Weekly Roundup: August 5th
Featuring Public Opinion, Horse Doctor, Better Lovers, and more.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Plovers are dead. Well, almost. It’s certainly not from a lack of trying, though, and at least they’ve got one hell of a record to play themselves out. I caught up with two-thirds of “Melbourne's 9th most popular post-hardcore band” to discuss their untimely soon-to-be demise (RIP), the protracted journey to their phenomenal debut album release (more on that below), our yearning desire for critical thinking and self-reflection, and why billionaires don’t deserve defending. It’s a long one but a fun one, and you can check it out in full below:
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Now, on with the words…
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
The Comfort – “The Weight of the World”
Brissy alt-rockers The Comfort have dropped a new existential heater titled “The Weight of the World”. Initially intended for a heavier side project, the band teamed up with renowned producer Callan Orr (Dream On Dreamer) for their first new music in two years, following 2022’s brilliant Experience Everything. Live and Die LP. As co-vocalist and bassist Dominic Harper explains:
“We decided that this just had to be a Comfort song, despite its clearly different style to what we usually write. I guess we found that once you add the vocals, it becomes The Comfort. There are a few other heavy songs similar to this floating around that might one day make it out of the vault, but this one felt like it couldn’t wait.”
Watch the video for “The Weight of the World” below:
Horse Doctor – A Place For Us
I get a lot of stuff landing in my inbox from week to week, and very occasionally, that kind of unbidden discovery yields something interesting. Case in point: Horse Doctor from Montreal and their recent sophomore album, A Place For Us. Containing “high-intensity screamo tracks to downtempo 90s inspired post-hardcore,” there’s stuff on this record that reminds me of Rivals Schools, At The Drive-In, Fugazi, and more. It’s great and worth checking out. Stream the LP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Undeath – “Brandish The Blade”
Rochester death metallers Undeath make one of the hardest things look effortless: making caveman death metal look and sound fun as hell. The quintet are back with their forthcoming third album, More Insane, which arrives on October 4th via Prosthetic Records, and I am P.U.M.P.E.D. As the band states on the record release:
“More Insane is the biggest, baddest, nastiest UNDEATH record yet by every conceivable metric. It’s a fucking sick death metal record for sick death metal freaks, and anyone out there who can appreciate the transcendent power of a good riff played fast on distorted electric guitars. No bullshit whatsoever — not even for a second.”
Let’s fucking goooooooo. Listen to “Brandish The Blade” here.
High Vis – Guided Tour
In true London fashion, High Vis fuse their UK hardcore roots with shades of post-punk, Brit-pop, neo-psychedelia, and even a dash of Madchester groove. On the quintet’s upcoming third album, Guided Tour, dropping on October 18th through Dais Records, it makes for an expansive sound that’s equal parts hooks, melody, and mosh pits. Recorded over a few weeks at Holy Mountain Studios in London with producer Jonah Falco (Fucked Up, Home Front) and engineer Stanley Gravett, Guided Tour is, according to vocalist Graham Sayle, “trying to be a hopeful record while also being incensed”:
“Everyone’s scratching, everyone’s working all the time, and their idea of relaxing is just getting fucked and avoiding reality. This album is an escape from that.”
The band will also make their Australian debut in a few weeks as part of a SPEED tour package alongside US beatdown juggernaut Pain of Truth and Singapore hardcore crew Fuse. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Teenage Joans / Between You & Me – “1800-PAINLESS”
To celebrate their upcoming 17-date co-headline regional run of the same name around Australia throughout August and September, Adelaide’s Teenage Joans have teamed up with Melbourne’s Between You & Me for a classic pop-punk collab out now via Domestic La La. Teenage Joans called it an “absolute monster of a track,” while the lads in Between You & Me said:
“It was awesome to get into the studio with the TJ legends and write a song together. The song has all the flavours of both bands, and it absolutely rips.”
If you’re a fan of power chords, driving rhythms, and effortless vocal interplay telling tales of romantic despair, then this is for you. Listen to the single “1800-PAINLESS” here.
Better Lovers – Highly Irresponsible
After teasing things out for close to a year, we finally have confirmation of the highly anticipated debut album from heavy supergroup Better Lovers. It’s titled Highly Irresponsible, and it’ll arrive on October 25th via SharpTone Records. As frontman and F.O.T.S. Greg Puciato explains:
“Everyone really brought their best to the album and brought out the best in each other, and that goes for everyone behind the scenes, too. I’m honestly just over here happy that I fit the word ‘buddy’ into a song.”
We all love little victories, don’t we, folks? Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
Public Opinion – “Drawn From Memory”
Speaking of debuts, Denver punks Public Opinion are also coming through with their first full-length album, Painted On Smile, due out on September 6th via Convulse Records. The record was co-produced by past collaborators Ian Shelton (Militarie Gun, Regional Justice Center) and Taylor Young (Twitching Tongues, God’s Hate). According to vocalist Kevin Hart:
“We really wanted to try and expand the sound of the band more. That early 2000s stuff like The Strokes, The Hives, and Bloc Party was really important to us when we were kids, and I think this time we let a lot more of that infiltrate into what we were doing, and we ended up stumbling on more of our own sound.”
Watch the clip for “Drawn From Memory” below:
Ripped To Shreds – Sanshi
In traditional Chinese folklore, Yan Luo Wang, The God of Hell, sits on a majestic throne, passing judgement on the dead as herald of his demonic court. So, if that sumptuous cover artwork and morbid fixation on death and the afterlife gets your veins popping, then you’ll wanna become familiar with San Jose underground metallers Ripped To Shreds. Helmed by frontman and guitar prodigy Andrew Lee, the band are returning with their new record, Sanshi, out September 27th through Relapse Records. Stream the LP’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.
Plovers – Fear The Man Who Hides In Light
It’s perhaps oddly fitting that just when we need them the most, Plovers will cease to be. The Naarm/Melbourne post-hardcore trio pushed through all manner of personal struggles to drag their phenomenal debut album, Fear The Man Who Hides In Light, kicking and screaming into the world.
In the end, even with a stunning statement of intent and sonic vision on display, the only logical endpoint for the group was to walk hand-in-hand into oblivion with their heads held high and friendships intact. And truthfully, that’s a fate better than most.
As vocalist/guitarist Jared Chappell croons on the album’s stunning, alto-sax accompanied penultimate track, “Shade”:
nothing changes anymore
i don't know what i was before
but i am lost without a way to know
that i can leave here