Bossk – Truth II
The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, Toy Story 2. Iconic British post-metal band Bossk have embodied the classic sequels that improved on their predecessor in every way with their latest single ‘Truth II’. A continuation of their 13 minute 2007 masterwork from their EP 2, ‘Truth’, the sequel takes a number of the more atmospheric, ambient aspects of the original and injects them with a shot of adrenaline, upping the stakes for the second act. Choir-like vocals carry through the piece, giving a sense of drama to the prominent, thumping bass and droning distorted guitars. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 17 years for Bossk’s final climactic part of the ‘Truth’ trilogy. – Tom Bruce
FOXCULT – WORMHOLE
Continuing their galactic campaign to breakout stardom, Seattle ‘stargaze’ outfit FOXCULT have unveiled their electrifying new single ‘WORMHOLE’. The track doubles down on everything we’ve come to know and love about the band thus far, with intricately crafted layers of instrumentation, deeply heartfelt lyrics and science fiction storytelling woven within. The crunch of the guitars, the emotional tones of the vocals, little references back to other works in the band’s catalogue, superb rhythmic drumming, floaty spatial synths, everything is woven together with an excruciating attention to detail. ‘WORMHOLE’ flows with atmosphere, oozes with colour, the climactic “is there a way out?” line, repeated each time with escalating intensity to really draw you in to the emotion, FOXCULT are firing on all cylinders here. The best time to start listening to FOXCULT would have been last year, when they dropped their phenomenal debut EP THE INDIGO FAULT. The second best time to start listening to FOXCULT is now, and ‘WORMHOLE’ is another shining example of just how exceptional this band are, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for what’s yet to come, as they’ve have already begun posting teasers to lead us towards their glimmering future. – Elliot Grimmie
Graywave – Undone
The first taste of new music from Graywave in 2024, ‘Undone’ joins 2023’s two singles on the just-announced Dancing in the Dust EP slated for a May release. Further evolving their heady mix of shoegaze and grunge, ‘Undone’ sways between breathy verses and evocative, emotional swells. There’s elements of Chelsea Wolfe‘s melancholia, the darker edges of Slowdive and more, with bandleader and founder Jess Webberly saying of the EP; “Dancing in the Dust aims to capture the feeling of yearning for something that is out of reach, it’s about longing for a memory that will never repeat. When writing these songs I was heavily focussed on the way that time continues to move along without pausing for a breath, and the bittersweet feeling that realisation evokes.” – Will Marshall
Bears In Trees – I Wanna Feel Calm
With a title that’s abound to resonate with anyone feeling strung out, the new single from Bears In Trees is a chirpy, renewing and wholesome breath of rejuvenation from everyone’s favourite self-professed dirtbag boyband. Rich with that kind of blinding but infectious optimism only found within the now maturing Gen Z population, ‘I Wanna Feel Calm’ is an irrefutable feel good anthem that encourages one to lean on their support networks amidst this silent epidemic that is widespread burnout as a result of continuous self-improvement. “I wrote this when I felt burnt out from self-improvement,” states Iain Gillespie. “In the process of being ‘better’, I started to only see the parts of me that weren’t ‘good enough’. It became too much, and the guilt made me want to return to an earlier, more chaotic version of myself. As I reconnected with people I let go I started to let myself be. Getting out of my head and being around people I loved brought me out of that headspace.” – Dan Hillier
Gatecreeper – The Black Curtain
Arizona’s finest export Gatecreeper have unveiled their new album Dark Superstition, their first for new home Nuclear Blast, with brand new single ‘The Black Curtain’, joining previously released ‘Caught in the Treads’. Where the latter was a more straightforward rollicking death metal number, ‘The Black Curtain’ flexes new muscles; the savagery is still there in the sawing HM-2 tone, but there’s also a very clear reverence for the goth death/doom legends Paradise Lost in its morose guitar lead. Gatecreeper‘s evolution from stars of the OSDM revival to bona fide death metal legends in their own right continues, and Dark Superstition looks set to take them there. – Will Marshall
Dvne – Plērōma
Scotland’s Dvne took the post metal world by storm with 2021’s electrifying Etemen Ænka, and expectations are understandably high for its follow up. The first taste of that follow up, Voidkind, comes in the form of ‘Plērōma’, six minutes of progressive post metal, lush melodies and towering riff work. Lead guitar lines entwine round each other, the drums in off-kilter time signatures and vocally it’s some of their most melodic work, screams held back and deployed rarely for greater impact. Promising a more immediate experience that “gets to the riff faster” than its predecesssor, without losing those nine minute epics, Voidkind is already shaping up to be something very special. – Will Marshall
Going Off – Feed (Feat. Knuckledust)
Featuring two titans of modern UKHC going head to head, ‘Feed’ is a rabid rush of hardcore set to absolutely devour. Ferocious in energy and primal in power, the track mares the relentless drive of Going Off as a whole with the bite associated with Knuckledust’s Pierre “Pelbu” Mendivil in what ultimately comes to fruition as a track that sounds genuinely intimating. There’s no gimmickry, fraudulence or pandering here, just pure power that harkens back to the hayloft days when hardcore sounded legitimately dangerous. – Dan Hillier
