A band making what they dub sad and nice music for nice and sad people, there’s a very good reason why SUDS are most likely popping up on your radar quite a bit as of late.

Consisting of Mae Carter, Jack Ames, Dan Godfrey and Harry Mitchell, whilst it would be easy and awfully convenient to describe SUDS as a band wonderfully bridging midwest emo, folk vulnerability and contemporary DIY UK indie-pop, it would be more fitting to interpret them as a series of dichotomies. Truly and simply, SUDS are a dichotomy between pleasantry and sadness, a dichotomy between modern and classical, a dichotomy between lost and found. An abstract description, possibly, but it’s this sense of inherent intricacy and substance has bequeathed SUDS with the spoils that can only grace a band with true promise.

Following their signing to the arbiters of contemporary indie that is Big Scary Monsters, SUDS have enjoyed more successes than most bands will receive in two years in just six months. This Spring saw the band take to the road in support of acts such as Pool Kids and Martha, and furthermore, this Summer wills see the band grace stages at the likes of 2000 Trees, Truck Festival and Are You Listening Festival. These achievements, lofty ones for a band that just formed in 2018, are the result of their brilliant and charming debut EP In The Undergrowth.

Released just last month and showcasing both their finesse and the dichotomies previously stated, In The Undergrowth see’s SUDS amalgamating musical movements removed by both time and distance in a fashion that’s sublime, soothing and charming. Equal parts indie and emo with the vulnerably and tenderness of authentic folk, the EP weaves tales on the importance of community and inclusivity amidst a cold society where such things have become forgotten. Truly, whilst it’s instantly agreeable on the surface, it’s a record host to hidden depths of narrative, nuance and creativity, one that warmly caresses one with it’s textures and one that easily showcases why SUDS are being presented with opportunities left, right and centre.

With In The Undergrowth out now via Big Scary Monsters and with the band gearing up for a Summer of festivals and shows, we got in touch with SUDS to get better acquainted.

For those new to SUDS, how would you briefly describe the band?

“We get asked that a lot and we always find it really hard to nail down. We always say it’s nice sad music for nice sad people.”

Musically and topically, what are your primary inspirations?

“Musically, we’re heavily inspired by the midwest emo scene and the early 1960s New York folk scene. Topically, we try our best to express feelings and anxieties we face in our daily lives; we’re all quite anxious people so it seemed like a no brainer to write about our fears and worries, it’s nice because it seems like it resonates with folks who listen to our music and shows them they aren’t alone.”

You’ve had quite the busy year thus far. Firstly, you signed to Big Scary Monsters in January. What is it about the label that appealed to you? 

“We had always loved Big Scary Monsters, growing up they were our favourite label. All the bands on their roster have been hugely inspiring to us. They are also the nicest folks in the industry and that was cemented for us as soon as we spoke to Kev for the first time. He had so much faith in us and what we were trying to achieve, and that meant so much to us at the start. That’s never gone away and we are very grateful for that.”

Secondly, you recently released your debut EP. How did the release go?

“The EP release was incredible, we were on our first headline tour that release week and finished with a hometown show the night it came out which was really special. We were lucky enough to have a bunch of bands we love reach out and tell us how much they liked it too which meant the world.”

Thirdly, you’ve just finished your tour with Pool Kids. How where the shows and what was the reception to the new material like? 

“The shows with Pool Kids were incredible! They are the nicest folks ever and were so inspiring to watch every night, we DID NOT want it to end. The new material went down super well, it feels different to the older stuff which is exciting but it was nice seeing the crowd jump around to it a little.”

Your music has this blissful and dreamy tone yet it’s filled with nuance and variation. It’s reminiscent of the classic Midwest emo scene whilst also touching upon certain aspects of the the UK indie scene. How did you create your sound, did it come naturally or did you have specific sound in mind when writing? 

“When Jack joined the band, he and Maisie began writing together almost instantly, which was the first time either of them had written together. They both come from quite different musical backgrounds and their interests are very varied. Naturally it came out the way it did, but they had had conversations about the kind of sound they were interested in creating and that was very much just trying to find a middle ground between those two musical scenes mentioned earlier.”

Your EP also feels akin to a respite to the perpetual intensity and chaos of modern life. To me, it feels like your music and the title of In The Undergrowth mirrors a sense of trying to navigate the overwhelming nature of the world. Is this something you agree with?

