As the title indicates, the below round up of singles is a group of hard hitting songs that sound tailor made for radio.

Starset – “The Breach”: Starset is the biggest band from Columbus that no one seems to know is from Columbus. The music video for “The Breach” is top notch and gives off strong Black Mirror meets M83 sensibilities. The vocals are as strong as they’ve ever been. Starset have found their lane and continue to get stronger and stronger within it. “The Breach” is the latest to be released off of the band’s forthcoming LP Horizons, to be released October 22nd.

Papa Roach – “Kill the Noise”: Am I listening to Skillet? Did John Cooper take some voice lessons and suddenly become a tenor? I’m getting some big Skillet Collide-era vibes from this. The “Shut Up!” growl going into the bridge/breakdown is a bit corny, but it will be a fun thing to yell in concert.

Royalty Kult – “This Place is a Prison (The Postal Service cover)”: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, folks. Royalty Kult is a band I was honestly ready to write off. But they have taken a song from far outside the typical lane of active rock and made it their own. Honestly, I think fans of Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and the like waking up to the wonderful melancholy of Ben Gibbard is a great thing. I won’t lie—at times I find the music video to be a bit cliché, and seeing a dude in a Misfits tee in the background of such a tender, sad song is a bit of an adjustment. But overall, this is well-done cover with caressing vibe.

To Kill A Monster – “Barely Breathing”: To Kill a Monster have always been known (to me) as a down to earth rock and roll group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. “Never grow up if it means giving up!” is a mantra they put out into the world last year that I think I needed to hear. Now, they’re back again; showing a more serious side. I was just finishing up listening to the new Starset single, and this was so polished I forgot momentarily I had queued up “Barely Breathing” in my Spotify and assumed I was hearing another Starset song. That is, until Joey Lawson’s distinctive vocals kicked in.

Rat Motel – “Hey World”: This brother duo is honestly a group that I wished I—and the rest of Columbus—paid more attention to. The band describes the song as “a surrealist’s dream of an anthemic love letter to the world” and I’d have to agree. While to say this song is radio friendly (going with the theme of this single reviews roundup) is a little strange, there’s a compelling quality to it that will certainly inspire repeat listens from yours truly. Add this one to the Independent Playground playlist at CD929FM.

Wavy Trees – “Hypocrite”: It is weird to say this song has a “classical alternative” feel to it? This LA based garage punk act has a winner with this anthem for those suffering heartbreak. It takes the void left by a person and injects a bit of fun-filled angst. The song has the right balance of noise and melody, each note and riff driving down the point that we should make lemonade out of the crappy lemonade life sometimes hands us.