January 26th, 2015 
James Shotwell 
I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks participating in the Vans Warped Tour during the summer of 2012. My job, which at the time involved working for a music industry start-up focused on new artist discovery, sponsored a stage on the world’s largest traveling festival that offered more than 20 up-and-coming artists a chance to perform. We needed someone on site every day to coordinate and I was the lucky one chosen to carry out that task. It was a life-changing experience, and along the way it provided me several opportunities to discover new bands with a lot of promise. One of them, Connecticut’s War Games, are now on the verge of becoming the next big thing in alternative music, and just last week they released a killer new single. Check it out:
Without going too much into my slightly blurred memories of that now long gone summer, War Games were a band I discovered while on the road. They played on our stage nearly every single day, and after my first encounter with their music I could not pass up the opportunity to watch them as often as possible. It seemed their fans felt the same way because not one of them in any state seemed to mind skipping whatever headline act(s) were playing during the band’s limited set time as long as they could spend a few moments singing along to songs off the band’s then-popular EP, Mountains. It was evident to me then, just as it still is today, that this band had found a way to forge a special connection with listeners. They have developed a relationship with fans on a deeply personal level despite not having a wealth of material at their disposal, and with that kind of power there is no telling what heights their career may reach in time.
When I heard “Foundations” for the first time I was taken back to the dozens of sun-drenched parking lots where I first discovered the raw vocal power of Kyle Therrien. His voice, coupled with the lush dramatics of War Games’ music, combine to create an entirely enthralling listening experience that I can hope is duplicated throughout the entirety of the band’s upcoming full-length album. The song itself may lack the infectious hooks of the band’s genre peers, but what it lacks in immediate catchiness it more than makes up for with emotion and intensity. You feel the urgency in every line, pulling you in more and more until you’re completely consumed in the band’s sound. If that isn’t the sign of a hit, I don’t know what is.
It’s probably too early to proclaim War Games’ upcoming album Holding Patterns as one of the year’s best releases from an unsigned band, but I can guarantee you it will be one of the most talked about records in recent memory. This band has been destined for greatness for quite a while — far longer than even I have been aware of their existence — and now it seems their time in the sun in finally upon us. “Foundations” is a sign of hope for underground alternative music, and I cannot wait to see what War Games decide to share with us next.
Written by: James Shotwell Follow @utgjames
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