Weekly Roundup: October 17th
Featuring Choir Vandals, Gojira, Make Them Suffer, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Make Them Suffer – “Doomswitch”
After former keyboardist and Married at First Sight contestant Booka Nile made a swift exit in the wake of sexual assault allegations earlier this year, Make Them Suffer have been keeping a low profile. Well, until now. The Perth metallers are finally back with the inclusion of Alex Reade (ex-Drown This City) on keys/backing vocals. It’s a wise decision for the quintet, as Reade is more than capable of holding her own in the realm of hard-hitting metalcore (not to mention rocking the shit out of a keytar). Watch the video for the band’s latest single, “Doomswitch,” below:
Ultar – At The Gates of Dusk
I’ve been a loyal discipline of the Siberian black metal outfit Ultar for years. While I didn’t immediately resonate with Pantheon MMXIX (2019), its precursor Kadath (2016) hit me right in my Lovecraftian, Eldritch-god-loving heart. Details for the band’s upcoming LP, At The Gates of Dusk (out November 20th), are sketchy at best; however, lead single “Midnight Walk and Reminiscences of Necromancy” does include this curious epigraph: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of unknown.” That’s two horns up from me. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Mac The Knife – “Labour In Vain”
Eora/Sydney-based outfit Mac The Knife are old hands when it comes to anthemic post-punk. So it’s no surprise that the group’s latest rousing single, “Labour In Vain,” finds them dabbling in the same sonic wheelhouse that rocketed groups like IDLES, shame, and Fontaines D.C. to success in recent years. According to frontman Bryn Chapman Parish (also of Netflix’s Heartbreak High reboot fame), the track is a “battle cry to triumph over the fear of judgements of others. This song is a love letter to being a better you, acknowledging your shit and working through it.” Inspiring stuff. Listen to “Labour In Vain” here.
envy – Seimei
At this point, envy have reached a near-mythic status within the darker circles of alternative music. There isn’t another band on this godforsaken rock that can fuse shoegaze, screamo, post-rock, spoken word, and ear-piercing catharsis in a way that even begins to approach the epic emotional crests of the legendary sextet. All of this is to say that the announcement of Seimei, the band’s forthcoming EP (translated as Life in Japanese), is very good news, indeed. The three-track release is out on November 9th through Temporary Residence and includes artwork from the great Chris Taylor (Pg.99, Terminal Bliss). Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Gojira – “Our Time Is Now”
I enjoyed the shit out of Gojira’s seventh LP, 2021’s Fortitude, describing it as “another dynamic, multi-faceted record that speaks to determination over division, courage over competition, and hope over hatred.” Now the French avant-metallers are back with a new stand-alone single, and it’s another towering monster of thick grooves, intricate percussion, and empower lyricism. Oh, and it’s also featured on a new NHL video game, NHL 23. So, there’s that, too. (Gotta pays those bills, I guess.) Listen to “Our Time Is Now” here.
Mallbangs – Checking For Daggers
Mallbangs is the indie-pop project of Atlanta mastermind Aidy, and it makes for a fun, jubilant listen while also throwing up heady, introspective themes. Their upcoming EP, Checking For Daggers, is out on October 21st and features the hazy lead single “Make Believe.” The EP was recorded with TJ Elias at Big Trouble Recording, produced by Daniel Gleason, and mastered by Daniel Milice. Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Choir Vandals – “Running Circles”
It’s wild to me how completely slept on a band like Choir Vandals are in alternative music. The St. Louis indie punk outfit consistently blend Brit-pop, emo, and post-punk in exciting ways, and their 2017 record Dark Glow was one of the sleeper hits of that year. So, it bums me out that they can drop a brand new single like “Running Circles,” announce a new album (Wandering Dogs is out November 4th through Fully Hogged), and literally no one talks about it. (*Trump voice* “Sad.”) Watch the video for “Running Circles” below and show the trio some love:
Deadbody – The Requiem
San Fernando metal outfit Deadbody have an intimidating creative resume. The quartet features brothers Taylor and Colin Young alongside Miles McIntosh and Jorge Herrera, with members collectively serving time in acts like God’s Hate, Apparition, Nails, Twitching Tongues, Zous, ACXDC and Despise You. Suffice it to say, their forthcoming eight-track debut, The Requiem (out October 28th via Closed Casket Activities), sounds like the end of the world. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Press Club – Endless Motion
Press Club are the unsung heroes of Australia's DIY punk rock scene. While they've never scored a breakout hit or a “classic” record, they’ve been tirelessly grinding things out for 12 years, taking their gritty sound across the world. Following 2018’s Late Teens and their 2019 follow-up Wasted Energy, the Naarm/Melbourne quartet serve up another slab of anthemic indie-punk numbers on LP#3, Endless Motion.
As expected, Natalie Foster’s warm timbre drives the conversation, splicing up vulnerability and social commentary against bursts of venom and vitriol. “Untitled Wildlife” takes aim at bushfires and climate change (“this sunburnt country is being burnt down to the ground”), while “Cancelled” pits tired millennial expectations against the search for emotional fulfilment. But it’s standout “Coward Street” that truly stands out from the album’s stacked ten-track block. Over a shimmering lead refrain and driving percussion, Foster calls out an unnamed figure for their lack of backbone, asserting her agency in the face of time, life, and a world that feels all too heavy.
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify