Emerging from the depths of Bristol in the summer of 2017, you can’t help but feel that Heavy Lungs are a product of their environment. A city that can be viewed through many different lenses, All Gas No Brakes mirrors the city’s Jekyll and Hyde-like qualities. At first glance, Bristol could be seen as a city that tends to linger in darkness but, taking a second look, those same eyes can’t help but notice a place packed with joy, the occasional spell of sunshine and a thriving, young population that is an amalgam of different cultures and identities. Those sentiments are reflected by drummer George Garratt who posits that “Living here, it’s hard not to see the scars the city can leave. Like burning your bare leg skin on the exhaust of a motorbike—inconvenient and painful, but not without its equal share of humour and self reflection.”
From their early days of writing and recording their first EP within months of forming, Heavy Lungs have demonstrated a hunger from the get-go and after touring extensively across the UK and Europe (and dropping a further two EPs in the process), the band have honed their craft diligently and developed an unique, unbreakable bond that has seen them go from strength to strength, even through the torrid time of a global pandemic. Freshly signed to Alcopop! Records for 2023 and now sitting on the precipice of finally releasing an album they finished recording in the initial pandemic aftermath of 2021, it is an album that delivers exactly what its title suggests – a frantic, ferocious and seriously fun ride.
Setting out their stall early with opening track ‘Matryoshka’, the band’s penchant for hooks and biting sense of humour are on full display, taking little more than a couple of minutes to offer up the album’s first instantly memorable vocal refrain in the form of ‘shoot from the hip’. Following this is the infectiously groovy title track; a song so toe-tappingly, hip-shakingly brilliant, not a single soul will remain static on their upcoming October UK tour. A track filled to the brim with ridiculously silly lines so expertly delivered by frontman Danny Nedelko, it is impossible not to crack a smile, with the standout example of ‘Vampires at night, I’m Wesley Snipes’ having a shout of being the coolest line of 2023. Pulsing along over the course of just over 4 minutes and showing off a hugely hummable riff from guitarist Oliver Southgate, ‘All Gas No Brakes’ is a perfect title for a perfect song.
One of the main things that made The Dillinger Escape Plan such an appealing band was their frontman. Greg Puciato was not only a man with a unique voice and a knack for grinding finding melody in even the most unhinged musical backdrops, but he had the look and presence of a man who’d break both of your arms for looking at him the wrong way. That aura he possessed gave the furious onslaught of mathcore an edge, a power that few others could even hope of possessing. One of those few are BEAR. The Belgian mathy hardcore lads have been plugging away to forge a fearsome reputation for themselves for over a decade now. With their blend of spite filled, grinding technical post-hardcore combined with a powerhouse, the scene is set for the band to make that step up. Now, there’s certainly no shortage of bands with this sonic profile about today, but it’s Maarten Albrechts who helps the band dig their own groove.
Vanta is the name of their new record. To give you an idea of what it may sound like, their guitarist James Falck described it as an album that examined the horror of mundanity, seeing friends hanging up instruments and even what might make a man consider murder. A light-hearted record this ain’t. Falck himself, not long after joining the band and being part of their last album, Propaganda, found himself battling cancer. Thankfully, he managed to pull through, and plays like a man possessed on this record, but just as his recovery was gaining a foothold, the pandemic struck, and the band found themselves stuck. All of that pain, that anguish, that isolation has been channelled into Vanta and it’s palpable.
Until recently, Blodet were a six piece band, unfortunately losing their brother and guitarist Rickie Östlund to a hard battle with cancer during the writing process of new album Death Mother. This left the rest of the band with the incredibly difficult task of finishing the album without him to help with their grieving process and honour their fallen member. Continuing to follow the path initially laid out by their 2018 and 2021 EP’s, Kristallpalatset and Vision respectively, Blodet have been likened to eerie discomfort of SWANS paired with the noisy, experimental nature of Sonic Youth, with nods towards Cult of Luna and Chelsea Wolfe for good measure.
Opening with the title track and lead single, a drumstick count-in echoes in a large space and lavish, atmospheric tremolo melodies on the guitars give way to a somber groove. Dennis Fahlgren’s bass drones deliberately as Andreas Leffler’s drums methodically accent notes and beats, adding an emotional weight to the melodies without employing overt heaviness. Hilda Heller’s softened ethereal vocals sit atop it all, hypnotising listeners with an unspoken command in her vocal presence. Lyrically musing on the juxtaposition of the idea of a “Death Mother”, a paradoxical concept of birth and death being one and the same. The song lumbers towards tense and powerful crescendos, with their own take on the wall of guitars common to the genre, still with an undeniable heft behind them without being overly distorted and pummelling in their sonic presentation. Everything sounds lavish, drenched in reverb and delay, the soundscape extends past the listener for a grand atmosphere across the album.
“The Hour” doubles down on what Blodet have already established, focusing on playing more with melodic, textural and dynamic experimentation. Deliberate rhythmic accenting with the bass and drums, leaving the guitars to explore more atmospheric elements in the songs introduction. Leaving plenty of open space for the vocals to sit centre stage, conducting the impassioned strain of the instrumental behind it and laying in plenty of memorable vocal hooks. Following is “Lead Me Home”, feeling a lot closer to the SWANS comparisons the band curated, its incredibly eerie, soft and tinged with early new-wave goth. Guitarists Elias Eriksson and Björn Sundqvist play off each other’s melodies, offering a continual development of, or counterpoint to the other’s melodic intentions. The layered vocal harmonies as the dynamics swell add to the toil and longing felt in the lyricism.
Hard Feelings have gone soft. Their latest album opens with a vocal jazz oldie “Connecticut” – until the Connecticut-based hardcore group get tired of ancient, saccharine tunes and blast The Modernaires back to the 40s with pure hardcore fire. Hard Feelings are tough as nails, but they have the tight musicianship and historical knowledge to take on even the snobbiest hardcore critics.
It’s not a unique method of opening a punk performance. Better Lovers have started their set closer “30 Under 13” with a clap-along version of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. But Hard Feelings use the crackly oldie to heighten suspense. Every listener who spins The Devil You Know knows what they’re getting into, and every time Hard Feelings kick out the jams at the twenty-seven-second mark, it’s like a bomb going off in the room.
For six and a half minutes, Hard Feelings grip the throat, shove you into a wall, and shout about how crushing the world is. It’s gritty; it’s groovy; it’s music to punch a wall to. Vocalist Zach McCormack sounds world-weary as he barks, growls, roars, and shouts his way through the EP. His enunciation is spectacular and sacrifices none of the grit of hardcore. Similarly, his bandmates – Jamie Malok and Mike Magas on guitars, Murph on bass, and Alex Malok on drums – are tight as hell, groovier than “Purple Haze”, and snarlier than a seventeen-year-old’s attitude.
Norwegian (with the added Australian element of former Pagan vocalist Nikki Brumen) death pop hip-shakers Blood Command are an incredibly interesting proposition. Not content with releasing Praise Armageddonism in 2022, they soon followed that up with a series of rather enjoyable covers (Heaven is A Place On Earth, originally by Belinda Carlisle being a particular highlight) and early in 2023, began releasing singles that would eventually end up as part of this record. World Domination is the end result of that diligent work ethic, a rollicking, sonically varied album that along its journey features exciting highs and sometimes frustrating lows
The first Blood Command record that Nikki has had full input to musically and vocally, it’s no surprise that there’s more than a splash of inspiration from Pagan in here. She’s a much more punkier, in your face proposition than any of her predecessors, shrieking and crooning her way with wild abandon. However, the fiery Aussie isn’t afraid to let her more vulnerable side come to the fore and slow things down a bit too, which adds a new dimension to the bands sound. With tinges of folk, hardcore punk and pop alongside rap and funk, they draw from a wide range of influences.
As trumpets herald the opener, ‘The Band With The Three Stripes’, we’re treated to the more full throttle side of the band. Nikki’s yelps are backed up by bass driven chunky instrumentals, guaranteed to make you shake your hips. ‘Heavens Hate’ is the first time on the record we begin to see some R’n’B influences on the vocals, and on this track at least, they work. Nikki undeniably has a unique swagger to her delivery, and when she spits, there’s venom in the bars. ‘Forever Soldiers of Esther’ is perhaps one of the best tracks the band have ever done across all their albums. A deeply personal song about guitarist Yngve Andersen’s late mother, it’s a blend of ferocious hardcore punk and an incredibly emotive, tug-at-the-heartstrings chorus that will move even the most stoic of souls. There’s a few dips on this album but when the band land a blow, you really feel it.
Although the project dates back to 2020, PEACH have had a slow and steady gestation. They made their live debut in late 2021 and finally releasing their debut single “Bad Touch” to the world in March 2022. Channeling a wide array of influences such as Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey and Eleven, their sound is a crossover between desert rock, post-punk and touches of grunge. PEACH eyed up 2023 with the intention of kicking the doors down and finally unveiling their hand; revealing two further singles, several music videos and performing more jaw-dropping live sets on the path to finally releasing their debut self-titled album.
Kicking off the album in monumental fashion is “Dread”. A methodical tom-led drum pattern sinks its hooks in fast, heavily distorted baritone guitar rears its head, a high-gain lead guitar melody cuts through. Vocals adding to the unease, the opening line of “respect costs you nothing, it doesn’t feel wrong to say that” half shouted and half wailed, manic energy permeates the performances. The band explode for a brief moment, before dipping back into the hypnotic drums, bubbling until finally bursting into a high energy desert-rock drive, dramatically stopping into a punchy rhythm and perfectly flowing into “Care”. Falling into a mid-paced, dirtier stomp, “Care” is all about its big swinging main riff. With confrontational and hypnotic doubled vocals cutting across them, giving way to a very QOTSA feeling guitar lick. They bring the riff back slower for a glorious crescendo that stops just short of completing the full phrase, sucking the air straight out of your lungs.
“Already There”, the final single in the lead up to the album, fits perfectly in step in the track list. The mid-paced nod of the main riff feels groovier than what’s come before, breaking up the pace. Adding a very memorable chorus and vocal hook, throwing in a noisy little guitar solo for good measure. “Long Mover” switches things up for a moment, beginning with low-gain guitar melody supporting Ellie’s soft sung vocal passage, slowly opening itself up as the guitar and vocals become more impassioned and the band kicks in. It becomes a lumbering grungy beast that plods forth with defiant power, swiftly gaining in intensity. There is even a false climax, lurching itself back to life for the final push that is monolithic and a little terrifying.
Fortunately, debut single “Bad Touch” is another great placement on the tracklist, a lovely little boppy breather after “Long Movers” deft audio assault. Still with powerful grooves in the back pocket between the post-punk punch of the main hook, as well as a touch of cowbell for good measure. Second single “I’m Scared” has a monster of a main hook, Ellie’s vocals pushing to the front of the grooves in bold fashion. The lurching between the ultra-intimate pre-chorus, left with just softened guitar and vocals, ultimately crashing back into the fiery groove that opens the track is captivating.
