Cowboy Hunters – Shag Slags Not Flags
Is there any point of telling you about this song? We all know you’re going to be listening this off that name alone. Still, if you need any further persuasion to get this in ear holes, know that ‘Shag Slags Not Flags’ is a banger that’s as comedic as it is poignant. Taken from the band’s upcoming EP suitably titled Epeepee, ‘Shag Slags Not Flags’ sees Glasgow’s Cowboy Hunters mocking the kind of knuckle-dragging keyboard warrior racists your weird uncle is mates with on Facebook whilst drawing parallels between their inherent unhappiness and their probable lack of sexual gratification. It’s great fun, but beneath the jokes it’s still a sobering reminder of the cultural rot eating away at the foundation of our country. It’s no wonder why Cowboy Hunters are quickly becoming one of the most hotly tipped names in UK punk going from songs like this. – Dan Hillier
A-Tota-So – Death Rattle
Underground UK math rock trio A-Tota-So return with new single ‘Death Rattle’, signalling a new and exciting chapter for the band. Not only do they write fun, energetic songs where math, noise and post-rock blur together, but they also have the rather unique and entertaining specialty of inviting a wide variety of vocalists from the UK and Irish scenes to perform on their otherwise instrumental tracks both live and on record. ‘Death Rattle’ however, is the very first instance of the band handling vocal duties themselves, with guitarist and now vocalist, Marty Toner stepping up to the mic. The result is a brooding reflection on struggling to keep up the pace when time indifferently rushes by, driven by fretboard work that swirls and jigs and a both introspective and intricate Tool-like quality to both guitars and vocals up until the track’s closing release of tension. Similar to last year’s Alpha Male Tea Party release, A-Tota-So not only take the leap from being instrumental to implementing their own vocals with success, they are enriched as a result and we cannot wait to hear how this new approach pans out next month at Noizzefest. – Avrian O’Brien
Me Rex – Protection Runes
Me Rex has long taken an unorthodox approach to emo, and ‘Protection Runes’ doesn’t challenge that. Bound by breakbeats and the falsetto vocals of Myles McCabe, this new single sees the trio less leaning into their electronic inspirations and more diving straight into them. In fact, such is the focus on dance music even long time listeners will be forgiven in doing a double take. This is still the same band we’ve loved from the beginning though. Documenting how Germanic runes have been adopted by far right groups and how the very nature of such runes can be equally perceived as both threatening and protection, this track effortlessly contains the intracity, tenderness and charismatic articulation that has long defined Me Rex. If anything, this further highlights how truly unique and adventurous this band can be musically without ever compromising their core ethos and personalty. We can’t wait to see what’s next from the band following this. – Dan Hillier
Portrayal Of Guilt – Ecstasy / Human Terror
Portrayal Of Guilt have announced their upcoming new album …Beginning of the End with industrial and nu-metal influenced double single ‘Ecstasy / Human Terror’. Frontman Matt King has made it no secret that Korn were a major influence behind his dissonant guitar work but this has never been more apparent than on these new tracks alongside synthetic-sounding industrial percussions and a deep, grumbling sludgy bass tone akin to their friends in Chat Pile, themselves also heavily influenced by the nu metal founding fathers. Portrayal Of Guilt continue to play around with their sound from one release to another. From blackened screamo to electronic or even chamber music reimaginings of their devilish and punishing spin on black metal and hardcore, the Austin trio embrace experimentation at every corner and clearly, this is them in their industrial nu-metal arc. …Beginning of the End releases 24th April via Run For Cover Records and is certain to have many more surprises up its sleeves while expanding upon the band’s bleak and gruesome vision yet retaining its distinctive core strengths and identity. Apocalyptic music for apocalyptic times. – Avrian O’Brien
A Place To Bury Strangers – Acid Rain
Whilst it was written following the first Trump presidency, the new single from NYC post-punk noiseniks A Place To Bury Strangers feels more pertinent and important now. Documenting how cruelty and sadism have become not just normalised but institutionalised as political tools by right wing parties, the corrosive noise of ‘Acid Rain’ feels like it’s released just at the right moment, especially given Trump’s latest temper tantrum of a war in Iran. It may not be the most pleasant of songs given its genre and message, but this a crucial reminder of how we must rally against both violence and the encroachment of fascism peddled by self-proclaimed strongmen leaders. – Dan Hillier
Bodysnatcher – Violent Obsession
By the time you read this, if you’re a fan of Bodysnatcher there’s a good time they’ve left you a battered and bruised wreck following their UK tour. Ahead of the 10th April when their new record Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home drops, the Floridian deathcore stompers have dropped the third single from that record, ‘Violent Obsession’. A classic slab of downtuned pit fodder, at this point in their career the band know how to to create a stomping, sinister chugger of a track and this is no exception, reaching it’s apex with a mammoth guttural breakdown of “you are nothing but a fucking crime scene” that will ensure that any drywall in the vicinity won’t be left undamaged for very long. – Chris Earl
Toodles & The Hectic Pity – Every Night Is A Beautiful Night
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard new material from Toodles & The Hectic Pity. Thankfully there’s a new EP on the horizon and ‘Every Night Is A Beautiful Night’ perfectly whets the appetite. Lifted from said EP of the same name – releasing 20th March via Specialist Subject – this new song may only be 86 seconds long in total, but it perfectly captures everything that’s to love about Toodles & The Hectic Pity. Bound by heart, wistfulness and lap-guitar, this track is just a calming and ever-pacifying listen that once again highlights Toodles as one of the finest names in the Bristol and greater South West emo scene. – Dan Hillier
