It’s been a tumultuous ride for The Menzingers over the past few months, with interpersonal changes happening in the band itself as the Pennsylvania quartet navigates life as new fathers and husbands in a major touring band, as well as a devastating political landscape that might make for great punk lyricism but is harrowing to be caught in the crossfire of. The ninth studio album, Everything I Ever Saw, may be less abrasive musically, but it’s anything but boring.
The wistful nostalgia on lead single ‘Chance Encounters’ blends the classic sounds of triumphant heartland rock akin to Bruce Springsteen or maybe even The Killers, but the determination in frontman Greg Barnett’s delivery is nothing short of captivating and despite their vast catalog of influences, The Menzingers remain original due to their deeply personal lyricism, whereas single ‘Better Angels’ has their trademark sound of memorable, shout-along choruses with specifically reflective lyrics. This new and more obviously mellow side to their sound may alienate some fans due to Yip’s clean production very much falling in line with artists he has previously worked with, such as The Fray and Keane, but what The Menzingers lack in angst, they more than make up for with vivid imagery on the country-tinged hopelessness of ‘Gasoline & Matches’ and the clear parody of Steve Miller Band’s ‘The Joker’ on ‘The Fool’, which, despite the sarcastic lyrics and sardonic self-criticism which is what you’d come to expect from your average Menzingers track, the hooky chorus and use of horns in the middle eight section makes ‘The Fool’ a definite standout.
It’s been a big few years for the Leeds-based post-rock quintet, Din of Celestial Birds. Their debut EP1 released in 2019 established them as ones to watch in the UK post-everything underground. It was their 2023 album The Night Is For Dreamers, however, that cemented them as the new wunderkinds of the scene, and in the years following its release they would go on to bag slots at the likes of Damnation Festival, ArcTanGent and China’s Can Festival. Now, they return with their much anticipated follow up, Takeoffs & Landings.
A concept album based around the themes of travel and adventure, along with all the trials, tribulations and triumphs that go with it, Takeoffs and Landings is Din Of Celestial Birds at their most vital and energetic, while also being at their most thoughtful and delicate. It’s a 40-minute journey across eight songs that takes the listener to soaring heights, with moments of serene introspection as well as thrillingly heavy sections thrown in for good measure.
Strap in before pressing play, as the opening title track pins you to your seat from the off, the triple-guitar riffage launching the song with all the energy of a jet engine. It’s a thrilling ride and the soaring melody gives a sense of reassurance as if to say, “You’re in safe hands, so sit back and enjoy the ride.” It sticks the landing with a satisfyingly chunky riff, and by the time it’s over, you’re left shaken but ready for another spin.
Throughout Cycles, REZN flit between yawning cavernous riffs the size of mountains and ethereal sound effects that flow like valleys and icy rivers across some far-flung planet. They paint landscapes with a refreshingly diverse palette of sounds, from a sultry saxophone solo on ‘Transient’ to the inspired use of the lap-steel on ‘Escher’. Across nine sprawling tracks they strike an intriguing contrast of textures and the end result is something that feels intimate yet grandiose in scope, heavy yet otherworldly. Layered in organic textures with a delightfully earthy feel, songs such as ‘Aerial Birth’ reach for the ephemeral and transcendent while still feeling grounded. It’s all wonderfully aided by a raw and organic production, which strikes a perfect balance between authenticity and polish.
There’s a clear through-line from the psychedelia and kraütrock of the 60s and 70s that pervades Cycles. Hypnotic grooves and soaring spaced out vocals permeate the album. Their appreciation for the roots of experimental music makes it difficult to lump them in with the standard prog rock fare, even if they do occasionally draw from the same influences as the likes of Karnivool and Psychonaut.
A decade and two full-length albums in, Snag have hit their stride on their crushing yet moving third album All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust. With acts like Touché Amoré, Pageninetynine and Envy underpinning their sound alongside tinges of classic Americana and math rock, Snag manage to eloquently balance their sonic onslaught with some incredibly tender moments of clarity.
Through their ‘Foam Cup’ series of tracks started almost a decade ago in 2017 and continued on their self-titled debut album in 2019 Snag have created an elegant throughline to track the evolution of their sound. On their third album’s ‘Foam Cup, Pt 3’, Snag take things in a heavy and tense direction with haphazard guitar stabs and constant shifts in tone, departing from the first part’s noise-rock roots and the second’s back-and-forth between delicate guitars and frenzied vocals and drums. Few bands make following their progress as efficient as Snag, allowing a new listener to get a sense of their sonic growth over a decade with three tracks.
Hitting their most punk and energetic on the track ‘Whisper’ Snag manage to leap between hardcore ferocity and emo tenderness without dropping their momentum. Guitarist and vocalist Samm Szymborski chases this minute and a half long track between aggressive hardcore energy and delicate American Football style cleans, covering more sonic ground in less than two minutes than most bands do in an entire album. While much of Snag’s output so far has leant into scrappy DIY sounds, ‘Whisper’ sets the trio up for an emotive and heartwrenching eleven track album.
Five years on from their debut album Hasta la muetre si es preciso and their 2024 collaborative split album with Massa Nera, Californian Chicano screamo band Quiet Fear are finally back with their first solo full length album in half a decade. Their debut was a solid introduction to the band’s take on screamo in a way that blends the intensity and chaos of the genre’s forebearers with the melodic touches of bands such as Touche Amore whilst being equally as passionate in their performances as anyone else within the genre. With their long awaited follow up La Tierra Arriba / El Abismo Abajo, the band prove that they’re one to watch amongst the steady crop of bands screamo has been unleashing upon the globe in it’s current renaissance.
As with all of the most beloved screamo bands that have come and gone since the 90s and today, Quiet Fear primarily convey the emotion of their tracks through passionate screamed vocals. These are delivered by vocalist Jonatan Patino who mainly relies on the tried and tested high pitched screams which certainly do their job well. You can hear the pain in his voice throughout the entirety of La Tierra Arriba / El Abismo Abajo which compliments the other instruments and allows the listener to connect with the emotional intent. Patino also keeps things interesting by occasionally making use of clean singing such as on third track ‘Sophistry’ or low growls that certainly wouldn’t sound out of place on a black metal album on tracks like ‘Insurgentes’. None of these variations feel out of place or forced, and fit nicely with the atmosophere the tracks are trying to convey.
This is a factor that carries over to the lyrics. A fair few songs on this album are in Spanish, but this does not detract from the enjoyment as it does not lessen the impact or intent of the songs as the pain drenched vocal performance shows that emotion is a universal concept that can be felt regardless of understanding the context behind the pain. However, the band also switches things up between songs and have a handful of tracks with lyrics written in English. The band state the intent of this is not stylistic, but merely a reflection of the reality of the world we live in. With the screams performed with a clarity that leaves no word to be misunderstood, this allows for lines such as “Clipping my own wings with an intent to soar” from ‘Metathesiopia’ to hit us in our emotional core like all great screamo bands should.
Hailing from Ontario, As Oceans Divide is comprised of members from other established bands from the city yearning to bring back the early 2000s core sounds that bands like Killswitch Engage and Hatebreed pioneered to global stardom.
Their self-titled debut EP is nothing short of ruthless and to the point. Five songs that span almost 20 minutes intertwining between heavy riffs, melodic choruses and controlled chaos seems par for the course these days, and while As Oceans Divide to take you back to a time when summers were longer and the skies were clearer, they’ve also made the sound their own with tweaks here and there.
