The Menzingers, The Gaslight Anthem, The Armed, Holding Absence and More: New Noizze – The 18 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

From heartland rock to Japanese metalcore to whatever the fuck The Armed are doing now, this week had it all. Here's the best 18 singles from the past week.

The Menzingers – There’s No Place In the World For Me

It’s been four long years (And it’s felt like a lot longer) since we had a new record from The Menzingers , and while we still don’t have an official announcement on the next one, we do have a new song from it. ‘There’s no Place In The World For Me’ is a classic slab of emo-Americana, replete with lyrics that’ll burrow their way into your brain and make you stop and think. With the world in a significantly worse place than it was around the time of Hello Exile, it isn’t too big of a stretch to picture the next full length as a bit of a difficult listen. However, as with all of their work, hope is sprinkled throughout in the melodies, the vocal lines and the sheer amount of personality in each beat. Mark our words, the next time the band grace our shores, you’ll have your phone torch aloft, tears in your eyes belting out the chorus. – Chris Earl

The Gaslight Anthem – History Books (feat. Bruce Springsteen)

The return of four kings, accompanied by a living legend. The title track of the band’s first album in over nine years, ‘History Books’ sees the heartland rock defining sensations The Gaslight Anthem collaborating with the borderline mythical entity that is The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, for an exercise in finding glory and affirmation in the pain that comes with the human condition. As something that can be attested by fans of both or either artist, The Gaslight Anthem and Springsteen have forged their respective legacies in weaving tale of joy amidst the greyness of modern life, and ‘History Books’ is a life-affirming testament to this time-honoured skill that both artists harness. “When Bruce Springsteen said I should write a duet for us, I think my head exploded”, states Brian Fallon. “It will never get old to me that one of the greatest songwriters in the world, and the voice of one of my heroes will forever be captured in a song I wrote at a small wooden desk, in October, in New Jersey.” – Dan Hillier

Holding Absence – Scissors

The fourth single from the Welsh emos’ third album, ‘Scissors’ is “a love letter to post-hardcore” according to vocalist Lucas Woodland. It’s also, as ever, a huge song that sits comfortably at the heavier end of Holding Absence‘s range. Lyrically it, ‘Scissors’ depicts its narrator committing to severing parts of themselves in order to grow, sacrificing parts of themself to evolve and change. The song starts at almost galloping pace courtesy of long-undersung drummer Ash Green, though the chorus slows to almost half speed to truly hammer its message home as Woodland’s voice soars. It’s everything we’ve come to know and love from the band, its emotional gutpunch capped off by a seismic breakdown toward the end as Woodland screams “Weapons of glass and steel / towering over me / I’m desperate to be seen / I’m petrified of being perceived” in a sentence likely all too many of us relate to. – Will Marshall

Code Orange – Take Shape (feat. Billy Corgan)

The coolest band in the world return with the monolithic and sweeping ‘Take Shape’ which features one of alternative rock music’s biggest legends. Frontman Jami Morgan has never sounded more melodic than he does at the beginning of this track and continues to add more tricks to his ever growing vocal arsenal before one of the heftiest choruses of 2023 ploughs into your ears in what is now typical Code Orange style. Morgan’s Jonathan Davis-esque cadence on the verses of this track isn’t the only nod to nu-metal’s heyday either, as guitarist Reba Myers’ backing vocals conjure memories of Korn at their very best. As if all of that wasn’t reason enough to celebrate (as Morgan commands listeners to do throughout), Smashing Pumpkins legend Billy Corgan arrives to add his calming yet unsettling touch to a track that is bound be one of the year’s most talked about releases. – Jordan Aldridge

Monolord – Glaive (It’s All the Same)

The modern masters of doom return with their latest two-track single, ‘Glaive (It’s All the Same)’. This could be a cheeky tongue and cheek title for any criticism thrown at them for their extremely consistent walking pace groove. The lead off track ‘Glaive (It’s All the Same)’ continues their familiar sound, though the high-quality melody at its centre brings thoughts of Iron Maiden at half speed. As always, the Swedish trio find the extra nuances to enhance their sublime heavy melodic doom. There is the grandstanding thump, mountain sized guitar melodies, thunderous bass, and expertly woven shifting subtle tones to allow the main melody time and space to elegantly glide. They’re in no rush to get to the end, and why should they, when they are this good. An instant hook you in pleasure, ‘Glaive (It’s All the Same)’ confirms there are still gold nuggets to be mined in Monolord land. – Andy Little

The Armed – Everything’s Glitter

Wait, is this The Armed? Or The Strokes? Kasabian? Maybe even Lullabies era QoTSA? It’s whatever they want and it’s all of the above whilst still being uniquely The Armed. Big chords, slick classy 4/4 pop beats and vocals spread like lovingly buttered toast. It’s evolution in metaphysical form. Even the reprieve doesn’t allow anything but tightly caged restraint, every chord that is played, every synth line that is tapped out seems to be on the edge of breaking out into the chaos of The Armed we’ve come to know over time. The blasts are there still albeit only right at the end, a contrasting closing salvo that epitomises the direction they have taken with the new record. It begs to be listened to in context, and you should be as excited as everyone else to do so. Also a shout out to Illuminati Hotties for providing the backing vocals for the track. It seems The Armed have swelled their ranks even more so since the last album, increasing the ever swirling maelstrom of influence that is deftly thrown across the audible canvas of their soundscape. Refract. – Rob Bown

Jumper Boy – There Is No Lake At Camp Greenlake

If you feel like you’ve heard the name of this song previously – maybe from a long-lost childhood perhaps – you’re probably not wrong. ‘There Is No Lake At Camp Greenlake’ isn’t just the brilliant new singe from Sheffield’s mathy-emo jumpstarts Jumper Boy, it’s also the first sentence from the 1998 novel Holes, a book that for many animates thoughts of deep nostalgia. And just like the Louis Sacher classic in question, this track also animates thoughts of a childhood long buried. Harkening thoughts of acts such as TTNG, Orchards, Delta Sleep and Slash Fiction, ‘There Is No Lake At Camp Greenlake’ is a classic tale of finding the joy that was once as synonymous with childhood following the ceaseless trials of adult life. Like the simple sentence that this track’s title recalls, it’s a pacifying bridge to a sense of innocence long lost, and much akin to the band’s name, it’s warm, cosy and inviting. – Dan Hillier

Harm’s Way – Silent Wolf

For a lot of people, the band Harm’s Way will forever be defined by the meme of their absolutely jacked singer dancing to various overdubbed songs. While that was funny at times, it doesn’t reflect the nature of the band on record. Nihilistic, apocalyptic hardcore is the name of the game here, perfectly captured in less than three minutes by their new track, “Silent Wolf”. Furious drums and bellowed vocals, aided by some disgustingly pummelling riffs, carry a message of distrust in the government about today’s current cultural climate. Aforementioned man mountain James Pligge sounds beyond pissed in his delivery, leading to a track that will make you bang your head as much as it’ll make you want to break a window. Their new album Common Suffering drops on September 29th and promises to be a damn fun, if viscerally angry time. – Chris Earl

Inhuman Nature – Beyond the Realms of Sanity

All these newfangled experiments in genre amalgamation are fun and all, but sometimes you just want something tried, tested and simple. Like a claymore to the head for example. Thankfully, thrash barbarians Inhuman Nature are once again looking back to the halcyon days of thrash and swordcraft with their lacerating new single ‘Beyond the Realms of Sanity’. Taken from their split with the mighty Ninth Realm, the band’s new single is a welcome throwback to the days when bands like Exodus, Slayer and Sepultura reigned supreme and when most minor and tedious disagreements could be resolved with a morningstar to the face. Like all good thrash and medieval weaponry, this absolutely rips. – Dan Hillier

Horrendous – Preterition Hymn

Horrendous drop the third track of their upcoming album Ontological Mysterium, ‘Preterition Hymn’. This time it’s a mid- tempo romp through some of their most progressive genre bending work to date. Gregorian chants permeate the latter sections of the song, which plays like a mournful dirge. ‘Preterition Hymn’ is a song for and about the weary and the damned. Horrendous liken it to the myth of Tantalus who was so close to knowledge and divinity but was always whisked away just when they came into his grasp, either by fate or action. The track does offer a hopeful outcome though, suggesting that this hardship can be fought through and one can come out better for it, cloaked in flame but birthed anew. – Rob Bown

Ethereal Tomb – When the Rivers Run Dry

Tkaronto, Ontario Indigenous doom metal squad Ethereal Tomb are back and they did not come to mess around. The first single and the title track to the group’s newest record When the Rivers Run Dry, it spares no punches with its heavy view on resource extraction in North America. Ethereal Tomb has become known for this attitude in their music, especially when discussing the problems indigenous communities face in Canada. This single shines a light on how resource extraction illegally poisons tribal communities but is also a massive factor in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/Girls/2 Spirit (MMIWG2S) crisis in North America. With such a heavy meaning behind this monstrous single coupled with the utterly brutal approach musically, it’s to be expected that this new record is going to be even darker and heavier than anything these talented musicians have released before. – Nathaniel Maure

Pollyanna – The Cause

Following on from sets at ArcTanGent and 2000 Trees, FES’ Pollyanna Holland Wing is back with her second solo offering in the form of ‘The Cause’. Taken from their upcoming solo EP OUCH – released September 15th via Beth Shalom Records – ‘The Cause’ sees the FES guitarist and vocalist forgoing the brash and electrical nature of FES in favour for a more gentle and mollifying sound. However, the technicality synonymous with her primary math rock project is retained and championed, resulting in a sound that’s pacifying, yet unrestrained. If you yearn for something, gentle yet technical, then this is crucial listening. – Dan Hillier

Silent Planet – Antimatter

Progressive metalcore outfit Silent Planet have been impressing listeners with their unique and utterly massive approach to their genre for roughly a decade, and that continues to be the case with their new single “Antimatter”. Changing things up a bit from their previous releases, vocalist Garret Russel can be heard taking the reigns on melodic vocals for a good portion of the track. Building up to a massive drop only fitting for a group of their talents, guitars and drums seem to sync up perfectly for a bone crushing breakdown that’ll leave listeners with that permanent stink face of approval. After a couple long years without a new Silent Planet record, this track paints the perfect picture of what fans can expect leading into the release of the band’s fifth record of their impressive and extensive career. – Nathaniel Maure

Tactosa – The Bleeding Machine

Following up the January release of their excellent debut EP, Florida’s newest deathcore specialists continue to carve out their path in modern extreme music with the release of the blistering ‘The Bleeding Machine’, featuring a guest appearance from MySpace-era bruisers Elysia’s former vocalist Zak Vargas. Described by frontman Kyle Weeden as being a “bleak, nihilistic commentary on the powers that seek to hold every person’s will”, this track wastes no time in catapulting listeners into old school deathcore heaven with piercing screams, pounding drums and powerful riffs. By the time Vargas appears, the nostalgia hit is already in full effect but hearing his distinct, raw vocals for the first time in almost a decade and a half, it’s impossible not to be swept up in the blazing chaos that Tactosa are crafting. – Jordan Aldridge

Pain of Truth – Under My Skin ft. Josiah Hoeflinger

Long Island hardcore mob Pain of Truth have made quite the dent since they roared out of the traps with some of the most obnoxious, thuggish music in recent times and this stomper (featuring Josiah Hoeflinger of Atlanta speed merchants Criminal Instinct) continues the bolshy, in your face approach that fans have come to love the band for. ‘Under My Skin’ is, somewhat unsurprisingly, about battering away the fakers who try to drag you down, but don’t let this fool you into thinking that this is simple, by numbers ‘tough guy’ music. This is fierce, high octane hardcore that gives a knowing nod to the genre’s greats and, whether it is through the intense, frantic speed of the track’s opening, or the ignorant, chugging closing sections, Pain of Truth are adept at ensuring that bodies are sent flying in every conceivable direction. – Jordan Aldridge

Beartooth – Might Love Myself

There comes a point in the lifetime of a band, where they cross a threshold of style. It’s at that point where some fans will inevitably fall off and while the bands early work may still hold a place in their heart, they won’t go any further. Judging from the reaction to Beartooth‘s new track, the third single from upcoming fifth album, The Surface, it appears that Caleb Shomo and crew have reached that point. On a musical level at least, it’s probably the softest track the band have ever made, almost summery and floaty at times. ‘Might Love Myself’ is lyrically, as usual, a track where Caleb bares his soul, but with a twist. This track is about accepting yourself, developing self love and putting yourself at the forefront of your life. Those words, those sentiments might be tough to hear and perhaps even tougher to put into practice, but if you look at the journey Caleb has made from Disgusting to now, anything seems possible. – Chris Earl

Knosis – 神喰 (Kamigurai)

Japan’s Knosis, a collaboration by former Crystal Lake vocalist Ryo Kinoshita and Survive Against the Prophet’s Yosh Morita, come charging in with new single ‘神喰 (Kamigurai)’ and, with it, offer up a mighty battle cry that skilfully blends industrial noise with ferocious, feral vocals. Beginning with Ryo’s seldom heard clean vocals, the angst is soon ramped up as the vocalist breaks out of all bounds into his more well-known aggro snarls. Things then take a further turn towards the extreme with a world-ending breakdown underpinned by guttural deathcore growls before the track’s nu-metal inspired riff returns and bursts into a crescendo of uninhibited rage. The refrain of “come and kill the undead” will surely give fans something to relish bellowing in the live environment and although they may be a relatively new proposition, Knosis’ crystal clear, hefty production and impressive vocal dexterity combine here with formidable results. – Jordan Aldridge

Death Before Dishonor – Master of None

Following the release of 2023’s True Till Death is Boston hardcore legends Death Before Dishonor with their new single “Master Of None”, and it’s full of everything the band has been about since their inception in 2001. Hardcore speed fused with some of the best metallic riffs and instantly recognizable harsh vocals; Death Before Dishonor has managed to make a name for themselves in hardcore alongside massive bands like Hatebreed, Terror, and Agnostic Front using this exact “back to the basics” approach to American hardcore. If this new single proves anything, it’s that they hasn’t missed a single beat over the years and new listeners would be silly to hit skip on this brilliant display of hardcore. – Nathaniel Maure