Holding Absence, Godeater, Happy Accidents and More: New Noizze – The 10 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

Featuring a bonus handful of tracks from the week prior, here's the best singles released this week.

Holding Absence – Coffin

“This song is very much about finding hope in unexpected places,” vocalist Lucas Woodland says of Holding Absence’s latest single ‘Coffin’, taken from their upcoming split with Alpha Wolf. Its soft piano intro – something they were able to experiment more with, along with synth and ambience – soon gives way to the emotional, musical poetry we’ve come to know and love from the South Wales quartet. That’s not to say ‘Coffin’ is overly familiar; while it holds all the ingredients of a great Holding Absence song, it’s also a clear step forward and shows an entirely different side to them from their collaborative single ‘Aching Longing’. Take its quieter moments with only drummer Ash St Green and Woodland, giving the song even more tenderness than usual, as well as the piano balladry that closes the song; with the sheer breadth of their sound and ongoing musical evolution, even the sky might not be the limit. – Will Marshall

Happy Accidents – Lighter

Thankfully for all of us, Happy Accidents are far better at making lo-fi indie-pop bangers than they are at not being a band. The London duo may have claimed to call it a day last May but ‘Lighter’ see’s Happy Accidents returning to do what they do best, with the airy and tranquillizing single being the perfect musical countermeasure to this summer of discontent we are all experiencing. It’s a wonderful little escape of a track, one complete with the harmonies, synthetic beats, quiet reflection and the general sense of pacifism that made their last record Sprawling so alluring and brilliant. It’s to be seen if Happy Accidents will return proper with members respective commitments to Cheerbleederz and Me Rex withstanding, but regardless, ‘Lighter’ is a lovely surprise to be sure. – Dan Hillier

Godeater – God Complex

Coinciding with the announcement of their new record Vespera – released October 30th – ‘God Complex’ see’s the Scottish death metal upstarts tapping into a new found sense of groove without losing any of the seething intensity they are renowned for. Serving as a brutal yet righteous depiction of how our island nation has no right be acting on the world stage, ‘God Complex’ is both a savage breakdown of our pathetic countries attempts at being a major world player and a confrontational demonstration of how Godeater are further developing their sound whilst not losing any of their identity in the process. It’s been said plenty a time now, but Godeater are poised to lead the next wave of UK death metal and Vespera is clearly going to the record that pushes the band to the front of the pack. – Dan Hillier

Armed For Apocalypse – Hourglass

The second single from upcoming album Ritual Violence, ‘Hourglass’ encompasses everything Armed For Apocalypse have gone through the past few years, standing as a vicious ode to their love of creating and playing music together. It might not sound positive initially, but there’s a real glee to its pummelling sludge. An almost galloping tempo underpins it in parts as vocalist Nate Burman seethes and snarls his way through. From the opening battering ram riff, the song doesn’t let up, even in its closing seconds, preferring the sudden end to a drawn out close. Burman comments of the song, “This is a song for the entire band. It’s about touring through the worst. Feeling exhausted from it all, like nobody cares what we’re doing, and still keeping your head high.” – Will Marshall

Zetra – Float

London synth space rockers Zetra return to earth once more with latest single ‘Float’, a stirring, blissful piece that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect of them. A short snare fill opens up into slow, airy synths and subdued, ethereal vocals. It all feels like a visitation from another world, a masterful blend of shoegaze, doom and gothic flourishes amongst its serene soundscapes. “Is it better to drift alone far from everything dear, or to force a catacylsmic reunion bathed in fire and death?” Zetra ask. “The story begs a hero, and a hero must return.” – Will Marshall

InTechnicolour – San Francisco

The group’s first single since their signing to Small Pond Records, ‘San Francisco’ see’s the sun-blessed stoner doomers return in fine fashion. A continuation of the sunburnt desert rock found within their 2020 record Big Sleeper, the track build’s upon the band’s scorched foundation with equal parts force and fuzz, with motifs comparable to the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss and Gleemer being abundant. However, beneath the big desert rock riffs is a same sense of subtle progression that made InTechnicolour stand apart from their contemporaries and influences upon their original debut. Perfect for those with a love for big riffs and ideal for those who enjoy their stoner rock with hidden nuance, this is something with serious wide-scoped appeal. – Dan Hillier

Brutus – Lair

Landing just weeks after Brutus scored a critical hit with their previous single ‘Dust’, Belgium’s finest are back again with ‘Lair’. The second record to be taken from their upcoming record Unison Life – released October 21st via Hassle and Sargent House – ‘Lair’ see Brutus diving head first back into the translucent waters of all things post-rock in an immersive display of emotional and musical dynamism. “When things get a bit more difficult or when relationships demand too much energy, I choose to avoid confronting things, or just lie about it for the sake of keeping the peace”, states drummer and vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts on the meaning of the new track. “At that point it just seems like the easy thing to do so that nobody gets hurt. But in the long run, those well-intentioned lies will catch up with you, and the peace you thought you’d found turns out to be an illusion.” – Dan Hillier

Soot Sprite – Lazy

The follow up to Soot Sprite’s Poltergeists EP, ‘Lazy’ is anything but it’s namesake. The latest track from the Exeter dreampop trio, ‘Lazy’ directly tackles the stereotypical notion that the younger generations aren’t thriving due to apathy as opposed to the real factors forbidding the youth access to financial and mental security. It’s a direct and fully relatable message, one that’s made all the more palpable with the band’s focus on progressing their sound and the welcome addition of breezy saxophones that just further boosts the tracks’s catchy sound and steely resolve. – Dan Hillier

Hertz – Dirty Lies

Hertz are a 4 piece alternative rock band based in the South Wales Valleys. The band released their new single this week called ‘Dirty Lies’, a hop and stomp single chock full of boisterous riffs and hard-hitting drums. The song tackles dishonesty and manipulation as well as touching upon how these traits manifest themselves in various forms including that of adultery and addiction. The song also looks at the impact and lasting damage this can have upon an individual. This is the band’s second single following ‘Bad Day’ which was released in January and begins building upon the band’s sound. Sonically confident and well polished, ‘Dirty Lies’ holds up as an alt rock anthem that’ll be sure to turn heads. Whilst Hertz are largely in their infancy as an underground band looking to break through, they are absolutely hitting all the right notes if they continue with what they’ve shown here. – Jac Holloway

The Devil Wears Prada – Time

The Devil Wears Prada have shared another tasty offering from their upcoming album in the form of ‘Time’, a supercharged anthem that balances the calm and the chaos brilliantly whilst addressing the concept of of time itself from the perspective that it is always working against us and not with us. ‘Time’ will feature on the band’s upcoming album Color Decay alongside previously released songs ‘Salt’, ‘Watchtower’ and ‘Sacrifice’ which have collectively shown off the band’s diversity, maturity and prowess in their genre. ‘Time’ still features the band’s staple aggressive riffs, raw angst and chunky rhythm sections though also encompasses verse structures that are somewhat stripped back shifting the spotlight to the poignancy and gravity of the vocal contribution, which meanders through a number of styles and techniques to include snarling growls and softer spoken moments. It’s an expansive broadened sound with a clear openness and acceptance that The Devil Wears Prada are embracing in their music to be creative and push beyond their back-catalogue stylistically. – Jac Holloway