June Divided and Golden Mixtape crossed paths late last year as the Philly band came to LA to win a slot on Warped Tour as part of the Ernie Ball Stage Battle of the Bands. They didn’t take home the top prize, but they did get over a week on Warped at the end of July. Then we were only familiar with what they could do live with tracks from The Other Side of You. Now with a full length LP, Backbone, we get to meet a more mature, refined June Divided.
This band has a female singer, but Melissa isn’t another piece of eye candy parading in front of some dudes who are there just for show. She and the rest of the band come together and are a band, not a female fronted band. Let’s make that clear. Their sound isn’t pop punk with a feminine touch. It’s rock with a great set of pipes, showcased in tracks like “Reset” and “Skin and Bones.”
“Waves” offers a song of perseverance, while title track “Backbone” shines with a sassy tone. But there are a couple other tracks that will get a higher play count; “The Way We Started” and “Secrets.” “The Way We Started” shows that polished sound off the most and would be the likely contender to take June Divided from the Ernie Ball stage to the mainstream. The writing sticks out, making it a memorable one to go back to for a nice sing along session. Then “Secrets” really told the story of a band that uses all their members for their musicianship.
Backbone is out July 10th and less than two weeks later fans can catch June Divided on Warped Tour from New York to Wisconsin July 21st to August 1st. It’s recommended for fans of The Material and Evolove.
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