Exploring Birdsong, Heck, As Everything Unfolds, Lake Malice and More: New Noizze – The 19 Must-Listen Tracks Of The Week

The return of one of the UK's most dangerous bands alongside the restoration of one the nation's most angelic acts; it's been a busy week. Complete with some inclusions from the weeks just gone, here's the best singles released lately.

Exploring Birdsong – Ever the Optimist

Piano-led alt-pop trio Exploring Birdsong have released their first new music since 2019, the single ‘Ever the Optimist’, that hints at expanding sonic horizons. Blending pop sensibilities with progressive influences, the trio eschew guitar to create something intricate and beautifully compelling. The band’s talent granted them the opportunity to co-write the song with Sir Paul McCartney, back during their university careers in 2018. Of the song, they say, “this is the song they took into the session and worked on with Sir Paul himself. It’s by far the poppiest song on the record and was the catalyst for centring our songs around synths as well as sole piano parts.” Expect big things from Exploring Birdsong, and expect them soon. – Will Marshall

Heck – Static Noise; Mozart.

Six years since HECK released critically acclaimed album Instructions and five excruciating years since their unfortunate split, they are thankfully back to fill the space only they can occupy. Off the back of two surprise performances at 2000 Trees Festival and a warmup show (in which they were billed as ‘Knuckles of Ice’) they have proven that there is no one that can substitute for their incendiary and self-destructive energy. ‘Static Noise; Mozart’ picks up where they left off with a sonic punch through the skulls of anyone who dares to listen. They have managed to capture the beautiful chaos once again in just over three minutes. ‘Static Noise: Mozart’ is anxiety in a bottle constantly threatening to explode and when it does it not only goes off, they flatten everything in a five mile radius. – Adam Vallely

Lake Malice – Black Turbine

Future metallers Lake Malice have been drip-feeding a steady stream of singles, gradually building a name for themselves as ones to watch in the UK scene. Blending electronics from trap beats to glitchier moments and nu-infused guitars, latest single ‘Black Turbine’ addresses the toxicity of codependent relationships and holding onto your own individuality and independence. Vocalist Alice Guala opens with a vicious roar atop a trap beat, while the chorus is a real earworm to get stuck in your head. Guitarist Blake Cornwall is up to his usual tricks, dropping a hammer of a riff all over the place especially in the second verse. The band paired it with a horror-tinged video, fast becoming their calling card. Together it cements them as a band firmly on the ascent, with a bold and creative vision for what the future of heavy music is. – Will Marshall

Pierce The Veil – Emergency Contact

Pierce the Veil are back: ‘Pass the Nirvana’ earlier this year proved they still have teeth and ‘Emergency Contact’ shows they have grown wiser (and gone to therapy). ‘Emergency Contact’ builds with a slow acoustic into a mid-tempo song. Since it sits in the middle of their upcoming album, The Jaws Of Life, perhaps it will be a valley between mountains of howls. Although they still talk about revenge, like any emo band, they realize “[t]here’s no greater vengeance / Than learning to enjoy again”. Avenge yourself and enjoy this song. – Josiah Aden

Woods Of Desolation – Illumination

If being carried by a stream amidst the night mist wrapped warmly in a burial shroud is your thing, check out Woods of Desolation’s new single ‘Illumination’. Its sparse atmospheric opening welcomes you into the current, and when the blast beats and black metal riffs join in, they are not abrasive, but peaceful. While there are no lyrics available as of the time of writing, the desperate vocals are nestled in the mix and serve to further the comforting atmosphere. ‘Illumination’ transports the listener. This is black metal sans hate; there is only peace and mild desperation, like a Sunday night at 8pm before Monday arrives. Woods of Desolation have crafted a song that sounds like life, and that’s what’s so good about “Illumination”. – Josiah Aden

Manchester Orchestra – No Rule

Off the back of 2021’s critically acclaimed The Million Masks of God, Manchester Orchestra had some pieces that had not quite hit the cutting room floor left to share with the world. ‘No Rule’ luckily for us all has seen the light of day. Much like a ray of sunshine through morning curtains a delicate piano and plucked guitar accompany Andy Hull’s hushed and distinctive tones. This is beautiful poetry to the ear drums as the silken sounds flow throughout creating luscious soundscapes. Even though the lyrics tell a darker tale ‘No Rule’ will leave you with the warm and fuzzy feeling Manchester Orchestra always do best. – Adam Vallely

Regal Cheer – Ante

Recently snapped up by Beth Shalom Records, Brighton duo Regal Cheer preview their incoming debut album Cans due for release February 2023 with sub-2-minute single ‘Ante’. An apt preview for their album which is just over 17 minutes long. This is a direct punk track that shouts about the unhappiness of being in two minds speaking up and taking action when it is needed. The two piece create a bounding energy that hopefully will be recreated on the road and on record in the coming months. – Adam Vallely

Thousand Below – Sabotage

San Diego’s Thousand Below announce their latest album Hell Finds You Everywhere, out 9th December via Pale Chord Music, through the release of their new single and video ‘Sabotage’, rife with atmospheric post-hardcore goodness. James DeBerg’s vocals act as an emotive offering, leaping from airy and delicate, to passionate and desperate as they soar over poignant melodies and lyricisms that dive into a tale of a harsh mental health decline. ‘Sabotage’ follows on from ‘Face To Face’ and ‘Venenosa’, two commanding, screwface-inducing metalcore bangers, which were released in September and May of this year. If these tunes are anything to go by, we’re looking forward to seeing what Hell Finds You Everywhere has in store. – Katie Ashton

Zebrahead – Licking On A Knife For Fun

Zebrahead continue to pump out high energy punk rock bangers throughout their new era, the pink and yellow skeleton graphics used on artwork for latest track ‘Licking On A Knife For Fun’ indicates that the band could still be building up to a larger release. Whatever the reason, the band are soaring up from the ashes of a vocalist changeover with such velocity, they may be able to build an entirely new career for themselves from scratch if the quality of these releases keeps up as they have done thus far. It’s got everything you want from a Zebrahead track in 2022, sweltering guitars, dual vocals, a defiantly triumphant tone and a Tony Hawk soundtrack skate-punk edge. It paints an exciting picture of what’s yet to come for this band. – Elliot Grimmie

Graphic Nature – Killing Floor

One of the hardest working bands of the last few years, Graphic Nature, have announced their hotly anticipated debut album. Titled A Mind Waiting To Die and set for release on the 17th of February, the record should signal big things for the lads from Kent. Their newest track from the album is called ‘Killing Floor’ and it’s a rager. Opening with some electronic flourishes, you’re soon hit with some pummelling drums and hellacious grooves. The vocals and lyrics are, as always, intense and deeply personal. There’s a lot of nu metal here alongside some drum and bass inflections, making for a danceable yet moshable track which should hopefully signal a big 2023 for Graphic Nature. – Chris Earl

EYES – Congratulations!

‘Congratulations’; words expressing one’s praise for an achievement or good wishes on a special occasion. On the contrary Danish hardcore outfit EYES are not here to congratulate anyone on this, their first single from their upcoming album. On the contrary, ‘Congratulations!’ is here to fiercely call out those that spread misinformation in the name of their ‘truth’. Fitting in with the album’s themes of global catastrophe their sound is refined and as urgent as the message they are delivering. Victor Kass’ vocal delivery is as venomous as ever and rightfully so. We have a lot to be angry about in this world. – Adam Vallely

a crowd of rebellion – TFTL

Another of Japan’s many bands demonstrating an aptitude for intensely technical prowess alongside batshit insanity, a crowd of rebellion are a band that’ve been building on their grand, anime-opening infused hardcore metal sound for over a decade now. With five full length records under their belt they show no sign of slowing, and new track ‘TFTL’ is the kind of extreme, time signature defying riot that you’d want to be smacked in the face by at the likes of ArcTanGent or Damnation Festival. There’s quite a lot to take in here, from the stringed instruments to the tight harsh vocals, mixed in amongst the noisecore and nu-metal esque scratchy record noises. If you haven’t heard of a crowd of rebellion yet, get them on your radar immediately. – Elliot Grimmie

As Everything Unfolds – Blossom

Buckinghamshire post-hardcore quintet As Everything Unfolds continue to tease their much-anticipated second album with the second single to be taken from it, ‘Blossom’. Carrying on where ‘Felt Like Home’ left off, there’s a greater emphasis on synth melodies and lead lines, lending an even more anthemic quality to often emotionally bruising music. It’s both a letter to themselves and to fans about the band’s ongoing evolution, soundtracked by a sky-scraping chorus and some acerbic screams in the post-chorus. Vocalist Charlie Rolfe explains of the new song, “Don’t ever forget where you came from, don’t forget we’re still progressing and don’t forget there is still so much growth yet to do. This song is about the fear I had around losing what I had. I knew what I had and how much I wanted to pursue it, and how much we as a group had achieved in the last year – I couldn’t let it go to waste. Things in blossom should be allowed to grow, and I won’t stop it.” – Will Marshall

Death Valley Girls – What Are The Odds

Two years on from their level-raising Under the Spell of Joy album, where Death Valley Girls broadened their garage psych rock palate with twelve recorded voices for chorus uplifts, saxophone skronks, and sonic tunage befitting the long-player’s title. DVG bring the sunshine once again as ‘What Are The Odds’ is another high-end hooky earworm. The familiar sounding guitar line is punched up several notches with a heightened sang chorus that incites singalong abandonment. While the accompanying video increases the fun as the band end up meeting a beehive wigged glamourous version of themselves. The LA outfit’s sound is becoming as recognisable for cementing their place alongside feel good day-glo punks like the B52’s and The Lovely Eggs. For a brief, but much needed, three minutes we are once again under the spell of joy. – Andy Little

Currents – Vengeance

One of the most exciting and dynamic bands in the metalcore scene today, Currents have followed up their last single ‘The Death We Seek’ with an absolute crusher of a song. A perfect accompaniment to those dark winter nights when everything feels crap, ‘Vengeance’ is three minutes and fifty seconds of downtuned, pummelling heaviness and a phenomenal performance from vocalists Brian Wille. There’s no new album announced yet, but this is more than enough to keep fans happy until the next release. – Chris Earl

Caliban – The Shadow

One of the most prolific and dependable metalcore bands of the last twenty years are Caliban. Over the last few years, the ‘core veterans have intergrated electronic elements into their sound, and mostly have found success doing so. ‘The Shadow’, a standalone release following their album Dystopia, earlier this year, follows their well honed formula. A sprinkle of electronics, a soaring chorus and a satisfying breakdown. All of this mixed with some German engineered riffs and a charming predictability makes for a fun, if a little too familiar, standalone single. – Chris Earl

Floods In Japan – CTRL ALT DEFEAT

A big, bombastic guitar riff takes the lead in this face melting new track from Floods In Japan, coming in somewhere between the grunge-rock tones of Dinosaur Pile-Up and the hardcore trimmings of Employed To Serve, a short but sweet serving of mosh incitement with a rocking beat behind it to turn the heat up and get heads banging – Elliot Grimmie

Black Sky Research – Aurora

Mikey Chapman’s silky smooth vocals take centre point in this melodic new song from Black Sky Research, an emotive outpour rhythmic drum beats and guitar twinkling, this is easily one of the most standout singles Black Sky Research have put out to date, though we’re still in the early moment of their legacy, from the production quality and song-writing aplomb it’s clear this is a band of skilled individuals playing to their strengths, getting ready to take things to the next level, with hopefully a full length record, or at least another EP coming somewhere along the way – Elliot Grimmie

DZ Deathrays – Paranoid

The DZ’s are back again, and with their new single Paranoid they’re touching on elements and treading ground they never have before, bolstering their sound with a darkened electronic, yet subtle, production that brings their grungey noise to an interesting climax, anthemic and deploying an almost 80’s synthpop quality in its execution, this is a fantastic sign of things to come from the DZ’s, almost certainly signifying their new era is now upon us and it’s gonna be a wild one – Elliot Grimmie