They caught the ears of not only the underground but at times a more mainstream crowd. Back after 16 years we spoke to the two Pauls, Mullen and Gamble-Beresford (Bez short for the latter) at ArcTanGent about their delayed, yet eagerly awaited return.
Venues up and down the country struggling for income and staring at death via landlord after lockdowns, forced music communities to come together digging deep into pockets and down the sides of sofas to keep our creative spaces open. Those who had close ties to certain areas focused on where their own histories were forged. YOURCODENAMEIS:MILO reached out a helping hand to Newcastle’s legendary venue The Cluny and scheduled two shows. Originally planned for September 2020, then hampered for a variety of reasons, the events were pushed back multiple times and the reunion was seemingly doomed. Until thankfully they finally returned in April 2023, reminding those in attendance why they first fell in love with their jaunty rhythms, atmospherics and the joy of shifting tempos with that riff on ‘All Roads To Fault’. With The Cluny back on its feet by this point the money kind-heartedly went to The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation funding cancer research.
That huge delay and the fact that the five had not been in the same room with their instruments for almost a decade did not deter them. You can never keep a good man (or in this case men) down even if original drummer Bez “hadn’t picked up a pair of sticks for ages” and spread across not just counties but across the Atlantic Ocean with vocalist/guitarist Paul now based in the U.S.A. “[I] don’t check my emails” he jokes. “We potentially could’ve played ArcTanGent years ago!” When it came to rehearsing logistically “there was a lot of remote independent rehearsal which was something new as we had always played together,” he explains. No obstacle too tricky when the band is more like a brotherhood with bond built up remaining.
Bez says, “I hadn’t played in any bands after Milo and remember thinking oh shit, is my tempo alright, am I hitting the drums alright?”; but it very much is alright as Paul agrees, “it felt like 16 years ago. That chemistry you can’t just turn on. Once that door is open and someone does something you can react to it.” Bez continues, “Even without Justin [out on tour with Editors] our mate David of Sapien Records slotted right in. The only time we rehearsed for this was a couple days before the festival.”
Paul, as with the other members, now have other day jobs to keep the lights on, meaning this way of remote rehearsing and limited time together was a necessity rather than a wanted problem. “I’ve been away from home since the Cluny shows. After those I flew straight to Philadelphia travelling with Caroline Polachek all the way through to Budapest on Monday. Rehearsal [with YCNI:M] Tuesday and that’s it. It was like turning on different parts of my brain.” Bez adds, “We ran through the set twice, dropped a couple of songs and it was fine, no one was worried.”
Sheffield metalcore mob While She Sleeps have steadily been incorporating more and more electronic elements into their music for their past two albums, but even so, nobody could’ve predicted the bold leap they take with the title track of their just-announced sixth album, Self Hell. Throwing in as many genres as they can, there’s shades of Britpop, nu-metal, indie and yes, metalcore, all wrapped up in a four and a bit minute rummage through the band’s myriad influences. At this point in their career, it’s safe to say, expect the unexpected from a band that have not only sold out their biggest ever headline show at London’s Alexandra Palace, but thrown the biggest curveball of their career to date. – Will Marshall
Since their reformation in 2019 and eventual full integration of Red Baron shouter/bass batterer Damien Sayell (also of The St. Pierre Snake Invasion), mclusky have not only dropped the ‘*’ from their name but played up and down the country and beyond to adoring 6 Music listeners. Toying with putting out new material for some time, the trio have finally done so after a considerably long 19 years, and they don’t disappoint loyal fans at all. Double A-side unpopular parts of a pig / the digger you deep set the phasers to ‘jolly good’; the first track sinks its hooks in promptly with Falco’s riff and classic vocal delivery jumping from dry sounding spoken word to brutal shouts. Afterwards, the digger you deep, previously premiered live, has a plodding yet groove laden rhythm. If these lead tracks are anything to go by the eventual album due for next year will be the icing on the cake for the return of mclusky. – Adam Vallely
