NEANDERTHALZ drops new track “Feelz Good”

Coming out of Atlanta’s underground music scene, NEANDERTHALZ are making an impact with alternative music that wrapped in distortion, confrontation and a healthy disregard for genre boundaries. Operating under their self-styled banner Neanderthalz Inc., the collective channels grunge, alternative rap, electropunk, garage rock and electronic influences into a sound they call ‘trash rock.’ It’s an apt description for a project that embraces sonic disorder while challenging the shiny surfaces and carefully curated identities dominating modern music culture.

At the centre of the group are vocalist and producer Colton Stanley, guitarist Hunter Davis and bassist and producer Thomas Ghirardini. After spending ten years cutting his teeth in Atlanta’s hip hop world, Colton has linked up with Hunter and Thomas to develop a new creative outlet that leaps into the unexplored spheres of alternative music. Their vision is built around the collision of styles, bringing vicious guitars into contact with hip hop rhythms, electronic textures and the spirit of post punk. By not attempting to smooth out these contrasting elements, NEANDERTHALZ allow them to clash, creating music that feels deliberately abrasive and unlike anything else.

The group’s arrival comes with a pointed perspective on the world around them’ in an environment shaped by endless scrolling, celebrity culture and the pressures of digital life, NEANDERTHALZ offer an outlet for frustration as opposed to another distraction from it. Their music confronts what they perceive as a culture designed to leave people feeling inadequate, questioning the messages absorbed from childhood and the psychological consequences of living through screens. Within the noise is a search for something more meaningful and an attempt to make sense of the nonsensical while holding on to the possibility of love in an increasingly overwhelming world.

NEANDERTHALZ first introduced that vision with their debut single, “All I Wanna Do,” before following it with the enthralling Trashbag EP. Together, these early releases mapped out their genre-breaking style, combining heavy riffs with racous energy and an appetite for sonic excess. Now, their latest single, “Feelz Good,” continues that exploration while introducing another dimension to the group’s creative process. Unchained by any genre box, the track is built around an electronic and hip hop-inspired fabric, with fuzzy guitars adding grit to its underlying energy.

It also marks the first track the group has had executive produced by guitarist Tommy Ghirardini, bringing his role in shaping the collective’s sound further into focus. Opened by the soft swell of brooding guitar chords, the track jumps into a grooving scene where splashing drums and crunchy guitars underpin slick rapped flow, forming a moody alternative hip hop jam packed full of attitude and catchy hooks. With passages of acoustic guitar chords giving way to a cacophony of thumping beats and stacks of gripping instrumental layers, it’s an anthemic alternative outing that’s exhilarating, original and utterly engrossing from start to finish.

Below its abrasive exterior, “Feelz Good” poses the question of when is enough enough? The idea connects with the wider concerns running through the group’s work, from the pressures of contemporary culture to the struggle to recognise when the demands placed on us have gone too far. With their early releases marking their arrival and “Feelz Good” building on their momentum, NEANDERTHALZ are crafting music that’s loud, confrontational and thoroughly engaging and we can’t wait to see what this exciting new act has in store next.

Listen to Feelz Good below

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