New Ghost – Wayfarer
A dreampop dancefloor filler in the key of The Postal Service and Robyn, the new single from New Ghost is a gorgeous shawl of sound delicately composed of many musical strands beautiful in their own right. Following on from the Sheffield band’s 2023 single ‘The Wolf Of Allendale’, ‘Wayfearer’ is an utterly luscious amalgamation of what makes this band just so special, with motifs of post rock, art rock, shoegaze expanding the track beyond the limiting parameters of genre or characterisation. If you’re not aquatinted with this wonderful band, then let this be track that leads your way to them. – Dan Hillier
Sleepmakeswaves – Ritual Control
The latest track to be taken from their forthcoming record It’s Here, But I Have No Name For It – released April 12th via Bird’s Robe / MGM – ‘Ritual Control’ see’s Aussie post-rockers Sleepmakeswaves infuse their intelligent approach to the genre with blockish and brawny riffs. Set to be one of the more aggressive and confrontational tracks within the record, whilst ‘Ritual Control’ may not a delicate or particularly astute endeavour in itself, it certainly highlights the band’s collective intellect when it comes to approaching bone shaking density with a progressive mindset. “’Ritual Control’ was first demoed as Dr. Riff Has Arrived”, states Alex Wilson on the song. “I still wonder whether we were mistaken to have not kept the old title. Otto originally presented the song skeleton to us with the concern that maybe the riffs were “too dumb”. In fact, Tim and I responded, they are the perfect quantity of dumb. Sure, these riffs aren’t going to earn a PhD. But they will hold down a full-time job, get the kids to school on time and read the occasional piece of challenging non-fiction on weekends”. – Dan Hillier
When We Were Wolves – Hate Yourself
Returning with their first track in seven years, ‘Hate Yourself’ sees Welsh metalcore quartet When We Were Wolves swinging back into action like no time has passed at all. Full of the energy, passion and drive that made the band such a vital staple in the scene last decade, the track is a vital assessment of one’s mental health and how important it is to seek support when one crucially requires it. There’s a legitimate sense of urgency and passion to be had here, qualities that will no doubt jettison this band right back into the centre of the scene where they belong. – Dan Hillier
Rust – Forced to Die
Ontario hardcore’s golden children Rust have returned with another absolutely smashing single in the form of “Forced to Die”. The first single released since penning a deal with New Age Records, Rust are still on the rise and this new track further proves it. A track that’ll make you want to fight the person next to you, Tommy Wood embodies that feeling while delivering a massive assault behind the mic. The string section of Rick & Rob Beaulieu pounds through each verse with ease as Dillon Forret ties it all together wonderfully with ease behind the kit. – Nathaniel Maure
Afraid – Mutator
This week is a big one for the Ontario hardcore and metalcore scenes alike with tracks dropping left and right. With that is Afraid and their second single “Mutator”. A massive track spanning four and a half minutes and filled with more than enough rage to go around, riffs slam through the entire track with percussion complimenting it wonderfully; ending with one the hardest breakdowns so far this year. A track so devastating, listeners will have no choice but to spin kick and throw elbows on the the person standing next to them. Paired perfectly with a music video shot by the talented Domenic Paron, – Nathaniel Maure
Indian Giver – Soul Wound
Indian Giver is a band that doesn’t seem to get enough attention which is surely about to change with the release of their newest track “Soul Wound”. Short yet straight to the point, this single touches on a deeply personal and dark subject many can truly relate to among North America’s Indigenous communities. Touching on the subject of psychological and intergenerational traumas of the residential school systems, shining light on the negative impacts it is still causing today, instrumentals hit as hard as the meaning behind the track from start to finish. – Nathaniel Maure
Soft Play – Mirror Muscles
Your favourite rowdy punk duo Soft Play are back with their second single after reinventing themselves for the 2020s. Their new track ‘Mirror Muscles’ is a ferocious, fuzzed out mix of riffy punk and British rap with hard-hitting vocals and savage beats from drummer/singer Isaac Holman backed by Laurie Vincent’s distorted wall of guitar noise. It’s always been impressive that a two piece band like Soft Play can make this much of a cacophony but ‘Mirror Muscles’ raises the bar, filling every single nook and cranny of the mix with distorted noise for a perfect workout ready anti-gym culture track. – Tom Bruce
Little Bribes – Cartography
In full transparency, this song originally released approximately a decade ago. But this blog wasn’t a thing back then and this just got a re-release. Plus it’s right good. Re-recorded in celebration of the band reuniting for their 10th anniversary, ‘Cartography’ an earnest, heartfelt and just simply lovely slice of DIY perfect for anyone with an interest in acts such as Me Rex, The Weakerthans, and to an extent, The Mountain Goats. There’s no surprise why this song became a live staple for the band when they where playing with acts such as Holding Absence, Turnover and Johnny Foreigner years back. Still, if one wasn’t familiar with Little Bribes the first time round, now is the perfect change to rectify that. – Dan Hillier