Burner – Sunrise, Parabellum feat. Matthew K. Heafy
Now that the sun has finally arrived in earnest to scorch us all beyond our feeble levels of tolerance, the time has come for Burner to turn up the heat. We’re just a few sweaty months away from the release of the band’s ominously-titled new record No One Is Coming To Save Us, and if this lead single is anything to go by, then we’re in for a hell of a reckoning. 2023’s It All Returns to Nothing was a savage slab of blackened metal, and yet ‘Sunset, Parabellum’ is arguably the heaviest thing the band have released to date. The track wrestles with the state of a world laid to waste by greed and corruption and it bristles with righteous rage and punishing rhythms, bolstered by the presence of Trivium‘s Matthew K. Heafy. Vocalist Harry Nott has further expanded his range and impact, with makes it impossible to resist the unholy breakdown in the wake of the lines, “Their Armageddon, our lives forevermore, we charge into the sunset, sunrise, prepare for fucking war”. We have been warned. – Pete Wall
Din Of Celestial Birds – Takeoffs & Landings
When perennially self-effacing guitarist Andie Gill set himself the task of writing, recording, mastering, and releasing what became EP 1 in the span of just four days, he perhaps didn’t expect the project to go anywhere beyond a small circle of enthusiasts. Fast-forward through the seven years since and the now five-piece band have not only established themselves in the upper echelons of European post-rock, they’ve also dazzled at the likes of Damnation, ATG, and Dunk! as well as playing to thousands at Can Festival in China. With all of this experience already in the rearview, ‘Takeoffs & Landings’, the title track from their upcoming second full-length album, sees the collective spreading their wings in glorious fashion, with a heavier edge adding a further dimension to their instantly-recognisable sound. This is as life-affirming, adrenalised and potent as Din of Celestial Birds have ever sounded. – Pete Wall
Panic Shack – Grin & Bear It
Sometimes it takes a while to get a song right. ‘Grin & Bear It’ is great proof of this. Originally written for Panic Shack’s 2025 debut LP before being tinkered with and toyed with for months, the track sees the Cardiff punks honing the sound that quickly made them such a beloved presence in the national scene. Still, despite the length of time this took to create, this isn’t rigid. Instead, ‘Grin & Bear It’ feels instantaneous and improvisational in the way it explodes like a glitter-packed pipe bomb that’s been shoved through the letter box of those who make the UK such a miserable place to live in. – Dan Hillier
Xiu Xiu – In Heaven
Only a few bands are able to recreate the artistic unease of David Lynch’s Eraserhead. Xiu Xiu is one of them. Lifted from their upcoming record ERASERHEAD XIU XIU – released 10th July via Polyvinyl – ‘In Heaven’ serves as an introduction to the experimentalists’ latest project, one that sees Xiu Xiu exploring and expanding the universe of the Lynch classic in question. It’s as haunting, creeping and surreal as you can imagine, but a track that carries the artful authenticity that’s synonymous with this band and film in question. The thought of a band expanding the world of a film as legendary as Eraserhead may seem ridiculous, but ‘In Heaven’ proves that Xiu Xiu are more than capable of furthering the world Lynch originally envisioned. – Dan Hillier
Arab Strap – You You You
A song about the difficulties of growing older in a world that seems to be collapsing all around us should feel dower and oppressive. Yet, in the hands of the masters of dower, Arab Strap, it feels positively fizzing with life and hope. Don’t let the timbre of Aidan Moffet’s poetic drawl draw you in to thinking that ‘You You You’ is a nihilistic view of the current state of affairs. It serves as a hopeful reminder that not everyone is evil, and that there are millions of people in the same position trying to get by. We’re all in it together, and Arab Strap would have us dance through the chaos instead of giving up. – Kevin Ashburn
No Cure – Convulsing In the Dark
As you’d expect from Alabama’s No Cure, their brand new track ‘Convulsing In the Dark’ is an utter ripper. Melding metallic hardcore, death metal and a guitar tone nastier than a back alley brawl, ‘Convulsing In the Dark’ is 3 and a half minutes of sonic brutality from one of the most exciting emerging bands in current hardcore, and in their own words, it’s a taster of the vicious misery to come. “There is a deep malaise overhead as we are subjected to the way the world is turning. It is clear that things are getting worse, and there is no end in sight. This fixation combined with the gruelling touring lifestyle we’ve lived the past few years has resulted in the perfect first No Cure LP.” – Will Marshall
Lawi Anywar – Bad Acting/Clyde
Bristol’s very greatest, and perhaps only, math and shoegaze meets art-funk superstar Lawi Anywar returns after his stellar debut album Centenarian with a pair of new singles. Making a name for himself with appearances at Arctangent and Outer Town festivals, Anywar’s unique sound puts his lilting voice and thunderous bass at the forefront over layers of whirling experimental guitar textures. The first of two singles ‘Bad Acting’ moves further into alt-rock territory with a fuzzy lead guitar line and swaggering percussion behind a menacing bass and robotic, heavily processed vocals while ‘Clyde’ slows things down and embraces Anywar’s funk forward bass. While Centenarian got the ball rolling on Lawi Anywar’s rise to the top of Bristol’s thriving experimental alternative scene, ‘Bad Acting’ and ‘Clyde’ keep the momentum going with his unique creative voice. – Rowan Bruce
Shooting Daggers – My Oh My!
London hardcore trio Shooting Daggers are on the cusp of releasing their new mini-album The Real Life Thing, and have unveiled its second single in ‘My Oh My!’. According to the band, it’s “a song about hope. We must keep faith, because hope and resilience is what drives change, and we have to hold on to it. It’s about freedom for every country suffering the consequences of hegemony and the greed for power. It’s also about freedom for all animals, and an end to suffering in all its forms.” A slow burner initially, ‘My Oh My!’ doesn’t shy away from that emotion, vocal harmonies and echoing guitar gradually building to an explosion of raucous, but no less anthemic, punk energy. – Will Marshall
Kulk – Endless Knife
Norfolk-based sludge/noise duo Kulk will burrow deep under your skin and refuse to leave. Their brand of hypnotic, distorted dissonance is both nightmare fuel and heady intoxicant. Paired with the looming oppressiveness of ‘Ache’, ‘Endless Knife’ is half the length and a fair bit riffier than its counterpart. The two tracks serve as the first and penultimate tracks from the band’s upcoming release Choosing To Die, which will stagger into the light on August 28th. Leading into the record with ‘Endless Knife’ feels very well-judged, as by the time its barrelling low end and high-pitched squeals have hooked you in, it’ll already be too late to back out. Following 2024’s thunderously heavy ‘It Gets Worse’ is a hell of an undertaking, but based on what we’ve heard to this point, there’s no sign that Kulk are letting up even a little bit. – Pete Wall
Other Half – Give Them the Girl
‘Give Them the Girl’ sees Norwich noiseniks Other Half paying homage to the tightly-coiled punk powerhouse that was Hot Snakes, and as you can imagine, this absolutely bites with all the power of a black mamba. Dropping prior to their upcoming string of dates with Los Campesinos!, Other Half combine their sardonic noise-tainted post punk stylings with Hot Snakes‘ classic post-hardcore energy to offer something that’s agitated, on-edge and brilliantly raw. For those going to the Los Camp! tour and are yet to be acquainted with Other Half, this is a brilliant introduction. – Dan Hillier
Against The Current – Dead Man Walking
Their second single of 2026, also taken from an as-yet-unannounced album, ‘Dead Man Walking’ shows Against The Current on top form with an explosive, skyscraper chorus and a powerhouse performance from vocalist Chrissy Costanza. The trio have been celebrating their 15th anniversary as a band, and ‘Dead Man Walking’ is a particularly reflective cut. As the band explain, the song is “about how the cost of survival was the person you used to be. It explores the return home from war only to find that, although everything looks the same, you yourself are so deeply different that you no longer fit. There’s a stranger staring back at you in the mirror, the ghost of someone you once were. Everyone thinks you’re fine because you made it out alive, but they don’t realise you never really did.” – Will Marshall
Profiler – Shadow
Following their impressive set of support announcements recently, Profiler continue on in their run of form with latest single ‘Shadow’ to excite those seeing them soon. Packed full of energy, ‘Shadow’ displays an incredible bounce not dissimilar to legends of the alt scenes such as System Of A Down and Rage Against The Machine whilst staying true to their immensely powerful nu-metal sound crafted thus far. Exhibiting vocals oozing with a playful swagger, ‘Shadow’ serves as a statement – Profiler are only getting started, and they refuse to be easily defined – label them as you wish, Profiler are here to stay. – Benjamin Hacking
156/Silence – No Arms
Boasting one of the most consistent bodies of work in modern metalcore, 156/Silence have just announced their sixth album in 8 years. From A Distance is due for a September release and the first single, ‘No Arms’ is sure to invite debate. Opening on a catchy beat, it bursts into an alt-rock adjacent stomp, guaranteed to get crowds jumping before it truly kicks into gear. At this stage in the band’s career they can no longer be described as a purely metalcore act as they have too many strings to their bow, but fret not longtime fans, the heft and chugs are still present and it seems like the band’s momentum from the stunning People Watching will continue into 2026. – Chris Earl