Weekly Roundup: May 8th
Featuring The Hives, Graf Orlock, The Dirty Nil, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Bring Me The Horizon – “LosT”
British juggernaut Bring Me The Horizon have a new, highly anticipated single out and, as one might expect, it’s a low-key banger. The track is part of their globally acclaimed Post Human series and follows previous singles “DiE4u” and “Strangers”. It also comes with a super gory, cinematic music video directed by Jensen Noen and finds the quintet leaning firmly into pop-punk territory along with their trademark penchant for heaviness. Watch the video for “LosT” below:
NOTE: Right about here is where I would normally embed said music video. However, YouTube, in its infinite wisdom, has decreed that it is simply too gory and “mature” for even a lowly thumbnail to appear in this post. So, if you wish to declare your adult status and watch it, you can do so here. Cool.
The Dirty Nil – Free Rein to Passions
I’m a big fan of The Dirty Nil, and I’m pleased to report that these snarky Canadian rockers will release their new album, Free Rein to Passions, on May 26th via Dine Alone Records. The Hamilton trio have pitched this new record as a return to their roots, keeping things “simple lyrically and thematically with songs about working soul-sucking jobs, shredding on guitar, and striving to be a kinder person.” As frontman Luke Bentham puts it:
“The only real central theme of the album is an acknowledgment of the crazy circumstances that we all occupy at this point in time. It’s about being nice to everyone around you, enjoying your silly little life and not getting too smashed down by prevailing negativity in the air.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Toner – “Haters Anthem”
Oakland shoegazers Toner put out one of my favourite surprise alums of 2021 with White Buffalo Roam. Well, now they’re back with a dizzying new single, and it’s the second of a planned three-track series, following on from last year’s “God’s Hammer”. The track was mixed and mastered by Jack Shirley, and if you’re into dreamy, fuzzed-out shit that isn’t afraid to be a little eclectic, then this one is for you. Listen to “Haters Anthem” here.
Inhuman Nature / Ninth Realm – Split
Last year, London thrashers Inhuman Nature caught my attention when they dropped their blazing Under the Boot EP through the good folks over at Church Road Records. I’m very stoked to see that they’re back once again with new material in the form of a diabolical split LP with Maryland crossover outfit Ninth Realm, who I also featured last year for the release of their stellar album, A Fate Unbroken. These two groups make for a deadly duo, and their split is, quote: “Filled with tales of Sword & Sorcery, overthrowing tyrants and realms that mere humans cannot comprehend!” Stream the split in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Clearbody – “New Essence”
North Carolina shoegaze/dream pop outfit Clearbody have announced their upcoming self-released EP, Bend Into a Blur, available June 16th. The five-track release blends a 90s grunge revivalism with contemporary influences like Cloakroom, Superheaven, and Narrowhead. It’s a cool mix of sounds, and the EP was recorded with Jon Markson (Drug Church, I Am The Avalanche, One Step Closer) and mastered by Will Yip. Check out lead single, “New Essence,” here.
Terminal Sleep – Chapter 2: Elicit Fear
It’s already been a big year for Melbourne heavy hitters Terminal Sleep, and I have a feeling that things are only going to get crazier. I featured the band back in March with the release of their last crushing single, “Elicit Fear,” which has now been revealed to be the title track for the quintet’s forthcoming EP and follow-up to last year's Chapter 1: No Solace. I’m anticipating more grim riffage, caustic vocals, and adrenaline-spiking breakdowns. Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
The Hives – “Bogus Operandi”
It’s been a long while since we heard from indie-rockers The Hives. They’ve come back from the void to announce that they’re dropping their first new album in over a decade, given the ominous title of The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, and it’ll be out on August 11th. Apparently, there’s a whole theatric back story to the record's creation; less of an extended absence/hiatus and more of a “horror story” involving a hidden obituary, cryptic poems, disturbed graves and missing bodies. Just fun Swedish things. According to frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist: “Rock’n’roll can't grow up, it is a perpetual teenager, and this album feels exactly like that.” Check out the video for “Bogus Operandi” below:
Graf Orlock – End Credits
Legendary Anaheim cinema-grinders Graf Orlock are a band that I feel never really got their due. Over two decades, the group toured across 40 countries, releasing five albums and seven EPs through multiple labels, playing venues and DIY spaces of all shapes and sizes. Now they’re sadly calling it a day with the release of their upcoming eighth EP, End Credits, which was recorded live to tape and will be available on June 23rd via their own Vitriol Records. It finds the group in exceptional final form: savage, eccentric and wholly uncompromising. 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.
Peach PRC – Manic Dream Pixie
Confession time: I don’t “do” TikTok, or at least, I have not felt compelled to do so. Flagellating myself in front of merciless Zoomers is not my idea of a good time. However, at least some people are finding success on the platform.
Girly pop princess Shaylee Jade Curnow aka Peach PRC recently celebrated the release of her debut EP, Manic Dream Pixie, which hit the #1 spot on the Australian charts last week. While TikTok has certainly been instrumental to Peach’s viral success story, this collection of tracks cements her position as a bonafide songwriter and recording artist. As Ellie Robinson put it in her review for NME, Manic Dream Pixie:
“oscillates freely between light and dark but with a clear, cohesive vision that shows masterful intent. And while she revels in the quirks of the ‘manic pixie dream girl’ trope its title was inspired by, the six-track record still skilfully positions Peach as a well-rounded, world-building storyteller."
Stream here: Spotify
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
To celebrate our illustrious half-century (!) over at The Pitch pod, we decided to put together a special crossover event with Jason Mack—bucket hat wearer, flavoured milk enjoyer, notable gig fiend and loud-talking co-host for Melbourne’s What We Did On The Weekend. Jase joined the show for a long, rambling chat about the 20th anniversary of Lamb of God’s seminal As the Palaces Burn and also to share his love for the icons of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. It’s a really fun one, and you can check it out below:
Additionally, outside of my freelance music industry shenanigans, I’ll be running two free online lectures this month (May 20-21) on 2018’s Annihilation as part of my independent scholarly work, discussing how Alex Garland’s film adaptation:
“speaks directly to humanity’s fears of the natural world through themes of bereavement, trauma and transformation, juxtaposing hallucinatory images of human-animal chimeras and killer flora with the alien motivations of a nonhuman otherness.”
The lectures are part of the event calendar for Romancing the Gothic: a collection of “free-to-access classes, workshops and book clubs on anything Gothic, Romantic, Horror or adjacent.” Come along! It’ll be fun—trust me.