It’s been an extraordinarily long time since we’ve heard new music from Taking Back Sunday. Their last effort Tidal Wave was released all the way back in 2016, a more mature and focused output of a band trying to keep a firm grasp on their roots while still moving forwards with new influences, which garnered a mixed reception. The seven year gap between albums is the longest of the band’s career, placated somewhat by a greatest hits release (Twenty – 2019) and a twentieth anniversary re-issue of their post-hardcore classic debut Tell All Your Friends in 2022. 152 looks to shake up the formula for Taking Back Sunday, looking at the band from a fresh perspective and renewed ethos.
The album opens with ‘Amphetamine Smiles’, a soft introduction with just acoustic guitar and Adam Lazzara’s immediately recognisable vocals. It’s a very emotional start to 152, very sweet, somber and reflective. The added string orchestration and piano lend to the vulnerability and heartbreak in the lyrics. When the band kicks in everything feels right, a more mature and forward facing sound from Taking Back Sunday whilst retaining their heartfelt core. It’s a sincere and honest rock ballad and that’s okay, it works very well. Lead single ‘S’Old’ opens the gates a little, showing off what the band have in store. Synths start to peep in immediately, supporting the band throughout the song and adding to their sound. Again, it feels like a modern take on TBS, touching some more foreign elements but blending them well into the band’s established sound.
‘The One’ was the first snippet shared from 152 prior to the album’s announcement. At its heart a love song about love and acceptance when one is at their worst, this is the first indication that things are about to change as 152 continues. There is no satisfying climax to the lower-key sections; it plods along with the same energy, even when there is meant to be a sizzle it inevitably falls flat. “Keep Going” is one of the more interesting moments on the album, choosing to embrace more new-wave and goth inspiration musically. The melodic synth lead is captivating, and there’s a unique atmosphere being created at first. Lazzara’s vocals sound incredibly poppy, seemingly saturated in AutoTune which gets regular use across the album. The instrumental break as the song fades out is one of the best moments with the added bubble synth lead building tension on top, but the rest of the song lacks real punch.
In all their fourteen years Throat have always had a dark gothic personality lurking, leaving a presence without being all encompassing. We Must Leave You dives into their post-punk sensibilities unashamedly and delivers a soundtrack that an apocalyptic break-up album deserves.
Jukka Matilla is a haunting presence throughout its 34 minutes as he flows from brooding narrator with vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Nick Cave album, into barks that echo not in pain or fear but with warning and certainty. Godflesh would be pleased with the industrial noises that whirr and drone in ‘Negative Lite’ as first single ‘Heaven Hanged’ wonderfully combines all the elements of their new found confidence in their post-punk identity. Their noise-rock foundations play only a supporting role as the ambience breaks into an energetic surge of rolling tribal drums, a littering of synth and the intelligent yelling of Matilla take us by the hand.
Tight persistent bass-lines drive We Must Leave You in ways that cements their intent to bring more post-punk and new-wave flavour and ‘Trespassing’ is one that would swing the hips of Ian Curtis as it moves from ominous foot-tapper into soaring dark rock. Interweaving vocals, rolling toms and unnerving guitars drive you towards its hypnotic conclusion, taking you into one of the albums most satisfying climaxes. Throat know how to build and atmosphere not too dissimilar from Swans in ‘Hearsay of Heresy’ with a haunting monologue delivered backed up by tasteful synths and sinister keys as the vocals ruptures into a howl Neurosis would be proud of.
Having been nominated in both ‘Best Breakthrough Artist’ and ‘Best Breakthrough Live Artist’ at this years Heavy Music Awards, the Alt-Metal genre-disrupters saw to it that their growing notoriety was in need of being put to good use.
In establishing a beautiful dichotomy between banshee-esque screaming and rousing lilts, an instrumental style dedicated to the furtherment of experimental stylings, in glorious defiance of their contemporaries close-minded attitude to musical innovation; the impressiveness of their overall production value is truly astounding, especially when reminiscing the top tier tracks on this fascinating record.
The debut album from the Belfast DIY quartet, Blouse Club is twelve tracks of righteous and rallying queer punk that see Problem Patterns take aim at the bigotry that has become embedded within our social fabric, male violence as an endemic, working class cosplay and how Tory policy is nothing more than the party ripping the copper out the crumbing walls of this country. These subjects are then expressed with the abrasiveness of Melvins, the rage of GEL, the contemporary buzz of Bob Vylan, the sass of Queen Zee and the classic punk heft of L7. This, in total, makes this record familiar and approachable, yet still individual and fresh. It’s heavy, bellowing and like a shot of Fireball to the gut, incendiary and damn good fun.
Brilliant opener ‘Y.A.W’ instantly establishes all of this within its first 30 seconds. Featuring a guitar tone that sounds like sandpaper and a bassline that hits like a shovel, ‘Y.A.W’ introduces the record like the aforementioned Fireball as it decries violence with sheer musical power. The following ‘Big Shouty’, as its name implies, is a fierce screed of pure unfiltered riot grrl and the fun punk stylings of ‘Advertising Services’ only highlights the sardonic nature of this record with both joy and frustration.
As the grunge-laden likes of ‘A History Of Bad Men Part II’ and the breathless ‘Lesbo 3000’ – a track reclaiming homophobic slurs set to incite pile-ons only seen previously seen at hardcore shows – continue to affirm the sheer volatile power of this record, truthfully, it becomes apparent that to pigeonhole this record is an insult to its brilliance. Blouse Club is a unique amalgamation of a plethora of qualities that comprise this band as creative force and to compress this record into an established box for convenience would be a great disservice to it’s creativity and energy.
In June the band were involved in a tragic van accident that left all four members with serious injuries, ranging from broken bones to brain injuries. All proceeds from the album will be going to the members to help them recover. With that in mind, it’s hard to listen to No Love Lost without bearing in mind the scary and painful fact that this snarling, exciting block of brutality could have been their last – but knowing that it most likely won’t be, the listen is a sweeter one.
The straight-edge Delaware four piece have already amassed thousands of fans, with an addictive and blistering rendition of American hardcore that has sent shockwaves through the scene, and their follow up to their Dust to Dust EP deserves the respect that fans will no doubt give. At under 20 minutes long, you might expect No Love Lost to feel too brisk – like it was rushed – but the record feels far from that. There are so many insanely hard riffs crammed into those minutes, it’s like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. Furious blast beats, rapid double kick patterns and earth-shaking cymbal hits course through the album in such an organic way, the whole thing feels more like a living breathing creature in a rage, compared to the often-sterile feeling of some other metal subgenres.
Hamilton’s “Steel City” hardcore scene has been putting out nothing but top notch music since the revival of live performances post COVID-19. That being said, Built On Blood are helping carry this revival and more on their debut EP Life Sentence. Trying to make a statement with this first record, let it be known that this is yet another record which was recorded, mixed, and mastered by the lovely Andy Dmytryshyn (School House Studios/Reality Denied). Hardcore is clearly far from dead in the Great North and Built On Blood has an entire scene of support in their already in their corner, making sure it’s more than known.
First on the docket, we open on the short yet sturdy track, ‘Built on Blood’. A fifty-one second opener, fitting of any beatdown/hardcore album or EP. Listeners are met with an absolutely primal drum and bass combination by the talented Christian Petruccelli and Kohle Bird. Not long after, guitarist Josh Agnoletto brings forth the most stink-face inducing riff to open a record with. However, vocalist Bradly Tate truly brings this track to life. About nineteen seconds in Tate makes their presence known as the music pausing abruptly, allowing enough space for Tate to drop possibly the hardest name drop of 2023. Chaos ensues thereafter with the band smashing back in with the most bone crushing breakdown, closing out the track.
‘Built On Blood’ rings out with feedback that manages to blend with track two perfectly as if the entire EP was recorded in one solid take. Titled ‘625′, this two minute bombardment of a track is full of catchy two step with equally as crushing crowdkill bits weaved into the mix. What feels like Kublai Khan with a hint of Varials, Built On Blood managed to take this style, give it the Steel City makeover and more. With that in mind, this Hamilton foursome close out the song with a boom. Beastly vocals welcome the closing breakdown before down-tuned guitars come together with the nastiest snare work to grace the kit this year; arguably ‘625′ might be the hardest things to come out of Ontario Hardcore in a hot minute.
