Weekly Roundup: June 27th
Featuring Narrow Head, The Comfort, Spiritbox, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
The Comfort – “Conformist”
After dropping certified banger “Love Is A Dying Plant” back in May, Brisbane alt-rockers The Comfort have finally announced the release of their long-awaited sophomore LP. Experience Everything. Live And Die. is out November 11th through Greyscale Records and was produced mixed and mastered by Jimmy Alexander (Awaken I Am, Slaves, alt.). New single “Conformist” finds vocalist, bassist and bonafide moustachio Dominic Harper taking the lead over a spacey composition with a fierce lyrical conceit: “It’s [about] quiet determination, and whilst maybe wishful thinking to an extent, it’s a song to mark the beginning of a slow uprising.” Watch the performance video for “Conformist” below:
Conan – Evidence of Immortality
English doom lords Conan don't do things by halves. Their sound is the sonic equivalent of sword and sorcery epics forged in the mind of Robert E. Howard and wielded by Austrian man-mountain Arnold Schwarzenegger—think slow, rumbling bass chords, gargantuan riffs, and heavy, crushing vocals. After their acclaimed 2018 full-length, Existential Void Guardian, the British trio are back with another slice of caveman pounding in the form of their fifth studio album, the six-track colossus Evidence of Immortality (out August 19th via Napalm Records). Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
The Mars Volta – “Blacklight Shine”
The spectacular fission of Texan outfit At The Drive-In in the early 00s remains one of alternative music’s lightning rod moments. From one universe dying, two were born anew: the searing post-hardcore of Jim Ward’s Sparta, and the profoundly weird, melting pot psych fusion of The Mars Volta. Bursting out of dormancy with their first new song in over a decade, “Blacklight Shine” finds Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López up to their old tricks again with a pulsing backbeat and dizzying vocal display. Listen to “Blacklight Shine” here.
Paganizer – Beyond The Macabre
At this point in their storied, twenty-plus-year career, Paganizer are as close to death metal veteran status as you can get. On their latest full-length record, the evocatively titled Beyond The Macabre, the Swedish quartet channel the sacred rites of acts like Grave and Dismember, unfurling frantic guitars passages, lethal harmonies, steamroller percussion, and eldritch vocal incantations. Stream the band’s towering twelfth LP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Narrow Head – “T.W.I.N.”
While there’s an almost infinite supply of groups playing hardcore with a distinct affinity for early-90s shoegaze and alt-rock, Houston outfit Narrow Head manage to do it without tipping over into self-parody. After walking that fine sonic line on 2020s outstanding 12th House Rock LP, the quintet's latest single “T.W.I.N.” keeps things fuzzy and carefree. The vocal line is forlorn enough to invite contemplation and the riffs churn and swirl in all the right ways. Pair that with the Iron Age homage going with the track’s cover artwork and title acronym, and you’ve got a band that knows their roots. Listen to “T.W.I.N.” here.
Sunstroke – Buzzer Beater
In the world of hardcore, there's probably no greater co-sign than working with scene legends. Philly outfit Sunstroke have the benefit of not one but two on their latest two-track Buzzer Beater, the final release in the band’s ongoing singles series. The tracks were engineered at Inner Ear Studios by Don Zientara, a man whose resume reaches all the way back to greats like Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Fugazi, Rites of Spring, and Jawbox, alongside mixing from Brian McTernan (Be Well, Hot Water Music, Thrice). Stream the two-track single in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Spiritbox – “Rotoscope”
As one of alternative music’s hottest prospects, it appears that Spiritbox can simply do no wrong. The former metalcore quartet may be back down to a trio, but there are no signs of discord on the group’s latest release, the surprise-dropped Rotoscope. This latest three-track EP finds the Canadians pushing the sonic envelope once again, seamlessly blending industrial and nu-metal inclinations with down-tuned mosh mayhem and frontwoman Courtney LaPlante’s indomitable vocal range. Watch the video for “Rotoscope” below:
Duvel – Talking To Ourselves
Norwegian post-punkers Duvel make some of the most addictive music this side of Silent Alarm. I absolutely adored the young Oslo outfit’s self-titled LP, and I'm beyond stoked to already have another four-track slice of new material to dig into. According to frontman Jack Holldorff, Talking To Ourselves was “written during a period of life that felt like an emotional wheel of fortune. Rather than writing about it in a way that flatters me, I have tried to approach the songs in such an honest way that it almost feels uncomfortable.” Expect Brit-pop bops about toxic masculinity and alienation as “the soundtrack for your next super unhealthy ketamine-bender.” Stream the EP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2022 TUNES playlist, updated weekly.
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.
If you haven’t already done so, check out last week’s column, In Review, for my favourite records of the year so far.