“That’s exactly what the EP is about, it’s the first part of a greater story we are trying to tell. In The Undergrowth is us starting in a place of great feelings of intensity and overwhelm. Struggling to navigate through the weeds and mud. It’s definitely a metaphor for how we are all feeling trying to navigate living in such a chaotic and turbulent world.”

There’s also quite a therapeutic sound to your band, does performing and writing also provide you with a sense of catharsis and escapism?

“We definitely use writing and playing in SUDS as a coping mechanism, it allows us all to not only express how we’re feeling but to forget it for a little while and just be together doing something so lovely. We are awfully close so any time we are together feels like the safest space for us all.”

You’ve said that community plays a major part of SUDS. Could you elaborate on that and the importance of community in modern life?

“SUDS really started in Norwich. Jack and Harry own a Record and Vintage Clothing shop there with their business partner Cat Stones, called Lowell. Lowell has become a real community hub for the DIY scene in Norwich. That scene was the reason all four of us moved to Norwich to work on the band full time. The community is incredible at championing creativity and creating a safe space for folks to create so without that kind of incubation, we would have never been able to go forward with SUDS like we have.”

Finally, what do you want people to take away from your music?

“That’s a hard one, I think if some folks can maybe feel like they aren’t alone by hearing our songs and what we write about then that’s enough. Suds is for everyone, if you want it to be.”

In The Undergrowth is out now via Big Scary Monsters. Purchase the record here.

Big week for the sad boys. Here's the best 14 singles released this week.

Holding Absence – False Dawn

Following on from their April single, ‘A Crooked Melody’, Holding Absence have announced their upcoming third album, The Noble Art Of Self-Destruction due for release August 25th. Alongside this, the band have treated us to a second single from the album, ‘False Dawn’, and what they have produced here feels like the most fully-realised the band have ever been. Lucas Woodland’s vocal talents shine throughout, with huge, soaring choruses accompanying gorgeous melodies in the verses; the sheer power that Woodland possesses has never been up for question, but on ‘False Dawn’ he showcases a real depth and presence that only serves to make the track intense in its emotional potency. On top of that, the instrumentation is more of the fantastic stadium-sized alternative rock that is expected of the band, with simple but effective riffs, and punchy percussion that makes the whole affair deeply infectious. – Ryan Ward

Spanish Love Songs – Haunted

An almost eighties pop intro segueing into some of the most introspective, devastating lyrics of the year? Welcome back Spanish Love Songs, we’ve missed you. The first single from their upcoming album No Joy is here, and it’s depressingly lovely. Titled “Haunted”, it’s deeply harrowing lyrically, but Instrumentally it’s a great introduction to where the band’s sound may be heading. New-wave synths are present throughout, and it provides a stark background to vocalist Dylan Slocum reeling off lines such as “It’ll be this bleak forever, but it is a way to live” among others. While the band may cut too close to the bone for some, there’s comfort in knowing you’re not alone and that others have walked the same dark path as you. It’s never too late to talk, to text, to reach out. As the chorus states, “You’re not haunted, it’s just the devil in your skin”. Let this song and the others on the record be a means of exorcism, a cleansing. The tears may flow, but most importantly, if they do they won’t flow alone. – Chris Earl

The Wonder Years – GODDAMNITALL

Ten years ago, Philly’s finest The Wonder Years released The Greatest Generation, a record that didn’t just change the band’s career, but the pop-punk and emo scene as a whole. Now, after all this time, they’re both revisiting and reminiscing over the record with ‘GODDAMNITALL’, a track more than a decade in the making. Written during the The Greatest Generation sessions and getting a physical release with the 10th anniversary boxset of the record – released September 8th via Hopeless Records – ‘GODDAMNITALL’ bridges the decade that spans the ceremonial record in question and the The Wonder Years’ position and stature in 2023. “GODDAMNITALL is a song that almost was, and then, for a long time, categorically was not, and now is,” vocalist Dan Campbell says of the track. “When it came time to find bonus content for this box set, we went grave digging in old hard-drives to find the demos from TGG that didn’t get finished and then exhumed and reanimated this one. It was the closest to being done at the time. All of the music was there. The chorus had lyrics and melody but, for budget and time constraints it got abandoned before it had verses and a bridge. Now, a decade later, it’s finally finished. We asked Steve Evetts to produce it the same way he would have if it were on the original album and it now stands as a spiritual and somewhat literal b-side to The Greatest Generation.” – Dan Hillier

Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam – E.S.B

With a sound as bright, joyous and adventurous as their namesake, Brummie six-piece Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are back with ‘E.S.B’, a single that can only be aptly be deserved as a summer of bottled melancholy condensed into a single song. Offering a heady mix of punk orientated noise that flirts with a whole cacophony of genres without committing to any, the single see’s the band taking a jab at one’s own heartbreak in a way that’s darkly humorous and brightly fatalist. Those who have experienced this band in the past will surely have a great understanding of the ceaselessly catchy hooks that await within this single, but for those yet to be formally acquainted, ‘E.S’B’ is a brilliant and utterly undeniable introduction to a criminally undersung band who are impossible not to adore. – Dan Hillier

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Gila Monster

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are back after last year’s slower, doom adjacent offering with the new heavy metal infused track ‘Gila Monster’. 80s guitar tone married with a shredding solo starts the song, before the familiar pounding vocals lines come in along with the massive drums that are one of the trademarks of KGLW. The song details the awesome power of the Gila Monster, indicating the subject matter of the new album due out next month. The monster here is flanked by marching metal music that would be fit in one of those animated movies from the 80s (you know the ones, with dragons and barely clad warrior princesses). It’s a great track to release as a first single, building up hype for the wordy 24th album PetroDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of the Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. Try saying that with a mouthful. – Rob Bown

Mutoid Man – Call Of The Void

Everyones favourite scuzzed out supergroup are back, this time with a new member within the ranks. Composed of Cave In’s Steven Brodsky, Converge drummer Ben Koller and newly added bassist Jeff Matz of High On Fire, Mutoid Man’s latest single ‘Call Of The Void’ is far more than the sum of it’s parts. The first single to be taken from the trio’s upcoming record Mutants – released 28^th July – ‘Call Of The Void’ is four minutes of sidewinding pinch harmonics, half-timed riffs and double-kicked beats chaptered by a rowdy yet irresistible chorus. As those versed in the band will know, Mutoid Man have long been musically removed from each member’s primary projects whilst still being a band bounded with the dexterous skill synonymous with each associated act, and ‘Call Of The Void’ brilliantly continues this in a way that’s fully enjoyable. – Dan Hillier

Buggin – Snack Run

Flatspot Records’ own Buggin are back with yet another neat little track off upcoming release Concrete Cowboys. Spanning a whopping 56 seconds long, ‘Snack Run’ definitely won’t take a whole lot out of your day, but don’t let that deter from the pandemonium that hits with every second. Lyrically silly and instrumentally chaotic, ‘Snack Run’ will appeal to a majority of hardcore and powerviolence listeners alike. Two steppers and moshers lace up those shoes because this one’s for you. With plenty of two step riffs to go around and a ferocious close out, this track will cause complete violence if and when the Chicago powerhouse decide to play it live. Be ready because this is just a taste of what’s to come June 2nd – and here’s to hoping there’s paramedics present during future Buggin gigs. – Nathaniel Maure

Koyo – You’re On the List (Minus One)

New York hardcore troupe Koyo have made quite a name for themselves in the last few years. If you don’t know who Koyo is, now’s your chance to get to know them. ‘You’re On the List (Minus One)’, the first track off of their debut record Would You Miss It?, which drops through Pure Noise Records on September 29th certainly sets the tone for the upcoming release. Filled with tons of emotion not only in the lyrics but also in the music itself, so much so you can almost physically feel it. An outstanding display of how hardcore can still be “hardcore” without being overtly aggressive and unapproachable. Filled with what feels like inspiration from early 2010’s pop-punk, Koyo have managed to blend these two styles almost seamlessly. If the rest of the record is anything like this, it’ll prove to stand with more melodic hardcore standouts from Scowl‘s Psychic Dance Routine to Turnstile‘s Glow On. – Nathaniel Maure

Static Dress – Courtney, just relax (feat. World of Pleasure)

