Weekly Roundup: March 11th
Featuring Extortion, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Excide, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Excide – “Dis(re)member”
Back in the Long, Long Ago of 2022, I spoke highly of Deliberate Revolver, the album debut from Carolina hardcore crew Excide. That record doubled down on their penchant for alt-rock accessibility, blending the stadium-sized grooves of Quicksand with the mosh-friendly aggression of Snapcase. The group have since announced their (well-deserved) signing to SharpTone Records and dropped a new two-track release for the label called Humdinger. As a taste of things to come, it’s got riffs aplenty and channels some huge mid-90s vibes, so sign me the fuck up. Watch the video for “Dis(re)member” below:
The Fever Haze – Moonbow
Grand Rapids rockers The Fever Haze have been around since the early 2010s, but they’re new to me, and the singles from their forthcoming fifth LP, Moonbow (out on March 29th through Graveface Records), keep getting stuck in my head. The Michigan quintet blend together shoegaze, folk, and dream-pop sounds with hefty keys, synthesizers, and lavish production textures, and the end result is utterly captivating. (Case in point: “I Love It Here.”) Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Stretch Arm Strong – “Illuminating”
Well, I didn’t have new music from melodic hardcore luminaries Stretch Arm Strong on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are. The beloved Carolinas five-piece have returned with a brand new six-track EP, titled The Revealing, that’s already out now in full digitally, with a physical release scheduled for May 10th via Iodine Recordings. On lead single, “Illuminating,” the band states:
“We all have a brilliant light inside of us. Our light can seem inadequate and dim in times of darkness and struggle. We may need another person to shine their light on us so that we can see a path forward. Sometimes, we can be the ones to shine the light for others.”
Listen to “Illuminating” here.
With Sails Ahead – Infinite Void
Here’s another new band on my radar, and one sourced directly from my podcast DMs. With Sails Ahead hail all the way from New Jersey, and their self-produced debut full-length Infinite Void drops on April 26th through independent release. This is really solid, progressive post-hardcore (*cough Swancore cough*) with soaring female vocals and intricate guitar progressions. If you’re a fan of groups like Hail The Sun, CHON, Makari, Tides of Man, Closure In Moscow, etc., you should hit this ASAP. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Extortion – “Snare”
Australia’s preeminent powerviolence purveyors Extortion are prepping for a new LP release, and this one’s sure to be another sonic pipebomb. It’s called Threats and drops on May 8th through independent release in Australia and Iron Lung Records for the rest of the world. This one follows 2022’s Seething and sees the band level up their destructive potential yet again. Listen to “Snare” here.
High Desert Queen – Palm Reader
I was a huge fan of Secrets of the Black Moon, the 2021 full-length debut from Texan rockers High Desert Queen, so I was joyed to see that the Austin-via-Houston quartet have now signed to the good folks over at Magnetic Eye Records and are dropping their highly anticipated sophomore follow-up, Palm Reader, on May 31st. According to their press release, the record is “bursting with raw energy and radiates the feeling of 666 diesel horses thundering loud… crammed with cool vibes, ripping leads, and a ton of desert fuzz.” Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
SeeYouSpaceCowboy – “Respite For A Tragic Tale (feat. iRiS.exe)/Silhouettes in Motion”
San Diego chaos merchants SeeYouSpaceCowboy have officially announced their highly anticipated new album, Coup De Grâce, set to be released on April 19th via Pure Noise Records. Produced by Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, Underoath, Saosin), Coup De Grâce opens with a dramatic presentation of a “sax-laden, smoky, late-night smooth jazz ballad,” drawing “the listener back to a time and place that exists decades in the past, a Moulin Rouge-esque club that’s not quite in the real world.” I’ve already had a preview of the record, and believe me, it’s a wild ride. Watch the double music video for “Respite For A Tragic Tale (feat. iRiS.EXE) / Silhouettes in Motion” below:
Conservative Military Image – No Squares in Our Circle
Conservative Military Image are on a mission to carry the torch for the “good skins.” The Chicago punkers have joined the Triple-B Records family and are celebrating the event with a June release of their new EP, No Squares in Our Circle, billed by the label as a “five-song romp of modern-day oi.” Kicking off in 2022 and inspired by the likes of Warzome, CMI bridge the divide between old-school, fist-pumping hardcore punk and skull-cracking Oi!. Fans of The Chisel, Violent Way, Béton Armé, and Puffer would do well to take notice. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2024-7 HITS playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Antenna – S/T
There’s a line in “Litte Star,” the penultimate track from 2015’s critically acclaimed High, that always hits harder in retrospect: “What’s the point of living/ If we can’t understand the truth?” Questions of philosophy and epistemic unknowability aside, it’s a query that gets right to the heart of why Antenna needed to exist.
The Sydney/Gadigal outfit is the latest musical vehicle for enigmatic former Royal Headache frontman Tim ‘Shogun’ Wall, who spent the years following the band’s untimely disintegration working a 9-to-5 court transcription job and “missing playing loud music and punk.” As Shogun told Bianca Valentino for Gimme zine last month: “It’s nice to come back in and do it on a small and humble scale, not too thirsty to make any big waves. It’s just nice to be around loud guitars and fast drums again.”
Listening to the band’s debut self-titled EP, it’s clear that this self-effacement is also a motivating factor for Antenna itself: real-deal rock songs played fast and loud with absolutely zero bullshit. But that isn’t to say Shogun’s lost any of the gut-wrenching soul that propelled his former outfits to international success. Tracks like “Don’t Cry” and “Lost” are wry, urgent and vital, while closer “Antenna State” presents Shogun at his most raw and vulnerable—a deeply honest and enthralling exorcism of past demons turned into a glorious rallying cry for better days.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
I was fortunate enough to have Mercedes Arn-Horn, one-half of Canadian riotgaze sensation Softcult, return to The Pitch pod in preparation for the band’s Australian debut as part of the inaugural New Bloom festival (March 15-17th). We talked about Softcult’s whirlwind career rise, creative expression as both desire and catharsis and the empowerment that comes from harnessing vulnerability. It’s a great chat. Check it out below:
You can also listen to my previous Hit List episode with Mercedes (TPD #036) here.