Weekly Roundup: August 22nd
Featuring Glassing, Ripped To Shreds, Iceage, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
THICK – “Happiness”
Brooklyn indie-punks THICK have dropped the final single from their latest album, Happy Now, which is out now through Epitaph Records. “Happiness” kicks off the Joel Hamilton (Iggy Pop, Juiceboxxx)-produced record with a fuzzed-out blast of riot grrrl energy, as guitarist Nikki Sisti and drummer Shari Page both wax lyrical about self-reflection and finding moments of catharsis in our routines for modern living. Watch the video for “Happiness” below:
Gillian Carter – Salvation Through Misery
Fronted by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Logan Rivera, screamo purveyors Gillian Carter make visceral caustic music for our downtrodden times. On their upcoming LP, Salvation Through Misery (out October 7th through Skeletal Lightning), song titles like “Life is Hell, Hell is Fucked,” “Forced into a World of Shit,” “Nothing Ahead of Us,” and lead single “The Pain of Being Awake” signpost that the racket contained within is not curated for upbeat, easy listening. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Iceage – “Shake the Feeling”
Compilation records can often be hit or miss when it comes to quality, but I’m confident that Danish post-punks Iceage will come through with the goods. (After all, their last album, Seek Shelter, was one of my favourite releases of last year.) Shake the Feeling: Outtakes & Rarities 2015–2021 is out on September 23rd through Mexican Summer and features a selection of “misfit children” cuts and two covers from the Copenhagen quintet. The album’s title track is lifted from the band’s Beyondless (2018) sessions, with a live video directed by Alex Cantouris and filmed at the Moth Club in London. You can check it out here.
Fallfiftyfeet – Lonely If You Go
I first came across metalcore bruisers Fallfiftyfeet through the release of last year’s Twisted World Perspective album. On that record, the West Virginian trio conjured up the ghosts of notable mid-00s heavy acts like Every Time I Die, Scarlet, and Norma Jean, only to exorcise them in new and interesting ways. The group’s three-track follow-up EP, Lonely If You Go (out August 26th), is set to take this direction even further with chaotic instrumentation and intricate vocal layering. Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
The Arrival Note – “We Had a Deal”
I was a big fan of the demo from Tampa's The Arrival Note earlier this year. That release had four great tracks with crunchy guitar riffs and that sing-shout thing that 90s emo rockers did so well. On their newest EP release, simply titled Vol 2. (out September 2nd through the good folks at Sunday Drive Records), the Florida quartet stick to the formula once again and, if their press material is to be believed, gesture toward the “anthemic sounds heard on early 00s records like Elliott’s False Cathedrals or Sunny Day Real Estate’s The Rising Tide. Well, that gets a big “yeah dog” for me. Listen to the EP’s lead single, “We Had a Deal,” here.
Glassing – Dire and Sulk
In November last year, I featured Austin’s Glassing in my Weekly Roundup for the release of the group’s stunning third full-length album, Twin Dream, which totally won me over with its intricate mathy textures and immersive doom passages. The trio are now set to follow up that LP with a crushing two-track release, Dire and Sulk, out via Brutal Panda Records on August 26th. From the teasers, this one seems to be a little sludgier and more on the blackened side of things, which I expect will fit these Texan post-metallers quite nicely. Stream the pre-release single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Ripped To Shreds – “Reek of Burning Freedom”
Recorded and mixed by guitar prodigy/vocalist Andrew Lee in his home studio, the forthcoming album from Ripped To Shreds, 劇變 (Jubian), out October 14th through Relapse Records, is set to be the most focused and devastating effort from the West Coast death metal outfit. The cover artwork from Chinese artist Guang Yang depicts Mazu, the Taiwanese sea goddess, awash in flames, while lead single “Reek of Burning Freedom” is an anti-war anthem shot through with buzzsaw riffage, pummeling percussion, and gurgling growls of the Nails and Skinfather variety. Watch the video for “Reek of Burning Freedom” below:
JR Slayer – Not Rotten
JR Slayer (pronounced jay-arr, not junior; just as an FYI) is the brainchild of Cody Votolato. Part character study, part creative illustration, the project pulls extensively from Votolato’s lengthy resume (Blood Brothers, Head Wound City, Jaguar Love, Telekinesis, Cold Cave) and packs it all into his debut EP, Not Rotten (out September 9th through Memory Music). The EP’s title track is a ripping slice of bubblegum pop with Votolato's gentle croon soaring over an achingly melodic guitar line. It rocks. Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
The Chats – Get Fucked
I never thought I’d see the day that Queensland’s favourite piss-wreck sons, The Chats, would land a favourable review in a “hip” music rag like Pitchfork. As Stuart Berman writes, the Sunny Coast punk hooligans are “a veritable Oi-C/DC that’s in awe of rock’n’roll’s high-voltage power and pint-sloshing communalism yet fully aware of its inherently ridiculous macho posturing.” Exceptional. Chef kiss. No notes.
In that spirit, rather than mock up my own favourable review, where I try to convince you that Get Fucked is worthy of your time and attention (editor’s note: it is), I’ll instead objectively review the establishments mentioned in the jangly 89-second album standout “I’ve Been Drunk In Every Pub In Brisbane”:
1) The Zoo: good for gigs and cheap piss; way too hot in summer (make sure you get a spot next to the windows)
2) Waterloo: close proximity to The Triffid; decent drinks and a quiet TAB
3) Breakfast aka Brekky Creek Hotel: pretty good steaks but also a little on the pricey side
4) Boundary Hotel: best O.G. pub in West End; also offers mid-week karaoke
5) Caxton: Brisbane’s best “so bad it’s good” piss-up location, had my first drink here at the tender age of 17, followed by a lapdance at The Velvet Cigar (RIP)
6) Grand Central Hotel: I haven’t had a drink here since 2006; pretty sure it’s gentrified now and likely serves assorted “Asian fusion” meals for boomers
7) Stock Exchange: dogshit; over-priced drinks and far too many footy lad types kicking around looking for chests to front; dancefloor also uses the smoke machine way too much
8) Wynnum R.S.L: I had to Google this one, but it looks like it’d have cold frothies served with a smile by a charming old digger named Glenn; definitely has pokies
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify