Weekly Roundup: September 4th
Weekly Roundup: September 4th
Featuring Crime In Stereo, Job For A Cowboy, Mannequin Pussy, and more.
MOSH PITHY:
A curated selection of cool shit for you to listen to.
Taking Back Sunday – “S’old”
Legendary emo rockers Taking Back Sunday are making their return, unveiling their latest record, 152, which is their first in seven years and is expected on October 27th through Fantasy Records. Named for the section of road in North Carolina between Highpoint, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh where the band and their friends would meet up as teenagers, the new record follows on from 2016’s Tidal Wave and is their first as a quartet without rhythm guitarist and founding member Eddie Reyes. Commenting on their new album, the band states:
“152 offers a lot more hope and light than we first realized when we were in the thick of it, putting it all together. We’ve been fortunate enough, through our music, to grow up with a lot of people going through the same things at the same time and probably feeling the same way. Our hope is that you're able to find a little bit of yourself in this new collection of songs because you’re not alone, and neither are we.”
Watch the video for “S’old” below:
Morning Eagle – Something Will Find You
Morning Eagle is the project of Long Beach, CA multi-instrumentalist Nicholas May, who is dropping the Something Will Find You EP next week on September 8th through Setterwind Records. It’s a four-track release brimming with “swirling guitars... distorted basslines... [and] May’s distinctive sombre melodies.” Anyone with an affinity for late 90s/early 00s alternative sounds or recent records from acts like Heavenward, Teenage Wrist, and Softcult will find a lot to love here. Stream the EP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Cauldron – “Rejection Pact”
I’ve been a fan of Cauldron since their 2020 release, the suberbly titled Last Words: Screamed from Behind God’s Muzzle. On that EP, the quintet delivered a sound imbued by late 90s/early 00s metalcore worship akin to groups like Renounced, Mourning and Last Wishes, which was and is extremely my shit. The Midlands metalcore crew have now announced their debut full-length, set for release November 3rd via The Coming Strife. Produced and mixed by Sam Bloor, Suicide in the City is a concept album inspired by mental health struggles and features guest appearances from Jess Nyx (World of Pleasure, Mortality Rate), River Elliott (Ballista), and Scott Nicholson. Listen to “Rejection Pact” here.
Knuckle Puck – Losing What We Love
Illinois pop-punkers Knuckle Puck have announced the forthcoming release of their fourth LP, Losing What We Love, their first full-length for Pure Noise Records, due out on October 20th. The Chicago quintet have been honing their craft for over thirteen years, and their latest album—recorded with longtime producer Seth Henderson (State Champs, Real Friends)—is shaping up to be their darkest one yet. As rhythm guitar/co-lead vocalist Nick Casasanto explains:
“This time around, we started writing more honestly with less intent to sound cool or hopeful. It feels like we’re in a bit of a losing battle with the state of the world, but in the past, we’d say, ‘Oh, but it’s all OK!’ Now we’re saying, ‘No, we should be panicking.’ This record feels like more of an expression than a motivational speech.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Job For A Cowboy – “The Agony Seeping Storm”
Arizona death metallers Job For A Cowboy have roared back to life with a volatile new single to be featured on a new album set for release in 2024 via Metal Blade Records. The first new material since 2014’s Sun Eater LP, which solidified their transition from MySpace deathcore progenitors to a full-blown progressive death metal outfit, the track was born from suitably psychedelic origins. As vocalist Jonny Davy explains:
“The concept was inspired by a close friend who embarked on a relentless quest for profound enlightenment through the incessant abuse of hallucinogenic drugs. However, as they delved deeper into their religious-like experimentation, they began exhibiting symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. They came to believe they could access an alternate, esoteric reality through hallucinogenic intoxication, where they encountered gnostic and biblical figures and imagery.”
Listen to “The Agony Seeping Storm” here.
Crime In Stereo – House & Trance
After years of rumours and gentle teasers, Long Island melodic hardcore institution Crime In Stereo have finally announced their glorious comeback, with the impending release of their new LP, House & Trance, out on October 27th via Pure Noise Records. CIS are easily one of my favourite bands of all time—I own every record; I have lyrics from 2007’s magnum opus ...Is Dead tattooed on me, and they are one of a few bands remaining on my live bucket list. This new record will be their first in 13 years (!) following 2010’s magnificent I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone LP, which the group announced with a fantastic two-track single in “Hypernormalisation/Books Cannot Be Killed By Fire.” Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Mannequin Pussy – “I Got Heaven”
Things have been relatively quiet in the Mannequin Pussy camp since the release of 2021's Perfect EP. Thankfully, the Philadelphia indie-punks have now broken that silence and shot back with a ferocious new single titled “I Got Heaven.” This fuzzed-out rager was recorded with veteran indie rock producer John Congleton, and it finds bandleader Marisa Dabice hurling some absolute lyrical heaters, such as: “And what if we stopped spinning?/And what if we’re just flat?/And what if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch?” No word on a new album, but this single makes it clear that Mannequin Pussy are well and truly back on their bullshit. Watch the video for “I Got Heaven” below:
Chain Whip – Call of the Knife
Ever since I stumbled across their fantastic Two Step to Hell EP back in mid-2021, I’ve been enamoured with Canadian punks Chain Whip. Well, the Vancouver boys are back with their second full-length record, Call Of The Knife, due out on October 16th through Drunken Sailor Records. Now, I could talk this one up, but the album’s Bandcamp bio written by Will Fitzpatrick—go read it, it’s fantastic—does such a great job that I wanted to spotlight a pull quote here:
“We’re gonna need a soundtrack to this that sounds equally pissed off; something loud, fast and ‘orrible that gives you the impetus to finally drive that bulldozer through the cop shop. In case you hadn’t guessed where this was going, please welcome the grand, timely and thoroughly welcome return of Chain Whip.”
Stream the LP’s pre-release singles here (Bandcamp/Spotify).
Listen to all these tracks and more on the TPD 2023 CUTS playlist, updated weekly.
HEAVY METTLE:
A closer, more in-depth look at a new record that ticks all my boxes.
Polaris – Fatalism
It’s been a rough few months for Polaris. During the height of a European tour run that included the band’s debut appearance on the coveted Download Festival line-up, the Sydney allstars were forced to return home to grieve the tragic passing of lead guitarist Ryan Siew at the age of 26. (RIP Ryan.) After months of grieving and mourning the loss of their dear friend and bandmate, the group are soldiering on with the release of Fatalism, their latest full-length LP for Resist Records and SharpTone Records.
The band’s third album is a colossal release, one that finds the young outfit solidifying their place at the top of the metalcore subgenre by pushing their heaviness into new and exciting territory. In a press release prior to Ryan’s passing, drummer Daniel Furnari discussed the thematic core of the record, which has now taken on a new level of poignancy and grim determination:
“For us, fatalism is the resignation to the idea that you have no control over certain things, that some things are almost pre-determined and inevitable... But one of the reasons I was drawn to it as a concept and as an album title was that there’s almost a freedom in that idea, too. Once you can accept that there are certain things you simply can’t control—it’s actually very liberating.”
Stream here: Spotify | YouTube
ERRONEOUS BOTCH:
We’ve gone for back-to-back Deep Cuts, and last week’s guest was vocalist and guitarist Jon Simmons of Balance & Composure. Jon joined the show to run through the upcoming tenth anniversary of the group’s phenomenal second album, The Things We Think We’re Missing, alongside their recent reunion shows and new two-track single, his solo project Creeks, and his co-hosting duties for the excellent Your Morning Breakfast podcast. It’s a fun chat with plenty of quality riffs and a few track recommends from Jon snuck in the back. Check it out in full below: