Weekly Roundup: March 17th
Featuring Gravitate, Sleep Token, Prompts, and more.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
This week’s bonus video is something a little different for the pod. With ERRA back Down Under once again for their headline run with Silent Planet and Resolve, I caught up with returning champion J.T. Cavey (also of TEXAS IN JULY) for a very wholesome Dispatch Bay episode and Q&A backstage at The Forum in Naarm/Melbourne. I sourced my questions from Reddit’s passionate r/Metalcore community (IYKYK) and put the hard word on J.T. about vocal patterns, Crocs, setlist decisions, album remixes, and more. Check it out below:
For our guest episode this week, we’ve got our KNOTFEST AUSTRALIA 2025 supercut featuring artist interviews and backstage shenanigans with HEALTH, IN HEARTS WAKE, SUNAMI, POLARIS, and returning champions ENTER SHIKARI. We chatted about their touring highlights, writing new material, playing festival sets, and hearing headliners and fest namesake Slipknot for the first time. Check it out below:
SIDE A:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
The Southern River Band – “Fuck You, Pay Me”
As someone who’s been actively working in and around the music industry for close to two decades, there isn’t another sentiment that I resonate with more than “Fuck You, Pay Me.” On their latest single, Thornlie rock’n’rollers THE SOUTHERN RIVER BAND have crafted a super catchy radio anthem in the spirit of Thin Lizzy and Powerage-era AC/DC, bolstered by a sharp live show honed to a razor’s edge in support of legends like Cold Chisel, Rose Tattoo and The Darkness. As frontman Cal Kramer puts it:
“This song is for everyone who has ever been stiffed, ripped off, bullshitted or flat out not received what they were promised. To the guilty parties (see; thief): ‘Fuck You, Pay Me.’”
Watch the video for “Fuck You, Pay Me” below:
Gravitate – Endless War b/w Dressed For Friend Requests
Naarm/Melbourne metallic hardcore outfit GRAVITATE have dropped a brand new two-track via Loudmouth Records, and it fucking rules. Their new cut “Endless War” showcases the band’s rhythmic fury and F.O.T.S. Cat Rosemary’s incendiary vocals, alongside an intense guest feature from Matt Maunder of Aussie legends MINDSNARE. Side B is a cover of “Dressed For Friend Requests” by Drop Dead Gorgeous, throwing it back to the MySpace era, with guitarist Paul Hammond lending Peter Steele-inspired clean vocals to the track. Stream the two-track release in full here (Spotify).
Prompts – “Stranger” (feat. Landon Tewers)
For years, Aussie heavyweight label Greyscale Records has been putting on for Asian bands like Fukuoka’s Paledusk and Bangkok’s Annalynn. Well, now we can add Japanese-Korean metalcore outfit PROMPTS, who have released their first single of the year, “Stranger,” featuring Landon Tewers of The Plot In You. On the track, vocalist PK states:
“I lived in Korea for 21 years before moving to Japan, and over time, I became fluent in both languages. But the more I switched between them, the more it felt like my personality changed with each one… It was confusing and sometimes even scary. I didn’t know which version of myself was real, and it felt like I was losing myself.
This song doesn’t have all the answers—I’m still lost and figuring things out. But I wanted to bring my own experiences to the music, and I hope that people going through similar things can find comfort in it and maybe, together, we can find some answers. Do you have a ‘Stranger’ inside you? Let’s figure out how to live with that part of ourselves.”
Watch the video for “Stranger” below:
Rivers of Nihil – S/T
When I last featured Pennsylvania extreme metallers RIVERS OF NIHIL in 2023, it was for the release of “The Sub-Orbital Blues” (which rocked). We now know that the single will be featured on the band’s upcoming fifth and self-titled full-length, due on May 30th through Metal Blade Records.
Like most self-titled records, this one represents a soft sonic reboot, a “return to basics and/or a fresh beginning” for the group, with founding bassist Adam Biggs slotting in as the new lead vocalist/bassist and guitarist Andy Thomas (ex-Black Crown Initiate) adding his stupendous vocal talents to the mix. Stream the LP’s pre-release single/s here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Sleep Token – “Emergence”
Is there currently a band more hyped in alternative music than SLEEP TOKEN? I doubt it. Is this hype deserved? Debatable. The anonymous collective’s latest offering, the smooth jazz aping “Emergence,” sounds like an iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove, continuing the genre-agnostic musical digressions found on 2023’s stellar Take Me Back To Eden. Now, look, your mileage may vary; however, I fuck with it, and I’m excited to hear more. But, for the love of all that’s holy, someone tell the kids to stop calling it emo. Watch the visualiser for “Emergence” here:
SIDE B & FEATURE ALBUM:
My Side B write-ups on CHARMER, IRKEN ARMADA, DEADSHOWWS, and the phenomenal new LP from COHEED AND CAMBRIA are available now on the TPD Patreon. So please consider becoming a Friend of the Show (for just $3 USD/$5 AUD per month).
You can join our alternative music community, access our existing bonus content, and send me a mildly threatening chat message with some new music you like. I’m deadly serious about this. I want your recommendations!!