motel void

Corey Michael Bell, a Midwesterner by birth but an Angeleno at heart, uses his project Bells Deep to combine bold, virtuosic melodies with sharp cultural critique, creating socially conscious and timely rock songs. In October, he is releasing his new album Fog, which also stands out for its stylistic diversity.

The opening track, DEAD2ME, immediately recalls one of my favorite bands, Drive-By Truckers – Bells Deep, much like them, also touches on various social issues. Stylistically, the music sits somewhere between alternative rock and Americana. Corey Michael Bell not only has a highly energetic expression but also delivers striking intensity when the bridge (“you should be ashamed”) arrives halfway through the song; the melody suddenly takes on the raw energy of post-punk bands like Hüsker Dü.

The following song, Start With Sorry, surprises with an almost dance-like beat and a chorus that reminds me of early The Killers. From the first half, my favorite is the fourth track, Understatement, which features a beautiful lo-fi piano sound and an excellent interplay between the lead and backing vocals. The overall lo-fi vibe works perfectly, even though Bells Deep deals with heavy, political themes. For me, it’s a clear highlight of the record, along with the title track Fog, which offers a stunningly ambient instrumental section dominated by acoustic guitar. When the frenzied drums and distortion kick in – and then, out of nowhere, a saxophone emerges – it’s worth emphasizing how surprising this record truly is.

In the second half, Tabloid TV Fever Dream stands out most, opening with a drawn-out guitar riff-solo and a melodic yet deeply emotional chorus. Here, Bells Deep masterfully blends raw emotion with melody, while the guitar solos heighten the song’s intensity. The following tracks, Kill the Lights and Sugar Cube, bring a more relaxed vibe with a touch of Americana and folk, which feels like a pleasant change of pace. One Day Closer returns to a more straightforward rock sound and works as a proven rock anthem, but my favorite from the closing stretch is Spore. It captivates with its diverse, almost ambient atmosphere and a mood carried by dark vocals. When the wild drums burst in around the two-minute mark, the song radiates pure despair.

Fog by Bells Deep is a dynamic and emotionally charged rock album blending elements of alternative rock, post-punk, and even lo-fi folk. Corey Michael Bell combines social commentary with strong melodies and bold arrangements, resulting in a record full of surprises – from the raw DEAD2ME to the ambient beauty of Fog and the dark intensity of the closing Spore. It’s a rich, ambitious work, created against the backdrop of the political shifts of recent years, a time when people have risen to power around the world – people we would have thought, some fifteen years ago, could never hold the positions they do today.

This album was discovered via SubmitHub

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