Initially releasing their debut single ‘Truth’ in 2022, Brighton based duo fakeyourdeath have quickly gained a strong reputation in the UK underground for their electric live performances and their undeniably unique sound. Think Alice Glass-esque electronic pop, chest pounding industrial and furiously aggro post-hardcore thrown in a blender and you’ve got a general sense of the chaos. With only a handful of singles to their name, in 2023 the band found themselves with a wide range of opportunities, opening shows for the likes of Simon Neil and Mike Vennart’s avant-garde extreme project Empire State Bastard, sonic terror enthusiasts Frontierer, rave punks Tokky Horror and alt-pop sensation Zand. Finally fakeyourdeath are ready to unveil their debut in full with EP null/void, made up of the three singles released so far alongside two new tracks.
Related: “It’s fun to make people feel uncomfortable” – Introducing fakeyourdeath
2023 single ‘consume’ functions as a perfect opening statement for the EP. Laying a bed low subdued electronic beats and pulses that meld into a frenetic and choppy instrumental, blossoming and warping with electronic stutters in a forceful industrial punk aggression with an unhinged breakdown to close. ‘humanity’ oozes euro-rave energy in the synth lines front and centre with vocalist Candi Underwood giving an ethereal and hypnotic performance with her clean vocals. The synth melody is undeniably massive and the band keep a tight grip on a underlying intensity brewing throughout.
San Diego post-hardcore five piece SeeYouSpaceCowboy are back once more, with their biggest and most ambitious effort to date. The band have established quite the cult following since their inception back in 2016, and can easily be identified as one of the alternative scene’s finest rising stars. Yet all that feels like it is about to change with the band’s third album, Coup de Grâce.
Set loosely in some fictional neo-noir city, filled with villains, lovers and rogues, Coup de Grâce is an expansive, energetic, and exciting listen from start to finish. The sounds of the album will appeal to anyone who is a fan of post-hardcore, with complex guitar melodies colliding with ferocious riffs, unconventional and alternative percussive rhythms, and multiple vocalists layered in an intricate and engaging manner.
However, the slick style of this record, pulling from blues and jazz sounds and imagery, elevates the whole affair into something that feels distinct and vibrant; it’s the sort of record that is made by a band ready to stand at the very forefront of their scene.
The neo-noir inspiration comes through most clearly on the two features from iRis.EXE, both acting as short intermissions in the chaotic madness. ‘Allow Us To Set The Scene’ is a bluesy opening that suddenly erupts into a sonic nuclear blast in the back half, whilst ‘Respite For A Tragic Tale’ retains the lowkey jazz energy throughout, with iRis.EXE’s smokey vocals set against softly glittering pianos. Both tracks not only act as great moments of pause to collect your breath, but go great lengths to flesh out the conceptual spirit of the album, without feeling out of place.
It could be said that the best bands take some of their influences from outside of the genre which they inhabit, bringing new elements into somewhat rigid genres. Whether these moves are always successful can be debated about for days, but it’s always better to look to move forward than stand still.
Hardcore is one of those genres that, despite the high standard of output coming through sticking to the formula can often benefit from looking outward rather than inward. This is definitely the case with Life’s Question, who’s new self titled EP is a blend of classic gang vocal hardcore, some of the best guitar work you’ll hear in the genre (Aping classic bands such as Van Halen and Whitesnake at times) and more than a little bit of Mike Patton (Faith No More era specifically) on the vocals.
The band themselves have been around for nearly a decade, making a name for themselves with relentless touring and making big waves with their 2022 debut full length, World Full Of…. The signs were there then that they weren’t content with simply putting out regular hardcore, but that vision has truly been realised on this new EP. Opening track ‘Light Me Up’ is a perfect encapsulation of the bands sound. Frantic pit parts, a mix of chugging and metal riffing by guitarists Abby and Ridge Rhine and those twisted Patton-esque vocals. The melodies wouldn’t sound too out of place on ‘Angel Dust’.Things continue to get shaken up on ‘I Can Still Hear My Mama Pray’, which adds a guitar solo reminiscent of the aforementioned Van Halen in the end, not to mention some haunting clean vocals just beforehand, though being too far down in the mix to make a big enough impact dampens them a bit.
Cure’s release was heralded by a series of 5 singles, such as ‘Pale Iris’, ‘Blue Reverie’ and the title track. Distributed throughout the track listing rather than clumped at either end, they allow the listener a sense of sporadic familiarity. Straight away, the title track hits you in the face with downtuned, but not muddy, chugs in cascading rhythms that keep the song flowing, instantly capturing those who might be fans of bands like Vildhjarta or Meshuggah. This pattern is kept for songs like ‘Slow Sour Bleed’ and ‘Crawl Backwards Out Of Heaven’.
The overarching idea here is clear: soaring vocals with a crescendo and huge melodies, contradicted by hefty, hard-hitting verses to keep the listener on their toes. This is a metalcore record by all means, but the beauty of ERRA is the ability to incorporate elements of post metal, rock and other genres to create a more wide-ranging experience that’s often technical, but never for the sake of it. For instance, ‘Glimpse’ makes use of metric modulation throughout the first sections before erupting into an incredible, earworm-like chorus.
Since the release of their 2017 debut album Here Now, There Then, Dutch five piece DOOL have been generating buzz and turning heads across mainland Europe. At their core a straight shooting hard-rock outfit, the band blended elements of psychedelic, prog, post and gothic rock alongside some heavier touches of doom and post metal to round out their explorative soundscapes. Their breakthrough second album, 2020’s Summerland doubled down on this approach, offering another helping of moody atmospheres and progressive songwriting. The Shape Of Fluidity sees DOOL honing their technique once again, fine-tuning the balance of styles to truly become themselves with both their music and their message.
Album opener ‘Venus In Flames’ is immediate and urgent, blazing to life with a driving drum beat and enrapturing guitar melodies, unfolding over the course of seven minutes. Weaving between powerful chorus’, hypnotic grooves and cathartic guitar solos is Raven Van Dorst’s unique and powerful vocals and layered harmonies. ‘Self-Dissect’ flows smoothly from the opening track, locking into a mesmeric atmospheres saturated with lofty guitar melodies, harmonies and a dramatic ear worm of a guitar solo. Title track ‘The Shape Of Fluidity’ makes for a stunning lead single ahead of the albums release. Starting off quaint and deliberate, pulses of delayed bass synth temper the guitar chords as the massive vocal melody that makes up the chorus, rightfully, takes centre stage before a gnarled gothic doom chug bursts through the ambience and carries a steady nod across the six and half minute run.
What do you get if you mix the chaotic psychedelia of King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, the fuzzed-out stoner energy of The Melvins and the raw, lo-fi production of Neutral Milk Hotel? Apart from a wet dream for men in tiny beanies who watch too much Anthony Fantano, you’d get something close to eccentric five-piece Mothman, The Man. Only a year on from their debut full-length the Falmouth natives are back with their follow-up Where’s Your Head?, taking their sound to strange new places with cryptid obsessed storytelling and extended Zappa inspired jams.
From the first notes of intro track ‘Where’s Your Head?’ you’ll know if Mothman, The Man are the band for you, the experimental synth-infused stoner riffs drilling into any listener’s brain and burrowing in. The playful spirit of Mothman, The Man reverberates through the whole album with off-kilter guitar parts, retro inspired synths and repetitive mantra-like lyrics appearing throughout, ‘Where’s Your Head?’ sets the album off as it means to go on with an earworm chorus set against a backdrop of nauseating, swirling, whirling organs and guitars. If you can’t handle Mothman, The Man’s unabashed weirdness on ‘Where’s Your Head?’ then this is your warning, TURN BACK NOW, things will only get more absurd from here on in.
