It’s finally happened. Dinosaur Pile Up have returned to grace us with their brand of riff-heavy hard rock, and as usual, it’s a banger. There doesn’t seem to be any new formulas at play here, but there doesn’t need to be when the current one is so reliable. It starts (and ends) with a big meaty arena filling riff, it’s got the melodic catchy as fuck chorus, and even the quiet acoustic reprieve before the big finale – what more could you want? Aside from a new album sooner rather than later, pretty please thank you. – Rob Bown
Their first track since 2022 album Congregation, Manchester doom punks Witch Fever are back with a darker sound with ‘Dead To Me!’. A rhythm which feels like meandering through the hallways of an abandoned building, rising to an anger ridden chorus and roar from vocalist Amy Walpole. An anger well-placed and directed towards ‘the elders in the church’ that let her down. This is everything the foursome excel in, direct music and lyricism cut with a visceral mood. “We really wanted to sound bigger,” explains bassist Alex Thompson and this is bang on the money, this preview is bigger and bolder and hopefully a further step further into more people’s minds and music collections. – Adam Vallely
Kicking off a season jam packed full of massive upcoming album announcements is the the long awaited follow up to the mystifyingly divine triptych journey of Vessel’s tussle with power, redemption and eventual liberation. Sleep Token have unveiled the closing rumbles of their first era, with their latest multi-genre jazzed up twisted taste of their most beloved elements on ‘Emergence’. Surfacing from the bitter sweet monolithic conclusion to Take Me Back To Eden, this introductory ode to Even In Arcadia, ‘Emergence’ is a whirlwind chrysalis through traumatic acceptance, radical embracement of true interpersonal salvation and multi-reality hyper charged mindfulness. This latest addition to Sleep Token’s discography is a truly inspired heavy yet soothing dance with the sonic personification of Kintsugi, whose finally able to connect with another troubled yet fearless essence. – Bennie Osborne
France’s premiere post-rock prospects BRUIT ≤ turn their righteous anger over at the influx of AI generated art on Data, the second single from the forthcoming album The Age of Ephemerality. Pulsing with electronics and crackling with syncopated rhythms, the opening of the track is borderline claustrophobic and creates an overwhelming sense of overstimulation. Walls of noise, discordant patterns and tape loops from lead Teophile Antolinos snake among dystopian samples of large tech CEOs before breaking into lush guitar and key melodies that immediately pull you right back into the room. With their urgency and drive, BRUIT ≤ demand you to be present and alert, and are truly masters of holding that attention. – Kevin Ashburn
The masters of pushing boundaries and doing the unexpected have done something that, somehow, nobody expected: The Callous Daoboys wrote a pop song. ‘Lemon’ is powered by little more than a drum beat and some clean guitars, whilst Carson Pace sings (yes, sings!) over the top, with a distinct lack of his furious screams and shrieks that we’ve become almost accustomed to. The lyrics are a set of sardonic verses that approach love and religion in tandem, with imagery of both woven together and pulled apart into a dissection of a lack of love, and scepticism over religion, in the incredibly intelligent fashion that Carson has shown off many times before. We’ve grown to expect the unexpected from this band, and yet still they continue to surprise us – the best single so far off their upcoming album is the furthest song from their ‘sound’ we’ve heard to date. – Jake Longhurst
Taken from the band’s upcoming record the world is still here and so are we – released May 9th via Ipecac Recordings – ‘people person’ probably won’t win friends and influence people in your workplace. But it is great though. Coated in that fine lacquer of musical sardonicism that has long adorned their work, ‘People Person’ shows that Mclusky has not lost what them such a brilliant name in the first place; it’s thick, rugged and entirely at odds with what is expected from an ever-increasingly commoditised scene. As the meaning, you can probably work it out yourself. “people person is the song that gave me tinnitus, so asking me about it is really cruel”, states Falco on the track. “It’s probably about being overwhelmed by the world because that’s what all of our songs are about.” – Dan Hillier
Taken from their upcoming split EP with alt-rock trio and fellow countrymen Treewax, ‘Chronophobia’ is a blissfully euphoric and irresistibly warm breath of fresh shoegaze that shows that Icosandria are far from just another name in an increasingly saturated global scene. Rich with a sense of tangible purpose, this single brilliantly showcases a band with seemingly an inherent ability to present a sound that’s as progressively novel as it nostalgic and contemplative as it is healing.
