As proven with their new single ‘Chronophobia’, Icosandria’s approach to shoegaze is as sun-blessed as their native Portugal. We’re overjoyed to premiere it.
Taken from their upcoming split EP with alt-rock trio and fellow countrymen Treewax, ‘Chronophobia’ is a blissfully euphoric and irresistibly warm breath of fresh shoegaze that shows that Icosandria are far from just another name in an increasingly saturated global scene. Rich with a sense of tangible purpose, this single brilliantly showcases a band with seemingly an inherent ability to present a sound that’s as progressively novel as it nostalgic and contemplative as it is healing.
As summery shoegaze radiates and illuminates post-rock sensibilities and subtle prog thinking, ‘Chronophobia’ comes to take form as something that mirrors the sensation of gazing up at a gorgeous early Spring sunset. From the track’s comforting reddish hues and comforting warmth, it’s nigh on impossible not to excitingly anticipate the opportunities that lie ahead. However, it’s also impossible not to reflect upon the years that have now gracefully and silently slipped under the horizon, the regrets that chaptered them lost to time. The track is as gorgeous as it’s nuanced, and fans of Alcest, Slowdive, Lantlôs and Infinite Granite-era Deafheaven will find plenty to love here.
Void Intention, the Split EP between Icosandria and Treewax, is released April 18th. Watch the lyric video for ‘Chronophobia’ a day before it’s official release exclusively below.
You know the deal, here's the best singles of last week.
“Last year I fell in love under circumstances that felt massively shameful. I couldn’t help but despise myself for all of the damage I had caused. This song is a reminder that you are always worthy of love. Even when you feel yourself morphing into something you don’t recognise. You are inherently worthy.” That’s how Knife Bride vocalist Mollie Clack describes their new single ‘Worthy’, and that call for self love is born out through the track’s raucous, bouncing energy. There’s shades of Periphery in its opening riff but Clack’s voice swiftly pulls it to emotionally fraught territory before soaring atop searing lead guitar. If you remember 2010s Basick Records and loved that era, ‘Worthy’ updates it for 2025 with a powerful message. – Will Marshall
‘Satanized’ is the lead single from Swedish spooky metallers Ghost’s highly anticipated new album Skeleta, which will be released in April this year. If you’re a Ghost fan, ‘Satanized’ is everything that you would expect, taking elements from their 2018 release Prequelle and blending in their now-trademark style of spooky synths, epic twin guitar solos and ominous riffs with anthemic choruses, satanic chanting, and mysterious lyrics. The religious imagery in both ‘Satanized’ and its accompanying music video are very much to be expected, however they have found a formula that resonates with many listeners and are masters at their craft of creepy, yet a musically accessible brand of metal. – Ez Luscombe
On the heels of 2024’s art history, Perennial is taking us back to ’65 with latest single ‘Perennial ’65’. This is quintessential Perennial; aggressively earwormy riffs, hooks that won’t let you go, and a little bit of studio-as-instrument guitar manipulation. This is one of their more mod-leaning teacks, and is the first to feature new drummer Cee Dioguardi. Still, nothing will match their live energy but there is (hopefully) a second UK tour on the horizon. this single is a preview for the EP of the same name coming April 4, which features remixes from Death Cab For Cutie‘s Chris Walla, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die‘s Chris Teti, and Cody Votolato of Blood Brothers. – Mia Thunderska
The fourth single from their hotly anticipated second album Are We All Angels, ‘Tonight (I’m Afraid)’ is Scowl at their most vulnerable yet. Aching melodies run through Kat Moss’ voice until its closing moments where the band let the punk riffs and screams shine in a thrilling conclusion. Suffice to say, this is shaping up to be a fascinating album with so many new facets to the band. – Will Marshall
There’s a chance you might have heard Cwfen faintly calling from the crypt with their first few musical offerings; but there’s no chance you can ignore the wailing of ‘Wolfsbane’ though. The first cut to be sacrificially taken from their upcoming record Sorrows – released May 30th via New Heavy Sounds – ‘Wolfsbane’ is a haunting air of sound that just shows the fantastic promise of this emerging Glaswegian band. Moving with the glacial punishment of Amenra, the composed gothic allure of Chelsea Wolfe and the seduction of Type O Negative, ‘Wolfsbane’ mirrors the spires that characterise Glasgow gothic and stands as a track that both crushes and haunts. For those fans of the bands aforementioned, this is crucial listening. – Dan Hillier
Arguably one of the most promising names in European prog at the current time, Calyces, Athens’ answer to Baroness, continue to showcase their prowess with ‘Wastelands’. Taken from their forthcoming new record Fleshy Waves Of Probability – self-released 21 March – ‘Wastelands’ is a wonderfully animated track built around sidewinding riffs and a sense of spirited purpose. Simply, it’s a far cry from the stoic nature many associate with prog, and a fantastic example of the promise if this act. “’Wastelands’ speaks about those people with a ‘spark’ in their eyes, who have emerged from incredibly difficult situations even stronger”, state the band on the track. “Their actions and journey shape the way you see life, becoming a source of inspiration, not just for writing music and telling their stories, but also for shaping the important decisions you make in your life.” – Dan Hillier
A little over a year following their string of singles released between summer and winter of 2023, the ever-elusive Vildhjarta have re-appeared out of thin air, announcing the release of their new album + där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar + inbound for 30 May. It’s accompanied by 6:45 of brand new mind-boggling riffage to chew on in the meantime. Each new release from the Swedish inventors of “thall” has seen them push the limits of their songwriting and technical capabilities, adding to the unexpected possibilities of their unmistakable sonic palette along the way and new single ‘+ sargasso +’ is no exception. While it’s unclear if founding member and songwriter Daniel Bergström is still involved in these new tracks or whether this new album is conceptually tied to 2021’s expansive måsstaden under vatten, the band sounds more experimental, diverse and challenging than ever despite reduced personnel and their forthcoming album promises to be one of the more exciting and creative heavy music releases of this year. – Avrian O’Brien
New Zealand alt metaller Vana has unveiled latest single ‘Pleaser’ as her first release of 2025 and it sees her continuing to fold in pop alongside crunchy modern metalcore. There’s shades of Ashnikko to the verses and particularly her vocal delivery outside of the acerbic screams. There’s a clear desire to keep experimenting and finding a unique voice, one that’s emerging the more Vana pushes at the boundaries of pop and metalcore to blur them further. – Will Marshall
The Jesus Lizard are back, back, back again baby, with a brand-new single ‘I’m Tired Of Being Your Mother’, which is also their first release since their brilliant comeback album Rack, released on Ipecac Recordings last year. This abrasive yet enthralling tune is part of a three-song EP Flux, which is due to be released on Record Store Day (12 April). David Yow, the éminence grise behind the legendary band said about this track: “When a friend of mine was about eight years old, living outside of New Orleans, his mother once said to him, in a slow, dull drawl, ‘Im tired uh bein’ yo mutha’ […] That really struck me. The lyrics are actual quotes of awful things mothers have said to their children. Heartbreaking!!” This track in itself is pure concentrated GMO-free classic Jesus Lizard, with the tongue-in-cheek type of humour and their punkish ways. If you like what you hear and happen to be travelling around the US and Europe in May/June, then you should definitely consider seeing them perform live or just wait until they play near you over the summer. – Nessie Spencer
Somewhat of a return to the more low-gravity post rock environment that the band emerged from, the new single from Blackpool’s Blanket is an otherworldly experience that crystallises its title. Dropping prior to the band returning to the studio to work on their fourth record, ‘Levitate’ is a blissful and hazy mirage of sound that resonates Blanket’s more ambient material whilst carrying the weight and immediacy of their last record. For those new to the enveloping sounds of Blanket, fans of Nothing, My Bloody Valentine and Oversize will find plenty to cuddle into here. – Dan Hillier
Do you yearn for the days where metalcore really loved Gothenburg melodeath and hardcore? Well, part of that sound’s ongoing resurgence are newcomers Iron Form, whose debut EP lands later this month on Church Road. Second single ‘Vengeance Prayer’ is a gloriously 2000s slab of Misery Signals et al worship. There’s more to it than that, with guitars that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Trivium album and a dash of post hardcore for good measure. Metalcore is well and truly back. – Will Marshall
The new era of Halflives is coming and its name is How Much a Heart Can Take Before It Breaks, their new EP due on April 11th. With prior singles, ‘perfectly broken’ and ‘Immortals’, the Italian rock band just launched their last track ‘No Way Out’ before the release date of the EP next month. It’s as catchy as can be expected from Halflives; a pure shot of pop rock adrenaline mixed with efficient choruses. The track may sound short at first, however, it doesn’t give time to get bored and grabs attention in seconds. Linda Battilani, the sole member shouts, talking about mental health: ‘there’s no way out’ but, a tune like this encapsulates a type of energy like no other where hope is definitely on its way.” Catch Halflives on the UK and European roads next month. – Emma Forni
Gridiron’s brand of hardcore has always had a sure-of-itself swagger to it, and on latest single ‘Mascot’ they’re channelling that to the max. The essence of ‘Break Stuff’ runs heavily through what is essentially a call out track, bigging themselves up whilst simultaneously sitting down anyone who’s up against them. The track has the tone of a pure blooded American hardcore track, but seems to draw plenty from the groove of hip-hop, so is nigh impossible to stop yourself moving to whilst shouting down all comers. It’s full of instant one liners – “you employee of the month at the bitch store” – and is infectious to the point of addiction. The two-steppers and crowdkillers will be avid fans of ‘Mascot’, so beware of the pit if you catch this in person. – Jake Longhurst
Fusing R&B with metal, Blood Dealer are the Midlands’ answer to the question of ‘what will metal look like post Sleep Token?’. With silky verses, chuggy choruses, and even some djent guitar tones, Blood Dealer are bringing a plethora of sounds together into what is a surprisingly successful blend of some fairly disparate styles. They’ve got riffs aplenty and aren’t afraid to get a little down and dirty with a pretty hefty finale to the track, which is particularly impressive when the intro to the song feels like you should be dirty dancing in a low-lit club somewhere in Miami, until the guitars kick in to get things really started. – Jake Longhurst
Kent metalcore quartet Glowing Faces have dropped their latest single ‘Unwanted’, the follow up to the band’s debut single ‘Swallow’. The band have self-produced the song from recording to artwork and it’s as much a rampaging and blistering anthem as it brimming with guitar melody. There is a juxtaposition between chugging riffs and snarling deep vocal growls and it feels like Glowing Faces have nailed the blend to make their sound as heavy as it is but with coherence and quality. Old school metalcore never sounded so fresh. – Jac Holloway
With their highly anticipated debut album coming soon via Big Scary Monsters, emotive punk trio Michael Cera Palin took a deep dive with us into the process and meaning behind We Could Be Brave.
Rarely do bands develop a cult following like emo legends Michael Cera Palin have. Starting their career close to a decade ago in Atlanta, Georgia, the trio have cultivated a dedicated fanbase across the world despite only having released a pair of short EPs, 2016’s Growing Pains and 2018’s I Don’t Know How To Explain It. With their long-awaited debut album on the horizon, bassist Jon Williams and frontman Elliott Braban took some time out of their busy touring schedule to lay their process bare.
Michael Cera Palin’s upcoming debut album We Could Be Brave is the band’s first release in seven years, those years have changed the trio for the better. Elliott explains, “After that last release, we broke up and so each of us had to fully reconsider what our relationship to writing songs was and how we were going to go forward with music before realizing we were going to be back together and further exploring this. And I think that led to a lot of self discovery”, continuing “I’ll definitely say that this was I think the most like fully collaborative, like the most intensely collaborative songwriting process so far”. Jon compares this to their previous works, adding, “I remember we kind of felt like it was just fun being in a local band. And then there wasn’t really a lot of thought behind making that last EP. It was just very kind of spur in the moment and like hanging out.”
Writing began on We Could Be Brave back in 2021 with the lyrics being finished in 2023 and mixing and mastering finishing in 2024, with this extended timeframe it wouldn’t be surprising if the band had lost connection with their material before it was even released. However, Elliott assures that the band are just as attached to the album as when it was written, saying “So a big thing about finishing the lyrics last is that typically with the instrumentals I’ll have a certain physical feeling it brings out of me playing it. And that’ll typically evoke something within life that I wanted to talk about. And then finishing the lyrics on a more timely manner to when we’re finishing the songs helps me feel a bit more resolute in the actual message I have to give about it. I still feel very connected to everything I have to say on that album”. On the album’s drawn out production, he explains “We wanted to make sure because we love these songs. Like genuinely, throughout the process of writing this album, we really, really are in love with these songs. And just wanted to make sure they have as much space as they need to shine as bright as we know they can. We felt we owed it to ourselves, and we owed it to the songs, and we owed it to our listeners. And thank God, thank God it worked out.”
Lead single Wisteria embraced some new sounds for Michael Cera Palin, leaning into grunge and alt-rock inspired overdriven guitar riffs and forceful vocals, as well as the band’s tried and tested twinkly emo sound. Elliott goes into detail on this unique sound explaining “So the instrumental for that, I demoed while MCP was broken up actually. And I remember sending that demo to I believe John and also our dear friends Helena and Amy and just being like, hey, does this sound too much like MCP? I think at that time I was leaning into the more progressive song structures of Brave Little Abacus and also the newer Jeff Rosenstock stuff, tracks like ‘USA’ or other stuff on POST-”.
The band also gave a glimpse into the track Murder Hornet Fursona’s powerful and timely message of hope for the queer community saying “anti assimilation is always going to be very prescient, the temptation of assimilation is never going to go away for any marginalized group. And so I think that that’s always going to have some timeliness to it. I mean, obviously right now like it, it’s a bit more of an urgent ‘we need to protect trans lives’ type beat”.
The album’s self-titled closing track is an incredibly ambitious and intimate twelve minute long exploration of Michael Cera Palin’s sound. Elliott explains, “so the first part of that song I came up with while we were at practice, and we were recording everything we were doing at practice for the most part at that point, because we were just in writing mode and I knew it was going to be the beginning of the closer for the album. I did not know how long that song would be”.
The track’s extended runtime and elaborate structure ties into its themes, he goes on to explain, “I specifically wanted to use the composition of this to convey how non-linear healing is and how non-linear finding a path forward is. The fact that you’re not sure if the rock bottom you experience right now will be rock bottom and still finding your way through that was the main thing I wanted to get across. I kept telling the Jons throughout this process, like, I swear to God, I’m going to bring this to y’all, but there’s just something else I’m hearing in my head and I need to figure out what’s going on and so help me God, I got there” with Jon adding “I feel like it’s kind of hard to have a hard line on it. But it does feel cool to be one of those guys who plays on a 10-minute song now”. Elliott assured fans that the band are planning on being as unpredictable as ever, saying, “I ask that fans expect nothing but honesty. I guess the songs will always be as long as they need to be. We also have our shortest song to date on the album, ‘A Broken Face’ is 92 seconds, we’ve never had a song sub two minutes before, and it is a full song still”.
Deers are a strong visual theme on the album, being featured on the cover and the artwork for the singles, Elliott goes into the story behind the deer explaining “so 4 months before we went in to record the instrumentals for this album I visited my grandmother in Hospice on her final day. She went from being up and walking around to like, leaving us over a very short period of time. And when I left the Hospice, I saw a doe in the parking lot and I snapped a picture”, this photo became the inspiration for the album’s artwork. He continues, “it felt very poignant. It felt very prescient for like, how like our spirit maintains a place with us that goes so far beyond what we can see, how we can see our lives immediately impacting others. Like we stay with other people. And we owe it to ourselves and everyone else to continue being brave on behalf of that”.
