Going Off – More Love
The roots of hardcore have always been embedded in a dichotomy between positive empowerment and urbanite aggression. Granted, many an emerging band within the scene have forgone the positivity that bounded the sound in pursuits of musical violence in it’s most extreme form, but Going Off are going back to those roots with their latest single ‘More Love’. The second single to be taken from their upcoming debut long play What Makes You Tick? – due for release March 23rd via Church Road Records – the single combines the snarling and bludgeoning stylings of uncompromising modern hardcore with a message imploring self-love. Quite frankly, it’s a quick teeth cracking curb-stomp delivered with love and tenderness. Anyone with a penchant for acts such as Zulu and Speed will find plenty to adore here. – Dan Hillier
Zulu – Fakin’ Tha Funk (You Get Did)
LA noisemongers Zulu have been making waves in hardcore for their bold fusion of the genre with powerviolence, pushing both into new and unfamiliar forms. The lead single from their hotly-anticipated debut album A New Tomorrow, ‘Fakin’ Tha Funk (You Get Did)’ exemplifies everything fans have come to love of the band. Offering scathing indictments of racism and structural inequality, it’s not just tonally heavy as it unloads its full-bore assault on eardrums for a short but intense battering. Vocalist Anaiah Lei explains of the lyrics, “Everyone wants to be black, but nobody really wants to be black. People take from our culture, use our language and surround themselves with people from the culture which in turn makes them believe they are a part of it. Those that will benefit from it when people in our community are looked down upon for being how they were born.” – Will Marshall
Guilt Trip – Tearing Your Life Away
Fresh from signing to MLVLTD, Guilt Trip have marked their arrival with an absolute stormer of a new single, ‘Tearing Your Life Away’. The Malevolence comparisons are always going to hang around, but the Manchester lads are a punkier, more in your face prospect than their labelmates. This is a track made for two stepping and crowd surfing, and the breakdown is nothing short of destructive. – Chris Earl
Bury Tomorrow – Boltcutter
BOLTCUTTER! The lovely Bury Tomorrow lads have released the second single from their seventh album The Seventh Sun and much like ‘Abandon Us’, it shows that seven could be a particularly lucky number for the band. New keyboardist Tom Prendergast has brought a fresh, melodic element to the band and it shows here. There’s an electronic passage early on alongside some great guitar work. Dani sounds his usual possessed self and Tom’s clean vocals sound great. All signs point to 2023 being the year Bury Tomorrow take back their crown as one of the biggest bands in their scene. – Chris Earl
Katatonia – Austerity
Masters of melancholy Katatonia continue the rollout for their upcoming new album Sky Void of Stars with second single ‘Austerity’. As with ‘Atrium’ before it, there’s less of the progressive tinge they’re known for – though it’s still very much present – and much more of a focus on delivering gloomy, anthemic metal. Its chorus in particular will worm its way into ears before long and the searing guitar solo halfway through adds to the melodrama masterfully. Again as ever, Katatonia prove themselves masters of tugging at the heartstrings with evocative, heartfelt melodies that drive the energetic ‘Austerity’ forwards. – Will Marshal
Nightlives – The Sleepless Club
Okay, hands up, who misses the days of nu-metal bands cranking out tracks made for rock club dancefloors? Well, Nightlives are here and they’ve got exactly what you need. The Welsh bands new single, ‘The Sleepless Club’ has the attitude, the chorus and the bounce to make you want to throw on some baggy jeans and bang your head. The EDM influences and bring a modern edge to things while the guitars feel like they came straight out of 1999…in a good way. An absolute party of a track and it shows that Nightlives know how to have a hell of a good time. – Chris Earl
Polar – Rush
The veteran UK hardcore crew Polar have released a fifth song from their upcoming January album, Everywhere, Everything and it’s making the record seem like a great way to kick 2023 off. ‘Rush’ is a shoegaze-esque, almost trippy piece of music which features sprinkles of female vocals and synths before it kicks in and you get the soaring chorus and full instrumentation. It’s a frankly beautiful song, highlighting that though the pandemic caused disconnect and divide èn masse, that the ones you love will always be there for you. – Chris Earl
The Dirty Nil – Bye Bye Big Bear
Love songs can come in a variety of forms. They can exclusively for a romantic partner, purely for a place once cherished – or in the case of The Dirty Nil’s new single – just for a corner shop. The follow up to the band’s brilliant 2021 long play Fuck Art, ‘Bye Bye Big Bear’ see’s the Hamilton punk rockers saying farewell to a cherished convenience store that once stood at the foot of their shared flat. Sure, it’s comical, but as the song details with it’s slide guitar and it’s minor key musings, Big Bear was more than just a place to lift cigs and cheap tinnies; it was a hub of activity visited all people from all walks of life and a stage that played host to the best and worst of mankind. “For five years we lived together at a house in downtown Hamilton”, states the band. “For five years we were sustained by the Big Bear convenience store, located directly across the street. There we were nurtured with sparkling water, protein bars and cigarettes. There we witnessed an untold number of human dramas play out in the parking lot, ranging from the hilarious to the hopelessly sad. For five years it was our clubhouse, our pirate ship, our prison. So we say farewell, thank you for everything: “Bye Bye Big Bear.” – Dan Hillier
Hundred Reasons – New Glasses
Coming in hot after the band’s first single in well over a decade, ‘New Glasses’ see’s the post-hardcore legends Hundred Reasons only pressing more pressure onto an accelerator that once led dusty for 15 odd years. The second record to be taken from the band’s upcoming record Glorious Sunset – released February 24th via SO Recordings – ‘New Glasses’ is a fist-bumping and chest-thumping alt-rock anthem radiant with positivity in contrast to it’s darker lyrics. Despite the track addressing the egomaniacs among us who shield their own insecurities by gaslighting others, the track itself is a welcome ray of warming light perfect for these dark and dreary months. Many may have questioned Hundred Reasons standing within the modern alt-rock hierarchy following such a lengthy hiatus, but going from this and the recently released title track of their first record in 15 years, it’s clear Hundred Reasons are back at the very top of the pile. – Dan Hillier