As summery shoegaze radiates and illuminates post-rock sensibilities and subtle prog thinking, ‘Chronophobia’ comes to take form as something that mirrors the sensation of gazing up at a gorgeous early Spring sunset. From the track’s comforting reddish hues and comforting warmth, it’s nigh on impossible not to excitingly anticipate the opportunities that lie ahead. However, it’s also impossible not to reflect upon the years that have now gracefully and silently slipped under the horizon, the regrets that chaptered them lost to time. The track is as gorgeous as it’s nuanced, and fans of Alcest, Slowdive, Lantlôs and Infinite Granite-era Deafheaven will find plenty to love here.
Void Intention, the Split EP between Icosandria and Treewax, is released April 18th. Watch the lyric video for ‘Chronophobia’ a day before it’s official release exclusively below.
“Last year I fell in love under circumstances that felt massively shameful. I couldn’t help but despise myself for all of the damage I had caused. This song is a reminder that you are always worthy of love. Even when you feel yourself morphing into something you don’t recognise. You are inherently worthy.” That’s how Knife Bride vocalist Mollie Clack describes their new single ‘Worthy’, and that call for self love is born out through the track’s raucous, bouncing energy. There’s shades of Periphery in its opening riff but Clack’s voice swiftly pulls it to emotionally fraught territory before soaring atop searing lead guitar. If you remember 2010s Basick Records and loved that era, ‘Worthy’ updates it for 2025 with a powerful message. – Will Marshall
‘Satanized’ is the lead single from Swedish spooky metallers Ghost’s highly anticipated new album Skeleta, which will be released in April this year. If you’re a Ghost fan, ‘Satanized’ is everything that you would expect, taking elements from their 2018 release Prequelle and blending in their now-trademark style of spooky synths, epic twin guitar solos and ominous riffs with anthemic choruses, satanic chanting, and mysterious lyrics. The religious imagery in both ‘Satanized’ and its accompanying music video are very much to be expected, however they have found a formula that resonates with many listeners and are masters at their craft of creepy, yet a musically accessible brand of metal. – Ez Luscombe
On the heels of 2024’s art history, Perennial is taking us back to ’65 with latest single ‘Perennial ’65’. This is quintessential Perennial; aggressively earwormy riffs, hooks that won’t let you go, and a little bit of studio-as-instrument guitar manipulation. This is one of their more mod-leaning teacks, and is the first to feature new drummer Cee Dioguardi. Still, nothing will match their live energy but there is (hopefully) a second UK tour on the horizon. this single is a preview for the EP of the same name coming April 4, which features remixes from Death Cab For Cutie‘s Chris Walla, The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die‘s Chris Teti, and Cody Votolato of Blood Brothers. – Mia Thunderska
The fourth single from their hotly anticipated second album Are We All Angels, ‘Tonight (I’m Afraid)’ is Scowl at their most vulnerable yet. Aching melodies run through Kat Moss’ voice until its closing moments where the band let the punk riffs and screams shine in a thrilling conclusion. Suffice to say, this is shaping up to be a fascinating album with so many new facets to the band. – Will Marshall
There’s a chance you might have heard Cwfen faintly calling from the crypt with their first few musical offerings; but there’s no chance you can ignore the wailing of ‘Wolfsbane’ though. The first cut to be sacrificially taken from their upcoming record Sorrows – released May 30th via New Heavy Sounds – ‘Wolfsbane’ is a haunting air of sound that just shows the fantastic promise of this emerging Glaswegian band. Moving with the glacial punishment of Amenra, the composed gothic allure of Chelsea Wolfe and the seduction of Type O Negative, ‘Wolfsbane’ mirrors the spires that characterise Glasgow gothic and stands as a track that both crushes and haunts. For those fans of the bands aforementioned, this is crucial listening. – Dan Hillier
Rarely do bands develop a cult following like emo legends Michael Cera Palin have. Starting their career close to a decade ago in Atlanta, Georgia, the trio have cultivated a dedicated fanbase across the world despite only having released a pair of short EPs, 2016’s Growing Pains and 2018’s I Don’t Know How To Explain It. With their long-awaited debut album on the horizon, bassist Jon Williams and frontman Elliott Brabant took some time out of their busy touring schedule to lay their process bare.
