Sugar Horse, CLT DRP, The Wonder Years, Bossk x Pijn and More: New Noizze – The 14 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

Summer is coming to a close, the nights are drawing in but riffs don't stop coming. Here's the best singles of the week.

Sugar Horse – Disco Loadout (Feat. Debbie Gould, Damien Sayell and Matt Lovebridge)

After seeping from beneath the streets of Bristol and becoming one of the most unequivocally promising bands in progressive contemporary music, Sugar Horse are heralding their most exciting arc thus far with ‘Disco Loadout’. The lead single of their upcoming collaborative EP Waterloo Teeth, ‘Disco Loadout’ see’s Sugar Horse teaming up with Debbie Gould of Heriot, Damien Sayell of The St Pierre Snake Invasion / Mclusky and Matt Lovebridge of MXLX to deliver an atonal, phlegm-flying barrage of dissonance that’s a total tonal shift from the slow and glacial majesty of their previous work. It’s snotty and vulgar, but one that hints towards the mercurial soundscape of Waterloo Teeth. Featuring further collaborations with members of Pupil Slicer, Conjurer, Wych Elm, Idles, Black Peaks, Biffy Clyro and more, the EP is poised to see Sugar Horse further expanding their wide-angled lens to deliver another majestically bleak celebration of nonconformity in the most grim of keys. – Dan Hillier

CLT DRP – Aftermath

The latest single from the ever-mercurial Brighton electro-punks CLT DRP, ‘Aftermath’ is brooding yet incredibly poignant narration on the internalised guilt that can follow in the wake of sexual assault and gendered violence. Whilst the track is a far more withheld affair than their typically confrontational and combative work, the track’s measured pacing only allows the lyrical themes to take the forefront, further shining light on a harrowing plague of violence that many chose to play ignorant or passive to. It’s not easy listening – but that’s the entire point. It’s a track that seeps into your pores, thrusting the issue of sexual violence into one’s cerebral cortex. ‘Aftermath’ will be released physically 7^th October via Small Pond Records on a limited 7” also featuring a cover of the song by Mercury Prize nominated act The Big Moon. – Dan Hillier

Bossk x Pijn – Kobe x Pijn

What’s next? That’s the question post-metallers Bossk found themselves asking after the release of acclaimed recent album Migration, completed during COVID during which longtime collaborator Etsuo Endon passed away. To find the answer to that, they invited fellow post-metal troupe Pijn to collaborate with them on a reimagining of ‘Kobe’ taken from Migration’s predecessor, Audio Noir. Where the original used effects-driven guitars, ‘Kobe x Pijn’ instead utilises violin drones to truly take it into Pijn‘s string-led world. The end result is a lot folkier than you might expect, but no less compelling or heavy for it. The main melody call-and-response between violin and guitar is a stroke of genius in particular that elevates it from an already great song into the vaunted halls of collaborations and reimaginings that truly work and bring out the best in either band. – Will Marshall

The Wonder Years – Old Friends Like Lost Teeth

The fifth and final single to be taken from the group’s upcoming record The Hum Goes On Forever – released September 23rd via Hopeless Records – ‘Old Friends Like Lost Teeth’ see’s Philadelphia’s finest The Wonder Years once again reflecting on another friend tragically lost too soon. Expressed by the group’s own homegrown sound and soulfully narrated via Dan Campbell’s immersive lyricism, the track is a gut-wrenching and heartbreaking ode that once again see’s The Wonder Years furthering their skill in storytelling and perfecting their take on pop-punk that’s miles removed from the negative stereotypes that plague the genre. “As much as I try not to dwell on loss, I can’t help myself from thinking about it, writing about it, singing about it”, Dan explains. “This is a song for another friend who passed too soon and about how I wish I could stop myself from opening the sutures, about how I know it’ll be painful to play live, and how powerless I am to do anything else.” – Dan Hillier

