American Stranger

Lunden Reign is yet another band that I had never heard before or knew what to expect. The cynic in me wanted to jump to the conclusion that this was going to be something that I’d seen and heard before. Boy would I have been wrong. 

 

Lunden Reign is rock for adults. There’s no poppy fluff to be found on this album. Vocals come off a bit throwback (depending on your age), but there’s just something about Nikki Lunden’s voice that draws you in with its steady control and the ability to come off tough and vulnerable all in one breath. Meanwhile the band just meshes with that combo with epic sounding drum breaks and heavy guitar which slips into a steady beat and light ambiance creating guitar effects. 

 

My favorite part of the album is that lyrically this is music, especially at my age, that I can relate to that isn’t some base emotion, but rather themed with importance that’s relevant to our current political and societal climate. Even when a track isn’t heavy with purpose, lyrically those songs feel like someone entered an emotional state of mind and felt the need to create something out of it instead of just toying around with words that are trending in music. Again, rock for thinking adults. 

 

If I had to pinpoint some familiar sounds on the album to stroke comparison I’d say Alice In Chains (during their Sap E.P. Sessions), R.E.M. (The Savage Line, intro anyway), The Cult (When Love Lies).

 

Stand out tracks include title track American Stranger, The Light (which is absolutely epic sounding and poetically impressive). Really, I would rate this album pretty high, but those two tracks stand out the most to me for vision and style. Be sure to check out their reverb page to listen to some of the album. Enjoy.