Weekly Roundup: November 11th
Featuring Bukowski, Northlane, Dust, and more.
(Editor’s Note: Better late than never, amaright? We also crossed the 200-subscriber milestone last week, so thank you to everyone who’s still here reading my little blurbs.)
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Our TPD Pod guest last week was Allison Watters, a fixture of the Naarm/Melbourne heavy music scene and the creator behind Pulse: a self-published, printed zine focusing exclusively on the work of non-males in both the Australian and global music industries.
Allison & Pulse have teamed up with the WWDOTW crew to collaborate on the upcoming Nightmare Fest line-up, featuring performances from Outright, Gravitate, Stressed, Identity Error, Chapel Hill, Slowburn, Goethe, and Takoba while also raising funds for Refuge Victoria. It’s a great chat, and Allison is a total legend. Check it out below:
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Now, on with the words…
SIDE A:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
dust – “New High”
If you’ve been subbed to this newsletter for a decent period, you’ve likely read me gushing over dust—one of Australia’s leading post-punk outfits—many times. Well, I finally had the pleasure of catching their set as part of this year’s BIGSOUND showcase, and it did not disappoint. (Look, there’s a reason they’ve spent more time overseas than at home in the last 18 months and are currently playing London’s Alexandra Palace supporting Interpol. Just saying.)
The group’s latest jam is a mid-tempo slowburn that rests on a thrumming bass line, warm textures, and Justin Teale’s stream-of-subconscious meditations. It’s a resolute banger. (Debut album when, though?) Watch the video for “New High” below:
Concealer – Heartfelt Entries
As far as descriptors go, “post-hardcore” is a bit weird. Etymologically speaking, it denotes all that came after hardcore, but that doesn’t necessarily make things more straightforward. It just lumps in three-plus decades of heavy music progression and then shrugs at it. On paper, Orlando’s Concealer could convincingly call themselves a posthardcore outfit; whether they want to be is debatable.
There’s the larynx-shredding vocal intensity of screamo, the clean melodic licks and crushing heaviness of early 00’s metalcore, and a poet’s penchant for metaphor and everyday darkness that emo relies on like a crutch. [heartfelt entries] is a re-issue of the band’s earlier dissonance (all that keeps me away) EP and two new stellar track additions out through the good folks at Zegema Beach Records & Armageddon Records. It’s post-fantastic. (You’re welcome.) Stream the EP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Honningbarna – “Rød bic”
I first encountered Norwegian punk rockers Honningbarna through their Animorphs LP in 2022 (Andalites Forever). The quintet’s latest rager, “Rød bic” (English: “Red bic”), is a furious indictment of bullshit email jobs and sticking it to the man—a sentiment I can always get behind.
It kind of sounds like Refused before The Shape of Punk To Come. More flames, more *ahem* discontent, if you will. (IYKYK.) Listen to “Rød bic” here.
Hugo van Buuren – Two Truths
Naarm/Melbourne singer/songwriter Hugo van Buuren is the sibling of my dear friend and Day One F.O.T.S. Nick, and their six-track Two Truths EP dropped last week.
As Hugo puts it, their work centres around “queering the alt-folk space and finding a home in the balance between the soft/firm and the natural/synthetic.” If you want gentle alt-folk guided by a curious and reflective voice, then this is for you. Stream the EP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Northlane – “Welcome to the Industry”
Did I expect the newest track from Aussie metallers Northlane to be a conceptual addendum to an upcoming indie turn-based RPG about “[wielding] powerful legendary instruments, [gathering] mighty riff attacks and [saving] the land from Rick Riffson’s devilish goons and musical hybrid monsters”? No. Is it cool, though? Absolutely. Listen to “Welcome to the Industry” here.
SIDE B:
More tracks for you. Deep cuts for the real heads. Still cool.
Frontierer – The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept
As a devoted student of literature and philosophy, I’ve always had an affinity for overly verbose, big fuck-off titles. So, when Scottish-American chaos merchants Frontierer announced a forthcoming EP titled The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept (out December 20th through Blood Blast Distribution), my small-town emo heart skipped a beat. (The Chariot would also be incredibly stoked.) Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Bukowski – “What Do You Want Me To Be”
Aussie pop-punkers Bukowski (Ham On Rye represent) are gearing up for an album cycle with their debut full-length, I Don’t Wanna Live, I Don't Wanna Die, arriving next year on February 14th.
Produced by Jack Newlyn (Paradise Club), the latest single, “What You Want Me To Be,” draws lyrical inspiration from the 1994 film ‘Dumb and Dumber’, and leans into sonic nostalgia for the bands that frontman James Karagiozis adored in high school. (Hell yeah. Something, something Aspen.) Watch the clip below:
These Dead Machines – Any Minute Now
This week, a new band on my radar is UK outfit These Dead Machines, the project of Dan Donald following the dissolution of his previous band, Mark of 1000 Evils.
The project’s debut album, Any Minute Now, is due on December 2nd and features ten tracks that “combine the glitchy electronica of previous releases... with a brand of weighty rock that will be familiar to fans of bands such as Deftones, Death From Above 1979 and Muse.” Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
FEATURE ALBUM(S):
A closer, more in-depth look at new record(s) that tick my boxes.
Counterparts – Heaven Let Them Die
In many cultures throughout history, the rite of “blood sacrifice” has come to symbolise the power of death in forging a spiritual rebirth. Now, while I don’t think ritualistic occult practices directly influenced Counterparts vocalist and preeminent shitposter Brendan Murphy, this idea animates the group’s surprise EP, Heaven Let Them Die:
“It’s not necessarily a rebirth for this band – more a rejuvenation. Or a pivot. … Lyrically, it’s a continuation of the same themes as always, overlapping with Eulogy, but also the last END full-length, even featuring lyrical references to what I’ve written before. And our records tend to pick up where the last one left off.”
Explosive double-single “A Martyr Left Alive/No Lamb Was Lost” makes this claim explicit, showcasing the Ontario group’s penchant for weaving dissonant melodies among abrasive, concussive instrumentals. Or, in Murphy’s words: “This EP is the most authentic representation of Counterparts to date — honest, harsh and without restraint.”
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify