Content Breakdown
What is out on this #NewMusicFriday?
Take me to the Playlist
With the Thanksgiving Holiday Stateside, ‘Black Friday’ sales at large, and new episodes of ‘Stranger Things’ released, it’s no surprise that this week’s #NewMusicFriday is slightly quieter.
However, it isn’t a complete write-off. Besides live releases from Alexisonfire, Brutus, Dream Theater, Bury Tomorrow, and Citizen, there is new music from These New South Whales, downcast, Pabst, and male//gaze.
Melbourne quartet These New South Whales’ fourth full-length outing, ‘GODSPEED’, expands their stylistic scope. Across its eleven tracks, TNSW demonstrate spikey indie rock (‘Instinct’), rampant post-punk (‘PIG’), explosive hardcore punk (‘Be What You Wanna Be’ ), and new wave-meets-Britpop (‘Godspeed’). There’s also the aching power ballad ‘Nobody Listens’. It makes for an often thrilling listen, threaded together with a narrative of self-assurance.
If you want some heavy melodic rock, downcast‘s ‘Nothing Left To Give’ EP might be of interest. The Bristolian band serve up a short but sharp set of songs. The title track, along with ‘home’ allows them to showcase a bold and energetic sound that continues to evolve. Matched by massive hooks, the second half of the EP sees them leave their stamp on tracks from the Backstreet Boys (‘Just Want You To Know‘) and My Chemical Romance (‘I Don’t Love You’).
German trio PABST are equally energetic. ‘This is normal now’ is a collection of observational rock with a growing sonic astuteness. From the fuzz-laden ‘Limbo No. 5’ to the dizzying ‘Song on the Radio’ through to ‘Heavy Metal Junk Island’s distorted riffs, and to the reflective title track, it’s a record that embraces the chaotic world that it’s been inspired by. While collaborations with DZ Deathrays, Snake Eyes, and Blush Always are more than merely fleeting guest spots.
“Extreme pop” collective male//gaze leave their mark with their ‘Too Late Now’ EP. With plenty of emotional and musical depth on show, the Pacific Northwest quintet utilise cathartic shoegaze, pounding post-hardcore, glitchy electronica, and soaring pop melodies. Moments like the chaotic ‘Slaymaxxing’ being paired with the soothing ‘Speak (For Me)’ are pulled off well, emphasising their depth. While tracks such as ‘Returning,’ and ‘Get Well’ showcase their explosive dynamism.
With it being a less busy week, it gives brand new names to be spotlighted. For example, there is the debut EP from anonymous alternative metal artist No Love. ‘Are You Ready For More?’ is three tracks of high-octane modern metalcore that is reminiscent of Bad Omens and Bring Me The Horizon. While lyrically inspired by tales of trauma, songs such as ‘Bad Habits’ and the synth-led ‘Bad Habits’ aim to build a world involving a toxic relationship between the No Love Bunny and No Love Bear.
Fellow debutants Indecision hail from Bristol and cite the likes of Deftones, Basement, and The Smashing Pumpkins as influences. Their new EP, ‘Vol. 1’, rounds off their first year as a band with six tracks showcasing a raw brand of alt-rock. Tracks such as ‘Draw Me Under’ and ‘Loud and Clear’ thrive on a dense grunginess, only to be countered by gentle and bittersweet moments like ‘Chemicals In Your Kiss’ and ‘Haunt’.
You can also hear new music from fast-rising pop-rockers South Arcade, along with Harpy, Tickles, Paledusk, and Petey USA. While The Darkness and EF release 20th anniversary reissues.
What is out on #NewMusicFriday?
Albums
Rock / Alternative Rock / Hard Rock
Pabst – This is Normal Now
Tickles – Sugar & Plastic Plates
Petey USA – A Case Of Yips
Valiant Hearts – Hidden Realms
Loons – Life Is
Black Magic Tree – Terra
Excide – Bastard Hymns
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter – Forever, I’ve Been Being Born
Bad Sam – Trauma
Alternative / Indie / Post-Rock
City and Colour – Sometimes Lullaby
Emo / Pop-Punk / Pop-Rock / Punk / Post-Punk
Citizen – Everybody is Going to Heaven (Live in Detroit)
These New South Whales – GODSPEED
Nerdlinger – Growing Up Is Getting Old
Post-Hardcore
Alexisonfire – House of Strombo (LIVE in Toronto, ON 2019)
Brutus – Live In Brussels
Metalcore
Bury Tomorrow – Bury Tomorrow (Live in Cologne)
Paledusk – Paledusk
Progressive
Dream Theater – Quarantième: Live à Paris
Metal
Pale Horse Ritual – Diabolic Formation
Equilibrium – Equinox
Suffering – Things Seen But Always Hidden
Thus Defiled – Wings Of The Nightstorm
EPs
South Arcade – Play
downcast – Nothing Left To Give
male//gaze – Too Late Now
Harpy – VII
No Love – Are You Ready For More?
Indecision – Vol. 1
Walk In Coma – Human Condition
Sex Mask – Body Broker
Paintrail – Nocturnals
Reissues and Compilations
The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back (20th Anniversary Edition)
EF – Give Me Beauty… or Give Me Death! (20th anniversary re-release)
If you think I’ve missed something or have a new album/EP/song to tell us about, tell us about it here.
Follow the #NewMusicFriday playlist on Apple Music
If you’re looking for the latest tracks focusing on rock, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, and everything in between, then check out our ‘Newish Music’ playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.
