Content Breakdown
Spiritual Cramp – You’ve Got My Number ft. Sharon Van Etten
Heavensgate – A Fawn Flayed
Conjurer – All Apart
Mastiff – Rotting Blossom
Local Weatherman – Thread
Future Teens – Adjust Failure
GUV – Let Your Hands Go
The Fear – The End Is The Start
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Newish Music Playlist Update
Every week, our inbox is flooded with new singles from across the alternative scene, and while we’d love to highlight them all, there’s simply too much great music to keep up with. That’s where Already Heard Recommends: Songs of the Week comes in. We sift through the latest releases to bring you a handpicked selection of the standout tracks you need to hear.
Whether it’s rock, punk, emo, hardcore, metal, or something in between, we cut through the noise and bring you the songs that deserve your attention.
Spiritual Cramp – You’ve Got My Number ft. Sharon Van Etten
Among this past Friday’s stacked list of releases was the second album from Spiritual Cramp, ‘Rude’. It sees the San Francisco-based band expand from their rock n’ punk roots. In between the sturdy 2000s indie of ‘Automatic’ and the scrappy punk of ‘I Hate The Way I Look’ is ‘You’ve Got My Number’.
Built around dotted post-ska guitars, vocalist Mike Bingham is joined by Sharon Van Etten, who brings a softer tone to Bingham’s often sharp, introspective tongue. As they exchange verses, it brilliantly gallops towards a chorus that allows Bingham and Van Etten to bounce off each other, ending with a playful “Ba da ba ba ba ba ba da da da da”.
It’s complemented by an animated video that reimagines Bingham as an animated character navigating the psychological toll of endless touring and the relentless pursuit of success.
‘Rude’ by Spiritual Cramp is out now on Blue Grape Music
Heavensgate – A Fawn Flayed
This week Heavensgate returned with the next chapter of their uncompromising journey with ‘A Heart Is A Heavy Burden’. Its final track, ‘A Fawn Flayed’ exemplifies the Aussie mob’s crushing intensity. Thriving with a steely bite, industrial bounce, and Nazareth Tharatt’s gritty vocals, it’s a frantic ball of chaos and rage. While the band’s signature subtle use of atmosphere remains intact during its final moments.
Heavensgate consider ‘A Heart Is A Heavy Burden’ to be a journey of passion and turmoil, representing who the quartet are. “It’s our collective experiences as a band woven into a story that is heartfelt and resonates deeply with us, which we hope, in turn, our listeners can appreciate,” the band shared. “It’s always a little nerve-racking putting a body of work out there which has this much variety, but we’re proud to showcase this next step in the band.”
‘A Heart Is A Heavy Burden’ by Heavensgate is out now on Pure Noise Records.
Conjurer – All Apart
To celebrate the release of their new album, ‘Unself,’ Conjurer have unleashed ‘All Apart’.
Its brooding intro erupts with a volcanic surge, demonstrating the British metallers are at their heaviest yet. When Brady Deeprose joins Dani Nightingale on vocals, they sound monumental as Noah See’s drums pierce through Nightingale and Deeprose’s dense guitars.
Much like ‘Unself’ as a whole, ‘All Apart’ is unrelenting and emotional. For Nightingale, being non-binary and diagnosed with autism has shaped tracks such as ‘All Apart’ to become deeply personal. “I approached this song with the idea in mind of the first bricks that make up the metaphorical wall someone might put (or find) between them and their surroundings, the world they inhabit, both physical and metaphysical,” says Nightingale. “For many people in a similar or comparable position to mine, those initial instances of disassociation and alienation begin at school, when one is first integrated into a social and educational environment with their peers and those who watch over them. I can’t describe what it’s like to be vilified for behaviours and traits that are just normal and natural to you, but because no-one understands you – not even yourself – you’re forced to adhere to things you don’t understand and become something you’re not.”
‘Unself’ by Conjurer is out now on Nuclear Blast.
Mastiff – Rotting Blossom
East Yorkshire quintet Mastiff make a roaring return with ‘Rotting Blossom’. Having built a reputation on frankly being miserable, this track is a circle-pit made onslaught built around hypnotic guitars and an unavoidable hefty weight of sludge. Wrapped around by a d-beat hardcore skin, it’s Mastiff at their most bruising and punishing.
It’s a mere taster of what their new EP, ‘For All the Dead Dreams,’ has to offer – 19 minutes of unrelenting hardcore sludge with dense breakdowns, buzzsaw riffs, and abrasive vocals. The Kingston Upon Hull crew might insist on being dejected Yorkshire bastards, but you wouldn’t want it any other way.
‘For All the Dead Dreams’ by Mastiff is out now on Church Road Records.
Local Weatherman – Thread
Brooklyn up-and-comers Local Weatherman pull from power pop, emo, and slacker rock as they preview their ‘Right One’ EP with ‘Thread’.
With comparisons to Joyce Manor, The Replacements, and Jimmy Eat World, the track sees frontman Fritz Ortman produce a rising hook and pair it with anxiety-inducing lyrics. “‘Thread’ is about having no release valve when your mind is racing,” says the Local Weatherman vocalist/guitarist. “It’s the heaviest song we’ve made, but I think the bridge is one of the prettiest moments on the EP. This song also reckons with the rockstar dreams I had growing up (and maybe still have), and each verse ends with a nod to a song I loved as a kid.”
Having built a reputation in America’s DIY East Coast scene, ‘Right One’s four tracks will explore themes such as self-doubt, new beginnings, and the pain of distance.
‘Right One’ by Local Weatherman is released on January 16th on Karol Records.
Future Teens – Adjust Failure
Underappreciated emo trio Future Teens showcase a blend of optimism and regret with their new single, ‘Adjust Failure’.
Despite Daniel Radin’s introspective words, it’s complemented by a playful structure that balances revivalist emo with jamgly power-pop and indie rock.
“Here is a song about getting your ass kicked for a year and realising it’s both physically and mentally harder to get up each time. [It’s] About trying to balance self-doubt with hard-won optimism: scarred by past failures but starting to accept progress and trying to hold on to it,” states Future Teens’ vocalist and guitarist. “It’s about standing in the middle of growing up and realising that life doesn’t come with a handbook. It’s the sound of looking back at old expectations, wrestling with the reruns of mistakes and missed chances.”
GUV – Let Your Hands Go
You’d be mistaken to think ‘Let Your Hands Go,’ the latest single from Guv isn’t from the 1990s. With its baggy Britpop tone and swirling shoegaze, the project led by Ben Cook continues to evolve. And not just from dropping the ‘Young’ part from his moniker.
The use of kaleidoscopic guitars provides a hazy texture against a Stone Roses-esque dance beat, showcasing the unique lens Cooks takes on the forthcoming album, ‘Warmer Than Gold.’ It sees Cook pair his reliable hooks with the cultural erosion of the cities he grew up in, Toronto and London. Along the way, he collaborates with a host of names, including Meg Mills of Turnstile, Darcy Baylis, Hatchie, and James Matthew Seven.
Cook’s Guv project continues to evolve, and its latest incarnation promises to be littered with breakbeats, indie and dream pop soundscapes, and shoegaze among a growing sonic palette.
‘Warmer Than Gold’ by GUV is released on January 30th on Run For Cover Records.
The Fear – The End Is The Start
Manchester alt-rockers The Fear show their resistance with ‘The End Is The Start’. Having chased success in various bands over a decade ago, drummer Benj Ashmead and vocalist Mick Satiar formed the band just two years ago.
‘The End Is The Start’ captures The Fear‘s blend of alt-rock, metalcore, and nu-metal, adding a cinematic flair to its gritty undertone. Pounding drums, Ad Lucas’ metallic guitar, and “woah”s harmonies give the track a sense of defiance.
The track itself is taken from the band’s debut EP, a culmination of the band’s two-year journey. Titled ‘Falling Forward,’ The Fear describes it as “seven tracks of wall-to-wall bangers”. “We kinda stumbled back into making music together, but this time it felt right,” Ashmead explains. “Most of these songs came from that place of rediscovery. It’s about momentum, even when you don’t have it all figured out.”
‘Falling Forward’ by The Fear is out now.
Newish Music Playlist Update
The latest update consists of 90 fresh tracks. It includes music from Foo Fighters, Hayley Williams, The All-American Rejects, Poppy, Bad Omens, The Devil Wears Prada, Frank Turner, Puscifer, Spanish Love Songs, and Hawthorne Heights.
While rising names such as Soft Cult, The Hunna, Mouth Culture, Alt Blk Era, Seven Blood, Home Front, and PREYRS have shared new tracks. There are also live cuts fromGreen Day, The Darkness, Brutus, Slash, and Long Distance Calling.
| Ad Infinitum – Regicide Aerosmith and YUNGBLUD – My Only Angel (feat. Steve Martin) [Desert Road Version] The All-American Rejects – Eggshell Tap Dance All The Damn Vampires – Last Man Standing Alt Blk Era – Okay (Cyber Racing) Angel Du$t – Cold 2 The Touch Astronoid – Love Weapon Avralize – liminal Bad Omens – Dying To Love The Barbarians Of California – Pseudo Intellectuals Are Hating On My Band!!! ft Keith Buckley Beyond The Black – Can You Hear Me (Feat. Asami) BLACKGOLD – Crazy World The Browning – EVOLE Brutus – Paradise (Live in Brussels) Capillary – Lost Sleep / Time Before The Order Cardinals – The Burning of Cork Charlotte Wessels – Backup Plan (feat. VOLA) Cinema Stare – Plus Ultra! Commuter – Guilt Beat Hate Conjurer – All Apart Curious Volume – I Worship The Devil Daily J – Hopetown The Darkness – Is It Just Me? (Live at the Birmingham NEC, February 19, 2006) Dead Pioneers – Freedom Means Something The Devil Wears Prada – Everbody Knows DZ Deathrays – Skyline EF – Hello Scotland (20th Anniversary) Foo Fighters – Asking For A Friend Frank Turner – Northbound Friends of Friends – Happier |
Future Teens – Adjust Failure Gab De La Vega – No Cigar Good Sleepy – TRAP Green Day – Blood, Sex and Booze (Live at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo, Japan, March 18, 2001) GUV – Let Your Hands Go Hällas – The Emissary The Halo Effect – Dance With The Devil Hawthorne Heights – Wreckage Hayley Williams – Good Ol’ Days HEALTH – Thought Leader Hellripper – Kinchyle (Goatkraft And Granite) Holosoil – Look Up Home Front – Eulogy The Hunna – clouds Integra Pink – Con Tiemp Iona Zajac – Murder Mystery Kid Fears – Time In The Dark Killgurls – Cake Lecx Stacy – Winter, A Wilted Flower Local Weatherman – Thread Long Distance Calling – Out There (Live) Loons – My Way Magnolia Park – SHALLOW (Acoustic) Mammoth – Same Old Song Mavis – The Great Attractor Mel Denisse – going nowhere Michael Monroe – Rockin’ Horse Mini Trees – On Repeat Mouth Culture – On and On Novembre – House Of Rain |
Our Mirage – Timeloss Ov Sulfur – Wither Paleface Swiss – Let Me Sleep Petey USA – Not to Make It About Me Phoenix Lake – Bells Of Variel Poppy – Unravel PREYRS – Into The Blue Puscifer – Self-Evident Redwood – Painted Faces (In The Dark) Regrowth – Downpour Rise of the NorthStar – Falcon Roman Candle – This Band Has Led Me To Places I Wouldn’t Go With A Gun S8nt Elektric – Mirror_Image Sable Hills – Namu Second Harbour – Relative Seven Blood – Not Your Misery Shyeye – Nothing Slash – Crossroads (Live) Softcult – She Said, He Said Soulfly – No Pain = No Power Spanish Love Songs – Heavenhead (feat. Illuminati Hotties) Spiritual Cramp – You’ve Got My Number ft. Sharon Van Etten Stellar Circuits – Bury The Ashes SUDS – Hook me out Talking Violet – Destroy Taylor Acorn – Home Videos Telling Secrets – Crazy Testament – Seek & Destroy Unseen Faith, Left To Suffer – Cold Resolve Wolf Culture – I Am Not Your Therapist |
The ‘Newish Music’ playlist is also available on Apple Music.
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