MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Slowly Slowly – “Daisy Chain”
After edging the alternative community for over a year now, Melbourne rockers Slowly Slowly have finally announced the release of their next full-length album. Titled Daisy Chain, the twelve-track record features previously released banger tracks “Nothing On,” “Blueprint,” and “Forget You,” alongside a sneaky Chris Carrabba guest feature. If the quartet’s singles have been any indication, this LP should see their fusion of indie rock and dancefloor pop fully realised, and I can’t wait to give it a listen. Watch the video for the title track below:
Cold Gawd – God Get Me The Fuck Out of Here
I put the spotlight on Rancho Cucamonga shoegazers and Dais Records signees Cold Gawd back in March, noting how their unique blend of lush textures, early ‘00s nu-gaze, and R‘n’B melodies made for an intoxicating mix. Well, now we have a whole new LP of material to look forward to, with the impeccably titled God Get Me The Fuck Out Of Here (out September 23rd) overflowing with wounded instrumentals, churning rhythms, lo-fi longing, and California-based multi-instrumentalist Matt Wainwright’s “distant, defeated voice, veiled in violet haze.” Perfect. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Brutus – “Dust”
We haven’t heard from Brutus since the release of 2020’s impressive single “Sand.” And frankly, that’s just too long for any band, let alone a brutal force of nature like this Belgian trio. Thankfully, new track “Dust” combines everything that makes Brutus great and stretches it out for a totally lush and strained five-and-a-half-minute run. With vocalist/drummer Stefanie Mannaerts pounding away on the rhythm section, spaghetti western guitar accents crash against furious riffage and epic vocal refrains. As for the track’s lyrical focus, the band are honest and direct with their intent: “It’s a song about being at breaking point; pissed off about everything and everyone.” Hell yeah. Listen to “Dust” here.
Nicolas Cage Fighter – The Bones That Grew From Pain
With quite possibly one of the best and most metal band names in existence, Aussie bruisers Nicolas Cage Fighter are finally getting ready to slam on the international stage. The group have been grinding away Down Under for over a decade now, and with the impending release of their debut album, The Bones That Grew From Pain (out July 22nd) through label heavyweights Metal Blade Records, it’s safe to say that foreign audiences will soon get to glimpse the quartet’s diabolical mix of death metal, grind, and metallic hardcore in person. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
The Flatliners – “Souvenir”
Back in the Long, Long Ago of the 2010s, The Flatliners were the Great White Hope of Canadian beardpunks everywhere: the group’s third LP, Cavalcade, still acts as an orgcore Rosetta Stone, alongside frontman Chris Cresswell’s delicate, gruffworthy croon being the envy of dive bar karaoke everywhere. On their upcoming album, New Ruin (out August 5th through Fat Wreck Chords) the Ontario quartet are up to their old tricks, throwing down infectious barn burners that aren’t afraid to get a little mellow. This is five pints deep music at its best, and I’m excited to see where they take things for LP#6. Listen to “Souvenir” here.
Ben Haskins – Dinner Party
Bandcamp is full of musicians operating in a realm I like to call ‘Solitary Man Plays What He Wants and Gets to Call the Shots’. It’s certainly a prolific space for micro-genre artists, and Ben Haskins fits it like a glove. With a selection of self-released EPs and albums to his name, Haskins’ latest entry Dinner Party plays like a throwback to post-rock’s exploratory heyday: superbly mixed and grandly composed instrumentals that ebb, flow, and swirl around theme and leitmotif. Fans of Explosions In The Sky and God Is An Astronaut would do well to seek this out. Stream the album in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Gaerea – “Salve”
Black metal is, at its core, about hostility and antipathy. As Aaron Weaver from Wolves in the Throne Room put it, “the essence that unites artists within black metal. It is a revolt against the modern world.” And while they may do it with more theatricality and higher production values than most, Portuguese collective Gaerea are still very much in touch with that essence. While we'll have to wait until later this year to fully devour the band's third full-length album, Mirage (out September 23rd through Season of Mist), their devastating new single “is an excruciating voyage into the vortex’s abyss. A burning carriage which will lead us all to the golden walls of mental catharsis and endless suffocating whispers trapped within our bleeding corpses.” Watch the video for “Salve” below:
Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality
I love a good riff as much as the next guy, but Belgian progressive post-metal outfit Psychonaut might just have me beat. On their forthcoming LP, Violate Consensus Reality (out October 28th via Pelagic Records), the trio have expanded their sense of dynamics and melody further than ever before, with lofty vocal harmonies intertwined around clean guitar lines and crushing doom passages. It’s a heady mix, for sure, but an entirely welcome one. Stream the LP’s pre-release single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).