Weekly Roundup: November 23, 2020
Featuring Lyoness, Bleachers, Luca Brasi, Scalp, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Bleachers – “chinatown”
As a songwriter and hitmaker for the likes of Taylor Swift, Kevin Abstract, and Lana Del Rey, Jack Antonoff aka Bleachers knows his way around a quality tune. But if there was any doubt about his musical bonafides, Antonoff wrangled in The Boss himself for a guest feature on latest single “chinatown”. Check out the video below, and the second single “45” here.
Serpents of Secrecy – Ave Vindicta
Baltimore bruisers Serpents of Secrecy released their J. Robbins-produced debut album, Ave Vindicta, on Halloween this year. (Because why not?) There are over fifty minutes of solid, hard-rocking doom metal on display, covering dark personal themes with plenty of swampy blues and smoky riffs. Stream the full album here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Lyoness – “Vulture and the Snake”
Working through feelings of betrayal and redemption, “Vulture and the Snake” is the latest groovy single from Hertfordshire-based rock act Lyoness, featuring guitarist Steph Carter (ex-Gallows) and his wife, Gillian Maxwell on vocals. Check out the track here.
Fuming Mouth – Beyond The Tomb
After the success of 2019’s The Grand Descent, Massachusetts outfit Fuming Mouth are the newest signees to international powerhouse Nuclear Blast Records. To celebrate, the band have dropped an exclusive new EP, with three tracks of razor-sharp metallic hardcore fury. Stream the release here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Phoebe Bridgers & Maggie Rogers – “Iris”
What started as a light-hearted troll of the soon-to-be Not U.S. President with the world’s smallest hands, indie songstress Phoebe Bridgers covered the smash hit “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls after Trump’s sound electoral defeat at the (albeit larger) hands of a brain-degenerating fossil. 2020 is a wild ride, indeed. Check out the track here (if it hasn’t been flagged for copyright yet).
God Is An Astronaut – Ghost Tapes #10
Putting out your tenth LP is a major achievement for any musical act, and, for this reason, Irish post-metal quartet God Is An Astronaut have every reason to be proud. Their newest record, Ghost Tapes #10, will showcase the group’s knack for cinematic compositions and clockwork dynamic range. Stream the latest single “Burial” here.
Luca Brasi – “Every Time You're Here (I'm Gone)”
Luca Brasi have dropped their fourth single from their upcoming fifth album, Everything is Tenuous (out February 2021 through Cooking Vinyl Australia). “Every Time You’re Here (I’m Gone)” is familiar ground for the Tassie devils: infectious, punk rock rhythms, catchy choruses, heart-on-sleeve lyricism, and that all-too-Aussie vocal inflection. Get amongst it below.
Scalp – Domestic Extremity
Cali wrecking crew Scalp deal exclusively in “WEST COAST DEATH VIOLENCE” and the group’s debut LP, Domestic Extremity, is a prime example of this concept. Crushing hardcore, grind, and power-violence into the densest sonic configuration possible, this blistering LP takes no prisoners and gives absolutely zero fucks. Stream the album here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
You also can find all these tracks on the TPD November playlist, updated each week.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Killer Be Killed – Reluctant Hero
Supergroups are often hit and miss. As I detailed in my review of the Umbra Vitae LP from earlier this year, sometimes the sum is not necessarily guaranteed to be greater than its parts. Thankfully, alt-metal quartet Killer Be Killed eschew all doubts I have about the creative reasoning behind their latest collaborative endeavour. Having done time in acclaimed acts like Mastodon, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, among others, the group’s pedigree is already well established. But what makes their sophomore album, Reluctant Hero, so great is how each member ensures that their contribution is unique and cumulatively essential.
Listen to newest single, “From A Crowded Wound” and you’ll see what I mean. Guitarist Greg Puciato puts his sultry dulcet tones to the test across the track, hitting soaring chorus refrains and pushing his melodic capabilities to the test. Bassist Troy Sanders plays off this energy, wrapping his stratospheric vocal range around the former’s powerful croon, making for engaging and gloomy interplay. Not to be outdone, guitarist Max Cavalera adds his trademark bark to the tempo switch-ups, carried along by the breakneck pace of drummer and inhuman metronome Ben Koller.
Stream here: Spotify | Youtube
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
Links to some of my other published work across the Web. Take a look and help a brother out.
I reviewed the new Hatebreed record, Weight of the False Self, for New Noise. (And spoilers! It definitely sounds like a Hatebreed record. Big surprise, I know.)