We’re not ones to toot our own horn but our inbox is often inundated with emails from bands looking to grab our attention, and be part of our monthly “Recommends” feature. Nevertheless, we only pick the bands we truly believe have noteworthy attention. So the selection process can be difficult. We have once again highlighted four bands that you need to get in your ears immediately!
For starters, there is rising impassioned metallers As Everything Unfolds, who have just released their very impressive ‘Closure’ EP. While both Midnight Son and Lapyear are making their strides as they represent the flourishing UK emo scene. We also get to know German melodic post-hardcore collective The Pariah.
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As Everything Unfolds
Like many bands starting out, it can take numerous changes until you find a settled lineup where you can truly hit your stride. That’s certainly the case for Buckinghamshire modern metal sextet As Everything Unfolds. Formed as an acoustic duo in 2013, in the five years since they’ve grown to become a brimming with potential.
Their latest EP, ‘Closure’ sees the High Wycombe find their feet through a set of impassioned songs carried by vocalist Charlie Rolfe and complemented by a strong musical backbone of crushing riffs and intricate riffs. Songs such as ‘You Will Be’ and ‘Despondency’ thrive with urgency as Rolfe’s emotion melodies and angst lead the way. While as we learn, its title serves as a turning point for AEU, both personally and collectively. Throughout, they draw on experiences to deliver a fervent narrative of hope.
Undoubtedly, As Everything Unfolds have turned a corner and we wouldn’t be surprised if we’d be hearing more from them in the future. In the meantime, we spoke to guitarist Adam Kerr about the band’s history, ‘Closure’ and their forthcoming tour alongside TheCityIsOurs.
For Fans Of: Dream State, Bring Me The Horizon and Enter Shikari
AH: We understand the band formed five years ago with a style that mixed pop-punk and nu-metal before the arrival of Charlie Rolfe changed things. For those hearing the band for the first time, bring them up to speed on the history As Everything Unfolds?
Adam: As Everything Unfolds originally started out as an acoustic duo featuring myself and Alex Paton (ex-guitar & vocals) with both Jon Cassidy (Synths & ex-drums) and George Hunt (Bass) joining alongside Alex Meredith (ex-vocals) to create the first incarnation. When Alex Meredith left, the band was joined by Charlie Rolfe (vocals) and from that moment onwards, the band took a much more serious approach to both the outlook and songwriting.
Due to some artistic developments, Jon decided he wanted to pursue a more melodic outlet in the band and packed up the drums to take over as our resident Synthboi. This left a huge groove-shaped hole that we were very lucky to be filled with Liam Burgoyne (ex-drums) who stayed with us all through the recording of ‘Collide’ and now ‘Closure’. We stayed in this formation for a good two years before it became time for Liam to pursue his other musical passions and we were very lucky to find Jamie Gowers (drums) who has quickly become a very close member and is eager to be out playing shows and making a name for himself.
AH: Like a lot of bands, members have come and gone. Has they hindered the band’s development in any way?
Adam: We’ve been quite lucky in that regard with most of our member changes occurring before we really solidified what As Everything Unfolds was. With that in mind, we were actually very fortunate when Liam departed as he gave us a lot of time to plan and prepare for a new drummer. All the touring commitments that we had set in stone he came out and played, but for us, it did mean it was very much a farewell tour, with the last date in London being the best send-off show we could have asked for. That’s not to say that there isn’t ever difficult when losing members, as it’s always hard to lose a member of your family but the show must go on and if it hindered us we definitely didn’t let it show.
AH: And now you’ve just released a new EP titled ‘Closure’. Compared to last year’s ‘Collide’ EP, how has the band grown on this EP?
Adam: I think we’ve come on in leaps and bounds since ‘Collide’. ‘Collide’ is very much what it says on the tin, it’s loads of genres and ideas smashed together trying to find out what we do best and what we as a band like the most. ‘Closure’ is definitely more of a focused and cohesive endeavour that we all aimed to make the best EP we could. It still carries those themes of different genres and ideas smashed together with ’17:10′ and ‘You Will Be’ having very different vibes and connotations but the divide between the two is definitely a lot closer than ‘Bright Lights’ and ‘Tides’ for example. We’ve all grown up considerably, we’ve learnt a lot about ourselves, about life and about what it means to be a family and I think this new EP will reflect that maturity that we’ve all developed.
AH: With the title and the EP lyrically being about putting the past behind you, do you consider ‘Closure’ being a turning point?
Adam: Yeah 100%. ‘Closure’ is definitely a turning point for us; I don’t know what the future holds for As Everything Unfolds but this EP is definitely the one that solidifies our sound and our presence in the scene. Hopefully, a lot of people who are going through similar struggles to us can find some sort of solace in this record and either uses it to help comfort their pain or to empower them and help them come out stronger on the other side.
AH: If there is a message you want people to take away from the EP, what is it?
Adam: We don’t want to be too pinpointed on what the message on this EP is, because music definitely holds a different message and value to different people. As a message we can deliver in conjunction with the EP, it’s definitely that things will get better; you’ll make it through to the other side a stronger person than you were before.
AH: Just after the release of the EP, you’re heading out on tour with TheCityIsOurs. Your shows are said to have a high level of intensity, why should people come out to these shows?
Adam: I mean hopefully people will come out to the shows because they enjoy the music! Haha. Let’s just say that we’ve got something special planned for this tour alongside our already highly energetic show. If you wanna get in the pit and lose yourself in some dirty breakdowns, we’ve got you covered. If you wanna sing along to infectious choruses with both Charlie, Owen and myself then we’ve got you covered there as well. I can try and hype our shows up as much as possible but the only way you’ll know for sure is if you come down and party with us!
‘Closure’ EP by As Everything Unfolds is out now.
As Everything Unfolds links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The Pariah
Taking their cues from bands such as Counterparts, Being As An Ocean and Napoleon, Bottrop, Germany melodic hardcore newcomers The Pariah are an exciting prospect. Their debut album, ‘No Truth’ is an uncompromising blast with scattergun guitars, angst-fuelled vocals and a technical spine.
Although they formed nearly five years ago, the quartet, made up of vocalist Henning Begemann, guitarist Michell Kolomak, bassist Rouven Kircher and drummer Julian Ristow, consider ‘No Truth’ the band’s first “proper” release. Without a doubt, ‘No Truth’ sees a band with a clear vision of who and what they want to become. A thoroughly intense and honest record, ‘Second Skin’, ‘Hollow at Heart’ and ‘Dissemble’ are amongst its highlights, capturing the venomous passion of Begemann with rip-roaring, musical muscle of The Pariah.
To find out more, we grabbed a word with Henning Begemann to discuss ‘No Truth’, the lyrical tone of the album, and the impact of playing alongside their influences.
For Fans Of: Palm Reader, Counterparts, Capsize.
AH: We’re a few weeks removed from the release of your debut album, ‘No Truth’. For those discovering The Pariah for the first time, can you give us a brief overhaul on the band’s history so far?
Henning: We founded The Pariah in late 2013 as a project of some friends who just wanted to make some music. After a half year, we put out two singles and played our first shows. In 2016, we finally released our debut EP via Redfield Records called ‘Divided by Choice’, played shows with some of our favourite bands and started writing for our debut album. For most of us, this was the first official release ever and although we had played in other bands before nothing ever got on a professional level like this. Writing the album took a bit longer than expected but since we’re all really happy with the result, we think that ‘No Truth’ just needed its time to be written.
AH: With a title like ‘No Truth’, we get the impression the album is lyrically about honesty or the lack of it. How would you sum up the lyrical tone of the record? Is there an overall message you want listeners to walk away with?
Henning: I know that the title ‘No Truth’ is a very vague one, so finding an overall message isn’t that easy. But that’s the point about searching for the truth. In every aspect of our life, personally, socially or environmentally, we’re confronted with not knowing if we will ever get to see what’s really going on and sometimes we literally don’t want to know it, because that would mean we’d have to change the way we live or the way we behave towards others. To sum it up, I’d say that finding the truth is very hard in general and since we additionally don’t even want to find out what’s true anyway, it’s almost impossible.
AH: In comparison to your ‘Divided by Choice’ EP, how has the band’s approach developed on ‘No Truth’?
Henning: The songs we wrote for ‘Divided by Choice’ were the first songs we ever wrote as a band and some of them were written in a very short amount of time because there were two songs missing a few weeks before we hit the studio. I’m curious if you can find out which songs, haha. However, the writing process for ‘No Truth’ was completely different. We got ourselves some recording equipment and pre-produced the whole album in our practice room before we got to the studio. The songs have almost all been rewritten several times until we were happy with the outcome. We wanted to make sure that all of us agreed with every aspect of every song.
AH: Since forming, you’ve played shows with names such as Being As An Ocean, Capsize, Napoleon, Hundredth and more. What sort of influence have those bands had on The Pariah?
Henning: Of course, some of those bands have influenced us musically, especially in the beginning. Also, we‘ve learned that most ‘big’ acts are big for a reason. They put a lot of work into their bands to become well known. That has motivated us to work as hard as we can to push our own band further. To be honest, when we started we didn‘t dare to dream of playing as a support act for our favourite bands, so this is a sign for us that the effort we put in The Pariah pays off.
AH: The album came out in late September. How have you found the response so far?
