Weekly Roundup: January 15th
Featuring Pissed Jeans, King Yosef, Gouge Away, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Gouge Away – “Stuck in a Dream”
Floridian hardcore punk outfit Gouge Away have unveiled the details for their upcoming LP, Deep Sage, which drops on March 15th through Deathwish Inc. It’s been three years between records for the Fort Lauderdale quintet, and this one finds the group reconnecting from different parts of the US in a post-COVID world over a collection of songs that are urgent, abrasive, and deceptively melodic. The 11-track record was recorded completely analog and almost entirely live, with vocalist Christina Michelle projected into the live room from an isolation booth to best capture the band’s raw, energetic sound. Watch the video for “Stuck in a Dream” below:
Prize Horse – Under Sound
Fuzzed-out rockers Prize Horse are prepping their debut album for the good folks at Chicago’s New Morality Zine. It’s titled Under Sound and has a scheduled release for February 16th. I’ve been following these guys since 2021 and the release of their Welder EP, and to my ear, it feels like vocalist/guitarist Jake Beitel is more at home in his role as the band’s frontman and lyricist. His vivid imagery and gentle harmonies are amplified by the trio's deft approach to soft/loud dynamics, which twist and turn in unconventional ways. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Gates to Hell – “Resurrected”
Lousiville upstarts Gates To Hell have announced their signing to Nuclear Blast and the beginning of work on their debut full-length for the label following their 2022 self-titled album. The group (who features Trey Garris on drums, also of straight-edge moshers WEAPON X, and the younger brother of Knocked Loose frontman Bryan Garriss) have appeared on line-ups for LDB Fest, Milwaukee Metal Fest, and New England Metal Fest, along with support for legacy acts like Machine Head and Fear Factory. They’re doing the old-school death metal meets hardcore hybrid—think less “deathcore” and more like The Red Chord, Kruelty, and Terminal Nation—and they’re doing it really well. Listen to “Resurrected” here.
Shedfromthebody – Amare
This one was technically released last year, but it was December 22nd, so I’m saying it counts for new releases. Okay? Cool. (Hey, this is my beat, and I’m making the rules here.) This record was a recommendation from
in their Starkweather newsletter—go check that out if you're into all kinds of heavy music. It’s a solo project from Finnish artist Suvi Savikko under the alias shedfromthebody, and their latest full-length is called Amare. It’s packed full of lush doomgaze with a hefty knack for knockout grunge hooks. This shit is utterly hypnotic and cool as hell. Stream the album in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).The Chisel – “Those Days”
Rowdy oi-punkers The Chisel have dropped another heater from their forthcoming sophomore album, the excellently titled What A Fucking Nightmare, which is out on February 9th through Pure Noise Records. Much like 2021’s Retaliation, their latest record promises to be chock full of arm-in-arm, fists-up singalongs perfect for finger-pointing and pint-swilling. Their most recent single, “Those Days,” is a sneakily wistful nostalgic reflection on the good ol’ glory days, the people who were there with you in the trenches, and the bonds formed through unity–whether it be through blood, sweat or beers. Listen to “Those Days” here.
Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites
I’ve been following Philly rockers Sheer Mag for over half a decade now, and while they clearly have the chops to embody that classic radio heyday rock spirit, I haven’t found a release that’s fully clicked. This all appears to change with their latest album, Playing Favorites, coming out through Jack White’s Third Man Records on March 1st. Originally conceived as a four-track disco-inspired EP, the quartet quickly realised that the material would be better served with bigger and louder rock production, and they fleshed things out for an album. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Pissed Jeans – “Moving On”
Speaking of Philadelphia, post-punk aggravators Pissed Jeans are back with another record. It’s called Half Divorced, and it’s also dropping on March 1st through Sub Pop. Their latest album follows on from 2017’s Why Love Now LP, and it’s motivated by a powerful sense of refusal and disavowal. As frontman Matt Korvette put it:
“Half Divorced has an aggression within it, in terms of saying, I don’t want this reality. There’s a power in being able to say, I realize you want me to pay attention to these things, but I’m telling you that they don’t matter. I’m already looking elsewhere.”
Watch the clip for “Moving On” below:
King Yosef – Cut The Cord b/w Shame’s Mirror
I’m super pumped to catch the King Yosef live show not once but twice this week, and having new tracks to jam (since 2023’s An Underlying Hum) is now an added bonus. The lead single, “Cut The Cord,” is a glitchy and frantic metallic hardcore banger with angular grooves and caustic vocals, which is then paired up with the more meditative “Shame’s Mirror” B-side. As Yosef states:
“In ‘Cut the Cord,’ I am processing the death of a terrible person in my life and finding that I am left with no hate. All the hate I had for this person has been transformed into a tool that makes me stronger. Hate is a tool. My life is the revenge.”
Stream the two-track single in full 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.
Cosmic Joke – S/T
If you’re like me (a mid-30s millennial), chances are you spent a not-insignificant amount of time ripping into Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. If not, well… I feel sad for you, but I’m also here to tell you that the soundtrack slapped and Californian outfit Cosmic Joke channel that exact vibe effortlessly.
Their debut self-titled full-length is a collaborative release between Triple B Records and HardLore Records (yes, of the podcast fame), and it features nine tracks of raging hardcore punk with a big ol’ hard-on for the meaty melodic hooks of classic 90s punk-pop—think Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, NOFX, the Descendents, and Punk-O-Rama compilations. As the band stated in a feature interview with No Echo:
“We do consider ourselves a hardcore band, but in the same way, I’d consider Bad Religion or early NOFX hardcore bands. We want our songs to be aggressive but aren’t concerned with being hard, which I think is an important distinction. I think there is a fine line to walk with melody as well as tougher parts.”
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
In the name of shameless nostalgia, last week’s bonus episode of The Pitch pod was a guest-less special composed of All-Aussie hits from the long, long ago of 2004: a distant and whimsical era of physical music magazines, merch table CD samplers, Myspace Top 8’s, bootleg Kazaa downloads, and Channel V’s Heavy Shi[f]t programming–all ripe entry points for teenage musical discovery. Come ride down Memory Lane! Check it out below: