Weekly Roundup: May 13th
Featuring Bad Neighbour, Armlock, Bleeding Through, and more.
Greetings!
I had a whole bunch of new subscribers sign up for the newsletter last week (big shout-out to
for the referrals!), so I thought I’d jump in at the top this week and say what’s up. Thank you and welcome.You’ll receive the Weekly Roundup in your inbox every Monday with my selection of new alternative music from the previous week (the ‘Mosh Pithy’ segment) and then my brief thoughts on a new release album that’s worth checking out (the ‘Heavy Mettle’ segment).
I’ll also include links to the companion podcast to this newsletter (which you can follow on Spotify and Instagram), alongside other errant pieces of writing I might have floating around the Internet (the ‘Erroneous Botch’ segment).
Got it? Good? Great. Let’s go!
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Reliqa – “Dying Light”
Scroll right to the bottom for some more thoughts on Reliqa, but for now, let’s chat about the third single from their forthcoming debut LP, Secrets of the Future, out May 31st through Greyscale and Nuclear Blast Records. “Dying Light” is a progressive metalcore rager showcasing the band’s signature sound and newfound confidence. As affable frontwoman Monique Pym puts it:
“This one is all about the attitude—it’s got a level of sass and femininity that we haven't explored before, with a dirty, riffy groove to keep it grounded.”
Watch the video for “Dying Light” below:
Twowayradio – Say No
I recently came across photos of NYHC legend Walter Schreifels (of Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Quicksand, and Rival Schools fame) in the studio with a band that I’d never heard of. They’re a young trio from NYC called Twowayradio, and “Say No” is their debut single. If you fuck with any kind of emo, grunge, or post-hardcore from the 90s, this one’s for you. Stream the single in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Bleeding Through – “Our Brand Is Chaos”
Metalcore veterans Bleeding Through are back and going harder than ever before. The latest single from the Southern Cali sextet is titled “Our Brand Is Chaos,” and it’s out now through SharpTone Records. The song serves as an intense taster of the band’s forthcoming material, so definitely “watch this space”. According to lead vocalist Brandan Schieppati:
“‘Our Brand Is Chaos’ is a statement. This is about the unrivalled support from our fans, friends, and families. Together, we are imperfectly perfect, pure chaos and all love. Let this be our anthem through dark times. ‘Fuck with us and find out.’”
Listen to “Our Brand Is Chaos” here.
Bleached Cross & The True Faith – Columns of Impenetrable Light
I’ve featured post-punk stalwarts The True Faith in this newsletter a bunch over the last 18 months or so, and I’m excited to spotlight a new LP split they have prepped with oppressive post-punk/darkwave outfit Bleached Cross. Columns of Impenetrable Light is a collaboration between Protagonist Music and à La Carte Records, dropping on July 9th, with both bands converging to deliver:
“Ruminations on life and death, hope and despair flowing across eight new propulsive and brooding tracks… this is music for contemplating the void between the earthly realm and the infinite blackness that awaits us after our last breath.”
Stream the split’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Bad Neighbour – “And The Fleas”
We’ve got a great new single from Brisbane indie-punk outfit Bad Neighbour. This one’s titled “And The Fleas,” and it “narrates the idea that sometimes self-progression may come at the expense of others, despite striving to be a good person.” To my ear, this song showcases their penchant for gritty punk instrumentals delivered with a decidedly emo flair and comes off the back of a busy few months for the band. The quartet were national support for US acts Hot Mulligan and Free Throw earlier this year before making an appearance on the big stage at the Brisbane date of the New Bloom Festival. Listen to “And The Fleas” here.
Coheed and Cambria – The Joke b/w Deranged
Well, I wasn’t expecting a new release from prog-rock flag bearers Coheed and Cambria, but here we are. The quartet’s latest single, “The Joke,” is taken from the sessions for their tenth LP, 2022’s Vaxis – Act II: A Window Of The Waking Mind, and, as vocalist Claudio Sanchez states, “The meaning behind ‘The Joke’ is basically, ‘If you need a punching bag, I’ll be that guy.’” The song is also paired with a remixed and remastered B-side for “Deranged,” which was originally featured on the soundtrack for 2011's Batman: Arkham City video game. Stream the two-track single in full here (Spotify).
Armlock – “Ice Cold”
In label signing news last week, slowcore outfit Armlock—the Australian duo of Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell—are joining the Run For Cover Records roster for the release of their debut LP, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, which arrives on July 12th. The record’s lead single, “Ice Cold,” is a frigid slice of glacial indie rock that alludes to the duo’s stated influences like Pinback, Alex G, and Boards of Canada. Watch the clip for “Ice Cold” below:
Love Letter – Everyone Wants Something Beautiful
Hardcore supergroup Love Letter features members of New England luminaries Verse and Defeater and their forthcoming debut LP, Everyone Wants Something Beautiful, drops on June 28th through Iodine Recordings and Bridge Nine Records. The album was recorded by guitarist Jay Maas, who’s worked with Bane, Counterparts, Title Fight, Carpathian, and many more; it’s a record full of heartfelt and emotive heavy music designed for pile-ons, sing-alongs and communal catharsis. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/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.
Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Despite all their accomplishments, there still seems to be a contingent of heavy music contrarians who want to label Knocked Loose as little more than “one-dimensional aggressive mosh music.” And while the Kentucky bruisers certainly lean into that descriptor more often than not, the group’s third LP, the colossal You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (out now through Pure Noise Records), serves to make such criticisms woefully irrelevant.
On album #3, the Oldham County quintet deliver their heaviest, most intense collection of material to date, eschewing the conventional wisdom that says greater popularity necessitates a diluting and softening of their abrasive qualities. Instead, they’ve chosen to double down on the intensity, splicing earth-shattering breakdowns and spit-fuelled invective with pulsating bursts of tribal percussion (“The Calm That Keeps You Awake”), off-kilter rhythms (“Suffocate”) and eerie atmospheric interstitials (“Take Me Home”).
The record barrels through ten tracks in 27 blistering minutes, soundtracking thoughts on self-hatred, spirituality, and oppression in the face of blind devotion, all before culminating in a monolithic closing track that feels like the universe is slowly buffering and disintegrating before your eyes. “Knocked Loose, motherfucker,” indeed.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
From high school band to Greyscale/Nuclear Blast Records signees, Sydney’s rising stars Reliqa are destined to be unstoppable. With their eclectic debut album, Secrets of the Future (out May 31st), only weeks away, affable frontwoman and vocal powerhouse Monique Pym joined The Pitch pod to discuss the quartet’s journey, the impetus behind their songwriting shift, and their diverse range of influences, from rap and J-metal to melodic metalcore and spoken-word indie folk. Check it out below: