The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, The Black Dahlia Murder, Los Campesinos! and More: New Noizze – The 14 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

For those of you not at Download / recovering from Download / stuck in the carpark at Download, here are the best singles of this week.

The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Auguries of Guilt

Completing their transformation from twinkly emo darlings to a Dark Souls referencing, eldritch God-slaying prog powerhouse, Connecticut five-piece The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die (often abbreviated to TWIABP) return with their grandiose new single ‘Auguries of Guilt’. With soaring vocals lamenting late-stage capitalism through a grimdark fantasy lens from vocalists David Bello and Katie Dvorak, booming percussion, and swirling, intertwining guitar and synth lines this new single feels right at home with the band’s dramatic, genre-bending 2021 album Illusory Walls. With one of the most intense level-ups in music history, TWIABP have dug a new niche with a blend of melodramatic prog-rock and angsty anti-capitalist emo for a one-of-a-kind combination. – Tom Bruce

The Black Dahlia Murder – Aftermath

“Before the tragedy, no one ever thought this band was going to exist without Trevor”, states Brain Eschbach on this new track. The original guitarist and current vocalist doesn’t mince their words, but neither does this single.. The first release from the melodeath legends since the tragic passing of frontman Trevor Strnad in 2022, and the first cut to be lifted from the band’s forthcoming new record Servitude – released September 27^th via Metal Blade Records – ‘Aftermath’ is a lacerating onslaught of barbaric death metal that bares all the charisma and forward thinking intelligence that the The Black Dahlia Murder are globally renowned for. There’s no delicate tenderness to be found here, just the sound of a band who have persevered through tragedy via the love for their craft. – Dan Hillier

Los Campesinos! – 0898 Heartache

After releasing the first two tracks of their forthcoming LP All Hell, the UK’s first and only emo band Los Campesinos! are back with single number three in the form of ‘0898 Heartache’. A bonafide shout-along belter in the key of languished love lives and a soundtrack ideal for everyone’s personal pity party, ‘0898 Heartache’ is the true Los Campesinos! experience; it’s miserable, sardonic but ultimately joyous in the way it celebrates collective wallowing. Much like the way this band originally resonated with us millennial types all those years ago with their giddy first record, given universally relatable tracks like this it’s absolutely no surprise that Los Campesinos! have suddenly found a newfound sense of popularity amongst today’s disillusioned youth. Regardless of one’s generation and respective age, it’s clear that we’re all feeling like shit; but with Los Camp! thankfully back with us again, at least we can feel like shit collectively. – Dan Hillier

Incaseyouleave – Arrhythmia

Musically meeting at the crossroads of viscerally raw screamo and immaculate sparkling emo, the new single from London’s Incaseyouleave is a heady and poignant outpouring of poetic emotion that highlights this band’s position as the cream of the new emo and skarmz crop, and not just because of their approach to musical chemistry. Documenting the complexities of navigating survivors guilt in the wake of wide-spread violence towards those marginalised, ‘Arrhythmia’ is an intricate, intimate and simply haunting reflection upon the violence that many have ultimately become numb to amidst of the new digital age. This genuinely is not a pleasant listen at times, especially given it’s lamenting approach and delivery, but it’s one that glistens with a sense of genuine and urgent purpose that must be heeded. In an age where desensitisation to bloodshed has become a societal norm, this is crucial listening. – Dan Hillier

And So I Watch You from Afar – North Coast Megafauna

A fun and fruity love song to the places and people that And So I Watch You From Afar call home, the new single from Ireland’s finest post rock export is larger-than-life romp filled with a sense of humour and ingenuity that most of their peers can only dream of obtaining. The respective opening track of their upcoming new record Megafauna – released August 9^th via Pelagic Records – ‘North Coast Megafauna’ feels akin to the sounds of math rock, free jazz and left-field post rock being made incarcerate as great, gurt beasts. There’s just a wondrously playful sense of carefree playfulness to this track, and whilst some of their peers in the post-rock scene may try to domesticate their sound to the point of being politely docile, ‘North Coast Megafauna’ once again see’s And So I Watch You From Afar letting their collective imagination run rampant and free. – Dan Hillier

RedHook – Cannibal (feat. Alpha Wolf)

Australian genre-splicers RedHook have been releasing a steady stream of singles in the wake of last year’s debut Postcard from a Living Hell, and with their latest, ‘Cannibal’, they’ve delved into Nine Inch Nails territory for an industrial ripper that’s down extremely bad. It’s an unashamed reclamation of sexuality – scratch just below its horror-themed lyrics and you’ll find the openly horny ode to oral sex that Emmy Mack penned to address the stigma surrounding sex that she felt for a long time after her own experience of assault (which she talks about in ‘Jabberwocky’). A powerful, steamy track that features some ferocious roars from fellow Aussies Alpha Wolf, it’s another new direction sonically but one that still slots neatly into the RedHook universe. Whatever they do with these now-four singles, and whether we’re getting even more LPs or EPs sooner than might be expected, we’ll have to wait and see. – Will Marshall

Bleed From Within – Hands of Sin

Arriving just in time for the summer festival circuit, ‘Hands of Sin’ is our first taste of new music from Scottish metallers Bleed From Within since 2022’s excellent Shrine. As we’ve come to expect from them now, it’s got a monster groove, hellacious screams and a skyscraper hook. While incorporating all the elements they’ve mastered since Fracture, it’s another step up in songwriting as everything sounds bigger, pushed further and a refinement on what they’ve done before. Take Ali Richardson’s blistering drumming that takes in speedy double bass, or Scott Kennedy’s reliably-vitriolic screams. This is Bleed From Within, sure, but it’s also them improving on an already-exciting path they’ve been set on since Fracture. With a support slot to the mighty Slipknot later this year, the sky really is the limit for them from now on. – Will Marshall

Knife Bride – Melancholia

Brighton “Nu-Gothika” outfit Knife Bride have also unveiled a summer festival-ready single in the form of ‘Melancholia’, a razor-sharp slice of eletronic-laden metalcore with crunchy guitars, vitriolic screams and desperate melodies. Vocalist Mollie Clack explains, “this song is about the disconnect we have in certain relationships. How we are all desperate to love and be loved, yearning to be seen and understood, always falling short of expectations and expelling too much sacred energy.” That yearning comes across in a stirring vocal performance backed by her instrumental compatriots in a brilliant display that puts Knife Bride firmly in contention to be upcoming frontrunners in the UK alt-metal scene. – Will Marshall

Higher Power – Stillpoint (feat. Never Ending Game)

Although they’ve moved into far more alt rock territories, Higher Power are still firmly rooted in hardcore, as new single ‘Stillpoint’ proves. Elements of Britpop and shoegaze are laced throughout its initially dreamy atmosphere, but there’s a viper in the grass in the form of Never Ending Game who offer a bruising feature during a late-song breakdown. It lands just in time for their appearance at the inaugural Flatspot World showcase in London as well as their appearance at Outbreak Festival and is sure to go down a treat both with the old-school hardcore fans and those embracing bands that reach for new sonic pastures. ‘Stillpoint’ is a lush, hazy number from a band showing UK hardcore is just as vibrant as its US counterpart, and can hit just as hard when it needs. Don’t miss Higher Power. – Will Marshall

Enumclaw – Change

Enumclaw present a weird dichotomy. Their music is perfect for those summer days spent flying down motorways with your mates’s laughter complimenting it as much it it ideal for those winter evenings spent for quiet isolated reflection. Their new single ‘Change’ makes such a sentiment irrefutable. Stemming from the place where one is on the cusp true adulthood, the track is a fuzzy and earnest spiel that mares musical motifs of the likes of Fleshwater, Narrow Head and The Smashing Pumpkins with ruminations on self, identity and one’s place in this manic world. This may be music to enjoy life to, but it’s clear that this wonderful track comes from a place where trauma has defined one’s worldview and personal parameters. Yet, with it’s gilded and breezy delivery, this isn’t a track for those that find nourishment within the pain of others. Simply, this a track of nuance and substance, one perfect for both ends of one’s personal spectrum of life satisfaction. – Dan Hillier

Void Of Vision – Gamma Knife

Ahead of their upcoming fourth LP What I’ll Leave Behind, Void Of Vision have released a brand new single that once again shows why they’re the finest offering in Australia’s burgeoning heavy music scene. Taking its name from a treatment for AVM, ‘Gamma Knife’ is a visceral exploration of vocalist Jack Bergin’s health difficulties and their impact on his career. The track perfectly blends the band’s more recent industrial sound with their original metalcore, culminating in a fast-paced and uncompromising single. The choruses are truly immense, with some of the band’s most impressive, soaring vocals to date, whilst Bergin’s lyricism is brilliantly uncomfortable as he discusses seizures and neurological decline. – Ryan Ward

Last Hounds – Disco

Releasing following the band’s recent appearance supporting NOFX’s final UK dates and dropping ahead of their tour alongside Clobber, The Last Gang and Split Dogs, ‘Disco’ is a snotty smash-and-grab that see’s Last Hounds running loose. Delivered with a punk snarl reminiscent of the likes of Gallows and The Ghost Of A Thousand, ‘Disco’ is an unleashed melee of crossover punk that mares hardcore orientated fury with a sense of energy stemming from area’s beyond the grotty pastures of punk and it’s ilk. Truly, rage may be what fuels this, but as the band comment, ‘Disco’ is a track that implores one to use this anger as a form of self-improving catharsis. “I took inspiration for the song after watching a video of Hip-Hop dancers throwing shapes to some Funk and Disco. They looked so free and happy, just lost in the moment, dancing. I really wanted to make a track that people could dance to”, states vocalist Mikey Skelcher “What we have come away with is a song that ignites emotions—whether it’s the need to unleash your anger or just to dance and feel amazing about life—whatever works for you.” – Dan Hillier

WALL – Masking My Contempt

One for the riff-minded amongst us, this. The first track to be lifted from the WALL’s debut record Brick by Brick – dropping August 30th via APF – ‘Masking My Contempt’ is a bouncy, raw and downright dirty instrumental ditty in the key of unapologetic Iommi-worship from twin siblings Ryan & Elliot Cole. Whilst those loyal to the UK’s prog metal scene may know brothers Cole from their work with Desert Storm, ‘Masking My Contempt’ is a delightfully unsanitised barrage of riffs that see’s the brothers follow in the footsteps of the likes of Karma To Burn, High On Fire, and of course, Black Sabbath. If one should like their music suitably stoned and clad in the sands of desert rock, then look no further. – Dan Hillier

God Is An Astronaut – Falling Leaves

Some more gorgeous Irish post rock for you, here. The first gilded thread to be plucked from their forthcoming record Ambers, ‘Falling Leaves’ is a delicate, spellbinding and awe-inspiring weave of instrumental sentimentalism that once again harkens to God Is An Astronaut releasing another rich tapestry of an album come it’s release on September 6^th. Those loyal to the post-rock scene will surely know what to expect from this, but for those new, ‘Falling Leaves’ see’s God Is An Astronaut mixing traditional post-rock romanticism with methods and ways from beyond the confines of the ‘rock world’. As cellos, sitars, zithers, bowed psaltery and other instruments dreamingly meld with the band’s fuzzy sound and their progressive disposition, the track takes on a persona that’s so far removed from what would stereotypically expect from a band of this nature. Of course, those acquainted with this act will no doubt expect something as wonderful as this, but for those new to God Is An Astronaut, something truly special awaits. – Dan Hillier