New Artist Alert: Prospect Hill

When We Were Beautiful are happy to welcome to our list of newly featured artists American-rockers Prospect Hill, a 5-piece hard-rock outfit from Boston. The band, veterans of the 'new-music' scene having been together since 2007, pride themselves on their strong work ethic, and have recently released the hard-hitting album 'Impact' under Carved Records.

Having been available since the end of August, I've had a listen to the album's lead-single 'Come Alive', and it's a real ball-grabbing rocker. The intro is relentless, effortlessly easing into a half-time feel as the verse sidles in, quickly and efficiently. The drums have a lovely grooving feel to them, as harsh guitar noise sits atop the foundations of track, led confidently by a great, classic rock vocal. There's a polished 'Hinder' feel to the track, but with elements of some darker, more underground sounds creeping in to maintain a real rocking edge. The chorus returns to the double-time feel as in the intro, shifting up a gear and taking no prisoners before returning to the driving riff and restoring familiarity. The track takes no shit and gets to the point quickly; there's no space for unnecessary here as the second chorus merges flawlessly into the middle eight and, before you know it, we're going back around again for the final chorus. At just under three and a half minutes, it's probably the perfect radio-ready rock-song, and is only missing a guitar solo in my humble opinion. Otherwise, it's a great rock track that I can't find fault with and, if this is your thing, the song fits as snugly as a favourite old pair of jeans that you've been wearing for years, and you're going to love it.

Be sure to check out Prospect Hill on Facebook to check out photos, live dates, and have a listen to Come Alive and the rest of the album. And if you've really got some time on your hands, delve into the rather lengthy bio to really get a feel of what these guys are all about.

New Artist Alert: Charlie Played Cello

It's been a while as Staind once sang, but I've found a little time between two great holidays (Poland and Tunisia if you're interested) and moving house next weekend to have a listen to LA's Charlie Played Cello, who have just recently released their album 'Red'. The band's name is a nod to a friend of the band who sadly died in a road accident on the way home from one of the band's shows, and his cello playing is featured on the album.

Charlie Played Cello describe themselves as having a "unique and dynamic sound that spans from mainstream power-pop to sinister post-punk anthems, in the spirit of Weezer and Jimmy Eat World". Offering the opportunity of a reminiscent throw-back to my tender teenage, Kerrang TV-watching days, I was tempted to check out CPC and, sure enough, the hints of these iconic guitar bands are evident in Red.


'Memories Collide' packs a minor-feeling, garage-band punch with a unique vocal sound and throbbing organ poking through the mix. I feel the vocals might be a little 'marmite' for some listeners but the track plods along with help from the drum pattern as the snare hits stab on every crotchet beat throughout the verses. It builds to a cool guitar-solo section reminding me of Richie Sambora's feel-good country-inspired solos when Bon Jovi met Nashville.


'Run Away With Me' with its dense intro section packed full of melodies, instruments, and musical ideas settles into a grooving middle-of-the-road rock track which chugs along nicely enough. The chorus didn't hit me as hard as I'd like, with more emphasis seemingly placed on the main riff which features in the intro and the vocals sound a little strained but the backing vocals help to ease the slight tensity. The guitar sound is great in the short solo lick but I can't help thinking the chorus after this could have been really stripped back and sparse to create a bigger impact for the final chorus and outro riff. By all means a good rock song but one I feel could be even better with a brief trip back to the drawing board.


'Light Me On Fire It's Midnight' reminds me of the guitar-led Weezer and Jimmy... feel that drew me in in the first place and the chorus is great. The track is short and sweet and to the point though still finds time for a guitar solo which is fine by me, and feels like the memorable sing-along track that would have the most success with radio airplay.


Charlie Played Cello offer exactly what it says on the tin; it's no-thrills guitar-rock that rightly deserves radio-time and, although might not be something that appeals to an English audience as much as an American one (or at least not a young one) still has scope to offer the band success which I wish them in the future.


Be sure to check out CPC on Facebook whilst Red is available now on iTunes.