Boston Manor – Inertia

Boston Manor have released another single from their upcoming album Datura. It’s called ‘Inertia’ and it’s a love song that vocalist Henry Cox wrote for his wife “…The partners of touring artists are often forgotten about…This record is about a darkness in my life & the end of the album marks the exit from it. Without her that never would have been possible.” he says. Datura tackles some heavy subjects including Cox’s drinking at the height of the pandemic and the darkness the following days bought with them as a result. As for ‘Inertia’ the single is beautifully appreciative and incredibly earnest. The usual Boston Manor tropes are in place but the edgey nature of the band is stripped back and l replaced with an onus on the songs meaning and lyrical content which is conveyed brilliantly. Cox’s pain and angst feels converted into a different kind of energy here, one of self-reflection, understanding and a realisation of the things important in his life. It does an excellent job to make you feel part of that whilst serving as a personal ode. Datura is set for release October 14th and the band will be supporting Alexisonfire on their UK and EU run. – Jac Holloway

Polyphia – ABC (Feat. Sophia Black)

Prog-Metal influencers Polyphia have released their brand new single ‘ABC’ featuring Sophia Black. The band have always delivered something a little different with absurd time signatures, complexity in guitar and drum work and glitchy genre-bending instrumental music with an insane level of technicality. Sprinkle in influences of Hip-Hop, Trap and EDM and you start to get an idea but by no means have the full picture. In short, Polyphia are no strangers to mixing it up and latest single ‘ABC’ see’s the band tread ground they haven’t before. The pop-centric single features a euphoric and atmospheric soundscape with trippy tempo changes and vocals that match the intensity of this. Sophia Black’s vocal performance is very much a pop/R&B/rap centred delivery but by no means does this detract from the song. In fact it arguably enhances it with her ability to match the changes in speed and timings to make for an all round interesting listen. Oh yeah and there’s a bombastic guitar solo too. It’s Polyphia as you’ve always known but you’ve definitely not heard them quite like this before! The band have also announced their brand new album Remember That You Will Die is released October 28th on Rise Records and features a number of artists including Steve Vai and Chino Moreno. – Jac Holloway

Celestial Sanctuary – Trapped Within the Rank Membrane

Billing themselves as the “New Wave of British Death Metal”, Celestial Sanctuary do their utmost to live up to that with ‘Trapped Within The Rank Membrane’, the first new music since 2021’s debut Soul Diminished. The old-school death metal ingredients from that debut are still present and correct, but there’s some new flourishes that take it out of that realm. Melodic guitars atop the opening riffs showcase the new string the band have added to their bow, while the following passage makes clear they’ve lost none of their ferocity, only expanded on it. The band are making a bold claim to be part of a new wave of death metal, and not just sticking purely to the OSDM sound but with the steps taken on ‘Trapped…’ show they’re making all the right moves to be exactly that. – Will Marshall

Stake – Deadlock Eyes

Belgian sludgy, alt metallers STAKE have dropped the third single from their upcoming album Love, Death and Decay. Blending the churning melodicism of Mastodon along with some of the punk snarl of bands like Kvelertak, it’s a rollercoaster of a track that can switch from quieter moments to crushing sludge and frenetic punk-infused moments, sometimes within the same minute. They make such a chameleonic approach sound easy as they narrate the fears of modern life, anxieties and despair. Written during the height of the lockdowns, it encapsulates the fear and dread of those times perfectly. It’s the sound of a band that sees no light at the end of the tunnel – at least from when it was written – and the sheer heft of the guitars and thunderous drumming really hammers the pointlessness of it all home. – Will Marshall

Architects – deep fake

Architects have dropped yet another taster from their upcoming album the classic symptoms of a broken spirit in the form of their crushing new single ‘deep fake’, a song that tackles existence, identity and does well to call out tyrants whilst the rest of us wrestle and hide in the shadows. The single is the heaviest off the new record so far and perfectly combines glitchy synths, unrelenting riffs and the band’s signature stomp and roar that they have coined since ‘Animals’ was released. Sam Carter’s vocal delivery continues to be impressively expansive and his range somehow widens album upon album. The song has some notable moments including a build to a fake breakdown, raw screaming vocals laid subtly underneath the band’s polished sound and an earth-shattering breakdown that is the pay off needed to complete the song. With this, Architects have found a rhythm and balance in their sound that perfectly pulls in elements from their sound previous and present. – Jac Holloway

Gutter – exit stage left

Underground sensations Gutter have launched their latest double single, ‘exit stage left’, comprised of ‘a truth about romance’ and ‘two part tragedy’. Drawing on equal parts extreme metal and hardcore as well as a hefty dose of atmospherics, they’re bruising, heavy and with dashes of Loathe-esque atmosphere. ‘a truth about romance’ bludgeons right from the get-go, dual vocals atop a brutalising breakdown that wouldn’t be out of place in deathcore, before moving into more frenetic, END-adjacent hardcore, with occasional forays into more melodic territories in the backing vocals. ‘two part tragedy’ takes a slightly different tack, focusing entirely on a bludgeoning, sub-90 second runtime that’s furiously unhinged. Hardcore across the pond has been having a moment as of late, and if Gutter are anything to go by, the UK will soon be following in that spleen-venting renaissance. – Will Marshall

Love Is Noise – Movement (Feat. Jason Aalon Bulter)

Whilst Love Is Noise began the year as a relatively unknown proposition, they are certainly not going to be a hidden gem come the end of December. Coinciding with their signing to 333 Wreckords and the announcement of their debut EP Euphoria, Where Are You? is the release of their latest single ‘Movement’. Tapping into the same vein of sleek metalcore popularised by acts such as Loathe, Static Dress and Foreign Hands, the track see’s the duo teaming up with Jason Aalon Butler to deliver three minutes of dark escapism that’s ferocious, yet intricately composed. If this single is anything to go by, Euphoria, Where Are You? may be a serious late stage contender for best metalcore debut of the year come it’s debut on October 28th. – Dan Hillier

Marisa and the Moths – If You Knew

Grunge rockers Marisa and the Moths have released their brand new single ‘If You Knew’ this week. Recorded at Esche Haus, Novustory’s own recording studio with band members Imogen and Ducky, the song has been a long time in the making and marks the beginning of a new era for the band. The narrative for ‘If You Knew’ questions the intentions of an individual should they know the full truth of what is really going on for another, asking whether they spotted it and whether knowing this would lead to actual support. The single weighs in at five minutes and cleverly builds verse by verse to what feels like the songs crescendo at the halfway mark but instead elevates following this with an almighty wall of sound. Marisa’s ability to weave melodiously and hold back in order to build to a soaring vocal delivery adds depth, angst and longing and tops off what is a fantastic song. – Jac Holloway

Dead Pony – War Boys

Scotland’s own punk outfit Dead Pony have released their new single ‘War Boys’ taken from their debut EP of the same name. As with previous single ‘Bullet Farm’ they have taken inspiration from Mad Max where they took the portrayal of the War Boys and looked to recreate this lyrically with the end product being a rebellious and purposefully disruptive anthem. ‘War Boys’ is an all out punk banger with a stomping dirty riff and rhythm juxtaposed with Anna Shields high octane and angsty vocal delivery. With elements of grunge and punk combined with a level of genuine aggression that you can get behind Dead Pony have crafted a versatile sound that incorporates their no-nonsense attitude. The band suggest that they wanted to capture the madness of the cinematic world in a song and the result is as raucous and vibrant as you could hope for. – Jac Holloway

Half Me – Wraith

Metalcore outfit Half Me, hailing from Hamburg, Germany, have released their devastatingly heavy new single ‘Wraith’. The band are one of the latest additions to the Arising Empire roster and combine hardcore, metalcore and even drop in some nu metal influence too. Snarling, spitting vocals, numerous blastbeats, half time beatdowns and a final breakdown that is ludicrously heavy, ‘Wraith’ is a menacing full force attack from start to finish. The glitchy breakdown section with half time drumming and a dramatic pause before kicking back in is an incredible addition and the final section features the first clean vocals and melody in the song, showcasing that Half Me have even more in their locker. With their relatively recent signing to Arising Empire it would be safe to assume that the band have more music on the way very soon and one thing is guaranteed, it’s going to be a bit heavy. – Jac Holloway