Much-missed UK hardcore outfit, Bastions, are back. The Welsh four-piece announced their hiatus in 2015, and I remember it feeling sudden and premature at the time. They left behind a handful of EPs, a half hour of vivid, gritty hardcore punk in the shape of their only full-length, and a ton of promise and potential. But to be fair, they […]
Read moreI love The Wrens. It’s not an exaggeration to say that hearing ‘This Boy Is Exhausted’ changed my taste in music. But, in a tale as old as time, The Wrens don’t necessarily love each other. The band haven’t released new music in almost 20 years but were apparently working on a new album as recently as 2019. Now though, […]
Read moreGlean are a hardcore band… I think. It’s hard to tell these days. And I mean that in the best possible way. Sure, they play stomping, punk rock riffs under some intense, barked vocals but they incorporate 90s alt-rock influences too. That’s not necessarily a unique addition, but there’s also shoegaze in the mix, and first wave emo and British […]
Read moreIt’s happening! After teasing some slight return almost two years ago now, Maybeshewill have announced a new album. The Leicester outfit will release ‘No Feeling Is Final’ next month. This will be the band’s fifth album, although coming seven years and one hiatus after their last one, it feels like a new beginning. The first taste of the album is […]
Read moreTimelost have shared a new song, entitled ‘Lifer Death’. This is the first taste of the grungegaze duo’s next record, a follow-up to February’s ‘Gushing Interest’. It’s a brilliant track, showcasing the band’s knack for an atmospheric but memorable melody, but it’s also one graced by the presence of an alt-rock great. In the band’s own words, “We saw that […]
Read moreNarrow Head’s last album was… a downer. Now though, some erstwhile members of that Texas outfit (alongside others from Garden of Mary) seem ready to write music with a glint in its eye again. As Bleed, they play a familiar, fuzzy kind of post-hardcore but (and this is key) instead of ever sounding like they’re gazing at their shoes, the […]
Read moreI don’t mean to get anyone too excited here, but Placebo are back, and it turns out new Placebo sounds a lot like old Placebo. ‘Beautiful James’, the band’s first new music in five years, is a brilliant bolt of pop-powered rock that has teleported me about 20 years back in time. More of the same please!
Read moreI don’t like punk. Ok, so there are punk bands that I love. There are punk shows that are in my top 10 gigs of all time even. But as a very general rule, I don’t like punk. I don’t know if it’s the speed or the sneer or the storytelling, but it’s just never been a genre that sucks me […]
Read moreI didn’t see this coming. Julien Baker has enlisted, of all people, Justin Broadrick for a remix. Under the guise of his Jesu project, Broadrick has turned his attention to ‘Favor’, originally released on Baker’s third album, ‘Little Oblivions’, earlier this year. There’s actually a whole EP of remixes coming out early next month but Broadrick’s effort, which slathers dense, […]
Read moreI don’t really feel qualified to talk about Taranoya. Taranoya is the solo project of producer Taraneh Schmidt. Originally from Iran but now based in Portland, USA, Taranoya uses ambient experimentation, subtle synths and slow-motion reverb to create lush atmospheres and barely-there dream-pop. She has released a lone EP so far but her debut album, ‘Becoming’, is out September 24th via […]
Read more