Shtëpi, Deaf Havana, Zetra and More: New Noizze – The 11 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

From synth goth rock to riff-tipped pop, there's a whole lot to listen to this week. Here's the best 11 singles from this week, including a few from last week for good measure. Don't we spoil you.

Shtëpi – Slaughterhouse Motion

Hailing from Guildford are art rock five piece Shtëpi who are back with their brand new single ‘Slaughterhouse Motion’ which is a snarling, swirling and grit-spitting banger. The song is long anticipated and the first new studio material from the band since their debut EP ‘Yacht Rock’ that they dropped in 2020. Complete with brilliant lyrical and musical composition and layered with a pissed off punk vibe that see’s the song move through various structures as the line “Dizzied by this slaughterhouse motion” is used throughout whilst the song cleverly adds layers thickening the wall of sound by the song’s crescendo. The math/art elements showcased adds unique flurries that sit behind the general thump of the song, particularly from sporadic guitar riffs, sounds and inflections that provide small intricacies. ‘Slaughterhouse Motion’ does have some pop sensibilities with a raucous singalong-ability to it and the general roar has a gravelly melody complimented by the infusion of mostly clean guitar and sporadic drumming in sections and topped off nicely by gritty but oft-melodious vocal lines especially as the song progresses. It’s a rip roarer of a song and tips Shtëpi as serious contenders. – Jac Holloway

Iman – Shèngmǔ

Originally from Bahrain, London based multi-instrumentalist and alternative musician/songwriter Iman is back with brand new single ‘Shèngmǔ’ and it’s as pissed off a war-cry as you could hope for. Teaming up with the talented Sean Kennedy for mixing and mastering duties the song holds an eclectic mix of genres including shoegaze, progressive and industrial elements layered with hard rock/metal riffs. Infusions of screaming vocals and highly melodic moments that soar make ‘Shèngmǔ’ a particular stand out complete with a guitar solo and general rhythm that weaves the sections of the song together well. Lyrically ‘Shèngmǔ‘ wages war on the media and passing trends/news that snaps up the limelight often making serious problems and events overlooked, ignored or forgotten entirely. This extends to social media and those that address these issues by feigning they care or showing alleged compassion for all of the wrong reasons. With such a high intensity topic to get angry about the song needed to match this energy and ‘Shèngmǔ’ does all of that and then some. – Jac Holloway

Deaf Havana – Nevermind

As Deaf Havana gear up for the release of their new album ‘The Present Is A Foreign Land’ they have released their new single “Nevermind”, an emotionally stripped back acoustic which is a little different to what we’ve seen so far from the previous three singles. The stripped-back song sees frontman James Veck-Gilodi show off his more vulnerable side citing the end of 2019/start of 2020 where the singer says himself he was arguably at his lowest. Veck-Giliodi’s struggles with sobriety and the damage this has previously caused is something he has been both open and forthcoming about, referring to the raw emotion of this on previous albums but there’s something about ‘Nevermind’ that truly hits from a man at his lowest. There’s a vulnerability and rawness to it that takes the song to a whole new level in terms of the emotional connection it creates. The vocal deliver is key in this as the intricacies and passion pour out of Veck-Gilodi on the finished product. It really is special. – Jac Holloway

Alpha Wolf – Hotel Underground

Alpha Wolf have this week released their brand new single ‘Hotel Underground’ from their split EP with Welsh rockers Holding Absence. The song is the second track on an EP that features collaborations between both bands as well as solo efforts from them. ‘Hotel Underground’ is the sole Alpha Wolf effort on the EP and sees the Aussie metalcore outfit unleash an unrelenting assault of sound as they have become know to do being the powerhouse they have become. The song is a particularly angry one with opening line “Fuck it, I’m still stepping over roaches, setting fire to the locusts…” being a metaphor referring to those that sit on the outskirts and can survive fallout as a result but further use this as an excuse to fuel ignorance and fake innocence. Musically Alpha Wolf match this fury too with with the above recurring line being layered with harsh ferocious riffs and a level of mosh-worthy bounce, particularly in the chorus. Vocally there is an effortless shift through growling and screaming style’s that compliments short snappy section of outright fury. The song hits like a full clip of an assault rifle and ends just as quickly leaving its clear and concise message sat in the forefront of the listener’s mind. – Jac Holloway

The Home Team – FOMO

The Home Team are back with their brand new single ‘FOMO (Bored Of You)’. The beautiful blend of sharp riffs and sweetened pop-style vocals the band honed on their last album ‘Slow Bloom’ is back in force. The four piece rock outfit hailing from Seattle, WA return with all the suave and style they have become known to harness in their music and it shows on the new single which wouldn’t sound out of place as a bonus track for the album that preceded it. Taking the elements that have shaped their sound thus far and doing exactly what their good at ‘FOMO (Bored Of You)’ is as much of a rip roaring track as fans could hope for with a typically chaotic video full of randomness (which the band are also becoming known for). With all the bounce and energy as well as stunning vocal hooks and harsh elements that make the song as accessible as it is fresh ‘FOMO (Bored Of You)’ continues the win streak. – Jac Holloway

Russian Circles – Conduit

The first single taken from instrumental post metallers Russian Circles‘ upcoming album Gnosis, ‘Conduit’ channels everything fans will know and love about the band through a somewhat refreshed lens. The sense of introspection is still there, as is the crushing weight and heaviness, with a snare drum that drops like a sledgehammer every time. This time though, the band eschewed the usual melancholy and restraint that characterises their work in favour of exorcising the pain and sorrow of the past few years. The end result is a relatively short, but no less monolithic, hammer blow of sludgy post metal with enough chugs to make Meshuggah blush. If ‘Conduit’ is anything to go by, Gnosis may yet be one of the year’s heaviest hitters. – Will Marshall

156/Silence – For All To Blame

Fast-rising Pittsburgh metalcore outfit 156/Silence recently revealed their upcoming third album Narrative and released ‘For All To Blame’, the second single to be taken from it. Taking the bite of early 2000s metalcore and giving it a fresh lick of paint, they’re one of several bands revitalising that era for the modern day. Rather than sounding dated, ‘For All To Blame’ is just as vital as if it were written 20 years ago with its diatribe against loss of connection and the constant searching for scapegoats. With the band deliberately opting for a more straightforward sound for the song, it careens between menacing groove and spleen-venting breakdowns. Alongside previous single ‘A Past Embrace’, it’s a bold statement of intent from one of the scene’s most promising bands. – Will Marshall

Armed For Apocalypse – Full of Phlegm

It’s been almost ten years since sludge metallers Armed For Apocalypse graced the world with a full-length; in that time they’ve experienced upheaval, released an EP and – if ‘Full of Phlegm’ is anything to go by – remained as vitriolic and pissed off as ever. Taken from upcoming album Ritual Violence, ‘Full of Phlegm’ seethes, rages and is simply all manner of unpleasant across its near-five minute runtime. Pummelling riffs, paint-stripping screams and frantic, chaotic drumming are the order of the day and the band take no prisoners. Of the album and its themes, the band say: “Ritual Violence was written in a time where everything seemed to be hopeless. A lot of the songs on the album revolve around an overall theme of being stuck in an inescapable self destructive rabbit hole, and the struggle to break free of those habits”. They’ve never done it the easy way, only their own; ‘Full of Phlegm is undeniable proof that’s exactly what they’re continuing to do, in scathing fashion. – Will Marshall

Zetra – Into My Flesh

Little is known of the enigmatic Zetra other than they’re based in London. Even their music is immensely difficult to pin down, with elements of shoegaze, doom, gothic rock, synth rock and more. Along with their alluring stage presence that features heavy makeup and facepaint, smatterings of small screen visuals and chains aplenty, it all coalesces into something truly remarkable. Their latest single, ‘Into My Flesh’, is just as richly textured as we’ve come to expect, addressing “themes of self doubt and ritual in the context of cultural norms”, as per the band’s own social media posts. It’s a stirring piece that’s ethereal and an earworm in equal measure, gliding by in an instant and demanding regular replays. – Will Marshall

Narrow Head – T.W.I.N.

Texas’ Narrow Head sit somewhere between shoegaze and grunge; their latest single, ‘T.W.I.N.’ comes as a standalone to whet fans’ appetites ahead of their next full length, the successor to 2020’s 12th House Rock. It’s as indebted to Deftones as it is to Nirvana, an emotionally turbulent song with bittersweet vocal melodies and a whole lot of fuzzed out guitars. The band describe the song as “a heavy, melancholic track that feels weighed down with the pain of loss. Dedicated to the friends they’ve lost, Jacob Duarte sings in a hazy, reverberating lament: ‘You’ve left us now / are you finally home? / Now I’m Alone on this path / the way is narrow for now.’” ‘You’ve left us now / are you finally home? / Now I’m Alone on this path / the way is narrow for now.’ – Will Marshall

Soothing – Growing Pains

Soothing are brand new; so new in fact, they’ve played perhaps one or two shows together and only released a single song so far. But what they have released – currently exclusively on Bandcamp – shows hardcore with a blackened, serrated edge. Vocalist Emma Boster might be better known as the singer for metalcore outfit Dying Wish but here her barbed vocals are raspier, more abrasive, their lyrics as incisive and introspective as ever. Instrumentally there’s cues from Portrayal of Guilt and the angrier ends of Kvelertak, all funnelled into a two-minute outburst of white-hot fury. The inclusion of black metal elements in its buzzing guitars and raspier vocals might make the name Soothing something of an ironic name, a misnomer even, but there’s a strange sense of catharsis to ‘Growing Pains’, which is arguably soothing in its own way. The mark has been set high for whatever the band choose to do next. – Will Marshall