Weekly Roundup: May 9th
Featuring The Comfort, Wake, The Afghan Whigs, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
The Afghan Whigs – “The Getaway”
Man, I've just been swimming in Afghan Whigs content lately and I am not mad about it in the slightest. I covered the band’s previous single “I’ll Make You See God” back in February, along with a retrospective on their seminal Black Love (1996) record for my Deep Cuts series. And now the Cincinnati rockers have announced the release of How Do You Burn?, their first album in five years and the follow-up to 2017’s beloved In Spades. The new LP is out September 9th via Royal Cream/BMG, and you can watch the video for “The Getaway” below:
Candy – Heaven Is Here
On 2018’s Good to Feel, Richmond trio Candy took hardcore to daring and exciting places. The whole record played out like a pipebomb between your ears, as explosive and violent as it was unsettling in its presence. Now, in collaboration with Philly producer Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange, Eternal Champion), they’re set to do it all over again with the impending release of their follow-up LP, Heaven Is Here (out June 24 via Relapse Records). If the curiously titled single “Human Condition Above Human Opinion” is anything to go off, this should be a wild one. Stream the LP’s pre-release single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
The Comfort – “Love Is a Dying Plant”
I've made no secret of my Love (get it?) for Brisbane alt-rock outfit The Comfort. Their debut album, 2018’s transcendent What It Is To Be, quickly became one of my favourite releases of that year and the entire decade. After a three-year pandemic-induced hiatus, the quartet are finally back with a brand new introspective single. Detailing a story of love and neglect, vocalist and bassist Dominic Harper describes “Love Is a Dying Plant” as summing “up all of the mixed emotions you deal with when ending a relationship without the need for disrespect.” It’s a triumphant return and I’m eager to see what’s on the horizon for the group. Listen to “Love Is a Dying Plant” here.
Public Opinion – Modern Convenience
With their upcoming EP, Modern Convenience (out May 27th through Convulse Records), Denver-by-way-of-Seattle group Public Opinion have set out to answer that age-old question: What if The Hives sounded like a hardcore band? It’s an intriguing premise and one that producer, longtime friend, and Militarie Gun/Regional Justice Center mastermind Ian Shelton helps the band realise, uniting their predilection for discord and attitude with catchy bursts of indie punk. Stream the EP’s pre-release single here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Camp Trash – “Let It Ride”
After coming through with “Weird Florida” earlier this year, Camp Trash have announced their debut LP, The Long Way, The Slow Way, which drops on July 1st via Count Your Lucky Stars. “Let It Ride,” the album’s lead single, is about as bright and fun as I’ve come to expect from the Florida power-pop powerhouse. So, if you’re looking for jangly guitar lines and delightfully neurotic emo lyricism, this is the one, folks. Listen to “Let It Ride” here.
Moodring – Stargazer
Speaking of Florida, alt-metal quartet Moodring appear to be continuing their plans for world domination as the definitive Deftones cover band. (Note: fans of Vexes and Loathe sit up and pay attention.) The group’s new album, Stargazer, arrives on June 10th via UNFD and is set to explore themes of pain, loss, sex, addiction, love, and death with a moody hard-on for grunge crunch and mid-2000s hard rock melodies. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Spotify).
Wake – “Swallow the Light”
I’ve been following Alberta metal merchants Wake ever since the release of 2018’s Misery Rites. And in that time, the Calgary outfit has slowly evolved from a blistering and punishing grind unit into something more expansive, restless and innovative. Their latest LP, Thought Form Descent, is out July 22nd via Metal Blade Records and promises to take the band in a more heady post-metal direction and I’m super excited at the prospect. Watch the captivating six-and-a-half minute video for the album’s lead single, “Swallow the Light,” below:
Chamber – Carved In Stone
With Randy LeBoeuf (Dying Wish, The Acacia Strain, Kublai Khan TX) behind the boards once more, Nashville bruisers Chamber are back with a crushing three-track EP, Carved In Stone. The release acts as the follow-up to their well-received 2020 debut album, Cost of Sacrifice, and it sharpens their discordant metalcore approach even further, with abrasive textures, tectonic bass shifts, and incisive vocals. Stream the EP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2022 TUNES playlist, updated weekly.
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
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If you haven’t already done so, check out last week’s column, The Nu-Normal, for an honest discussion with my wife on abortion, women’s bodily autonomy, and feminist protest songs as acts of resistance. It’s free and unlocked—so give it a read!
