Graphic Nature, Hot Mulligan, Exploring Birdsong and More: New Noizze – The 13 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

You know the deal, here's the best singles of last week.

Graphic Nature – Human

One of the hottest, most hard-working bands in the UK scene today, Graphic Nature continue to tease their upcoming second full-length with another scorcher of a track in ‘Human’. It’s more of the band’s now trademark sound, pure distilled aggressive emotion set to a nu-metalcore backdrop, given extra life by the raw, bone-cutting lyrics from Harvey Freeman. A track detailing his struggles with mental illness and how it can often lead to selfish behavior, it’s yet another reminder of how he remains one of the most honest, down-to-earth musicians in the scene today. Not an easy listen, like most of their work, but a worthwhile one that will be the final taster before the main course, Who Are You When No One Is Watching releases on July 12th. – Chris Earl

Hot Mulligan – End Eric Sparrow and the Life of Him

Don’t call yourself a sports fan if you don’t know the main man Eric. Written in homage to the very-real naughties skateboarding icon Eric Sparrow, the latest single from US luminaries Hot Mulligan is a shivering, cathartic and nostalgic flip of post-emo that’s so emotionally lose it sounds like it’s held together with discarded grip tape. Complete with frantic sidewinding riffs and genuinely brilliant screams courtesy of vocalist Tades Sanville, the track’s inherent emotional battery is delivered with a sense of real urgency that can only come from one not being able to shed the weight of angst from teenage years. It’s essentially the peak Hot Mulligan expereince in regards to this, and ‘End Eric Sparrow and the Life of Him’ is no doubt going to the catalyst for some tears this summer once Hot Mulligan hit the festival circuit. – Dan Hillier

Blank Atlas – Hope

Bristol’s most exciting alt-rock trio Blank Atlas are bidding farewell to their debut album Dawn Chorus with one final bonus single ‘Hope’. With their unique blend of hefty riffs, catchy hooks and three-part vocal harmonies Blank Atlas break free of toxic masculinity and celebrate positivity for the future. As a new closer to Dawn Chorus ‘Hope’ gives the album’s emotional rollercoaster a confident and uplifting ending where the original closer ‘Give Up’ takes it in a more melancholy direction. The climactic breakdown on ‘Hope’ is a great way to end the Dawn Chorus album cycle, going out on a moshable high, Blank Atlas’s fans will be left on the edge of their seats waiting for whatever comes next. – Tom Bruce

Exploring Birdsong – Turntail

Prog-pop trio Exploring Birdsong have unveiled another mesmerising single in ‘Turntail’. Underpinned as ever by Lynsey Ward’s enchanting voice and piano arrangements rather than guitars, it follows February single ‘The Collapse’ and while there’s no definite sign of what’s on the horizon, it points towards a very bright future for them. With perhaps one of their strongest choruses to date, it’s propelled by dreamy melodies and feels distinct from both previous EPs to date. The band sum up why quite simply; “We wanted to experiment sonically before heading into full-length album territory, which is why we think it feels different to anything we’ve released previously.” – Will Marshall

Laura Jane Grace and the Mississippi Medicals – All Fucked Out

Punk legend Laura Jane Grace has returned with her new backing band The Mississippi Medicals and a zany new single ‘All Fucked Out’. The Mississippi Medicals are formed of drummer Mikey Erg of wacky New Jersey pop-punk band The Ergs, bassist Matt Patton who also plays with country rockers Drive-By Truckers and Grace’s wife Paris Campbell Grace delivering high-pitched backing vocals, all of whom performed on Grace’s last solo album Hole In My Head. ‘All Fucked Out’ takes on a slower, more eccentric energy than much of Grace’s solo work with the falsetto backing vocals and springy cowbell hits feeling reminiscent of 50s novelty records. It’s certainly unfamiliar territory for Laura Jane Grace who’s better known for her stripped-back folk punk but it’s a stylistic change she confidently takes in her stride. – Tom Bruce

Lawi Anywar – Lordvessel

Mashing together bass-driven funk with atmospheric math rock and shoegaze sounds like a wild fever dream on paper, one that only a unique talent like bassist/vocalist Lawi Anywar could make work. On his new single ‘Lordvessel’, Anywar brings the swirling, hypnotic sound of Slowdive to impressive new levels with tight, punchy drums and urgent leading bass. It’s rare to see the bass brought to the forefront like this, especially with a backdrop of reverb-drenched shoegaze guitars, but Anywar’s bass carries ‘Lordvessel’, grounding what could otherwise be a confusing swirl of effects into a groovy, memorable single. Despite blending so many out-of-the-box inspirations, ‘Lordvessel’ manages to remain gloriously funky and listenable, finding a perfect middle ground between explorative atmosphere and poppy beats. – Tom Bruce