It’s been a year since Static Dress dropped their acclaimed, independently released debut album Rouge Carpet Disaster, during which the band have toured extensively both sides of the Atlantic. So it comes as little surprise that the post-hardcore four piece have finally been snapped up by a major label, with their new partnership with Roadrunner Records commencing with the release of an extended version of their debut, due to release September 15th. This week we were treated to a revamped version of one of their heaviest tracks, ‘Courtney, just relax’. Already an explosive cut, with a riotous introductory verse that sounds like the band imploding, the ‘Redux’ version features a particularly incredible verse from World of Pleasure vocalist Jess Nyx. Her vicious screamed vocals are the perfect accompaniment to the aggressive sonic whirlwind of Static Dress, and leave this reinterpretation feeling like the definitive version of the song. – Ryan Ward

Evile – The Unknown

Huddersfield’s greatest thrash export Evile return with their anticipated follow up to 2021’s Hell Unleashed. New single ‘The Unknown’ shows everyone why Kerrang once stated they were “carrying the whole thrash revival on their shoulders.” Effortlessly calling upon the Metallica from within, the track listens like a classic thrash ballad from the 80s, everything down to the slightly chorusy guitar tone, hymn like vocals and driving arena rock drums, evokes the spirit of mid-tempo progressive thrash. The powerful vocals of Ol Drake cut through the wormy guitar lines shouting out how they await the unknown, coupled with gang shouts and Black Album esque riffs this is going to be one to keep an eye out for. – Rob Bown

Walk In Coma – Suffer

Another in Essex’s current crop of heavy bands, Walk In Coma are no amateurs when it comes to building an exciting sound. ‘Suffer’ is their latest single from upcoming EP Human Condition and deploys a grasp of modern metal with the bounce and attitude to appeal across the punk to metalcore spectrum. Consistent energy flows throughout the nearly four-minute track, only slowing down for a classic breakdown garnished with pinch harmonics and a sludgy riff to close off a strong offering. This one is sure to translate well into a live setting and leaves an exciting prospect with the release of the EP on the horizon. – Jasper Harmer

Snayx – Boys In Blue / H.A.N.G

The band’s first offering since welcoming new drummer Lainey Loops into the fold, Synayx’s new double A-side single is – as you can imagine – two tracks baring a shared sentiment. Two snarling and confrontational takedowns of the increasingly totalitarian powers that control us, the two tracks in question are delivered as a conjoined piece that need to be consumed as s singular experience. The double A-side is a social commentary of recent times.” says vocalist Charlie Herridge. “It’s a criticism of the power structures that control and govern us and the hypocrisy they can be steeped in. It’s our expression of anger and dissidence. We encourage the listener to ask themselves “If I’m willing to turn a blind eye to these things, what does that say about me?”. Systematic corruption is rife and governing bodies should be constantly evaluated and held accountable. H.A.N.G (Hold Accountable Nefarious Governments) is a play on the language and rhetoric used by the right-wing Government and media.” – Dan Hillier

Origami Angel – My PG County Summer

Washington D.C. based alternative duo Origami Angel are certainly building interest in their newly announced album The Brightest Days with upbeat, chaotic, slightly retro pop-punk singles. New track ‘My PG County Summer’ has a much more openly political leaning, taking aim at people travelling from all around the US to attend events like the January 6th insurrection, than previous Beach Boys inspired single ‘Thank You New Jersey’, as well as a more 90s alt-rock sound with a Weezer style wavering synth and chunky, angular guitar riff. Like their previous single, ‘My PG County Summer’ only clocks in at 2 and a half minutes but, with its more conventional structure and fewer drastic shifts in genre, could have sustained a longer runtime. Whatever Origami Angel do next be assured we won’t expect it. – Tom Bruce

Can’t Swim – Must Be Nice (Metaphorically Speaking)

Keeping the momentum up from their fourth studio album Thanks But No Thanks back in March, New Jersey emo quartet Can’t Swim release their latest track ‘Must Be Nice (Metaphorically Speaking)’. In a unique move Can’t Swim decided to retroactively add this new single to the beginning of their latest album rather than releasing it as a standalone single. This new single, despite now being one of the heavier tracks on the album, actually fits in perfectly as the album’s opener, summing up the album’s themes of personal growth in a concise emo banger. With its relentless pace, thunderous drums and mosh-worthy breakdown ‘Must Be Nice (Metaphorically Speaking)’ is one of Can’t Swim’s best. – Tom Bruce