Weekly Roundup: November 7th
Featuring Johnny Booth, Envision, Weyes Blood, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
AVOID – “Can’t Take This Away”
I’m a relative newcomer to what Seattle quintet AVOID have been doing, but they recently dropped their latest full-length, Cult Mentality, through Thriller Records, and it’s a whole lot of fun. Picture the blend of heavy mosh action and pop-punk sugar that made A Day To Remember stadium regulars, but now with a smattering of eclectic 2000s pastiche. For example, on “Can’t Take This Away,” you’ll find winking profanity, a Red Hot Chilli Peppers guitar lick, and obligatory saxophone—and that’s just one track. Watch the video below:
Weyes Blood – And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
For Natalie Mering aka Weyes Blood, the last few years have been filled with anxiety and isolation. On her new record, the second instalment in an album trilogy that began with 2019’s Titanic Rising, the L.A. singer-songwriter puts her solemn reflections on the human condition to song, crafting an indie tapestry that muses on narcissism, technology, and “the fraying of our social fabric.” And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is out November 18th through Sub Pop Records. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
hubris. – “Of Light”
I’ve made no secret of my nerdy characteristics in this newsletter, including my penchant for overthinking alternative music at any available opportunity. So I’m very excited that Swiss post-rock collective hubris. have announced the release of their forthcoming LP on February 10th, with this philosophical caveat: “‘Of Light’ is the first of 4 parts of the new upcoming album The One Above, which delves into the intricacies of Plato’s allegory of the cave as well as drawing links between the allegory and the Greek Mythology.” I, for one can’t wait to parse my ontological tendencies from the play of shadows against a wall to towering crescendos and shimmering guitar refrains. Listen to “Of Light” here.
Envision – Sacred Heart/Advent
Back in May, I put the spotlight on Philly/South Florida straight-edge hardcore crew Envision and the release of their And Still… EP, which was very sick and has remained in my heavy rotation ever since. This week the band dropped a surprise three-track promo tape for their forthcoming full-length through From Within Records, featuring two new tracks (“Sacred Heart” and “Advent”) plus a cover of “Holding Tomorrow” by Kingpin. The whole thing rocks, and if this is any indication of what’s coming with their album release, consider me pumped. Stream the promo tape in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
White Lung – “If You’re Gone”
As one of indie-punk’s most dependable acts throughout much of the 2010s, it’s a little sad to know that Vancouver’s White Lung are calling it a day. And yet, with a sense of finality comes a wave of closure that often gives way to clarity of purpose. Perhaps this is why Premonition, the trio’s last album, out December 2nd through Domino Records, is a record fixated on honesty, reflection, and existential realities: “Premonition is about birth and rebirth. It’s about growing—and growing older—without losing the furious energy of youth. It’s the last album we’ll be getting from one of the best bands ever to do it.” Listen to the LP’s third single, “If You’re Gone,” here.
Johnny Booth – Storyteller
Long Island’s best-kept secret, metalcore monsters Johnny Booth, are finally back with a new release (of sorts). While it’s not a full-length follow-up to 2019’s outstanding Firsthand Accounts (a man can only dream…), the Storyteller EP is a compilation release pulling together the quintet’s recent run of singles, including 2021’s “Deep Fake” and “Crowd Control”. There’s also a new track in the mix—which absolutely owns—along with a raucous cover of Queens of the Stone Age’s “You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire” from 2002’s Songs for the Deaf. I continue to be blown away by this band and mystified at how they're not conquering the world. Stream the EP in full here (Spotify).
Squint – “Pig Pen”
After dropping the excellent Feel It earlier this year, St.Louis quintet Squint are already back on that grind with another EP in the pipe. Wash Away is out November 18th through the good folks over at Sunday Drive Records, and it’ll be perfect for fans of 90s DIY indie-rock staples in Superchunk and Dinosaur Jr and those with an ear to hardcore contemporaries like Drug Church. It’s fun and punchy but doesn’t hold back the bite. Watch the video for “Pig Pen” below:
Ninth Realm – A Fate Unbroken
In my coverage of Ninth Realm earlier this year, I noted how their Ondreis MMXXII demo was positioned as “music for charging through Dungeons and Dragons quests.” Well, I’m pleased to report that the Maryland metallers have lost none of their fantasy flair on their debut full-length, A Fate Unbroken. If you’re into the thrash mayhem and knuckle-dragging hardcore shenanigans of the 80s and 90s, but you’re also partial to tales of mysterious wizards and storming castles with mighty steeds and swords, then this one is undoubtedly for you. Stream the LP in full here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Slowly Slowly – Daisy Chain
I’ve covered Melbourne outfit Slowly Slowly extensively here for the last 18 months or so, and each new single has shown a level of growth and artistic maturity that befits a young group touching on their fifth LP in under a decade.
While I’ve already made mention of Daisy Chain’s banger singles here and here, I want to put two more tracks on your radar. “Forget You” is as catchy as it is brazenly honest, with frontman Ben Stewart crafting a “self-mantra” about “putting parts of your personality to bed that just keep rising from the ground like fucking zombies.”
Meanwhile, “Longshot” is a return to their old sound but with a much-needed tune-up, pitching an anthemic and hopeful chorus against the woes of creative goals in the digital age. As Stewart puts it: “A lot of bands have a song that’s a bit of a middle finger to doing things you don’t wanna fucking do, and feeling like the dream that you’re clinging to is evaporating a little bit.”
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify