Headstrong

With the recent shift in pop culture, success has frequently been enjoyed by those with a creed of "fuck everyone and party," who create thoughtless ditties cast as contagious in the music world. Headstrong, however, refuse to tread lightly on the minds of their listeners. With a perfect combination of brains and brawn, the Canadian quartet uses memorable melodies and aggressive rhythms to communicate deep introspection, actively eschewing tired, played-out subjects.

Headstrong's self-titled debut mixes hard rock's emotive energy, hip hop's social consciousness, and pop's appeal into a shining amalgam of intensity. Citing the likes of Soul Coughing, Helmet, Stone Temple Pilots, and Radiohead as influences, Headstrong transcends music's current monotony by means of an intelligent, experimental foundation. The listener's reaction of pensive reflection (and not the urge to "break stuff") is the clearest manifestation of this. According to guitarist Joel Krass, "Right now, most of hard rock is lyrically destructive and musically safe. You don't really hear a lot of bands pushing the envelope. We don't believe in spoon-feeding." With this attitude, Headstrong strives to give mainstream rock a much-needed jolt of creativity.

Headstrong's self-titled debut album was recorded and produced in London, Ontario by Dan Brodbeck, and mixed in Los Angeles by Jack Joseph Puig. It is in stores now.