unpeople – blueprints
unpeople have quickly become known for their huge choruses and riffs, lots of energy and volume. ‘blueprints’ however dials back the forward forces and lowers the tempo. Still front to back crammed full of harmonies between the quartet, something they have nailed as part of their signature sound, whilst throwing in a massive guitar solo for good measure. This is further proof that the quartet can write “tunes” of all flavours and sizes. – Adam Vallely
Killing Of A Sacred Deer – Encephalic Angels feat. fromjoy
Insane deathcore collective Killing Of A Sacred Deer are back to make you wince and chew your own lips off in awe of their heaviness. ‘Encephalic Angels’ sees the group (which features members of Serration and World Of Pleasure) combine with Texans fromjoy to create a stunningly violent, incendiary track which at times threatens to burst through your earphones. Retaining the same abbatoir production of their previous work, alongside the eye-popping viciousness in which every instrument is used as a weapon, this is the first salvo from what promises to be a stunning full length release on 11 September. – Chris Earl
Pain Of Truth – Fed By Fear
Long Island hardcore heavyweights Pain Of Truth have unveiled ‘Fed By Fear’, the third taste of their forthcoming self-titled sophomore album, arriving 25th September via DAZE. Following ‘Unforgiven’ and ‘Stranded’, the track opens with the ominous “a machine fed by fear”, a refrain that continues to loom over a track fuelled by outrage at oppression and division. Metallic riffs lock into a dirty, swaggering groove before building towards the stomping breakdowns Pain Of Truth do so well. Produced by Will Putney, ‘Fed By Fear’ is confrontational, rhythmic and unapologetically heavy. – Esther Domnu
Spanish Love Songs – Good American
At this point every single Spanish Love Songs release feels like a litmus test for how well you’re actually doing mentally. The best in the business at needling in on the big and small catastrophic thoughts in all of our brains as we dwell in this shit hole of a world, they’re back with a new album in Future Nausea. ‘Good American’ captures the uncertainty, the anger and ultimately life in the flailing USA. With lines as barbed as “And they’ll use your Christian name / When they club your face up against the hood of that cop’s car”, it may provoke a sign of resignation and a silent plea to the sky that the next alert on your phone is the one we’ve all been hoping for. From their humble pop punk roots, Spanish Love Songs now stand alongside The Menzingers as the ultimate “well, things are fucked but at least the tunes are catchy” band. – Chris Earl
Asidhara – Beyond the Seventh Seal
Wales’ premiere crossover/metallic hardcore outfit Asidhara are back with a vengeance on new single ‘Beyond the Seventh Seal’. Opening with an eerie guitar melody before a churning riff kicks in teeth, ‘Beyond the Seventh Seal’ channels the spirit of Power Trip through barreling riffs, galloping drums and commanding barks. At a hair under five minutes it’s practically prog by hardcore standards, but Asidhara make it all count as the track switches gears frequently. There’s moodier segments, NWOBHM gallops and mid-tempo groove littered throughout that make ‘Beyond the Seventh Seal’ a welcome return. – Will Marshall
Jumper Boy – Orchid
Yes, it’s still twenty odd degrees outside, but it’s time to get sad and bust out the wooly hats; math rock autumn is here, baby. The latest single from the South Yorkshire four piece Jumper Boy, ‘Orchid’ once again sees the band marrying thoughts of TTNG, Delta Sleep and Tangled Hair with the open vulnerability and innovation of UK emo in order to offer something both heartbreaking and spirited. But whilst this track may not see the band drastically alter their sound, what it does is see them further their songwriting chops. Whereas their previous work may have been inspired by the acts aforementioned, this new single sees the band standing up there with them musically. Should this be an indication of things to come, Jumper Boy could well and truly be on their way to becoming future UK math rock greats. – Dan Hillier
Emma Ruth Rundle – God’s Picture
Described as the “centrepiece and thesis statement” to Emma Ruth Runfle‘s incoming record, ‘God’s Picture’ focuses on the horrid current state of the world with wars and the climate crisis in the middle. The opening section is very much reminiscent of her last stripped-back record, Engine of Hell, with acoustic guitar, piano and gentle notes from saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi, before the track bursts into life with a fuller band filling the musical scenery. As ever, ERR manages to beautifully present her message through her music, her voice one of the most beautiful and recognisable about. – Adam Vallely
Nails – Dollar Bin Generation / Fear Based Life
Two new Nails tracks, Jeremy? Announcing they’ve signed to Closed Casket Activities and with hints of a new LP next year sometime, the first taste of what it could sound like arrives in the form of double singles ‘Dollar Bin Generation’ and ‘Fear Based Life’. The former is a sub-2 minute assault, blast beats and tom fills before it accelerates to a breakneck pace. The hardcore influence runs strong throughout, its second half slowing initially to bring a fist-swinging riff to bear. The latter opens with a wonderfully horrid “eurgh” vocalisation and gets to worshipping at the HM2 death metal altar. Squealing harmonics, a mid-paced stomp and again, riffs to snap necks to are all present and correct. In other words, this is as Nails as it gets and a fantastic bridge to new music. – Will Marshall
Boss Keloid – Landslide
Boss Keloid have always inhabited their own little nook, a verdant little place rich with evergreen experimentation and constantly blooming innovation. However, it’s been a good few years since we last heard from from the kings of underground UK prog; one would easily be forgiven for worrying that the band’s hideaway had wiltered and waned much like the rest of the UK this past summer. Thankfully, ‘Landslide’ proves this is very much not the case. Harvested from the band’s freshly cultivated new record Float & Aperture – released 23 October via Church Road – ‘Landslide’ is an adventurous frolic through animated riffs, vivid prog passages and psych-tinged sensibilities. Sure, there’s no denying that the world has gotten a fair bit darker in the half a decade since our last outing with this band, but should this single be anything to go by, Float & Aperture is set to be a welcome escape to the rich and luscious soundscape that Boss Keloid inhabit come its release. – Dan Hillier
Gen and the Degenerates – Hotter On the Internet
In this hellish world dominated by algorithms, social media and the constant, ceaseless need for perpetual self-promotion, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to not only gauge the realities of others on the internet, but to perceive one’s own internet persona. Such is the theme of the wry new single from North West punks Gen and The Degenerates. Written in tandem with Dan Haggis of The Wombats, in true Degenerates fashion, ‘Hotter On the Internet’ is a sassy and downright satirical sultry documentation of how creatives need to create fake personas in order to successfully promote their work. “It explores the dissonance between how I portray myself online vs how I am in reality.” states vocalist Glynn-Reeves. “I feel like people are expecting to meet a certain kind of person, someone that they’re basing on the content of me that they see online, and then I feel like I’m actually quite boring, compared to their expectations. Or at least I’m boring in a practical sense. I think my life and inner world are really interesting and energising, but it’s not very rock’n’roll. I love spending time with my friends. I’m close with my family. I like reading books and swimming and decorating my flat with cool doodads from charity shops.” – Dan Hillier