Scott McDonald Poured Anthemic Defiance and Rose-Tinted Melancholy into His Retro Rock Anthem, ‘Wave’ –

If life is a wave, Scott McDonald’s power pop meets retro rock signature is a tsunami of feeling. His standout single, Wave, taken from his debut LP See It Through, carries the incendiary fire of The Manic Street Preachers in their Generation Terrorists era, while channelling the glamour of Michael Monroe and the riotously infectious euphoria you’d expect from a Tom Petty record. With lyrical substance at its core, the augmented atmosphere traverses different epochs of rock with an energy that borders on the feral.

Wave lands as an anthem for anyone wrestling with karmic injustice, for those attempting to make sense of reality’s increasingly obscure forms, and for listeners trying to reconcile rose-tinted pasts with the black clouds hovering over their present. It is both escapist and grounding, offering catharsis through its relentless rhythm and soaring vocal delivery.

At the heart of See It Through lies McDonald’s own songwriting fire. As both lead vocalist and primary writer, he poured his personal touch into all twelve tracks, reflecting resilience, hope, and the fight to keep moving forward. Produced alongside Brian J. Anthony in Pennsylvania, the album’s sessions thrummed with an atmosphere that allowed McDonald’s creative spirit to fully ignite. With Wave as its flagship, this debut cements him as an artist who can soundtrack both despair and defiance with equal intensity and consolation.

Wave is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast