(Independent) After getting a head start competing in (and winning!) local Battle of the Bands competitions while in high school, A.D. Blanco has since graduated and sonically matured into an alternative rock band with an ambitious sound. Composed of guitarist/vocalist Bennett Evans, guitarist Adair Chapman, bassist Owen Lange and drummer Aaron White, the band fits in alongside palatable radio mainstays like The Strokes, Hot Hot Heat or Modest Mouse. Reflecting influences of the aughts, A.D. Blanco’s debut 12-track album Time Never Wasted centers around an impassioned melodic vocal delivery and is dense with interesting flourishes. “Isolation” is carried by hypnotic guitar picking and crooning vocals before the tension finally collapses into a heavier breakdown. “The Matador,” “Hyperthermia” and “Speed Dial, Pt. I” all epitomize the band’s core sound that weaves together elements of pop and garage to build emotive, danceable earworms. A.D. Blanco has a keen ability to harness dynamics, often moving from softly spoken singing and gentle plucking to full-on yelling and shredding within seconds.
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