Two years since they first stepped back on the scene with Jack Bennett leading the charge after the departure of original vocalist David Jakes, Lonely The Brave show they’ve found their footing and are ready to make their mark again with new singles ‘Victim’ and ‘The Bear’. Hypnotic melodies and rhythm pervade ‘Victim’ with Bennett’s gruff and earnest vocals making this a heady follow-up to their first release from the upcoming album What We Do To Feel. ‘The Bear’ brings a more melancholic atmosphere that quickly turns to hope in a stunning close; it’s slow and haunting but exuding confidence in themselves and their artistry throughout this song. Only a fool would miss out on what is shaping up to be their strongest and most world shatteringly beautiful album yet. Get excited, Lonely The Brave are only just beginning to show us all they have to give. – Zee Asher
Sometimes tracks keep you on the edge of your seat guessing what’s going to come next; END‘s latest single ‘The Sin of Human Frailty’ does exactly that. There’s no moment to breathe from the hardcore onslaught, as the dissonant guitars, macabre lead work, and furious vocals hammer you for all of the 131 seconds it lasts. END manage to weave together slow breakdowns with shrill blackened melodies and endlessly pounding beatdown drumming to give us one of the darkest and nastiest tracks to be released this year. Their second album, The Sin of Human Frailty, is due out on the 27th of October and with a single like this, it’s sure to be a rager. Sink into your sofa as END annihilate your eardrums. – Rob Bown
Goodness me this is a bit lovely. Released in celebration of the two year anniversary of the band’s debut LP The Cold In Every Shelter, ‘Hiking Trails’ is quite frankly four minutes and nine seconds of absolute bliss that’s intricate as it is spiritually warming. Driven by earnest strings, embellished by heart-swelling post-rock dynamics and animated by the wistful group vocals that characterised I Feel Fine’s wonderful debut, this track is a gentle, pacifying and pine-scented testament to this band’s wonderful take on nostalgic yet forward thinking emo. In this modern age of perpetual motion, ‘Hiking Trails’ is the perfect soundtrack for one to take a minute to savoir the final rays of Summer and to embrace the autumnal splendor of the coming months. – Dan Hillier
Upbeat Baltimore post-hardcore quartet pulses. have dropped their star studded new single Loafers With The White Socks alongside announcing their third album It Wasn’t Supposed To Be Like This. Featuring guest vocals from Joey Lancaster of Colorado/California based emo band Belle, Hansel Romeo from fellow Baltimore natives Nightlife and actor/singer Gavin Cole, ‘Loafers With The White Socks’ feels like walking into a legendary house party and meeting exciting new people. With a boyband chorus, post-hardcore screams and guitars and plenty of fun, welcoming vibes pulses. set themselves apart from the countless cookie-cutter post-hardcore bands out there by remaining ferociously dedicated to not taking themselves too seriously. – Tom Bruce
Belgian post-metal trio Brutus released their critically-lauded third album, Unison Life, last year and have announced a deluxe edition containing brand new single Love Won’t Hide the Ugliness. A B-side from the Unison Life sessions, it’s still Brutus at their emotionally fraught best; while the verses are more in their melodies, there’s still battering drums and huge guitar riffs. Pulverising is the best way to describe it, the song regaling us with how, according to drummer/vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts, “how love can cloud judgment and make it difficult to remain impartial. It can cause people to blindly follow others and lose their own sense of beauty. In the worst case, it can lead to self-destruction and damage relationships.” – Will Marshall
Dylan Cooper (Vocals), Nick Perovic (Guitar/Vocals), Shawn Tompson (Guitar), Brodie Clark (Drums), and Maverik Simard (Bass) all seem to fit together perfectly like a puzzle. Making up Toronto Ontario, Canada’s newest metalcore act, this five piece outfit has been causing quite the stir as of late. Pneumonia Breath, to put it simply, have been the talk of the town ever since the release of their debut EP, The Things The World Doesn’t Want You To See. Now, fresh off the release of the groups sophomore release NOTHING, FOREVER, Pneumonia Breath took time out of their busy day to sit back and generously answer a few questions for us.
Releasing The Things The World Doesn’t Want You To Seeback in September 2022, seemingly out of nowhere, the group basically vanished. But not for no reason as they’ve been hard at work for the last four years honing in their sound and writing the fans some of the best music of their individual careers. Without a single show played; the metalcore outfit wasted no time when they released their sophomore venture NOTHING, FOREVER on August 23rd, just before selling out their first show ever at Toronto’s Sneeky Dee’s on September 9th with fellow Ontario Hardcore acts Panic Response (Brampton, ON), Seagrave (Toronto, ON), and Falstaff (Toronto, ON). Which is not only an amazing feat for four local metal acts but for Ontario’s amazing metal scene as a whole. Humble in every way, Pneumonia Breath were sweet enough to set aside their busy schedule for us and we are oh so glad they did.
After all, music festivals are typically life affirming events. Regardless of their demographic and genre, the festival environment as a whole is one intentionally designed to a place where everyone can blissfully disconnect from the humdrum mundanities of life and the systematic anxiety that has long become entwined within the social fabric of modern life. They’re places to relax, pursue hedonism and revel with like-minded folk – certainly not environments to reflect on our approaching demises and what lies beyond the veil we all must pierce one fateful day. However, much like the populace of ArcTanGent discovered last month, it’s hard not to reflect upon the subject when greeted by Arizona’s Holy Fawn.
“Surreal. If I had to choose one word it would probably be surreal”, states guitarist and vocalist Ryan Osterman on the band’s full capacity set within the cavernous confines of ArcTanGent’s main stage. “It was a dream”, grins guitarist Evan Phelps on the subject. “As a musician, that’s the fucking dream. It felt like something I had visualised for a long time with these guys. It was so special to be able to look out and see that many people [watching us] play the first song we ever released. When we first went up there, I looked at Ryan and just started laughing. It seemed so ridiculous that there was that many people. It was incredible.”
Related: ArcTanGent Festival 2023: The Review – Friday
A vessel for ruminations on the nature of death and what may wait for us for when we are unshackled from our earthly bonds, Holy Fawn’s genrephobic sound – one they personally dub as being “loud heavy pretty noises” – mirrors the essence of thoughts surrounding mortality. As seen in their debut album Death Spells and last year’s wonderful follow-up Dimensional Bleed, their work is fatalist and suffocating. Yet, its doom-laced shoegaze and post-rock orientations are alluring, tender and haplessly and hypnotically intriguing. Above all else through, it’s intimate. Which is an adjective you wouldn’t ordinarily associate with ArcTanGent’s main stage, a tent designed to host somewhere in the region of 10,000 people.
“Who on Earth are Scaler?” you might ask. Well, they are that most excellent rave-rock band formerly known as Scalping. A decision in name change due to its offensive nature to Indigenous cultures was the right decision, and hats off to the Bristolians doing this regardless of their momentum under their previous moniker. Releasing during a rightfully deserved surge in popularity off the back of playing festivals like Forwards and ArcTanGent, ‘Loam’ see’s the Bristol collective moving more towards their dancier elements rather than the atmospherics their post-rock influences bring. Yet, to call it a departure from their slightly more punishing routes would be a fallacy. In fact, with UK dance producer Daniel Avery assisting in the creation of the track, ‘Loam’ is quite frankly an irresistible and chemically charged electro banger that will see this remarkable and universally appealing band rightfully reach the next level of their career. – Adam Vallely
It’s been one blistering hot minute since we’ve last heard from The Hyena Kill, but the Manchester trio are well and truly back with their incendiary new single ‘Piece Of Hell’. The first track to be taken from their forthcoming third record and the follow up to their criminally underappreciated 2021 full length A Disconnect, ‘Piece Of Hell’ is three and half minutes of acidic bile straight from one of the North’s greatest names, with the single harkening back to the band’s thorned roots. But despite it’s unrelating intensity and scorching guitar solo – a first for The Hyena Kill – there’s still tenderness and melancholia. To be quite frank, it’s a total rager, but a track of nuance that highlight’s the intricate dichotomy between emotion and heft that’s at the crux of this brilliant band. – Dan Hillier
Coming in hot after the release of their last single ‘History Books’, heartland punk legends The Gaslight Anthem are back with another single featuring a fellow punk icon in tow. Featuring PUP’s Stefan Babcock on harmonies, ‘Little Fires’ is the countermeasure to the frustration and lethargy found within the band’s respective previous single, with the track being three minutes of high-octane shout along punk perfect for both dingy clubs and the cavernous venues The Gaslight Anthem are esteemed for commandeering. “’Little Fires’ is like the opposite end of the spectrum from the frustration you feel in ‘History Books’”, states Brain Fallon. “It’s an empowerment song, about refusing to play along with the kind of people who always seem to be throwing a grenade into the room for no particular reason.” – Dan Hillier
San Diego sasscore maestros SeeYouSpaceCowboy tag in one-man emo-rap pioneer nothing, nowhere. on the beautifully melodic Rhythm and Rapture. Taking things in a more polished direction, front woman Connie Sgarbossa comments that the song was created out of a want to mix ’00s dancey indie rock like Foals, Cut Off Your Hands and Bloc Party with a post-hardcore sound and it’s clear the band have taken the time to craft a song that reflects the variety of bands they listened to in their youth. With some insanely danceable sections conjuring memories of their breakout Songs For The Firing Squad mixtape, SYSC still manage to hold onto the raw, unpredictable essence they’ve become so beloved for. With collaborator nothing, nowhere. stating that is it an ‘honour’ to be a part of the track, SeeYouSpaceCowboy remain one the most exciting bands in heavy music today. – Jordan Aldridge
A true cult gem of the underground music scene for the last two decades, Northern Ireland’s Gama Bomb are back with yet more in your face, fun, addictive thrash. ‘Speed Funeral’ sees the band delve into the harsh reality of death and the less harsh pseudo reality of having your corpse blasted into space. While your friends and family watch – obviously. Sonically it’s a blast of classic heavy metal thrashing goodness, backed up by some lovely full production from guitarist Domo Dixon. Philly Byrne is his usual cheeky self, turning the main refrain “rest in speed” into a deeply burrowing earworm. The first release from BATS, which is due out on the 10th of November, it’s part of a selection of tracks that take inspiration from classic horror and Hollywood, and apparently there’s some saxophone in there too. If party thrash with some jazz in there doesn’t float your boat, then there’s no saving you. – Chris Earl
The latest tune from Aussie drum’n’bass legends Pendulum provides for an interesting and somewhat relaxing listen. A mix of old and new, ‘Colourfast’ utilises dreamy synths, classic DnB drum beats and Rob Swire‘s soothing voice to create a slightly different track than normally expected from the band, although they’ve released some experimental stuff before. The vision of 4am in nighttime Miami is painted perfectly against the gentle bass and rocking beat as the background synths work their magic to create a future nostalgia. Of course, no Pendulum song would be right without a proper kick snare DnB beat, which comes in for the chorus to kick things up a notch. Overall, this is a great song by a band that proves their own theory that having ‘colour’ in the title of your song guarantees greatness. – Jude Bennett
Most bands wouldn’t dream of releasing six singles from an album; most bands aren’t Blood Command. Their upcoming album World Domination features a mind-bending 20 songs in under 40 minutes, so even with the breadth they’ve showed across them, it’s still barely a third of the album. That sixth single is the 72-second blast of white-hot fury of ‘Heaven’s Hate’, a rampaging, party anthem like only Blood Command could do. Stomping drums, thunderous bass, groove-laden guitar and Nikki Brumen’s unmistakeable bark are all here and don’t let up from start to finish. The band said of the song, “Heaven’s Hate is a song about leeches of humanity, who will try and suck you dry of your talent. When they finally reveal their true colours and you see through them, you burn them and watch them bow down as you rise above.” – Will Marshall
Dreamwell are back once more, dropping the second single from their upcoming third album, In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You. The queer screamo ensemble sound utterly furious on their new track, ‘Blighttown Type Beat’, a raucous track that blisters by in under three minutes, but packs so many creative ideas begging to be enjoyed. Vocalist Keziah Staska is a monolithic presence throughout, ripping through rollicking hardcore styled spoken word before launching into searing screamed passages in the thunderous climax that rattles you to your bones. Apocalyptic and often discordant guitars provide tidal waves of sonic terror against a backdrop of complex, weaving guitars, and a driving bass line that embellishes the whole affair with powerful groove. This album is shaping up to be something truly special. – Ryan Ward
A year on from their landmark third album, Diaspora Problems, Soul Glo are back once more with their brand new punk rager, ‘If I Speak (Shut The Fuck Up)’. A vicious statement on channeling one’s voice through art, and the reduction of this medium to little more than online content, Soul Glo are raucous and unapologetic in their sound. GG Guerra kicks the track off with gritty, menacing guitar riff, before Pierce Jordan and TJ Stevenson join in with furiously raw vocals and monstrous percussion. The track explodes into a hurricane of righteous punk fury as the band deliver a sonic bludgeon of a performance, punctuated by that cathartic ‘shut the fuck up’ hook. A track that is sure to be a delight on their upcoming co-headline tour with Zulu. – Ryan Ward
In an age where taking time to pursue leisure has become something of a radical act, the latest single from queer punk gang Dream Nails couldn’t be any more apt. Taken from the band’s upcoming record Doom Loop, released October 13th via Marshall Records, ‘Ballpit’ may be inspired by an hour the band simply spent playing in an adult ballpit, but this punk rager is much more than just being about lounging in plastic. Rather, ‘Ballpit’ is a track that urges one to take the crucial time needed to have fun, mentally recharge and have fun for the sake of it in a culture that’s characterised by anxiety, fear and hatred. “This song is about having fun for the sake of it”, states drummer Lucy Katz. “It’s about the pursuit of hedonism as a radical act. Sometimes the dread and hopelessness caused by the succubus of late-capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, and environmental devastation feels overwhelming. These problems aren’t going to be solved by acting silly in a ball pit or writing a song about it, but part of breaking through the doom loop is learning how to have self-compassion, to carve out moments and spaces where we can play and simply exist.” – Dan Hillier
MySpace kids rejoice, they’re back. After almost 10 years one of the most overlooked death metal bands of the modern era return with their new single ‘The Agony Seeping Storm’. It’s nothing new here (not that ‘new’ is required); Job For A Cowboy still have that tendency to border on the insanely technical whilst retaining all the writing chops they have developed over their long career. There’s vocals that a demonic entity would be pretty chuffed with and if the Mudvayne-esque bass lines are anything to go by, they haven’t even broken stride since their last release. This is bludgeoning, technically adept, yet melodic death metal, with a healthy heaping of sadness and fear to really drive home the sulphuric miasma. – Rob Bown
Pop-punk’s best-boys Knuckle Puck are back with roaring new single ‘The Tower’ from their newly announced upcoming fourth album, Losing What We Love. Opening with drums and riffs that feel ready to kick your door in, there’s more of the commanding sound heard in last year’s release, ‘Groundhog Day’. Joe Taylor brings strident vocals that exude an urgency matched by the tempo and energy of the instrumentals, a sound that fits perfectly for our anxiety ridden existence in the year 2023. Missing the vivacious tones of previous albums, expect to be met with something grittier and altogether more profound this time around, a thrilling reminder that pop-punk and emo aren’t dead, but more alive than ever. – Zee Asher
Portand metalcore quintet Dying Wish have unveiled the latest single taken from upcoming sophomore album Symptoms of Survival, Lost In the Fall. It marks a huge sonic step up for the band; as vicious as its opening minutes are, it’s when vocalist Emma Boster shows off her confident melodic vocals in a stunning chorus that the song embeds itself firmly in the ears. Even with the video showing the band performing in a lightning storm, there’s nothing quite as electrifying as the savagery the band dish out; of the song, Boster said, “‘Lost in the Fall’ is written about the natural untangling of a friendship or a relationship with someone over time. It’s about letting go of control and accepting your fate and failure in love. Imagine the feeling in your throat and gut when you know things are coming to an end. Surrender to that feeling and face the direction of moving on.” – Will Marshall
Frothing with ferocious, spiteful anger as a form of love, Philadelphia indie punks Mannequin Pussy return with their first new single in two years, ‘I Got Heaven’. A powerful, personal statement on using religion as a weapon of oppression, ‘I Got Heaven’ wavers between high energy, aggressive punk and swirling, ethereal indie with tight, clear production from Grammy winning producer John Congleton. Lyrically this track features some real gems as singer Marisa Dabice tears down the people who use Christianity as a way to persecute others, being possibly the first song to use the phrase “what if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch?”. – Tom Bruce
Following on from smashing in stages at the likes of 2000 Trees, Download, Glastonbury and pretty much every other festival under the summer sun, Kid Kapichi are now getting down to business with their latest single ‘Let’s Get To Work’. A swaggering blast of post-punk empowerment and energy, the track sees the Hasting group imploring listeners to believe in themselves and strive towards their goals. The video, shot on the grounds of the band’s beloved Hastings United FC, makes this motivational energy palatable. “My two biggest loves (and often biggest sources of stress) in life will always be music and football,” states frontman Jack Wilson. “So to be able to combine them in this latest shoot was a lot of fun. That was reinforced by the fact we were able to work so closely with Hastings United to make it a reality. We absolutely love the club and they hold many of the same values we think are important surrounding the community, which we cherish so much. Apologies to the groundsman who was re-seeding the pitch that day. I’m sure you absolutely loved having us there ruining all your hard work.” – Dan Hillier
