nicole has a great voice and this is truly showcased on the band's acoustic cover of Yellowcard's "Ocean Avenue" which can be found on their YouTube page. I love this song and Nicole's version is truly stunning. Also, the rest of the band has some good musical talent as well as they rock pretty good.

But that sort of leads me into my problem with their sound. For a band that claims to be in the rock genre, they're really more in the pop-rock category on the whole. They don't even quite reach that alternative-rock sound of, say, Paramore.

Part of the reason for this are the songs themselves. "Secret" is the best example of this though I have a caveat to mention later. Basically, they're too high school-y. "Secret" being about rumors spread around loose lips essentially. Not all the songs are like this, I particularly like "In Memory Of" and a song from their PureVolume, "Toxic." But even while I like a good love song, "Love Was Just A Lie" and "My Addiction" felt far more like high school love songs than "mature" love songs. I'm hoping that the band will grow after a while and really develop a solid sound.

I wonder though, why Halocene chose "Secret" as their lead single if they want to be taken seriously as a rock band. Here's the caveat I mentioned, however. The music video for "Secret" shows the band, (all guys, I should mention except for Addie Nicole) having a slumber party in what I put together was one of the band member's houses, during which they all participate in a number of girlish activities ranging from pillow fights, to trying on clothes and stuff like that. The caveat is, I have a suspicion that this was sort of tongue in cheek. It almost seems too over the top compared to the rest of their stuff. And you know what, it's still catchy, still has good vocals, and still has good instruments. I'm more of a hard rock fan but the guitars are still good. I'm not asking them to be as heavy as say, The Pretty Reckless.

That being said though, I go back to potential. I'd like to challenge the band to push themselves when writing their next batch of songs. I'm not trying to say they should abandon who they are but that should really try to evolve who they are. I think they really have the opportunity to capture both the pop fans and the crossover fans who appreciate the style and talent of say, Orianthi. I know I'll be following them and will probably revisit them here at a later date.

In the meantime, Halocene's "The Secret" EP can be found on iTunes along with their Ocean Avenue cover single.
Also, check out their website where you can listen to all the songs from The Secret and find links to all their social media sites.

EDIT: Holy Christ that was long. Props if you stuck around through my rambling. Mental note: Next time, more concise.