Kurokuma – Crux Ansata

Aptly arriving hotly on heels of their last single ‘I Am Forever’, psych-sludge trio Kurokuma prove there’s no time to waste with their latest single ‘Crux Antasa.’ The second dosage of the prolonged trip that is to be their upcoming new record Of Amber and Sand ‘Crux Ansata’ lyrically draws upon the symbol of life that is the Egyptian ankh and the belief that all humans are born with a predetermined amount of life to spend in life. As one can imagine, this isn’t the most joyous of listens given the subject, but with the track further enjoying the seemingly effortless and most inspired genre dynamism that one has come to expect from this band, this is a brilliant outing that’s well worth your precious finite minutes. – Dan Hillier

Extinction A.D. – Impervious (Unrepentant) (Feat. Matthew Kiichi Heafy)

Known for blending classic thrash metal sounds with the groovier aspects of metallic hardcore, New York-based Extinction A.D. are joined by modern metal’s most legendary frontman Matt Heafy of Trivium on their newest slab of heaviness. A no-bullshit, straight-to-business bit of metal, it’s got groove and aggression coming out of its pores, with an opening riff that could start fights in a church. Heafy sounds on top form, screaming his lungs out but he doesn’t overshadow the rest of the band, who put on a stellar showing to get the new era of their band off to a flying start. With new record To The Detested out in August, we can look forward to more stomping, shitkicking thrash with breakdowns later in the year. – Chris Earl

Stand Atlantic – Criminal (Feat. Polaris)

As the sixth (yes, really) single from upcoming album Was Here, ‘Criminal’ shows Aussies Stand Atlantic in genre-fluid form again. With a propulsive dance beat, heavy electronic influences and a searing breakdown featuring countrymen Polaris, ‘Criminal’ is a highlight of the singles so far as it dissects the idea of artists having to suffer for great art. As vocalist Bonnie Fraser explains, “Criminal is a small insight into how it can feel to be in this industry. It sometimes feels like you gotta keep your life a certain level of fucked up, so you can make art that comes from a real place. I found myself wanting to invite the pain in and sometimes go looking for it… just to create some cool shit that gets sold by people, who at times may not give a damn about how you got there.” – Will Marshall

Less Than Jake – Broken Words

One of the bands synonymous with the entire ska punk scene having been a band for just over thirty years, Less Than Jake are showing no signs of slowing down. Their new first music since a delayed 2020 record, ‘Broken Words’ is an epic, almost prog track that takes the band to insane new heights. Na, just kidding. It’s a summery blast of ska that under its day-glo, tooty surface harbours a deeper, almost sad theme of miscommunication. By now, longtime fans of the band don’t want anything different and for a band who released their first record all the way back in 1995, there’s still a good bit of bouncing and skanking to be done to this track, beer in hand and the other arm around some longtime friends. – Chris Earl

Speed – Don’t Need

A gang called Speed are going to take over the world. Not just the hardcore one, but if the Australian punks aren’t the hottest act in heavy music this time in a few months, something is wrong with the world. ‘Don’t Need’ is the third single from their upcoming July debut album Only One Mode, and it’s yet another stunning slab of hardcore. Chock full of groove, attitude and an indescribable authenticity that’s hard to replicate, with a furious opener, vocalist and frontman Jem Siow barks and sings like a man possessed, his voice dripping in fury and vitriol. It’s addictive, it’s harder than a coffin nail and most importantly, it’s genuine. Come the end, as the band’s name is shouted out before a pulsating two-step part, you’ll almost be a little exhausted yourself just from listening. 2024 belongs to the gang called Speed. – Chris Earl

Future Palace – Dreamstate

When the real world is too much to take, escaping to another world seems an attractive option; German post-hardcore trio Future Palace tackle that desire for escapism with their latest single ‘Dreamstate’. From their upcoming album Distortion, it sees the trio marrying electronic elements, emotional hooks and vitriolic screams together with renewed vigour as they examine, as vocalist Maria Lessing explains, “this feeling of being overwhelmed in our performance-oriented society.” Originally intended to be a piano ballad, anger and frustration won out as the song became much heavier, eventually collapsing with the realisation that escaping into a dreamworld doesn’t offer true escape. – Will Marshall

Polar – Swimming With Sharks

We may have finally reached the summer months, but UK metalcore staples Polar are keeping things frosty with their cold-blooded new single. Touching upon the band’s 2023 lineup shift that made vocalist Adam Woodford the sole remaining member, ‘Swimming With Sharks’ is so rare and raw thematically it’s surprising there’s no fresh blood leaking from the tune. Those who have been with the band since their inception in 2009 will no doubt be familiar with this single’s take on metalcore, but this track showcases, the events of last year have infused the Polar name with a newfound sense of bloodthirsty urgency. – Dan Hillier

All these tracks and more can be found within our Essential Playlist.

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