Henning: The response has been great! We really appreciate all the nice things people tell us and there have been some pretty cool reviews as well. All of us put so much work in ‘No Truth’, we’re more than happy to see that people actually like what we created.
AH: We see you have several shows lined up in Germany and Switzerland. Can we expect you to be travelling further across Europe in the near future?
Henning: We’ll keep doing our best to travel as far as possible! It’s always a great pleasure for us to be on the road, discovering new places and meeting new people. We’re definitely working on some things and we’ll let you know in time where we’ll be going. Promise!
‘No Truth’ by The Pariah is out now on Redfield Records / Silent Cult Records.
The Pariah links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Midnight Son
Hailing from the industrial sector of Steel City comes Midnight Son. The Sheffield quintet formed last year but have been biding their time, refining their brand of emotive alt-rock. Earlier this month they release an eponymous debut EP. Consisting of three songs, ‘Twisted Together’, ‘Mindness’ and ‘Blue Moon’, Midnight Son serve up a sound that nicely blends their influences.
Over the course of the EP, they show a tendency to blend a melancholic-soaked, grunge base with stirring melodies. For example, ‘Twisted Together’ is carried with urgency as lead singer Thomas Hoyland and guitarist Charles Fitzgerald bounce off each other vocally, with fuzz-ridden guitars riding underneath. Even though it may have taken longer than some bands to get their debut release out there, ‘Midnight Son’ is an assured introduction to what this Steel City collective who and wants to be.
As they make their first steps as a band, we spoke to guitarists Christopher Leake and Charles Fitzgerald about how Midnight Son went from a solo project to a full band, working with Bob Cooper (Nervus, Catch Fire, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Ducking Punches), their influences and forthcoming plans.
For Fans Of: Citizen, Basement, and Dinosaur Jr
AH: We understand the band came together in 2017 but it’s only now we’re hearing music from you. How did Midnight Son form?
Chris: Midnight Son was always destined to be a full band experience. I started it as a solo project writing without any real purpose. That became developing tracks at home on my acoustic and just going down to my mate’s studio to lay them down, week after week. When the songs were sounding solid, which was kind of late 2017 time, I knew I needed to find more members to evolve the songs and sound more. Selecting members was easy, my brother Rob (Leake) has played bass in every band I’ve been in and I’ve known our vocalist Thomas since school. I’d played with our drummer Alex (Pullen)’s old band a few times and knew he absolutely shredded so he was a cert. And then finally I knew Charles, our second guitarist/songwriter, through the whole alternative culture of Sheff and needed his youthful presence and creativity to make the whole thing work.
AH: Unlike some new bands who are eager to get material out as soon as possible, you spent the best part of a year writing. How beneficial was allowing yourselves to work at your own pace?
Chris: Some bands like to put loads of demo’s out and early recordings, which can work and be totally cool, but we wanted to be a bit more refined and comfortable with our material and sound before recording anything.
Charles: Having all the time we’ve had to let the songs be what they’re meant to be has been awesome. I think that shows on this record.
AH: When you began writing, what were your aims in terms of sound?
Charles: I guess that wasn’t really any aim, we knew it was going to be loud.
Chris: It’s hard to pin it down to one thing. It was always a wavy kind of emo/alt-rock project but sometimes we’d go into the studio and write a softer song or one in a completely different style. We just tried to keep an open mind while we were writing and not write any avenues off.
AH: Your bio suggests that your influences are a mix of old and new bands. To give readers an idea of what to expect from Midnight Son, who would you consider your main influences to be?
Chris: I’d say mainly a lot of the new wave alt-rock bands shaped my writing style more than anything else, Basement, Citizen, Run for Cover Records etc. But all of us are into such different things, we try not to put ourselves in a box.
Charles: I was listening to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins when we first started playing, along with Dinosaur Jr, early Placebo and anyone else with defined fuzz tones. I think of Midnight Son as a blend of old and new.
AH: You recorded the EP with well-respected produced Bob Cooper. How did his expertise benefit the three songs on the EP?
Chris: Bob is a genius, I’d worked with him before and knew he was the man to go to. The EP was recorded meticulously at every stage of the process. He’s a driver of positive vibes in the studio, recording and mastering tones with him is easy!
Charles: Yeah we all fell in love with Bob pretty quick, he has some incredible gear and is as creative as any band that comes in when it comes to his production.
AH: Although your debut EP is only just being released, what else do you have planned in the coming months?
Charles: We just want to play everywhere!
Chris: We’ve got some shows to announce over the coming weeks, as well as merchandise and physical release info. We’ve also been back in the studio with Bob to record a new single so keep your eyes on everything Midnight Son.
‘Midnight Son’ EP by Midnight Son is out now.
