MØL – ‘Photophobic’
Danish blackgaze maestros MØL captured the hearts and minds of many with 2018’s debut Jord. Their captivating sound, a fusion of black metal’s aggression and the lush, mesmerising instrumentation of shoegaze, saw them sign to the illustrious Nuclear Blast Records for their recently-announced second album Diorama. The first single from it, ‘Photophobic’, sees them honing their beautiful but aggressive sound to a fine art. From its soft opening to the blastbeats that swiftly shatter this peace, through to the shimmering, ascendant shoegaze moments, it’s a stunning work of art. Of the single, vocalist Kim Son Sternkopf explains “‘Photophobic’ is centred around denial and self-deception. Fear of exposure of one’s past. The song encapsulates the dread of forcefully venturing through the painful but nonetheless important places of oneself and your history.” – Will Marshall
Thrice – ‘Scavengers’
Returning with the follow up to their 2018 record Palms and their eleventh full length, the ever explorative Thrice are back in the spotlight with the confirmation of their new record Horizons / East. Showcasing a newfound sense of situational awareness, the record’s first single ‘Scavengers’ sees the California legends becoming aware of the toxic media diet that is perpetually poisoning the body and mind of those who feed upon it. A darker and more granulating affair that revolves around a shadowed groove, the track sees the band continuing down the same musical path the band tread with the release of the aforementioned Palms and their 2016 LP To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere, albeit with an intense scrutiny on the modern world. With the record releasing digitally September 17th and physically October 8th, Horizons / East is essentially set to be yet another piece of irrefutable proof of this band’s remarkable longevity. – Dan Hillier
El Moono – ‘Forced To Smile’
Coinciding with the announcement of their signing to the rapidly up-and-coming Lockjaw Records, the dizzying alt-rock renegades El Moono are back with their new single ‘Forced To Smile’. Composed not entirely unlike an off-kilter mashup of Phoxjaw, Haggard Cat and modern day Press To Meco, this track is a bombastic condemnation of our government’s hideous attitude towards human rights and is delivered with hyperventilating energy and seething rage. “We’ve been sitting on this song in particular for over two years now and we’re so relieved and excited to finally be putting it out into the world. Since writing ‘Forced to Smile’, it feels as though the lyrics have come into sharper focus given the social/political landscape of the past year”, say the band. “The majority of Parliament have recently shrugged off the changing of vital laws that directly impact the LGBTQI+ community and how their gender/identification is legally recognised. This blatant dismissal of human rights is something we cannot accept in 2021 – ‘Forced to Smile’ is about not accepting our reality as ‘good enough’. The song also tackles the subject of toxic masculinity that is engrained deep into our society. Living day to day and forcing ourselves to be happy, forcing ourselves to smile, just to keep going. We dream to make a difference in whatever way we can.” – Dan Hillier
Orbit Culture – ‘Flight Of The Fireflies’
Marking a blistering return in their first new music since last year’s rapturously received Nija, Orbit Culture dropped their latest single ‘Fight Of The Fireflies’ as a teaser for their hotly-anticipated EP Shaman, due in September. Crunching riffs collide with guttural roars and soaring choruses that show a clear knack for writing melodies with hooks for days. Where Nija was complex and layered, Shaman promises to be more immediate and punchy, written for the live environment with the promise of gigs now returning. Despite being from a small town, Orbit Culture are a band with big ambitions and it shows in their commanding songs that exemplify modern metal at its most compelling. – Will Marshall
Iman – ‘This Is All We Are’
When she’s not hammering out bass lines on stage with HAWXX, multi-instrumentalist Iman Ahmed crafts her own solo material, taking inspiration from post-rock, progressive rock and many more. Her latest single, ‘This Is All We Are’, takes on the internet and social media, considering it a double-edged sword that both brings people together but also drives them apart. People hide behind their online personas, disconnected from each other in reality. We’re guided in softly, with crooning vocals atop sparse melodies. The song unfurls with minimalist electronic drums that swap back and forth, before being replaced by, acoustic drums that lend a more organic feel. The guitar work shimmers, expansive and transcendent, bringing the post-rock influences to the fore. It’s simultaneously a warning of our lives in the real world being subsumed by a digital existence and also a lush, comforting soundscape. – Will Marshall
Snow Coats – ‘Right Fit’
A gentle and refreshing indie-pop breeze of a track perfect for these unforgiving heatwaves, the latest single from The Netherland’s Snow Coats is an astute gem that resonates pure heartfelt composure. The first tantalising glimpse of their new record that’s slated for a 2022 release, the single once again showcases the young group’s intimate and mentally pacifying songcraft that explores difficult conversation and topics that are often difficult to articulate though speech. Last year’s Pool Girl EP may have been a stellar introductory point for many on this side of the English Channel, but next year is poised to the time where this burgeoning band get the widespread acclaim they so critically deserve. – Dan Hillier
MONO – ‘Riptide’
With the post-rock legacy act soon entering their 23rd year of contentious activity, one would be forgiven in presuming the contents of their new single and forthcoming new record. It’s safe to presume that no one actively predicted ‘Riptide’ however. The group’s first single from their forthcoming eleventh studio record Pilgrimage Of The Soul – out September 17th via Pelagic – ‘Riptide’ is arguably one of the most dense offerings to date from the original Japanese trendsetters. But despite it’s thunderous and portentous heaviness, the track is still a creation of delicate nuance that awards one with time, patience and careful revision. It’s an inescapable immersion into the inky waters the band began to tread with their last outing Nowhere Now Here and serves as the ideal precursor to what is set to be the band’s most unexpected bodies of work to date. With Pilgrimage Of The Soul witnessing the MONO’s first careful excursion into the realms of electronica – yes really – 2021 is going to the year where all pre-assumed expectations regarding this band are wiped clean. – Dan Hillier
Slash Fiction – ‘How’s This For Heartbreak?’
Those loyal to the UK queercore scene will undoubtedly acknowledge the name of Slash Fiction with at least a quiet, knowing grin. For everyone else, a band that’s haplessly lovable awaits to be discovered, with the quintet’s latest single being an inclusive, inviting and relatable lamentation on the nature of heartbreak. Taken from the group’s impending debut LP Gender, Trauma & Friendship, ‘How’s This For Heartbreak lovingly showcases their home-cooked DIY sound in a way that’s raw and impassioned. Elements of scene mates such as Nervus, itoldyouiwouldeatyou and Kermes provide the bedrock, composition and general aesthetic of this track and their sound as whole, but as proven with this infectiously relatable single, elements of Gender Roles, Spanish Love Songs and even Against Me! jettison from the foundation. Complete with a scuzzed, noise-rock tinted guitar tone thad adds volumes of texture, Slash Fiction are set to score an utter blinder with the release of their debut next week. – Dan Hillier
Zeal & Ardor – Erase
Something of a departure from the deeply unsettling ‘Run’, Zeal & Ardor chose the least obvious route with new single ‘Erase’. Opening with the refrain “we’re the only ones left” and eschewing some of the more left-field elements that characterised their first two albums, it’s still clearly identifiable as them thanks to Manuel Gagneux’s captivating vocals, the churning, occasionally dissonant guitar work and its call-and-response moments. The opening guitar is serene with Manuel’s refrain before giving way to chugging, churning riff that’s topped by vocals that alternate between vicious roars and soulful croons. Their firebrand frontman commented of the song “We would like to surprise you again with this one. Erase aims to confuse you in the most pleasant way possible. Hope you enjoy.”. Mission well and truly accomplished and given the variety on display with this and ‘Run’, their self-titled third album is promising to be something incredibly special once more. – Will Marshall
Bullet For My Valentine – ‘Parasite’
Having suffered through something of a prolonged stagnation in their career over the past few records, Bullet For My Valentine have had a lot riding on their seventh, self-titled album since it was announced. If first single ‘Knives’ showed a promising return to form, ‘Parasite’ only continues to build anticipation. Immediately raging out the gates with an excoriating shriek of “you fucking parasite”, it delivers all manner of riff-based slaughter. This time around they’ve clearly taken cues from early At The Gates; ‘Parasite’ is a slab of almost straight-up melodeath worship bar the sung chorus and breakdown after. That chorus is pure Bullet, delivering a pay-off to the heavy-as-sin verses and they pay off the anticipation building throughout with a shredding solo. Bullet are back. – Will Marshall
All tracks can be found in our essential playlist.