Weekly Roundup: October 31st
Featuring Extortion, Tree River, Gunship, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Gunship – “Ghost” feat. Power Glove
After collaborating with everyone from John Carpenter and Tyler Bates to Richard K. Morgan and Wil Wheaton, it makes sense for synthwave titans Gunship to finally look beyond the human. On “Ghost,” their latest standalone single (no word on LP#3, sadly), the UK trio employed the services of public access AI image generators, giving them one simple prompt: “What happens after we die?” The results are strange, curious, and hauntingly beautiful—kind of like the group’s flavour of neon-soaked synthesizers, cinematic vocal lines, and pounding 80s rhythms. Watch the spookily hypnotic video for “Ghost” below:
Extortion – Seething
As if 2022 wasn’t already stacked with insane releases, Melbourne exports Extortion return to drop a shiny new 7-inch. Recorded in 2019 before the world set itself on fire and mixed/mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Mammoth Grinder, Eternal Champion), Seething is another pipebomb of powerviolent malevolence and vitriolic self-loathing, blasting through 15 tracks in nine blistering minutes. If you like things quick, dirty and impossibly hostile, it doesn’t get much better than this. Stream the release in full (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Quicksand – “Felíz”
It would be hard for most legacy bands to return after a 20-year absence and make their music sound not only relevant but vital, yet Quicksand make it look all too easy. Riding high off the release of their fourth LP, 2021’s Distant Populations, the NYC alternative trio are back again with another towering rager. “Felíz” packs a wallop with thick riffs and infectious energy alongside the iconic croon of vocalist/guitarist Walter Schreifels. Listen to “Felíz” here.
R.A.M.B.O. – Defy Extinction
Speaking of returning from an absence, Philly crew R.A.M.B.O. are back with their first record since 2007. It’s titled Defy Extinction (out November 4th through Relapse Records), and according to vocalist Tony Croasdale, the record is “a love letter to people and wildlife. The beauty of humanity and nature is worth fighting for.” With members doing time in acts like The Hope Conspiracy, Paint It Black, Reagan Squad, Policy Of Three, and Four Hundred Years, they’re certainly well placed to bring forth a slab of politically conscious, crust-infused hardcore punk. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Tree River – “Get Up”
Back in April, Brooklyn emo outfit Tree River released a great little record titled Time Being through UK label Big Scary Monsters. It’s a lovely, heartfelt ten-track album that lands somewhere between Modern Baseball, Oso Oso, and Movements. And, much to my surprise, the group are already back at it with another new single. So, if you’re after affecting lyricism, jangly guitars and a driving, sing-a-long chorus, then this one is for you. Listen to “Get Up” here.
Black Cross Hotel – Hex
On their debut full-length, Chicago metallers Black Cross Hotel are working in the liminal space between sleek industrial and splattered horror-punk. Inspired by 80s slasher films, John Carpenter scores, and gothic legends Killing Joke, Hex plays out like a dark séance, where distorted guitars, pounding percussion and eerie soundscapes conjure up entrancing mystic moods. Fans of Misfits, Ministry, and everything in between will likely find something worthy of worship here. Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Fucked Up – “One Day”
After dropping their noisy Oberon EP earlier this month, Ontario punks Fucked Up are already back on the grind. The group have announced the forthcoming release of their sixth full-length, One Day (out January 27th through Merge Records), and, as its title suggests, the project’s impetus stems largely from spontaneity, with guitarist and primary composer Mike Haliechuk conceiving, writing, and recording the album within three eight-hour studio sessions. I really enjoyed the band’s previous LP, 2018’s Dose Your Dreams, so this one has me pumped. Watch the video for the album’s lead single and title track below:
T.S. Warspite – Stop the Rot
While their country continues to embarrass itself on the global stage, UKHC continues to go from strength to strength. Manchester’s T.S. Warspite are the latest group to have a crack at pissing in the pot of economic malaise and societal collapse, serving up 13 tracks of refreshing hardcore punk with subtle melodic licks. Stop the Rot is out now through the good folks over at Quality Control HQ, and I highly suggest you follow the demands of the album’s presser: “Do yourself a favour and play this through your Tesla microchip and light your Molotov.” 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.
Arm’s Length – Never Before Seen, Never Again Found
Small-town living can feel oppressive in ways that aren’t immediately apparent until you leave. The virtue of finally having an outsider’s perspective is the realisation of just how limiting a place can be to your creative horizons. “I guess it was the same as any other small town — cornfields, mean bullies that made fun of my skinny jeans,” says Arm’s Length singer-guitarist Allen Steinberg in a recent profile for SPIN. “It was bleak, feeling like you don’t have like-minded people around you easily, and the inescapable cold winters we get.”
The band’s debut full-length, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, out now through Wax Bodega, is a testament to pushing through the hard times and risking it all on something unproven and unknown. Album standout “Muscle Memory” finds Steinberg ruminating on the “type of loss that can swing in your favour,” while cuts like “Formative Age” and “Tough Love” tackle generational trauma and toxic masculinity with an earnest tenderness. As bassist Ben Greenblatt puts it: “If no one else is gonna lay the foundation for you, you have to lay it for yourself.”
Stream here: Bandcamp | Spotify