Our #NewMusicFriday graphics have a bold new look, and with it comes another busy week of releases. Today sees hard rockers Black Veil Brides and longtime Already Heard favourites Basement return with new albums. Meanwhile, Koyo continue to be a name to watch in melodic punk/pop-punk circles. Their second album, ‘Barely Here,’ homes in on their strengths, building on the momentum of 2023’s ‘Would You Miss It?’. Executed with assuredness and a defined sound rooted in their Long Island origins, it’s a 28-minute blast of hardcore-leaning guitars and soaring pop-punk hooks.
Other familiar names releasing new music today include raucous Nottingham riff-makers Haggard Cat and Canadian punk mainstays The Flatliners. For the former, ‘The Pain That Orbits Life’ sees the duo embrace progressive influences, quirky synths, and massive choruses. As for the latter, ‘Cold World’ pulls from over two decades of playing together, as stability allows them to live in the moment, producing a reliable anthemic punk sound.
Today also sees a host of up-and-coming names looking to leave their mark. Hotly tipped R&B-infused metal band, sace6, deliver their debut album, ‘brutalist’. Swiss duo Comastatic‘s ‘Live Fast Die Young’ showcases a whirlwind mix of alt-rock and metalcore with a handful of guests, including Melrose Avenue, Yours Truly, and Point North. Closer to home, Oxford alt-rock/post-hardcore trio Civil Villains demonstrate their dynamism with their impressive second album, ‘A Sleeper, Underneath’. From Scotland, ‘Where I Should Be’ by Red Vanilla proves to be a promising EP, showcasing their versatile alt-rock. Black Orchid Empire continue to be underappreciated as the trio returns with their fifth album, ‘LORE’. Blurring the lines between heavy, progressive, and alternative rock, the London trio continue to churn out titanic songs. Finally, there’s Picture Postcard and their debut EP, ‘With Time’. Based out of Dublin, the quartet’s hazy brand of “emogaze” is delivered with a compelling and ethereal quality.
Elsewhere, chart-topping Sleep Token drops an instrumental version of ‘Even in Arcadia’. While Social Distortion, Future Teens, The Narrator, Frozen Soul, and Karmanjakah are among the other names with new releases out today.
What is out on #NewMusicFriday?
Albums
Rock / Alternative Rock / Hard Rock
Black Veil Brides – Vindicate
sace6 – brutalist
Civil Villains – A Sleeper, Underneath
Black Orchid Empire – LORE
Comastatic – Live Fast Die Young
Who On Earth – It Takes The Village
Alternative / Indie / Post-Rock
Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia (Instrumental)
The Lemon Twigs – Look For Your Mind
The Family Men – Co/de/termination
Otay:Onii – Love is in the Sh*t
Emo / Pop-Punk / Pop-Rock / Punk / Post-Punk
Basement – Wired
Koyo – Barely Here
The Flatliners – Cold World
Future Teens – Still Life
Heavy Metal Chess Club – Think It’ll Haunt Me Forever
Victory Kid – Catalyst
Hardcore
Social Distortion – Born to Kill
Post-Hardcore
Haggard Cat – The Pain That Orbits Life
Metalcore
The Narrator – Phosphor
Progressive
Karmanjakah – Diamond Morning
Black Sea Of Trees – Cult of the Sun
Electric Sun Defence – Estuary
Metal
Darkthrone – Pre-Historic Metal
Sungrave – Afterglow
IATT – Etheric Realms of the Night
Panopticon – Det Hjemsøkte Hjerte
Death Metal / Deathcore
Frozen Soul – No Place of Warmth
EPs
Red Vanilla – Where I Should Be
Picture Postcard – With Time
Trial Tapes – 5 Notes
Thin Ice – Happiness Ain’t Meant For All
Wounded Touch – They Promised Eden (Vol. 1!)
In 2 Again – Coins, Currency, Tokens, and Other Related Objects
Reissues and Compilations
Testament – Practice What You Preach
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.