Michael Cera Palin’s upcoming debut album We Could Be Brave is the band’s first release in seven years, those years have changed the trio for the better. Elliott explains, “After that last release, we broke up and so each of us had to fully reconsider what our relationship to writing songs was and how we were going to go forward with music before realizing we were going to be back together and further exploring this. And I think that led to a lot of self discovery”, continuing “I’ll definitely say that this was I think the most like fully collaborative, like the most intensely collaborative songwriting process so far”. Jon compares this to their previous works, adding, “I remember we kind of felt like it was just fun being in a local band. And then there wasn’t really a lot of thought behind making that last EP. It was just very kind of spur in the moment and like hanging out.”
The fourth record from the sibling duo, Tracked In Mud is something of a different beast from brothers Beck. Whereas their previous records were darkly humorous reflections upon pop culture sensibilities and the various follies of man delivered via noisy post punk, Tracked In Mud see’s the duo sinking deeper into the mire of misanthropy. That cynical disdain of mankind that once was a part of their sound has now become the focal point. As a result, the cynicism has morphed into utter revulsion.
The wit and humour that once permeated their work has now been replaced by ashen disgust. The humble post punk stylings have now naturally evolved into discordantly bitter noise rock. Tracked In Mud, like it’s title suggests, is a record on the inherent filth of mankind and how our endeavours and our disconnect from nature will only drive us back into the quagmire from which we originally emerged from.
‘All My Friends Are Depressed’ is the first single from Exeter shoegaze/emo band Soot Sprite’s debut album Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon and is a misanthropic slice of fuzzy guitar-pop that touches upon the increasingly hostile political climate of today and its disastrous consequences on friends and family. Signed to Bristol label Specialist Subject Records back in 2019 and having been putting out reliably great music since, ‘All My Friends are Depressed’ is a catchy, slice-of-life effort with trademark piercing shoegaze guitars, distorted bass, and frontwoman Elise Cook’s relentless vocals. It all makes for a welcome addition to Soot Sprite’s discography of four EPs, and multiple singles, and is a promising sign for the album. – Ez Luscombe
Dropping just prior to their upcoming tours with Bear Vs Shark and Single Mothers, ‘Transgression Is Outdated’ see’s Other Half darkly lamenting just how grim it is seeing your favourite band return from the grave a feckless dead-eyed corpse shambling arms outstretched for a cheap reunion payday. Also, in true Other Half fashion, it also see’s Other Half dissing Other Half. Thick with a sense of sardonic misanthropy that made their last record Dark Agesim so brilliant, ‘Transgression Is Outdated’ is a surly, snarling and just plain nasty barrage of noise that borders upon Breeders worship. Not that there’s the subject of this song however “I think it might just be my favourite bit of music we’ve ever committed to bandwidth”, states voalist Cal Hudson on the track. “I’d like to point out here, the Breeders are not one of those bands I alluded to earlier, but they might share some past DNA with a band I did mean”. – Dan Hillier
Following their blisteringly heavy lead single ‘Atonement’ featuring modern deathcore legend and Lorna Shore frontman Will Ramos, Employed To Serve’s second single, and the title track from upcoming album Fallen Star is an equally heavy counterpart. This one, however, provides more diversity due to the dreamy guitar lines during the intro, the dual vocals of Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin, and the sheer uncompromising blend of heavy, chugging riffs. Lyrically, ‘Fallen Star’ deals with the watching someone give up on life and self-sabotaging themselves, whilst the narrator has to watch them as they destroy themselves. This is a topic which unfortunately hits home for so many people, making ‘Fallen Star’ arguably one of the more relatable heavy songs of the year. – Ez Luscombe
‘Desolation Hexx’ is the first single taken from a record called Violence Dimension, and goodness me does it sound like a track taken from an album with such a title. The latest track from the caveman battle doom trio Conan, ‘Desolation Hexx’ is so damn primordial and primitive it more or less sounds like a field recording of ancient man going toe-to-toe with a great beast from the pleistocene period. Crucial listening for all those who like their doom predatory, and going from this alone, Violence Dimension is set to be another fantastic slab of gnarled and primeval doom metal upon it’s release on April 25th. – Dan Hillier
