Glean 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 moreIf Blanket’s last album was inspired by rays of light and feelings of hope, ‘Modern Escapism’ is, well, it seems like it’s the opposite. This is a dark, intense, and, at times, unforgiving record full of songs inspired by parasitical people, toxic social media, and a city falling into the sea. There is one bright spark though- all the bad […]
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 moreFrom returning greats to brand new bands, from an unexpected cover of a classic track, to an album of the year contender from a completely unexpected source, from punk rock, to post-hardcore, to indie, to some kind of pop, I hope you find something to love. KALI MASI– ‘Still Life’ WAYSIDE- ‘Suffer’ SUNSTROKE- ‘I Wanna Be Ignored’ UPPER WILDS- ‘Love […]
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 moreNo one is ready for this. Not us sinners, not anyone else. Those who fell under the spell of Lingua Ignota’s previous album might recognise small parts of ‘SINNER GET READY’, but even they’re not really ready. Because while there’s some sonic connective tissue to what came before- Kristin Hayter’s powerful voice remains up close and in sharp focus. And there’s […]
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 moreIf the last Turnstile album was a small but highly concentrated ball of energy, a hadouken of hardcore, this is the mushroom cloud left over when that energy finally reaches critical mass. This is the audio equivalent of one of those videos showing someone slice open a cone of yarn– what was tightly packed, pops open, what was inside, is […]
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