MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Sumerlands – “Dreamkiller”
Philly rockers Sumerlands are back with a new slab of all-killer, no filler heavy metal hits. Dreamkiller, the follow-up to their 2016 self-titled debut, is out September 16th through Relapse Records and was engineered and produced by guitarist Arthur Rizk (Kreator, Power Trip, Show Me The Body). With members serving time in Eternal Champion, Leather, Dream Unending, Magic Circle, and Stone Dagger, alongside a broad swathe of influences including Elton John, Sebastian Bach, Judas Priest and Billy Joel, this LP is bound to be one of the head-bangers. Watch the video for the record’s title track below:
Mindforce – New Lords
As far as contemporary hardcore goes, it doesn’t get much better than Mindforce. Judging from the title of their latest record, the Hudson Valley bruisers know this already. On their upcoming second LP, New Lords (out September 16th through Triple B Records), the kings are back with another collection of fist-pumping face-melters, bringing their live-wire pit energy and relentless assault on the senses to the recorded medium. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Spite House – “Hope”
I first came across Québec trio Spite House through the good folks over at New Morality Zine, who were pushing the band’s initial 3-Song Promo tape. I liked what I heard then—coarse sing-a-longs and post-hardcore rhythms in the vein of Samiam, Jawbreaker and Seaweed—and I was all too eager to hear more. Well, new single “Hope,” the Montreal group’s latest effort, definitely hits that spot. The melodies are bigger, the hooks more immediate, but there’s still plenty of crunch and urgency to the bitter sounds on offer. Listen to “Hope” here.
Acephalix – Theothanatology
With a title like Theothanatology, you just know that San Fran death punks Acephalix are already on some sad boy, big brain Nietzschean shit. Referring to the philosophical belief that God is dead (and we have killed him, etc.), the band’s newest LP is their first in five years, and while that cover artwork may scream elegiac death doom, the aural content inside is far more damaging. This shit is fast and nasty with a grimy death ‘n’ roll crust flair that makes for easy listening (depending on your dispensation). Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Muttering – “Tallest Buildings”
London alt-rockers Muttering aren’t holding anything back on their latest single. While the trio’s forthcoming album Great (out September 9th through Beth Shalom) focuses on finding love and human connection in an increasingly unstable modern world, their latest single “Tallest Buildings” takes aim at the grifters, liars and charlatans that flood our media landscape, influencing everything from Brexit and inflation to existential headaches like European wars and the climate crisis. It’s powerful stuff, and fans of The Flatliners and The Menzingers would do well to seek it out. Listen to “Tallest Buildings” here.
Plague Mind – S/T
Now, I love a good supergroup, and melodic hardcore outfit Plague Mind are no exception. With Rob McFeters (ex-Love Is Red) on vocals, the band is rounded out by guitarist Roger Kilburn (Sinking Ships, Trial), bassist Jack Caron (With Honor), and drummer Bobby Hamana. With that kind of line-up, their self-titled debut release has more than enough firepower for some fierce, 2000s-era pit-starter anthems. Stream the LP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Ways Away – “Nevermind The Dog”
Speaking of supergroups, let’s talk about Ways Away. Taking a break from his time fronting hardcore mainstay Stick to Your Guns and shoegazers Trade Wind, frontman Jesse Barnett is now turning his capable pipes towards earnest and gritty melodic punk rock. Helping him in that pursuit are guitarist Sergie Loobkoff (Samiam, Knapsack, Racquet Club), drummer Jared Shavelson (BoySetsFire, The Hope Conspiracy), and bassist Ian Smith (Racquet Club). And if that formidable combo wasn’t enough, they also recruited Beau Burchell (Saosin) to produce their debut single. Watch the video for “Nevermind The Dog” below:
Innumerable Forms – Philosophical Collapse
Okay, last supergroup rant. I promise. But come on, it’s cult outfit Innumerable Forms. They’re back, baby! And by all accounts, their latest LP has been three long years in the making. Newest offering Philosophical Collapse has been three long years in the making and keeps things heavy and dark with shades of Finnish death metal and UK death doom. Considering the band’s pedigree—founder Justin DeTore (aka DFJ), guitarists Chris Ulsh (Mammoth Grinder/Power Trip/Devil Master) and Jensen Ward (Iron Lung), drummer Connor Donnegan (Genocide Pact), and bassist Doug Cho (The Rival Mob, Give)—the record’s presumptive qualities more than speak for themselves. Stream the LP’s pre-release single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Pool Kids – S/T
The real beauty of the self-titled album from Tallahassee emo rocker Pool Kids is just how rich and diverse each track becomes through sequencing. Opener “Conscious Uncoupling” sounds nothing like the anthemic single “Arm’s Length”. Off-kilter math rock sits right next to slow-burn rock numbers and full-throated emo belters. The earnest delivery of vocalist Christine Goodwyne on “Talk Too Much” flips on more restrained cuts like “Comes in Waves” and album standout “I Hope You’re Right,” yielding raw vulnerability and piercing insight in the process.
I believe that the best emo records work through transportive effects. Whether it’s taking you to a time and place you’ve never personally been to through heart-on-sleeve lyricism and poetic storytelling or the activation of melancholic nostalgia for the ways things used to be, these records transport you somewhere, metaphorically or otherwise, and make you feel something. It’s a powerful phenomenon, and I felt it for all 46 minutes of my first listen to Pool Kids.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Links to some of my other published work across the Web. Take a look, share if you feel like it, and help a brother out.
My favourite Gaslight Anthem record turned ten last week, and I was fortunate enough to chat with frontman Brian Fallon for the good folks over at BrooklynVegan. We talk about how the album came together, its reception in the early 2010s, and how it figures into the group’s recent reunion: Have a read below: