Dan Hillier
Whilst it felt like a prolonged episode of déjà vu, there is absoutely no denying that 2021 was one of the best years for music in ages. We saw acts such as Sugar Horse, The Armed and MØL completely disregard the notion of genre, we witnessed legacy acts such as Mastodon, Every Time I Die and Gojira release their best work to date and we even caught Architects and Mogwai conquering the national charts. But mostly importantly of all, we saw a plethora of new names making their waves into the spotlight. Over the last 12 months we saw bands such as Last Hyena, Fightmilk, Pupil Slicer, Death Goals, Cherym, Bailer, URNE, Bicurious, Slash Fiction, Swamp Coffin and literally countless other names dropping phenomenal records and earning their rightful places within the alternative music echelon.
But that was last year. We’re now in a brave new world. One full of the same old problems as before, but with new amazing new artists and music awaiting us all. So with that in mind, here is the first part of our list on the new names set to make 2022 their own.
Having steadily plugged away for a few years, sludge metallers Heriot recently welcomed a new guitarist and vocalist to their ranks in Debbie Gough and opted to start afresh. Leading with singles ‘Cleansed Existence’ in 2020 and ‘Recreant’ in 2021, the band were swiftly snapped up by Church Road Records, a label whose name has fast become synonymous with quality and forward-thinking bands. The single released alongside that, ‘Dispirit’, is a seething mass of riffs, screeches and industrial flourishes like the bastard child of Nails and Code Orange. Their hybrid of sludge, hardcore and razor-sharp grooving breakdowns is as incendiary as it is enamouring and represents one of, if not the best new metal band in the UK right now. Having supported the likes of Raging Speedhorn and Svalbard already in 2021, with a Bloodstock slot confirmed for 2022 and new music on the way, the world is theirs for the taking. – Will Marshall
Larynx shredding vocals, impassioned vulnerability and a penchant for melancholic chaos are the name of the game for emo newcomers Treehouse. Tapping into the exposed and urgent fervour of acts such as Pianos Become The Teeth, Nai Harvest and Birds In Row all-while retaining a raw and fluid DIY approach that’s reminiscent of Youth Man and God Damn, the South West based troupe create sidewinding modern emo that serves as therapeutic outbursts of bottled emotion and anguish. Their 2020 EP Unappealing took its name from the overwhelming feelings of depression, worthlessness and despondency that served as the crux of the sonically pummelling record, and with the band being totally unafraid to lay their vulnerabilities bare in a display of honest musicianship, Treehouse are a must listen for anyone requiring musical companionship in the shadow of mental insecurity. With shows with the likes of Lastelle and Gender Roles completed and with appearances with Death Goals and Punch On! forthcoming, Treehouse are the sound of inclusive and unfiltered anguish in 2022. – Dan Hillier
Formally known as Buggin Out, there’s hardly any surprise why Chicago’s Buggin are dominating their native hardcore scene. As proven with their work so far – particularly in the case of their latest two track single ‘Brainfreeze/Gratitude’ – Buggin retain and amplify hardcore’s core integral component of fun without sacrificing the seething violence one would expect from the genre. On the contrary, what makes Buggin so appealing in such a saturated genre is just how tight, vicious and punishing they are, where one can easily draw comparisons between them and the likes of Take Offence, Guilt Trip, and in the case of their respective groove, Turnstile. But yet, their sense of light-hearted fun is evident. Buggin emit a sense of joy that’s a welcome contrast against the commonly stone-faced and stoic masculinity of the global hardcore aesthetic, with their shows fully embodying such a sensibility. With the aforementioned Turnstile bringing groove-laden hardcore to the masses, Buggin are set to ride that wave into acclaim this year. – Dan Hillier
Alternative Hip Hop boundary-pushers Oxymorrons are set to bring the noise in 2022. The New York City-based band released their highly anticipated EP Mohawks & Durags in September 2021 which was met with high praise and boasted fan favourite tracks including ‘Justice’, an anti-racism war cry and ‘Green Vision’ which is a certified banger. The blend of hip hop and rock boasts an edge that is as heavy as it is experimentally ambitious with little compromise. It’ll come as no surprise that the band are the latest addition to the artist collective 333 Wreckords Crew alongside notable namesakes Fever 333 and rising stars Nova Twins. Since this time the band are receiving the recognition they deserve and will no doubt be on every notable tour bill possible when live music makes its return, when Oxymorrons drop their next taste of music you can bet it’ll be full of spit, grit and venom. – Jac Holloway
In October last year Midlands based hardcore punks Last Hounds dropped their debut record ‘Burden’, a Molotov cocktail of rough and ready Gallows meets Every Time I Die style ruckus. This means that 2022 is rife for the taking with gigs, gigs, festivals and more gigs, and the band have already announced upcoming shows supporting London’s premiere grime-punk stars Pengshui throughout February. Sure to rip and tear their way through venues up and down the UK, bringing high energy and plenty of big riffs with them, Last Hounds feel like both a revival of the British hardcore punk genre at the same time as a breathe of fresh air for it, from the huge chorus of ‘Running From The Dead’ to the captivating gang vocals on ‘Snakeskin’ this band will have your gran in the bloody pit throwing hands in ten seconds flat. – Elliot Grimmie
An extreme metal export from Quebec, APES meld the post-metal of Cult Of Luna with the grinding menace of Napalm Death into a vicious cocktail of aural nihilism. Their latest EP Lullabies For Eternal Sleep is just twelve minutes long and doesn’t fuck around for even a second of it. ‘Cornwall’ goes straight for the throat, an exercise in incessant, malevolent grindcore that gives way to the pulverising groove of ‘Devour’ and it all ends with the noise-scattered ambience of ‘Sore’. For a band dealing in such extremity there’s something immediately interesting about the blend they’re peddling. Four releases, predominantly EPs, into their career, APES are steadily expanding on and improving their own take on vicious misanthropy that’s as engaging as it is brutal. Having joined forces with the ever-excellent Translation Loss Records, the only way for them is up. – Will Marshall
A unison of harrowing post-hardcore, corrosive sludge and blackened urgency that’s designed for the claustrophobic midnight hours where one is at their most vulnerable and exposed; this is what awaits one when experiencing Still. Forming in 2016, the Hull based collective made their statement as a unit last year with their brilliant LP debut {}, and whilst they only managed to perform a singular show in promotion of it, they quickly found themselves the subject of a surge of both acclaim and admiration from all who experienced the record. Even in such a saturated scene filled with emerging artists specialising in work that could be loosely dubbed as post-metal and post-hardcore orientated, Still managed to rise to the top and are on course to further their reputation to fields far flung by the end of this year. – Dan Hillier
Yorkshire’s InVisions are gearing up for their anticipated upcoming third album Deadlock due for release 11th February 2022. The band bring a unique blend of vicious, spine-tingling metal with extraordinary screams, chunky riffs, snarling blastbeats and breakdowns that are so crushingly heavy you’ll need to buy insurance for your headphones. Latest single ‘D V P E’ delivers a rapid variance in vocal style showcased from vocalist Ben Ville. The range demonstrated between this and previously released single ‘Annihilist’ shows diversity and growth, particularly in the chorus which shows a leap forward in the melodic elements that are included. InVisions are clearly not afraid to switch it up, to experiment and be creative in their process and that shows here. If Deadlock delivers in the same way the first two singles have then heads will be turning to see and hear InVisions this year. – Jac Holloway