Hammok – The Scene
You may have caught these rabble rousers in 2024 at Portals Festival or on their short run of UK headline dates, but in case you missed out, Norway’s post-hardcore trio Hammok return with a new single, album announcement and the superb news that they have signed to the stellar roster on Sargent House. “When does this place become our scene?” is the question posed by vocalist/guitarist Tobias Osland, and everyone should welcome this scratchy abrasive, yet catchy, punk sound into their lives and scenes. Building off the back of their excellent last record this presents what the Oslo natives are all about, it is the raw, real energy they produce in spades on record and in a live setting. Catch the chaos at 2000 Trees Festival in July. – Adam Vallely
The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza – Say When
Sometimes dreams really do come true and such is the case with the long awaited yet unexpected return of mathcore icons The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza following their split after the release of 2012’s Danza III: The Alpha – The Omega. New single ‘Say When’ picks things up right where the band left them as though the past fourteen years didn’t even happen. Listeners are immediately greeted with the familiar and beloved mix of technicality, pummeling beefy low-end heaviness and visceral vocal delivery. ‘Say When’ opens the door to the band’s fifth chapter, with a full-length album looming on the horizon rather than being a one-off as well as Danza‘s first ever UK appearance at this summer’s edition of Arctangent festival. Exciting times for mathcore fans far and wide. – Avrian O’Brien
As Everything Unfolds – Denial
The latest, and presumably final, single from As Everything Unfolds‘ upcoming third album Did You Ask To Be Set Free? captures their excellence at emotionally fraught songwriting. The opening song from the album, ‘Denial’ kicks things off with devastating emotional weight and fragility, audible anguish in vocalist Charlie Rolfe’s voice. “Denial is the hardest thing to watch someone go through,” she explains. “You can say or do nothing that will make them realise the horrible situation they’re in, you see small moments of clarity where they’re screaming out for help but they fall back into denial. It’s their closest friend, their comfort. I found it the hardest phase to watch someone in addiction recovery go through, their disregard for your emotional and physical wellbeing, your feelings don’t even come into their mind, no matter how much you try to sympathise and say that you understand the pain they’re going through, it’s never enough to convince them that they’re not alone & their own destructive misery feels like they find joy in inflicting pain upon others, they feel better spreading their pain rather than facing it.” – Will Marshall
Slow Crush – Que Du Noir / Hallowed
Belgian shoegazers Slow Crush present surprise double single ‘Que Du Noir / Hallowed’ hot on the trails of their newest album Thirst released last summer. Slow Crush aren’t exactly known for making the most upbeat music, and although their approach to shoegaze is blissful and ethereal, it has always been marred with doom and gloom. But both of these new tracks, ‘Que Du Noir’ (‘Only Black’ in French) especially, strike as being some of the darkest and most vulnerable material put out by the band thus far. Both are an exploration of loss and dissolution with frontwoman Isa Holliday choosing French to express the weight of that loss and grief on ‘Que Du Noir’ with moving fragility while ‘Hallowed’ operates as a more ambient work, emphasising the slow, painful process of disintegration with a spoken-word poem reinforcing these thematic elements. Even the artwork is a reflection of that process; a photograph that has been irreversibly altered through chemical transformation, erasing the memory captured within that moment and yet giving birth to something new albeit unrecognisable. – Avrian O’Brien
Armed For Apocalypse – Immortal
Californian post metal veterans Armed For Apocalypse are the latest jewel in the crown of the British metal label extraordinaire that is Church Road Records. The Earth Is Breathing Beneath Me will be the first record the band have released on the label, with new track ‘Immortal’ being the second song released so far. A raw, visceral punch of a track, it deals with the looming darkness that accompanies the struggle with mental health and it succeeds in that magnificently. There’s an uncomfortable taint to the vocals of Nate Burman, such is the catharsis on display and it adds even more promise to what should be one of the heaviest, most uncomfortable records of 2026. – Chris Earl
Downturn – Yoof
Yorkshire upstarts Downturn have come out of the gate swinging with ‘Yoof’, a brazen slice of in-your-face hardcore that wastes absolutely no time making its mark. Across a blistering 1 minute and 43 seconds, the band unleash ferocious, throat-shredding vocals and face-melting riffs that hit with violent intensity. Beneath the chaos, though, there’s a subtle melodic edge that keeps the track from becoming one-note, adding just enough contrast to make the aggression land even harder. It’s short, sharp, and absolutely uncompromising; the kind of hardcore that makes you yearn for packed rooms and flying bodies. As a first offering, ‘Yoof’ is an exciting new track in the UK hardcore scene. – Vee Richardson
Outloved – Run (Feat. Thousand Below)
The ever fertile Australian music scene has once again found a band that has the potential to cross over and become a big name in the rest of the world. Alt-rock/modern metalcore crew Outloved have dropped a new track, featuring San Diego’s Thousand Below and it’s one of their most energetic, heaviest tracks to date. ‘Run’ is built on that well-trodden yet addictive formula of crunchy guitars, scattered electronics and breakneck drumming, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s a fun time, with the Thousand Below feature proving to be a truly satisfying moment. Add into that an earworm of a chorus and you’ve got a big reason why Outloved are shaping up to make their mark on 2026. – Chris Earl