Jess Greaves
February 5, 2024| Dan Hillier |FEATURES
Indoor Pets, Oceans Ate Alaska, Frail Body and More: New Noizze – The 15 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week
Little bit of everything for everyone here. Here's the best singles of last week.
Indoor Pets – London (Love To Hate)
There’s a lot to love about London. Its arts scene, its multiculturalism and its unparalleled sense of adventure. Unfortunately, there’s even more to hate about it, something Indoor Pets lament with their new single. Taken from their upcoming record due later this year via their new home of Alcopop! Records, ‘London (Love To Hate)’ is a primal indie-rock scream of anger addressing how living in the capital has become an impossible task for the creative everyman. Whilst its musical stylings may harken towards The Smashing Pumpkins circa Siamese Dream, heavily flirting with contemporary reverb-drenched indie rock, the track is a cacophony of pure bile. It’s, quite frankly, the sound of a band seeing how loud every amp and how stretched every vocal chord can become in order to exercise a very palpable sense of anger and apathy. “It’s about my frustration with struggling to make ends meet while surviving in the capital”, states vocalist Jamie Glass. “London is about watching the bills pile up and swell whilst the hourly-pay jobs needed as a small musician wither with atrophy. Living in one of the most exciting music hubs in the world and observing everybody and their dog take a pay-rise, book a holiday, and buy property off the back of the starry-eyed artists that litter the streets. Being thankful that there is a roof over my head for another month yet ashamed of the Universal Credit sum falling in my wallet, knowing there are so many in the city that deserve it more. The city is no longer a home for the working-class. And as those people leave in their droves, with them leaves the ingenuity and empathy that they provided.” – Dan Hillier
Frail Body – Refrain
Ahead of their newly announced upcoming album Artificial Bouquet, Illinois’ Frail Body have dropped an absolutely cataclysmic new single. ‘Refrain’ is a brilliantly ferocious blend of hardcore and blackgaze, alternating between complex aggression and walls of crushing guitars and percussion with deft skill. Powerful grooves arise from the rhythm section throughout the track, particularly when everything else is allowed to be restrained. On top of this is a blistering vocal performance from Lowell Shaffer, whose incendiary screams tower over the track as he grapples with what life even means when it is always must come to an end. An explosive start to the latest era of a very exciting band. – Ryan Ward
RedHook – Scream 2
Yet another standout band from the increasingly fertile Australian rock music scene, ‘Scream 2’ is the second standalone single the band have dropped in a few months and it’s also one of the heaviest, gnarliest tracks the band have done. ‘Scream 2’ is a dark track, as described by vocalist Emmy Mack; “‘Scream 2’ is the next chapter in a painfully relatable horror story for anyone who has survived narcissistic abuse. It’s about the aftermath of escaping the narcissist”. A fast, spiteful track lead by rollicking drums and an impassioned, dynamic performance by Emmy, it also features a chorus that won’t take long to get its (red) hooks into your brain. A song with a vital message that needs to be heard and will have you nodding along in agreement, until those nods become headbanging. – Chris Earl
Oceans Ate Alaska – Endless Hollow
Always mind-bendingly baffling but never boring, British technical metalcore dazzlers Oceans Ate Alaska return with a new singer and a new song that sounds – well, like Oceans Ate Alaska. Former Silent Screams vocalist Joel Haywood’s first foray with the band is ‘Endless Hollow’s, a guttural slab of riff salad with some classic machine gun drumming. There may be a lot of whispers floating around the band at the moment with such an upheaval in personnel but with the track dropping just before their tour supporting Currents, they’re more than willing to let their music do the talking. With all eyes on them, the latest chapter in the wild tale of OAA will surely be an intriguing one and it’ll be very interesting to see how their new lineup develops with a full record. – Chris Earl
Raised By Owls – Sorry I Wore A Dying Fetus T-shirt To Your Baby’s Gender Reveal Party
Quintessentially Yorkshire grindy comedians Raised By Owls are back and before you say anything, that really is the song name. ‘I’m Sorry I Wore A Dying Fetus T-Shirt To Your Baby’s Gender Reveal Party’, a song about the social awkwardness of wearing an inappropriate metal t shirt in public, something that most fans of heavy music out there can attest to. A shrieking, buzzsaw guitar filled blast, what truly makes the song is the typically hilarious video that even features a cameo from the infamous Cradle Of Filth shirt among other NSFW tees. On a musical level it doesn’t break new ground, but it whets the appetite for the bands upcoming new album, Vol. 3 (The Satirical Verses) which is due out in May. – Chris Earl
Softcult – Shortest Fuse
Refusing to bow down and fall in line with the slaves to the dead end grind; the Kitchener native shoegaze / grunge duo Softcult, take aim at crony capitalisms cyclical denigration of the underprivileged side of contemporary society with their latest single ‘Shortest Fuse’. In thoroughly laying some slow burn righteousness vibes for all to thoughtfully consume, this latest addition to their impressive discography presents itself as the kind of simplistic critical thinking needed for the early calls for dramatic change, this comes as a sign of great things to expect out of their upcoming extended play as well as their soon to start Spring North American tour supported by SUPERBLOOM & Glixen. – Bennie Osborne
Blanket – Porcelain
Directly inspired by Cave In and HUM, the new single from Blanket sees the band further swaying from standard parameters of post-rock in order to inhabit their own bespoke corner. A self-confessed ode to the musical pioneers of the late 90s, ‘Porcelain’ is equally gorgeous as it is abrasive in thanks to its overpowering shoegaze and reverb laden vocals. Whilst the band’s post-rock foundations are still standing, this track further sees this most dynamic band building higher and higher upon their sonic template in order to reach new heights far above the standard the embedded touchstones of their earlier work. “As one of the first songs we wrote for this album, I think ‘Porcelain’ holds a special place in our hearts,” states vocalist and guitarist Bobby Pook. “We wrote and recorded the demo at my house in the studio and it’s remained mostly unchanged since then. It’s the most dynamic track on the album and an ode to all things late 90s. Lyrically it’s based around feelings of loss, fragility and anticipation.” – Dan Hillier
Arms and Sleepers – O-R-I-O-N (Feat. YEYEY)
Harkening thoughts of Massive Attack and Underworld albeit with more a contemporary progressive edge, the new single from eclectic trip-hop act Arms and Sleepers is a dreamscape birthed from a place of pure nightmares. Lifted from the first arc of his upcoming concept record What Tomorrow Brings – released March 1st via Pelagic Records – ‘O-R-I-O-N’ is the sound of Mirza Ramic reflecting back on the horrific circumstances of the life-altering journey he endured as a younger man, with the record exploring his experiences in fleeing a war-torn Bosnia in the 1990s and the death of his father in the conflict. The track’s ethereal and pacifying sound completed by the soulful vocals of YEYEY’s Ben Sheppard may be at odds with the horrific narrative driving the record, but if one where to look beneath the shawl of sonic comfort, a sense of impending tribulation is had. It’s the sound of youth and innocence about to be ripped from one’s identity, and a track that hints towards a record abound to be filled with substance and heritage. – Dan Hillier
Wasted Death – Stratofortress
With a name like Wasted Death, it’d be a bit of a surprise if there wasn’t even a little bit of thrashing involved. Thankfully, there’s more than a little bit, as well as a lovely amount of hardcore punk involved in ‘Stratofortress’, the band’s newest release. Formed from members of Petbrick and USA Nails, this is the first proper taste of the band’s March debut. A chuggy, pummelling no bullshit kind of song, it blends a myriad of heavy influences together into a headbanging blur. The production gives it a real 80s, grimy edge that makes the track sound like it’s coming out of a slime filled sewer grate at midnight, and you get the impression that’s exactly what the band were going for. One to watch in 2024 that’s for sure. – Chris Earl
Normandie – Serotonin
Delivering a satisfying final hit before their intoxicating brand of heavy euphoria becomes too good to quit; the Swedish Alternative Rock / Post Hardcore trio Normandie, sink into the murky depths of desperate longing on the seventh single off of their long awaited fourth studio album – Dopamine, with ‘Serotonin’. In a way encapsulating the namesake chemicals affects on the human condition, including that of mood stabilisation, wound healing and sexual desire, this cleverly coded blaster ventures through the addictive, at times problematic and forcibly succumbing nature of loves undeniable hold on the brain. With projections of the albums appeal routinely centred around clinically prescribed highs as well as providing some assistance to our natural chemical production, we’re left pretty assured that such sonic intervention of the senses will be the scenes next big drug of choice. – Bennie Osborne
Big Deal – Thank You (Feat. Strangle You)
Detroit hardcore is doing better than ever with acts like D-Bloc and Never Ending Game dropping new and impressive tunes within the last year. Adding to the plethora of great music out of the state is crossover act Big Deal. Bringing fans their newest single “Thank You” which comes off their next venture titled Beyond Repair and is available February 23rd. This new single also features the always impressive Strangle You. Not wasting any time, “Thank You” blasts into its first minute with a powerviolence style similar to Zulu before smashing into their usual thrashy sound they’ve built their following off of, not to mention the absolute rampage vocalist Joe Plonky delivers as per usual. Big Deal are here and proving they are just that. – Nathaniel Maure
Afraid – Corrode Me
Seemingly dropping out of no where is Bowmanville, Ontario metalcore outfit Afraid with their debut single “Corrode Me”. What was once Ontario’s Out Of My League is now Afraid. Sharing members with bands like Pneumonia Breath and Seagrave, one can expect great things to come from these Canadian beasts. “Corrode Me” is heavy; blending elements of aggressive metalcore with hard as nails beatdown to bring Canadian metal fans a long-awaited treat. From drums and strings wreaking absolute havoc to the vocals which go from a monstrous roar to beautiful melodies with ease, these veterans clearly aren’t playing around going into 2024. If Afraid has anything else like this in store for everyone, it’s going to be a very successful year for them. – Nathaniel Maure
Loveletter – No Sun
Loveletter return with their second single ‘No Sun’, a crushing and obnoxiously heavy sledgehammer of a track that further cements the statement the band are out to make. Complete with bludgeoning and punchy drum patterns, rampaging riffs and downtuned sections that will leave your ears ringing for days, the song wastes no time or space in delivering a slice of wondrous, abominably heavy metalcore bordering on deathcore. Minuscule moments of ambience or let up from certain instrumentation show depth in songwriting with clear efforts to emphasise the varying contributions each member makes to craft their sound. Often this gives space for a commanding and menacing vocal delivery that is both blistering and impactful. Lyrically, ‘No Sun’ morbidly trudges through the realisations and realities of the pain associated with the pursuit of happiness, the idea that love isn’t discoverable without dragging yourself through hell and back and even then poses the question of whether it’s even worth it. With support slots being filled by the band for the likes of Vexed and Cauldron there is clear intent for Loveletter to leave a mark on the heavy scene. – Jac Holloway
Sky_A – Walker
As opposed to be composed with instruments, ‘Walker’ is the sound of Sky_A creating music via textures, shapes, characters, and most vividly of all, colours. Such a statement may sound naff, but within the track it’s impossible to not gain an understanding of the synaesthesia that drives Sky_A, the pen-name of producer Sky Ainsbury. Lyrically exploring a personal battle with grasping inner-strength, ‘Walker’ is a cinematic and darkly alluring collage that sees Sky_A integrating motifs of acoustic prog, post-rock, electronic into a larger picture that circumvents standard genre. This, combined with additional percussion courtesy of Adam Betts (Three Trapped Tigers, Squarepusher) and production from Aneek Thapar (65daysofstatic) results in a tapestry of sonic progression not painted with standard instrumentalism, but with pure colour. – Dan Hillier
From Ashes To New – Barely Breathing (Feat. Chrissy Costanza)
Pennsylvania genre benders From Ashes To New have dropped a brand new track out of the blue, titled ‘Barely Breathing’ .A collaboration with alt-rock giants Against The Current‘s vocalist Chrissy Costanza, it mixes the classic duelling Nu-metal/RnB vocal attack of Matt Brandyberry and Danny Case with Chrissy’s powerful voice. Lyrically, the track deals with the fallout of a turbulent relationship and the extra layer that the guest vocals provide help to tell the story. The background is a mix of electronics and downtuned, chunky riffs for a track that’s hefty but also has plenty of bounce to it. A fun little experiment that blends together two of the most exciting bands in the modern rock scene and one that shows that if done correctly, alt rock can take influences from other genres and still have a little edge. – Chris Earl
