Oh man. Ever since his debut album, Keaton Henson has worn his heart on his sleeve. And his guts on his sleeve. And his mind, and his soul, and whatever other body parts prove that he really means what he’s saying. Channelling lost love into raw poetry and anxiety into art, the London-born singer songwriter has produced some of the […]
Read moreUSA Nails are wound impossibly tight. The London-based band specialise in high-speed, high-tension blasts of fuck-you punk-rock, and have operated with feverish, dedicated intensity since their inception. That means there’s little room between their buzzsaw riffs and relentless rhythms to take a breath- they were once described as “a speeding train that won’t stop”. And there’s little room in their […]
Read moreThis would count as a killer one-two punch, if Tokyo’s Sans Visage and the quirkily-named Look At Moment actually wanted to kill. Instead, both groups have learned lessons from screamo stalwarts like Suis La Lune and Loma Prieta, and have tempered their hardcore sounds with slow-burning intensity, elements of post-rock, and grungy melody. Sans Visage start ‘Deception’ with a menacing […]
Read moreIt’s easy to see this, the ninth Deftones album, as a reflection of the eighth Deftones album. I liked ‘Gore’ plenty but the Californian outfit’s 2016 effort was met with a decidedly lukewarm reception. The consensus seemed to be that while it was atmospheric, it wasn’t exactly dynamic, and while it wasn’t bad, it fell short of the band’s lofty […]
Read moreThere was no alarm. There was no announcement. Ben Sharp didn’t really tell anyone that he was putting his solo project on pause. But in 2015 he released the placid ‘Woum’, perhaps the least compelling entry in Cloudkicker’s unique back catalogue, and then, silence. Years of silence. The Ohio native had been so prolific before then, writing and recording a […]
Read moreNarrow Head’s debut album, ‘Satisfaction’, was a brilliant, bright, exciting effort that twisted 90s grunge and shoegaze references into something contemporary and cool. ‘12th House Rock’ is… not that. From the opening squall of ‘Yer Song’ it feels like a cloud has come over the Texas outfit. They employ much of the same sonic ingredients as before, but their songs have […]
Read moreThere’s nothing like a piece of panoramic conceptual art imagining a possible future on the surface of Mars, to show what human beings are capable of. And there’s nothing like a global pandemic to ruin it all. ‘For the Benefit of All’ is a collaboration between erstwhile Her Name Is Calla main man Tom Morris and experimental cellist Jo Quail. It […]
Read moreThreestepstotheocean might have a typical post-rock kind of name, but they certainly don’t have a typical kind of sound. Since 2006, the Italian instrumental outfit have been gradually distorting the genre template to include elements of americana, sludge, almost black metal, and more. On this, their fifth full-length, they’ve diversified further still. A ton of fuzz and a few hulking […]
Read moreEasy Prey’s last album was angry. Now, little has happened in the intervening years to provide anyone much solace, but somehow the Texas quartet’s new record sounds even more intense. There’s shrill feedback and a furious, falling-apart kind of riffing here, a frankly ridiculous bass rumble, and a frontman who sounds like he’s literally screaming for help, or for change, […]
Read moreOver the past few years, Bristol-based outfit Poisonous Birds have proven relentlessly restless- expanding their already experimental sound to incorporate more electronic elements, commissioning remixes, creating their own artwork, curating live shows, and even starting a record label. Hell, this isn’t even their first release of the year, having already turned out a collaborative EP with the frontperson of Black […]
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