As I mentioned in my post about them last month, The Keystones are one of the exciting artists currently rising from Milwaukee. They have been making a lot of noise in the Alternative Rock scene, being covered and tracked by a lot of major national music publications and garnering millions of streams of their music on streaming websites. Songs like ‘Miss Connection’ and ‘2010’ really popped off at the turn of the decade about three years ago, putting The Keystones on the map as one of the most exciting rising Indie Rock acts. The Keystones are known for taking elements of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s Alternative and Punk Rock music and incorporating them into modern Indie Rock in a way that is so unique and fresh. On their newest single, ‘Bradford Summer,’ The Keystones decided to join forces with another exciting Alternative artist from Milwaukee that has made waves in the music industry over the last several years. Vinyl Theatre is a Post-Punk Synth-Pop artist that formed in Milwaukee during the early 2010s; they have ended up seeing as much(if not more) success as any artist hailing from Milwaukee over the last 10 years. Vinyl Theatre has a sound comparable to artists like The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, and Phoenix; like those artists, they are a group that takes elements of 80s New Wave music and fuses it with modern Synth-Pop seamlessly. Vinyl Theatre has a timeless sound, as somehow it sounds classic and modern at the same time. Vinyl Theatre and The Keystones are two bands from Milwaukee that are proving that the Alternative music scene in this city is alive and brimming with talent, and it is cool to see two of the leading artists from this scene coming together and making a cool track like ‘Bradford Summer.’

When I first saw this collaboration announced online, I was curious as to how this song would sound. The Keystones and Vinyl Theatre both make distinct styles of music that are very different from each other, and I did not know how they would sound when they came together. Interestingly enough, ‘Bradford Summer’ actually sounds like a direct combination of the styles of music each of these artists is known for; it is like they morphed into one for this track and ended up making something totally unique and different in the process. This song is like a combination of the Alternative Pop-Rock The Keystones love to make and the Indie Synth-Pop that Vinyl Theatre is known for. This song has a bright, summery melody that is driven by a glitzy Pop-Punk guitar riff that is complemented by a sweet, distorted keyboard riff. The beat for this song is light and breezy and makes me want to bop my head and move my feet, matching the fun and pleasant sound of the melody. I like how the vocals from the respective lead singers from The Keystones and Vinyl Theatre contrast with each other. Matt from The Keystones has a deep and sultry tone and Keegan from Vinyl Theatre has a bright and nasally tone, and the way they differ gives the song so much texture. This song is a love letter to one of the best spots to spend a summer day in Milwaukee, Bradford Beach. On this track, The Keystones and Vinyl Theatre are reminiscing on good times and stating that they are going to make sure they have a fun and easy-going summer. ‘Bradford Summer’ is the perfect song for any party, as it is bound to put the listener in a good mood and make them want to dance the night away.