MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Bleachers – “Stop Making This Hurt”
After literally dropping a song with The Boss back in 2020, singer-songwriter and Springsteen aficionado Jack Antonoff aka Bleachers is back with his third album, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night (out July 30th through RCA Records) and its nostalgia-driven, Americana-heavy lead single. Watch the video for “Stop Making This Hurt” below:
Spiritbox – Eternal Blue
To call Eternal Blue, the upcoming debut full-length album from metalcore unit Spiritbox (out September 17th through Rise Records), the most anticipated heavy album of 2021 is a serious understatement. For salivating fans—this writer included—who have been drip-fed the release of three monster singles over the last few months, this LP cannot drop soon enough. Stream here (Spotify).
Turnstile – “Mystery”
Baltimore punks Turnstile are back with a new jam and it’s overflowing with the band’s signature ‘90s groove and hardcore energy. “Mystery” infuses their throwback sound with warbling synth layers and lyrical themes that tackle chronology and indecision: “There’s a clock in my head/ Is it wrong, is it right?/ I know you’re scared of running out of time.” Listen to “Mystery” here.
Bone Marrow – Geminus 21
In death metal, pedigree is everything. With members having served time in acts like Cryptivore, Pustilence, and Idle Ruin, Brisbane outfit Bone Marrow are tipped to be the next big thing in Australian OSDM. Following on from their 2018 demo, the band is hard work on their debut for Transcending Obscurity Records. Geminus 21, their latest release, serves as both an early indicator of greatness and a while-you-wait teaser. Stream the two-track project here (Bandcamp).
Storefront Church – “Us Against Us”
People often underestimate the value of album artwork. For example, I’d never heard of Storefront Church, the project of Lucas Frank—who’s spent time as the drummer in Phoebe Bridgers’ band—or his debut album, As We Pass. But one look at that iconic cover and I just knew I had to listen to it. Thankfully, Frank did not disappoint. If you’re into music that vaguely intersects with the blues, folk, goth, and rock Venn diagram, then there’s something here for you. Listen to the latest single “Us Against Us” here.
Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows – The Magnetic Ridge
Speaking of album artwork, if I see anything that features an original painting from artist Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration, then that’s usually a decent indicator of quality. In the case of Melbourne psych-doom outfit Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows, and their latest release The Magnetic Ridge, my hunch definitely checks out. Look out for labyrinthian guitar passages, reverb-soaked vocals, and spacey atmospherics. Stream the LP here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Militarie Gun – “Don’t Pick Up The Phone”
I’ve seen L.A. collective Militarie Gun garner a bunch of hype lately, and I can see why. The group is fronted by Ian Shelton of Regional Justice Center and Self Defense Family, and their latest single—“Don’t Pick Up The Phone”—spotlights their roiling, electric, and unnerving take on melodic hardcore. If it’s any indication, the first entry in the band’s double EP release, All Roads Lead To The Gun (out June 4th) will land like a bullet to the skull. Watch the video below:
Kaonashi – Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year
I love concept albums and Philly post-hardcore quintet Kaonashi’s Equal Vision debut, Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year, is a total doozie. Across eleven tracks and 47 minutes, the album continues the story of Jamie: an androgynous character who takes the bus to school, listens to music on their iPod, and has to navigate the social maze of bullies, counsellors, and abusive parents. It’s a plot rife with self-loathing, revenge, and potential death, alongside oblique references to acts like mewithoutyou, Coheed and Cambria, and Lorna Shore. Stream the full record here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2021 VIBING playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Harmony Woods – GRACEFUL RAGE
Heartbreak sucks. We all know it. Depending on your circumstances (read: whether you’re the dumper, dumpee, or perhaps something far more tragic and unfortunate)—it can make you feel crazy, vindicated, lonely, or utterly worthless, maybe even all of those at once. However, due to its universality in reach and scope, heartbreak is not without its lessons.
On their latest LP, GRACEFUL RAGE, Harmony Woods wrestle with the aftermath and legacy of heartbreak, patiently documenting its emotional contours for the sake of growth and personal posterity. Opener “Good Luck Rd.” puts songwriter and vocalist Sofia Verbilla at the fore, chronicling the fallout of a relationship through the slow dissolution of familial ties, where gaslighting gives way to flashes of recognition.
There’s a subtle twang to “Rittenhouse” and a delicate touch to the painstaking “Easy” that allows the album’s first half to mirror heartbreak in actuality, weaving through the stages of grief without any discernible rhyme or reason. However, there’s often more to heartbreak than just denial, bargaining, and depression. When the angry, explosive sneer of “God's Gift to Women” arrives in the album’s second half, it feels positively righteous, like a surge of white-hot atonement.
Approaching the album’s breathtaking title track, Verbilla & Co. are at their most potent and vulnerable. When the frontwoman croons that “graceful rage is all that suits me these days,” she really means it. There can be dignity in defeat and power in vehement passion. Coming to grips with suicidal ideation and the resulting well of despair, the track’s devastating coda leaves a haunting sting:
“What if I trusted you?/ What if I was scared?/ What if I told you because a part of me still wanted to be here?”