Weekly Roundup: May 29th
Featuring Polaris, R.U.B, Tapestry, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Jeff Rosenstock – “LIKED YOU BETTER”
Punk rock troubadour Jeff Rosenstock is finally back with a raucous new single. This is the first slice of new material since 2020’s critically acclaimed NO DREAM record and his 2021 ska re-interpretation of that album, SKA DREAM. While there’s no word on a new full-length project from Jeff just yet, we can expect that he’s gearing up for something, and some curious Internet sleuths have already found hints in the video below for “LIKED YOU BETTER”:
Tapestry – The Pain You Desire, The Love You Deserve
I spoke about the return of Melbourne-via-Darwin post-hardcore outfit Tapestry back in April, following the release of their single “Hutchison Terrace”. Well, it seems that was just the beginning, as the quintet have officially come through with the announcement of their debut album. The record is titled The Pain You Desire, The Love You Deserve, and it drops on August 18th. I’ve been a fan of the band for years now, so this has been a long time coming, and I’m stoked to see what the boys can pull together on a full-length project. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
Don’t Get Lemon – “Autocratic Gore”
I first came across Texan indie-punks Don’t Get Lemon with the release of last year’s Hyper Hollow Heaven album. I found that record to be a delightful slab of indie and post-punk-adjacent pop tunes with interesting vocal hooks and danceable rhythms. Now the Austin trio have come through with a follow-up that pairs the same instrumental energy with a dark lyrical core of social commentary. According to their Bandcamp profile, the latest single “captures the fear and frustration of the falsified American Dream,” where a “thumping, suave croon of domestic dread paints a masterpiece that can never be completed.” Grim. Listen to “Autocratic Gore” here.
Trenchknife – Crown of Thorns
One of the things I love about metal and hardcore—and especially the visceral fusion of the two—is the ability for an act to ramp up the tension and make a track get progressively harder as it goes along. Such is the case with the latest ass-beater from Sydney mosh warriors Trenchknife. “Crown of Thorns” is a crushing number that packs one hell of a wallop, littered with tasty divebombs and beatdown goodness. With the band set to support a haul of international talent in the coming weeks (Sunami, Scowl, END), I would say it’s perfectly timed for some quality pit activation. Stream the track in full here (Spotify).
Git Some – “The Test”
I’ve somehow completely missed Git Some for over a decade. And, considering the Denver quartet share some member overlap with the hallowed Planes Mistaken For Stars (aka one of the greatest bands to ever do it), I feel like this is a considerable oversight on my part. My shame aside, the group are roaring back into action after 13 years with a new drummer Dylon Nadon and a shiny new record titled New Blood, which will be out on June 23rd via Rad Girlfriend Records. If you’re into noisy, gritty, unfuckwithable post-hardcore with the spirit of a long-surviving gutter punk, then this is for you. Listen to “The Test” here.
R.U.B – One Out
Earlier this year, I was gushing about the demo release from ferocious Naarm quartet R.U.B. Well, I am pleased to report that the group have now come through with their debut EP, One Out (get it?), and it absolutely fucking bangs. The band—Soph (vox, guitar), Liv (guitar), Ryan (bass), Marc (drums)—describe their sound as “90’s femme punk with a hardcore bite,” and this EP delivers on that mission in spades. These four tracks are raw and aggressive with clean production that sounds massive, making every gnarly riff and vocal hook undeniably catchy and earwormy. Trust me, this shit rocks. Stream the EP in full here (Spotify).
Polaris – “Inhumane”
The big announcement last week was the comeback of Aussie heavy-hitters Polaris, with the metalcore juggernaut gearing up for the release of album #3. It’s called Fatalism and comes out on September 1st via Resist/SharpTone Records. As drummer and one of the group’s main songwriters, Daniel Furnari states:
“For us, fatalism is the resignation to the idea that you have no control over certain things, that some things are almost pre-determined and inevitable, which seems like a negative and almost fearful notion. But one of the reasons I was drawn to it as a concept and as an album title was that there’s almost freedom in that idea too. Once you can accept that there are certain things you simply can’t control—it’s actually very liberating.”
Check out the video for the record’s monstrous lead single “Inhumane” below:
Dead Heat – Endless Torment
Do you like riffs? Do you like headbanging? Do you like it when the riff is so hard and so sick that not headbanging to it would feel like some violation of the deeply woven fabric of cosmic order? Then boy, do I have a band for you. Oxnard thrashers Dead Heat do not fuck around. Their 2021 record World At War was packed full of breakneck riffs and pounding crossover fury, and that mission continues unabated on their upcoming Endless Torment EP, out July 28th through Triple B Records. Go listen to the release’s rollicking title track and get snapping. Stream the EP’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.
follow – Old Haunts
More than any other subgenre of rock music, post-rock seems to understand the dichotomy between presence and absence. Groups in the upper echelons of the subgenre, such as Aussie staples like sleepmakeswaves and We Lost The Sea, demonstrate an intuitive knowledge of when to fill a sonic space with calibrated noise—charging riffs, towering crescendos, chugging rhythms, pounding percussion—and when to let this instrumental tumult fall away into delicate wisps of ambience and subtle atmosphere. It’s all about intention and restraint.
Old Haunts, the stunning debut album from Tasmanian instrumental collective follow, exemplifies this philosophy. What began as a bedroom project for Luca Brasi guitarist Thomas Busby, who recruited a crew of mates and Tassie locals to fill out the personnel list, has blossomed into a creative unit that will quickly rise to the top of the post-rock heap. This LP is stacked with grandiose, multi-minute epics that ebb and flow with intensity and care, drifting and focusing on shimmering sonic templates that build to moments of rich, emotional catharsis.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Later this week, I’m going to check out the “The Real Bay Sydney Shit” tour with Sunami and SPEED, but the act I’m most excited to see is Santa Cruz sensation Scowl. Their Psychic Dance Routine EP is one of my favourite releases of the year, and I can’t wait to catch those tracks live. This is why I was also pumped to have frontwoman Kat Moss on The Pitch pod last week, where we had a great chat about the ten songs that have impacted her life. Alongside her diverse and wide-ranging Hit List, Kat opens up about leaving her hometown, dealing with vulnerability, her creative inspirations, and crushing their Coachella debut. Check it out below: