Athens based band Ancient Whales tagged their six track album “Ancient Whales Birthing” with riff rock, garage rock, and grunge rock. Riff rock couldn’t be more accurate. These riffs are catchy and huge, exactly what you’d want from an Athens garage rock band. So many great bands have given Athens very high standards, and this band doesn’t disappoint.

My favorite of the six tracks is probably the first one, “City Life.” It’s a direct statement on the need to escape something. Everybody can relate to that. But also, this one has the greatest riffs. I played lead guitar for a while in a band, and this is definitely one of those songs I could see a band playing over and over again just for fun in their basement.

“Announce Pronounce” is another great one. The guitars are just as catchy and fun, and everything else continues to pound through perfectly. I like the vocal melodies a bit more on this one. It sounds a little more mature. It’s nice to have that sometimes.

Be sure to check out Ancient Whales if you can! If you’re in Atlanta, get over to your great sister city! If you’re in Athens, be proud! Bands like this make college towns worth living in. These guys are on Owlphabet Records, an organization of lots of awesome bands. They’re all definitely worth checking out, and I’ll absolutely be writing about some of the others in the future! Keep it up Ancient Whales! Keep it up Athens!