Weekly Roundup: June 26th
Weekly Roundup: June 26th
Featuring As Friends Rust, Knocked Loose, Slowdive, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Knocked Loose – “Deep in the Willow/Everything is Quiet Now”
Well, just when you thought Knocked Loose couldn't possibly get any heavier, the Kentucky mosh metallers have come through with an absolutely monstrous double single drop titled Upon Loss. “Deep in the Willow” / “Everything is Quiet Now” are the first new singles since the release of their 2021 EP and head-turning short film, A Tear in the Fabric of Life, which was one of my favourite releases of that year. The quintet are also fresh off their stunning Coachella appearance, which claimed the biggest circle pit in the festival’s history. According to frontman/vocalist Bryan Garris these two new tracks “are a reminder that we are heavy, intense, and extreme.” Word. Watch the video for the Upon Loss singles below:
As Friends Rust – Any Joy
Gainesville melodic punks As Friends Rust have finally announced their long-awaited new full-length, Any Joy, set for release on August 18th on End Hits Records. This new seven-track LP marks their first new music since 2020 and first full album since 2001. The lead single “Positive Mental Platitude” takes aim at emojis as a shallow and fake aesthetic of feeling and emotional resonance. As vocalist Damien Moyal puts it, the track is:
“About performative concern, using Facebook’s ‘Care reaction’ emoji to symbolize the fairly empty gestures we make to show solidarity or sympathy without getting too close. … Reflexively. It’s not without its merits. I do it. But it’s not particularly meaningful, either. Sweet, but no staying power.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Rivers of Nihil – “The Sub-Orbital Blues”
Extreme metallers Rivers of Nihil have been relatively quiet as of late. The band released The Work LP back in 2021, and they’ve since spent the first few months of 2023 hard at work in the studio, with four singles planned for release from that session before they get cracking on their next full-length studio album. The first new single, “The Sub-Orbital Blues,” is out now and as lead vocalist/bassist Adam Biggs explains:
“This song is about the dichotomy of living in a 21st-century society rife with scientific and technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and ever more sophisticated space travel while also dealing with the increasing threat of old world problems like out-of-control governments and the looming threat of world war.”
Listen to “The Sub-Orbital Blues” here.
Coach Party – KILLJOY
Alt-rock outfit Coach Party hail from the remote Isle of Wight in the English Channel and are self-described as “nobodies who came from nowhere.” The quartet have been honing their craft over the last few years, releasing three EPs and playing 120 shows in 2022. The group’s debut album KILLJOY is set for release on September 8th via Chess Club Records. It’s a lightning-in-a-bottle record, roaring through ten tracks in just 27 minutes, channelling the attitude of 90s riot-grrrl, chiming indie rock and dance-worthy electro-pop. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
Baroness – “Last Word”
Philadelphia-meets-Brooklyn rockers Baroness are one of my favourite bands of all time. Vocalist/guitarist John Baizley has an instantly recognisable vocal range and artistic vision, and the group’s sixth LP, Stone, out on Sept. 15 via Abraxan Hymns, is no exception. It’s also the follow-up to 2019’s Gold & Grey, marking a new chapter moving beyond their previously chromatically-themed records. The quartet self-produced the album, with Baizley recording and pre-mixing each track in real time, “giving each song its own sonic treatment” with additional mixing from Joe Barresi (Kyuss, Tool) and mastering from guru Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Nirvana). Listen to the lead single “Last Word” here.
Move – Black Radical Love
Boston heavy-hitters Move make politically charged music with passionate vehemence. The quintet have announced the upcoming release of Black Radical Love, their debut full-length album set for release on August 11th through Triple B Records. For vocalist Corey Charpentier:
“The record deals with our current position living underneath the US Imperialist state, specifically a Black experience. The need for revolutionary change and the fact people are actively building a better future right now.”
Given the absolute banner year hardcore has experienced in 2023, this one is likely to set the bar even higher for heavy music with a message. Charpentier adds: “The songs are meant as a call to act, I want people to listen to these tracks and then move to better their conditions.” Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Slowdive – “kisses”
Shoegaze luminaries Slowdive are returning to the fold with their long-awaited fifth album, titled everything is alive, which arrives on September 1st through Dead Oceans. The record initially started as a studio project in 2020 that was scrapped during the pandemic, with the group starting up again six months later with reinvigorated spirits and the fruits of collective decision-making. As vocalist/guitarist Rachel Goswell explains, “Slowdive is very much the sum of its parts. Something unquantifiable happens when the five of us come together in a room.” Check out the dreamy video for “kisses” below:
Mutoid Man – Mutants
Fuzzed-out metal supergroup Mutoid Man are back with their first LP in six years. It’s called Mutants and drops on July 28th through Sargent House. The New York trio features Steve Brodsky (Cave In), Ben Koller (Converge, Killer Be Killed) and Jeff Matz (High on Fire), and it’s no real surprise that such an esteemed pedigree produces heavy, groove-laden metal with a classic rock sensibility that isn’t afraid to get a little trippy, progressive and psychedelic. 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.
Trophy Eyes – Suicide and Sunshine
The first time I heard 2016’s Chemical Miracle, the second LP from Aussie rockers Trophy Eyes, I got literal goosebumps. I knew instantly that that record would be something special to me and the band, and several years later, that feeling has only become more certain as their career has progressed from strength to strength.
On their fourth studio album, Suicide and Sunshine, out now via Hopeless Records, the quartet continue to push beyond their roots in hardcore punk, delving ever further into alternative and pop territory with the introduction of sharp synths, dark modern pop influences, and tasteful electronic flourishes courtesy of co-producer Fletcher Matthews.
“It’s where we are, it’s who we are just doing the stuff we like,” says frontman and lyricist John Floreani. “It was just the guys getting together and focusing on our relationships, being brothers and being in a band again. And that’s what this record was for Trophy Eyes – a very happy revisiting of why the fuck we’re doing this in the first place.” And it’s this refreshing sense of honesty and clarity of purpose that makes Suicide and Sunshine a total game-changer. It’s easily one of the year’s best records and an utterly essential listen.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Are you all caught up with The Pitch pod? If not… well, you should be. What the hell is wrong with you? Friend of the show Luke Harriss recently joined the pod to run through each phase of his musical journey from burgeoning adolescent to frontman and resident throat-shredder for Brisbane/Gold Coast heavy hitters She Cries Wolf. 90s pop-punk, nu-metal, hardcore, metalcore and everything in between—it’s all here in Luke’s expansive, twenty-five-year Hit List. Check it out below: