Wallowing & Tayne, Urne, Pleiades and More: New Noizze – The 16 Must-Listen Tracks of the Week

You know the deal. Here's the best singles of last week.

Wallowing & Tayne – Ancient Sorcery

It might not be festival season yet, but ‘Ancient Sorcery’ is one of those songs that will leave you with no other options but to lose yourself entirely to the chaotic cosmic collision between self-professed industrial noise pop band Tayne and the heaviest, sludgiest alien beekeepers of them all, Wallowing. This double-whammy, provided by the almighty Church Road Records, is an interesting combo for the non-initiated, but it remains an extremely catchy and enthralling tune with a lot of aggressiveness, a lot of oomph and so much potential for dancing, twerking and headbang at the same time. – Nessie Spencer

Urne – Throes of Grief / I (Black Sabbath cover)

There are few bands right now who have the ability to create riffs as gigantic as Urne. Despite it not even being two full years since their emotional sledgehammer that was A Feast On Sorrow, the clamour for new music has been in play for a good while. Blessing us with not only a brand new track in ‘Throes Of Grief’ but also a cover of Black Sabbath‘s classic ‘I’. For ‘Throes Of Grief’, the band have recruited Avatar (who they spent a good amount of time on tour with last year) guitarist Tim Öhrström to add his voice and powerful guitar work to the track. The result is a hefty slab of emotive modern metal, clearly influenced by the band they cover on the other track but also bearing the group’s signature sound. Joe Nally’s voice is as grandiose and wrought with pain as ever, which lends itself well to the Sabbath cover. It’s clear from the amount of effort and love put into the track that this is a piece of music that means a lot to Urne. The two pieces together, metal’s past and future show that there is definitely something to be excited about in the coming months for the British metallers. – Chris Earl

Pleiades – LA1 (Left Aimless)

Self-proclaimed ‘post-something’ Mancunians Pleiades appear to be gearing up for a truly special second era. Following on from the superb ‘CV5 (Constant Variation)’, released late last year, the band have conjured up yet another starkly beautiful track in the form of ‘LA1 (Left Aimless)’. An ode to vocalist Andy Calderbank’s home of Lancaster and the forgotten love we have for our hometowns, the track continues to build upon Pleiades’ foundations of complex instrumentation combined with captivating and surprisingly engaging melodies. ‘LA1’, however, now possesses the polish and confidence of a band that have a full understanding of their identity and skill set, with delicately performed guitar passages dancing beneath the distinctive vocals of Calderbank, which vault effortlessly from feathery melodies to razor-sharp screams. If there is one band worth ensuring you see at Noizzefest later this year, it is Pleiades. – Ryan Ward

EYES – Better

Dirty Danish hardcore troupe EYES are back and signed up to the fantastic Prosthetic Records for their incoming album SPINNER. ‘Through the lens of a fictional early 80s anime episode, vocalist Victor Kaas puts himself under the microscope, exploring events and emotions in his own life. SPINNER is heavily inspired by manga author Asano Inio, specifically his works Goodnight Punpun and Dead Dead Demon’s De De De Destruction.’ First single ‘Better’ comes in under a minute and to be honest, what more do you need? It is direct, brutal and honest and a perfect set up for what is to come. – Adam Vallely

Last Hyena – Make It Sound French

Is it math rock? It is post rock? Is it French enough? ‘Sure, maybe, I guess’, is the answer to such questions regarding the new single from Bristolian madcap instrumentalists Last Hyena. An unpredictable and truly mercurial exercise in free-spirited musical fluidity, ‘Make It Sound French’ once again see’s Last Hyena borrowing elements of the aforementioned genres and incorporating them into their own free jazz-orientated sound. Like the majority of their material, it’s impossible to predict where this song goes, but such is the brilliance of this band and the message of this track. “The title comes from a story shared by a close friend whose father was in a punk band in his younger years”, state the band on the track. “During one of their shows, the band decided to play an impromptu cover of ‘Ça plane pour moi’ by Plastic Bertrand. When the lead singer, our friend’s father, told his bandmates he didn’t know the lyrics, one of them responded with “just make it sound French!”. This spontaneous moment stuck with us because it perfectly embodies the themes we wanted to explore in the track: the idea of adapting to the unexpected, leaning into the chaos and finding a way to make something work even when things aren’t perfect. The title captures that spirit of improvisation and fluidity, much like the journey the music itself takes listeners on.” – Dan Hillier

PVRIS – My House (Feat. Courtney LaPlante)

Ahead of the ten year anniversary tour of debut record White Noise, PVRIS have found themselves in a period of reinvention. The project, now solely consisting of Lynn Gunn, has revisited their single ‘My House’, and reconstructed it with a guest appearance from Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante. The result is an alternative rock anthem that brings both spirited, infectious pop melodies, and ferocious, metalcore-tinged breakdowns. The early 2010s alternative spirit is carefully preserved, but polished in ways that ensure this track truly feels like a deserved evolution. There is a natural chemistry between Gunn and LaPlante that enables the two vocalists to compliment each other wonderfully, with both demonstrating the perfect understanding of when to deliver soaring passages, and when to deliver fierce, understated grit. – Ryan Ward

Jivebomb – Estrela

Baltimore hardcore outfit Jivebomb made quite the splash with their initial demo and EP, being snapped up by Flatspot Records, and the second single taken from their upcoming album Ethereal shows a considered evolution from those earlier days. ‘Estrela’ is 75 seconds of uncompromising, powerviolence-flecked hardcore that bristles and bruises musically while lyrically, calls back to the album’s title. Cascading drums, vicious roars and churning riffs are the order of the day as it blitzes through speakers and ears alike, with vocalist Kat Madeira remarking of the song, “this song has been written (lyrically) for a while and I was on a heavy Billie Holiday kick at the time. She has a devastating song where she says, ‘angels have no thoughts of ever returning you – would they be angry if I thought of joining you?’ so there’s an ode to that in ‘Estrela.’ Letting a past self die in order to grow, rather than being complacent in your shit life.” – Will Marshall

Luo – Toad (Feat. Barney Sage)

The first lick of the upcoming EP of the same name and featuring the drumming and production talents of Barney Sage, ‘Toad’ is a wonderfully composed and fully realised coalescence of urbanite future beats, contemplative IDM and harmonious electronics. Those familiar with the experimental stylings of Luo will know what to expect here – luxurious, intricately designed beats with a post-rock and free-jazz orientated ethos – but for those new to this project, expect something wonderful that fully enlivens the proposed tag that is intelligent dance music. – Dan Hillier

DZ Deathrays – Like No Other

‘Like No Other’ is the lead single from popular Aussie garage-punks DZ Deathrays next musical project and is a punchy, more pop-oriented endeavour compared to their previously punk-inspired back catalogue. However, there are still plenty of memorable hooks, fuzzy guitar riffs and vocal swagger courtesy of charismatic frontman Shane Parsons that carry the track and add more variety to their already impressive discography and ‘Like No Other’ is a welcome standout from their extensive back catalogue. Despite their new single straying away from their garage roots, it will surely resonate with both newer audiences and established DZ Deathrays fans. – Ez Luscombe

Indifferent Engine – Crashing Into A Hillside In the Dead of Night

Church Road Records are at it again pulling in yet another intriguing and exciting act with Indifferent Engine. For fans of all the post-hardcore greats like Cave In, Deftones or At The Drive-In, their first single pulled from incoming record ‘Speculative Fiction!’ cuts hard hitting moments with ethereal floating sections. Known for their intense live performances, this is a band to take note of and catch next time they play near you. – Adam Vallely

Alien Weaponry – 1000 Friends

Purveyors of hefty groove metal, Alien Weaponry are set to drop their third album Te Rā next month and their second single, ‘1000 Friends’, ramps up the melody and is predominantly sung in English. A thrashy verse riff and double-kick underpins the song, taking aim at the plague of social media with lines like “1000 friends / But you’re all alone”. It’s as much an indictment of social media as it is a cry of loneliness in a world driven by follower numbers and “content”. Guitarist/vocalist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong explains, “‘1000 Friends’ encapsulates the shifting way we socialize today, and the impact it has on the human psyche. We can often feel disconnected from the outside world. The human mind wasn’t built to comprehend the world we are currently living in. ” – Will Marshall

rozemary – apollo

Merseyside metalcore mob rozemary‘s second single ‘apollo’ sees them expanding their musical horizons further afield than ’empty ceiling’. As much as there’s a 2000s metalcore influence, there’s flourishes of electronica, a greater emphasis on melody and towering choruses. As melodious as ‘apollo’ can be though, there’s just as many savage breakdowns along with vocalist Izabel Lavin’s caustic screams. It’s a bold modernisation of 2000s metalcore, and one that continues to mark rozemary out as serious contenders in the UK’s burgeoning scene. – Will Marshall

House Of Protection – Afterlife

After last year exploding into the consciousness of the alternative scene with a killer debut EP, House of Protection are back with a brand new single, a brand new upcoming EP, and the same ferocious creativity that made them stand out. ‘Afterlife’ sees the duo slow the tempo but without dampening their energy. A swaggering, groove-focused instrumental backdrop leans in more of an electronic direction, as arena-sized percussion crashes against glitching, thumping beats. The band’s lyricism continues to emphasise their ethos of living fast and hard, with wickedly written lines such as ‘This how I absolutely want to die, Go ahead and meet me in the afterlife’ and ‘Dive in, headfirst, Close your eyes and call a hearse”. Their status as a must-listen band remains just as true as it did last year. – Ryan Ward

The Midnight – Love Is An Ocean

‘Love Is An Ocean’ is the ambient, yet exciting and musically varied second single from the highly-awaited next project of LA synthwave greats The Midnight. This new era is proving to be a more lush, and chilled-out approach to synthwave. It trades in catchy hooks, 80s inspired guitar lines and group vocals for wavelike soundscapes that match the lyrics and their trademark driving 808s which add a more tropical house vibe to the track. However, ‘Love is an Ocean’ still provides the expected sax solos, pounding bass, and alluring vocal effects which would not sound out of place on their Drive-inspired 2017 release Nocturnal. Make sure to catch The Midnight on their UK tour in October – their live shows are electrifying. – Ez Luscombe

Orthodox – Commit to Consequence (Feat. Andrew Neufeld)

One of the best bands at mixing mind melting technical metalcore with bone crunching heaviness, Orthodox are back with a brand new single. ‘Commit To Consequence’, which also features the brilliant and legendary Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid. It’s a two and a half minute slab of musical madness with pick scrapes, jaw clenching chugs and sole brilliant dynamics coalesce into an ending breakdown so hefty that it threatens to have your teeth dance out of your jaw. As usual, it’ll probably take two or three satisfying listens to figure out what the hell is going on but each time you’ll be left slightly less bewildered and more joyous with the chaotic brutality on show. A perfect start to 2025 for the Nashville group, whetting appetites a plenty for what will hopefully be a year filled with more new music from them. – Chris Earl

Justice For The Damned – The Current

February 2025 will likely be counted as a massive month for Australian deathcore crew Justice For The Damned. Not only have they dropped a seismic new track, their first in four years in ‘The Current’, but more importantly, it was announced earlier this month that their drummer Chas Levi’s cancer was in remission, which is amazing news. The new song itself is a chunky, mid tempo deathcore banger, chock full of groove and raw emotion. Described as a song that shows the movement forward since their last record, ‘Pain is Power’ and a way to reintroduce Justice For The Damned back to the world, it does all of that and more. – Chris Earl