Only Sibling might be on to something here. The New York outfit dub themselves “loser rock” and write songs about frustration, failure, and fears of everything just falling apart, but on ‘Get Well Soon’ there is always hope. That means the best moments on this, the four-piece’s debut full-length, come when they temper millennial terror and their most downbeat tendencies […]
Read moreFor an album apparently inspired by various states of human suffering, the self-titled debut effort from California collective, Spice, sure is a lot of fun. Yes, there are fidgety punk rock rhythms here and no shortage of anxiety on the lyric sheet, but there are driving drums, catchy riffing, and a satisfying kitchen-sink approach too. So it is that opener […]
Read moreModern Color continue to evolve. While once upon a time the Californian quintet could have been described as a metal band, and their first albums were melting pots of post-hardcore, here they’ve tweaked the mix again. Ok, so even at their heaviest and most aggressive, the band ably employed gritty hooks, hints of indie rock, and swirling, shoegazey sounds, but […]
Read moreLovely, this. Across five tracks of Eno-esque ambience, gently cinematic synths, and birdsong samples, erstwhile Maybeshewill man Robin Southby (the second member of the band to release solo work this spring) evokes the sounds and sensations of walking through the forests and hills of the Peak District. Despite its ominous title, ‘The Forest Swallows Us Whole’ is lively, sunny and […]
Read moreWay back in 2010, Jesu mastermind Justin Broadrick declared that his band had strayed too far from the guitar-driven sound that he had intended, and too far into electronica. He resolved to divert the electronic elements into a new project called Pale Sketcher and return Jesu to its roots. And it worked. For a while. But now, on ‘Never’, the […]
Read moreChristopher Browder has demolished Mansions. After spending more than a decade building his one-man project into a proper rock’n’roll band that tours with Taking Back Sunday and The Get Up Kids, he’s had enough. ‘Big Bad’, his first album in seven years, forgoes loud guitars and louder drums for soft synths, bubbling bass, and restraint. The band’s record label calls […]
Read moreThis, the debut record from Sour Widows, is a trojan horse. At first it seems polite, pretty, a handful of petals, as if its slow, folksy tones might blow away in a weak breeze. You might be tempted to stick it on as background music when concentrating on something else entirely. But that’s when Sour Widows will emerge. That’s when […]
Read moreThat sound you hear? It might just be the synchronised thunk of ten thousand jaws hitting the floor. ‘Inlet’ is the first Hum album in more than two decades you see. And it has come out of absolutely nowhere. This doesn’t even fit the modern definition of a ‘surprise release’. There was zero build-up here- no teases, no winks, no nods. […]
Read moreTough to Google but easy to listen to, Lakes make sincere, sparkling emo that’s well worth diving into. The Watford outfit’s debut album, ‘The Constance’, was a tidy effort that employed complex but clean arrangements and unique instrumentation (hello, glockenspiel) to draw rave reviews at home and far outside the UK scene. The two tracks here, however, might be the […]
Read moreA warm blanket of an album, this. Oh, I’m sure Shiner, newly back in business after a lifetime away, want to inspire a more transcendental reaction, but ‘Schadenfreude’ finds the space rock pioneers slotting everything in its right place with no alarms and few surprises. An old friend record. I don’t even think you need to be all that familiar […]
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