Weekly Roundup: July 10th
Featuring C.O.F.F.I.N, Feverchild, Ratboys, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
C.O.F.F.I.N – “Give Me A Bite”
Sydney hard rockers C.O.F.F.I.N have announced their fifth full-length studio album. Australia Stops is the highly-anticipated follow-up from their monumental 2020 release, Children In Finland Fighting In Norway (which is also their namesake; get it?), and is set for release on September 15th via Damaged Record Co. The album comes off the back of a massive 12 months of touring across Europe, the UK, the US, and Australia, where they were also the main support for mates Amyl & The Sniffers on their world tour. It was recorded at The Pet Food Factory studio with producer Jason Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb) and features high-voltage guitars, pounding rhythms, and clever hooks. It’s ah, how you say, “good shit.” Watch the video for “Give Me A Bite” below:
Oromet – S/T
Alright, so I totally dropped the ball on this one, which came out back in early June, but it’s been a hectic few weeks. Sacramento funeral doom duo Oromet—consisting of Dan Aguilar (guitars, vocals) and Patrick Hills (drums, bass, synth, backing vocals)—came through with their stunning debut album, and this thing absolutely rules. Immense, melancholic tracks cut through with orchestral sections, swirling synths, textural ambience, and a heavy dose of glacial low-end rumble. (Also, peep that incredibly eye-catching album artwork from visual artist Ted Nasmith. Gorgeous!) Stream the LP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Feverchild – “See Through Wedding Gown”
The good folks over at Sunday Drive Records do not miss. They’ve consistently been coming through keep coming through with the goods for years, and emo rockers Feverchild are no exception. The Belgian quintet are back with a shiny new single titled “See Through Wedding Gown,” and it serves as a first hint of new material before their proper EP release and vinyl announcement. It’s a churning and emotive number that’ll sit well with anyone holding on to a fondness for acts like Texas Is The Reason, Mineral, and Sense Field—aka that iconic second-wave emo. Listen to “See Through Wedding Gown” here.
Creak – Depth Perception
UK metallers Creak are a new band on my radar, with their debut album, Depth Perception, coming out on August 18th through Prosthetic Records. Curiously, the promo material for the record lumps them in with nu-metalcore (yes, that's N-U) and speaks to a nu-metal-influenced sound overall. Now, that may be true, but the low-end grime of the LP’s recording (courtesy of producer Connor Sweeney) lends it a more hard-hitting late 90s/early 00s metalcore sound that, to my ear anyway, throws back to the subgenre’s discordant precursors; think Deadguy, Disembodied, early Cave In, etc. Regardless, it’s still heavy, aggressive and angry as shit. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Ratboys – “The Window”
I’ve always enjoyed Chicago indie rockers Ratboys and the material from their forthcoming LP, The Window (out August 25th through Topshelf Records), is shaping up to be their most delightful collection of songs yet. The record was produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie fame, who’s also worked with Tegan and Sara, Foxing, and Pinegrove (among others), and according to their press material: “The sessions struck the perfect balance between preparation and experimentation, injecting new life into the band’s style of soft-hearted Midwestern indie rock with an ever so subtle Americana twist.” Listen to “The Window” here.
J.O.Y – Fantasy
Well, we’ve got a surprise EP release from Sydney/Gadigal hardcore outfit J.O.Y (Jokes On You) out now as a joint release through Last Ride Records and New Ethic Records. Fantasy is fast, unrelenting hardcore punk made with spite, bile, and clenched fists. The members are all-stars of current and former hardcore outfits, and I’m stoked to see them this weekend at the A Cold Day In BNE festival alongside a veritable swath of Australian hardcore & metal talent. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HUNNY – “big star”
L.A. outfit HUNNY have signed to Epitaph Records and are dropping a new record titled HUNNY's New Planet Heaven (out October 6th), which the Cali quartet describes as “rock & roll pop music.” Can’t argue with that, really. The twelve-track album was recorded with producer Derek Ted, who’s also collaborated with Illuminati Hotties and Runnner, and I also saw that Motion City Soundtrack frontman Justin Courtney Pierre pops up for a cheeky guest feature, too—so that’s cool. Check out the video for “big star” below:
Perennial – The Leaves of Autumn Symmetry
I featured New England avant-garde punks Perennial in this newsletter some years ago, and I’ve been patiently waiting for the group to drop some new material ever since. Now they’ve delivered; well, kind of. (You’ll see.) The band are throwing it back to 2017 with a stylish reworking of their debut album, The Symmetry of Autumn Leaves. They’ve produced a high-fidelity, “studio-as-instrument” reworking of five songs from that LP, re-recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Chris Teti (TWIABPAINLWTD), rechristened as The Leaves Of Autumn Symmetry (get it?). The full EP is out on September 1st, and I’m stoked to dive into old songs made new again. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2023 CUTS playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Better Lovers – God Made Me An Animal
I had no doubt that when metalcore supergroup Better Lovers got around to dropping their first official release, it would absolutely crush. And folks, am I ever wrong? (Owen’s wife acting as impromptu surrogate editor: “Yes.”)
With a lineup this star-studded, God Made Me An Animal was never going to be lacking in quality: Jordan Buckley, Clayton “Goose” Holyoak, and Stephen Micciche on guitar, drums and bass, respectively (all formerly of Every Time I Die); the idiosyncratic vocal stylings of one Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Black Queen, Killer Be Killed), and master producer Will Putney of well ….everything on second guitar (but also Fit For An Autopsy and END).
What we get on this four-track EP is exactly what the above scenario spells out for you: aggressive mathcore ragers that swerve and dive with a mix of technical ferocity, Southern rock swagger, and soaring melodic heft, anchored at all times by Puciato’s sultry croon and piercing shriek. It’s insanely good stuff, and I want more immediately.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
We Set Sail are dead. They played their final show on Saturday night, and it was glorious and bittersweet in equal measure. Before the Brisbane quintet gathered friends and family to witness their last epic voyage over that distant sonic horizon, drummer Ben Breitenstein and vocalist/guitarist Paul Voge stopped by The Pitch pod by for an all-encompassing retrospective chat. Alongside a selection of sad bastard bangers from the group’s fifteen-year-long back catalogue, we talk about first jams and condemned rehearsal spaces, international supports and credit card debt, and ideas of fatherhood, family and legacies to leave behind. Have a listen below:
I love Ratboys but haven’t checked out the new singles yet. I need to remedy that.