1. It's '90s alt-rock refocused for a modern audience.
Channeling the angst-ridden riffs of ‘90s torchbearers like Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins and Queens of the Stone Age, Newslang carves out a sound that feels both fresh and familiar. Frontman Phillip Seaton created the Vegas-based band with drummer Justin Truitt in 2023, the two releasing More or Less a year later. Since then, the lineup has filled out with bassist Matthew Graham and guitarist Drew Morris, but Newslang’s gritty, guitar-driven rock DNA has stayed the same.
2. The band embraces everything.
Seaton, the band’s primary lyricist, grew up on Whitney Houston and Celine Dion and pulls inspiration from every genre imaginable. A complex Deftones chord progression can grab him just as easily as a granular pop melody. He says Third Eye Blind’s 1997 debut was a heavy influence while recording More or Less. Even Slipknot has caught his ear.
“If you just take it on the surface, [it] sounds ugly and borderline evil,” Seaton says. “But then you’re like, wait, that kick drum, that snare, those toms—why is that only coming in every third bar? You start listening to this stuff and being like, oh my gosh.”
3. DIY craftsmanship prevails.
More or Less reflects the beginning of a DIY journey Seaton has been on since he left his dreams of being solely a songwriter behind. “What I love doing is music,” he says. “And so it was always, if I can, I’m going to invest in making sure that I don’t have to rely on anybody else to record things that I want to record.”
The frontman dove headfirst into the production process, learning everything as he went. The music sharpened under Seaton’s meticulous approach to getting every recording just right. And though the band now works with a professional engineer, the result still lands somewhere between polished and primal. Seaton, who as a teenager opened for KISS with the Vegas-bred band Think, functions as a frontman with a true, sonic presence. He’s a husky vocal powerhouse on tracks like “Secrets of Water,” and thunderous riffs on “Breathe” only seem to amplify that.
4. Live shows are being built beyond local buzz.
Newslang’s already played local venues like the Griffin, Backstage Bar & Billiards and Swan Dive. But as the band gains momentum, Seaton says the goal is to move past the local mindset and open for more touring acts with built-in audiences, so this might be the best time to experience this growing band live. Newslang performs next at Dustland Bar on July 25. Before you go, stream its latest single, “Weighted Shoulders,” which releases on July 17 at newslangmusic.com.
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