MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Dust – “Trust U See”
It’s been a whirlwind year for Aussie post-punk outfit Dust. After the release of 2023’s debut et cetera, etc. EP, the quintet jumped right into a relentless touring schedule with numerous runs around the country and several overseas jaunts. The group’s latest single is billed as an “alarming and visceral sonic exploration of both literal and underlying feelings,” with guitarist/vocalist Justin Teale’s lyrics offering up “metaphorical messages of trust, relationships and frustration.” Watch the video for “Trust U See” below:
SEMUTA – Glacial Erratic
Portland post-metallers SEMUTA already have quite an imposing resume, with guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Caragol and drummer Ben Stoller having served time in groups like Burials, Dark Numbers, Hot Victory, and Hang the Old Year. On their debut LP, Glacial Erratic (out May 24th), the duo “summon a mournful strain of sludgy post-metal, marked by enthralling songcraft and passionate execution.” If you’re into the crushing dirges of ISIS, Russian Circles, or Pelican, and you’ve indulged in the progressive heaviness of Cave In or Baroness, then this record is for you. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
ASkySoBlack – “Boy Like A Bruise”
The last I heard from Philly outfit ASkySoBlack was through their 2022 Autumn In The Water EP. I really enjoyed that release and the group’s engaging blend of shoegaze, alternative, and post-hardcore sensibilities. That concoction continues unabated on their most recent single, driven by expansive guitars and yearning refrains from vocalist and guitarist Jordan Shteif:
“I wrote ‘Boy Like A Bruise’ about being one. I can be horribly sore to people when I’m hurting, and it has led to the loss of a lot of friendship and a lot of love. The chorus references these losses, followed by me asking myself how I learned to hurt myself in such a way. I think the song sounds cold and indifferent which ends up matching the lyrics.”
Listen to “Boy Like A Bruise” here.
Fast Blood – Sunny Blunts
Another new band on my radar for this week is Newcastle quartet Fast Blood. The UK outfit peddles a version of melodic punk that’s described as “soulful, complex, hook-laden, abrasive, and introspective.” The singles from their long-awaited debut album, Sunny Blunts (out May 3rd), certainly fit that description, and it’s no wonder they’ve already shared the stage with groups like Mannequin Pussy, Pegboy, and Toxic Reasons. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Broken Head – “Bending Up”
Alternative rockers Broken Head have a big 90s hard-on for groups like Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver, Ride, and many more. The four-piece are set to release their new record, The Morning Ends, on May 31st through the good folks over at Sunday Drive Records. With help from longtime producer Trevor Reilly, the LP rests on fuzzed-up textures, delicate melodies, and “dream-like lyric stanzas that paint scenes of nature, love, and yearning.” Listen to “Bending Up” here.
Tzompantli – Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force
On their sophomore LP, Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force (out May 17th on 20 Buck Spin), Los Angeles-based Tzompantli, the brainchild of Brian “Itztlakamayeh” Ortiz of metallic hardcore outfit Xibabla, have expanded their tribe to include over ten musicians pulled from the rosters of Civerous, Dead Heat, Spinebreaker, Teeth, and more.
Their latest record sharpens their cutting death doom sound to murderous degrees, exalting “in the blood and ash of empire and would-be conquerors, a fiery lamentation to centuries of erasure.” And look, when your band name comes from an Indigenous term for “skull rack,” and your promo photo goes that hard, I’m obviously going to fuck with it. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
GEL – “Mirage”
New Jersey hardcore outfit GEL dropped their debut album Only Constant last year and garnered considerable hype off the back of that release. They’ve now announced a signing to Blue Grape Music (home to Code Orange and others) and the forthcoming release of their Persona EP on August 16th. The lead single, “Mirage,” is a gnarly little rager that sees the group retool their sound slightly in a more metallic direction. According to vocalist Sami Kaiser:
“It’s a step forward, it’s different, it’s catchy, but it still really sounds like us.”
Watch the clip for “Mirage” below:
Fly Over States – Ghosts
Montana’s Fly Over States are gearing up to release one of my most anticipated EPs of the year. Ghosts will be out on May 24th through Fever Ltd., the label owned by Heavenward mastermind and F.O.T.S. Kamtin Mohager. With nods to the early-00s sound of groups like Underoath, Glassjaw, and The Chariot, the songs on the EP “are packed with infectious rhythms that [will] make you want to shimmy as much as two-step.” Think contrasting screamed-sung vocals, bright guitar lines, roaring distortion, and swift tempos. Some real MySpace shit (non-derogatory). Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2024-7 HITS playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Microwave – Let’s Start Degeneracy
I must confess: I never really paid that much attention to Atlanta’s Microwave. Their 2019 record, Death Is A Warm Blanket, came and went without much fanfare or repeat listening, and yet they managed to stay in my peripheral awareness despite that lack of staying power.
However, their newest LP, Let’s Start Degeneracy (out now through Pure Noise Records), seems to have rectified this issue with the help of some outsider influences, i.e. drugs. As detailed in a great Uproxx profile by critic Ian Cohen, the record was “inspired by an ayahuasca retreat in Peru, written with the help of Adderall, nootropics, and opening the subconscious with a really, really good shit.” Fascinating stuff.
It’s also a curious journey for a trio four albums deep, one that started out with playing some “sort of skramz/twinkle hybrid – ‘Cap’n Jazz to American Football to Saetia and Pg. 99-type stuff,’” before eventually dialling things back to various shades of pop-punk, alt-rock, chiming guitar-driven indie rock (“Omni”), and the occasional burst of “arena-emo grandeur” (“Circling The Drain).
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Known for their incendiary live shows, Manchester’s Going Off continue to push the envelope of sonic extremity on their latest LP, the breakneck Die Fast. Frontman Jake Huxley joined The Pitch pod last week to chat about capturing the visceral feel of the record through insane artwork (courtesy of artist Jeremy Townsend), his trademark on-stage intensity, the strength of the UK hardcore scene, and their diverse pool of aggressive influences. Check it out below: