A new single release from Year of the Dragon delivers a fierce and super fun soundscape that blends together classic elements of alternative rock, and a thrashing energy level that all come together to create this atmosphere that feels slightly nostalgic like classic underground '90s alt rock and this is something that I absolutely adored because I grew up with tons of stuff like this and I've missed it ever since.
"Went Viral" is very humorous and the vocals are delivered with that same sort of humorous and animated approach that makes things pop with a colorful yet edgy style and feel and I think what grabs me the most about this track is their electric energy because it feels like this was recorded live on the floor to an extent and that the players involved are feeding off of each other the entire time giving the song the feeling of being alive and breathing in its own way.
That bass tone is super distinct and the way it intertwines with the guitar sound really does give that classic 90s feel but these guys also just break out into these punk rock sections and burst into fun but sort of furious little explosions and this is part of what makes the song a little bit surprising at times.
You can tell everyone involved as having a really good time and even if I'm wrong about the whole live on the floor thing, listening to this track definitely makes you want to go see these guys alive in your face simply because of this kind of energy is captured on record then seeing it live must be awesome.
I definitely adore the whole semi theatrical approach that these guys have as well because it just makes things more invasive but in a good way, and the riffs are amazing, but it's also a situation where every element of the song pushes the next so each instrument sort of has a unique way of complimenting the other and then includes the vocals.
It's a little gritty, a little raunchy, a lot of fun, danceable, washable, and super memorable but again, they just have a really perfect way of capturing this particular aesthetic of a time. And rock music that I've been missing out on for years now and it just feels good to hear a band really nailed that feel again.
Dive into the back catalog of Year Of The Dragon and I'm super glad I did because there are a ton of songs that really hit hard in all the right ways, and they come from a series of eps and full-length albums that have been released since 2006 on Spotify. This includes an album from 2019 called Take Control that's unbelievable and you should really listen to that one too.
As I go through this band's catalog I kind of wonder how the hell I missed out on them. These guys are right up my alley and have been for years.
Year Of The Dragon is the kind of band that you would read about in a magazine back in the day and then try and find one of their songs online wire or Napster and once you found it you would download it, burn it to a CD and show it off to your friends and when they heard it, they would most certainly ask who that was they were listening to.
When I say hitting a certain kind of aesthetic, this is exactly what I mean.
If you love super fun, memorable, heavy, alternative rock with way fewer boundaries than you were used to, then these guys are 100% for you.
If you grew up in the '90s or early 2000s listening to heavy or alternative rock then these guys are 100% for you.
Either way, check the single out and don't be afraid to turn it up when you do.
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