Weekly Roundup: February 21st
Featuring Ballista, These Arms Are Snakes, Inclination, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Inclination – “Thoughts and Prayers”
Ever since hardcore unit Inclination dropped their absolutely monstrous When Fear Turns To Confidence EP back in the long, long ago of 2019, I’ve been patiently waiting for the Louisville straight-edge crew to return with another vicious blast of ‘90s metallic hardcore goodness. The band’s latest single—part of their two-track A Glimpse Through the Lens release—does my expectation justice and then some with a punishing excoriation of political maleficence set to ass-beating verses and stomping beatdown sections. Watch the performance video for “Thoughts and Prayers” below:
Bloom Parade – Love Songs
Brisbane quintet Bloom Parade dropped a new EP this past Valentine’s Day in the form of a six-track effort titled Love Songs. According to the band, the EP was recorded in January last year and represents “the culmination of songs written in the 3 years preceding — composed in attempts to untangle the ebbs and flows of relationships both platonic and romantic.” Heavy stuff. Fans of that sweet spot in the middle of the alt-rock meets shoegaze Venn diagram will be stoked. Stream the EP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
These Arms Are Snakes – “Camera Shy”
With one of the most ‘00s sounding band names in existence, These Arms Are Snakes have managed to retain near-mythical status in the annals of the post-hardcore canon. The serpentine and noise rock aping “Camera Shy” features on the Seattle group’s forthcoming double LP, Duct Tape & Shivering Crows: a rarities and one-off collection due for release on April 15th through Suicide Squeeze Records. I recently saw someone refer to the track as if “Jesus Lizard binged on King Crimson’s Red” and that comparison feels perfectly apt here. Listen to “Camera Shy” here.
Sunflower Bean – Headful of Sugar
Sunflower Bean are returning with their first studio album in four years. Headful of Sugar, out May 6th on Mom + Pop/Liberator Music, follows 2018’s Twentytwo in Blue and finds the band “navigating the agony and ecstasy of contemporary American life.” Of the two tracks released so far, both offer up dark and glossy slices of art-pop with splashes of piano and belted vocals from vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming. I’m definitely curious to see what the NYC trio has in store on this one. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Caracara – “Strange Interactions in the Night”
Philly emo powerhouse Caracara have dropped a melancholic and glittery new single, “Strange Interactions in the Night,” along with the announcement for their forthcoming LP. New Preoccupations will be out March 25th through producer wunderkind Will Yip’s Memory Music label, and the record largely focuses on vocalist and guitarist Will Lindsay’s relationship with alcohol. I’m expecting some sad songs and (hopefully) some light peeking out from all that dark. Listen to “Strange Interactions in the Night” here.
Don’t Get Lemon – Hyper Hollow Heaven
I’ve been on a bit of a post-punk bender lately and I came across Don’t Get Lemon after six or seven errant Bandcamp hyperlink jumps. The Texas-based trio describe their sound as “heatwave,” and I mean, sure, why not? The world always needs more sub-genre bifurcation. Listening to cuts from Hyper Hollow Heaven (out March 29th on à La Carte Records), there’s an emphasis on woozy and disorienting textures, along with the yearning loneliness and resignation that makes post-punk and other wave-adjacent soundscapes so moody and alluring. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Chubby and The Gang – “Who Loves Ya (Coup d’etat)”
Pint spilling Brit punks Chubby and The Gang have also used Valentine’s Day as the occasion for love of a different kind: specifically, the release of a surprise three-track EP titled Labour of Love. The EP’s hip-shaking lead single “Who Loves Ya? (Coup d'état)” mellows out the band’s more boisterous pub rock hardcore side for a catchy little ditty about love of all stripes, backed by a jangly guitar solo and sticky chorus harmonies. It’s sweet and fun, and I can’t wait to see the band bring this energy Down Under in May on their tour supporting The Bronx. Watch the video for “Who Loves Ya (Coup d’etat)” below:
Ballista – Ballista Territory
If you’re after a quick injection of adrenaline this week, look no further than Dallas-Fort Worth bruisers Ballista. Their newest LP, Ballista Territory, is hard as concrete and, quite simply, rips. You can mosh to it, dance to it, headbang to it, punch on to it, scream to it—all this and more. It’s a quick ‘n’ dirty crop of heavy ass metallic hardcore and it should absolutely help you get that white-knuckle fix you so desperately need. Stream the LP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2022 TUNES playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Foreign Hands – Bleed the Dream
Poison of Well’s sophomore LP, the mighty Tear from the Red (2002), officially turned twenty this week. And yet, while it’s an album I adore deeply and will happily defend as a landmark metalcore record, it’s often overlooked by sub-genre enthusiasts in favour of the band’s groundbreaking 1999 debut The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation. (Relax, you pedants. This is a deliberate self-own.) For me, Tear from the Red successfully meshes the screamo and post-hardcore tendencies of that era while also retaining the band’s signature heaviness.
In many ways, this is how I feel about Bleed the Dream. Back in January, I declared Delaware quintet Foreign Hands to be following the formula for the perfect metalcore record from my overstuffed brain. Well, having now listened to said EP several times over, I can confirm that the record feels like taking a tour through metalcore’s early ‘00s Golden Age. “Anemoia” opens with a thunderous cavalcade destined to make the most ardent early Cave In adopter quake in their boots, while devastating lead single “Separation Souvenir” acts as the spiritual successor to the 7 Angels 7 Plagues throne—punchy snare hits, angular lead riffs, spoken word vocals and all.
Thankfully, just like Poison The Well, Foreign Hands aren’t afraid to embrace their penchant for melody either. After breakneck verse transitions, “A Cardiac Winter” and the EP’s title track both open up into spacious chorus lines that could easily slot into Glassjaw or From Autumn To Ashes tracks, proving just how adept Foreign Hands are at pairing sleek and powerful melodies with their more abrasive textures. Truthfully, if there’s a metalcore EP people will look back on fondly in the radioactive wasteland of 2042, it will be Bleed the Dream.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
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