Midnight Sons links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp
Lapyear
The members of Hertfordshire quartet Lapyear have been friends since their time at school together. As they’ve grown up, they’ve played in various bands yet never together. That was until an evening spent watching Virginia Beach dream-pop band Turnover in London. After a few drinks, Chris Burton (lead vocals / guitar), Scott Gear (lead guitar), Gary West (bass) and Mat Taylor (drums) decided to form Lapyear.
Over the past two years, they’ve been honing in on their brand of emo-tinged shoegaze. Earlier this year they released an EP called ‘Comfort Underwater’. It saw the four-piece experiment through mixing influential bands such as The Cure, Ride and Slowdive with more modern post-hardcore bands (Title Fight, Turnover). The promising and effective outing caught the attention of Venn Records’ Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard. Fast forward to the here and now, and Lapyear find themselves on a label that counts Marmozets, Milk Teeth, Nervus and Muskets as part of its alumni.
Their label debut comes in the form of a double A-Side single, ‘Stay Warm / Tired Eyes’. Set for a November 9th release, the two tracks sees Lapyear take a more streamline approach, highlighting their strong points. ‘Stay Warm’ is more direct, plucky and shows their ability to write memorable melodies. Whereas ‘Tired Eyes’ is reserved yet compelling.
As they continue to add to their body of work, Lapyear are proving to be a versatile prospect. Ahead of the release of ‘Stay Warm / Tired Eyes’ we asked them about the new material, the importance of having label support, as well as the local Hertfordshire scene.
For Fans Of: Slowdive, Turnover and Title Fight.
AH: We hear you’ve all been friends for several years but Lapyear only came to fruition after a Turnover show in 2016. Bring us up to speed on the history of Lapyear?
We’re all friends from back home in Hertfordshire. We (Chris, Scott and Gary) went to the same high school together and we met Mat around that time too. We have all been in a number of bands since then, in Hertfordshire and Brighton, the latter being a place three of us lived in for around four years.
As we were all fans, we decided to go to a Turnover gig in London and that’s when we all decided to collaborate musically together as a unit. Since Lapyear began two years ago (to the day of this interview), we have self-released a single and an EP, and now our our next single is coming out on Venn Records on November 9th.
AH: You’re preparing to release a double A-Side single, ‘Stay Warm/Tired Eyes’, next month. It’s not that long since you released the ‘Comfort Underwater’ EP. What was the motive behind the quick turnaround?
As soon as we came out of the studio from the EP, we started writing music straight away, so we’ve been working on ‘Stay Warm / Tired Eyes’ for a while. We spent a lot of time refining them and trying to take a step up from ‘Comfort Underwater’ musically, so we were really excited to share them with everyone.
AH: From hearing both songs, it seems you’ve taken a more direct approach. Do you think this is something we can see more of from Lapyear going forward?
Mat: We think that is definitely safe to say. Our name is about maturity and growing up and that is exactly what we are trying to do in our approach to making new music. We are always growing and changing as musicians and we hope that this is conveyed through our songs.
Chris: As proud as we are of our previous work, we didn’t want to go in and do the same thing again. So we consciously decided to go for a more direct approach and go with whatever came to us naturally, as opposed to obsessing over certain parts. But that’s not to say we’ll stick to this method, we’ll always be a band that will only do things that are right for us at the time. We’re always looking for ways to improve ourselves musically and creatively as a unit. We make music for ourselves first, and if people are into it then that’s special. I think that once you go in with the mindset of pleasing everyone, that’s when an artist loses their authenticity.
AH: With yourselves and Redwood emerging from Hertfordshire, how would you consider the local music scene right now? Any up-and-coming bands we should be checking out?
Mat: The local music scene has definitely improved in the last 3-5 years. For a while it was dead, so it’s great to see a whole new wave of bands coming out of the three counties area that are actually amazingly talented and doing well. I would recommend Butterfly, Old Man Jr, Waste and Lunar.
Chris: Check out Old Man Jr, they’ll be opening up our release show, and they’re great pals of ours too. Scott is also in a band called Lunar, who are reminiscent of Yourcodenameis:milo and (early) Bloc Party etc. Something I enjoy about our local scene is there isn’t one band that sound similar to one another, so when we all put on a show together, you have a tonne of people with different backgrounds and tastes, which makes it diverse musically and a challenge for each band.
AH: The single is also being released on Venn Records, who have an impressive track record for spotting bands before they go on to bigger things. Even with DIY services like Bandcamp, do you think having label support is still important for a band in 2018?
Gary: We do think its got its place still, as long as it’s the right label for you. If you have the right people on board it makes a huge difference, people who are going to put time and money into promoting your music, people who have contacts you wouldn’t otherwise have. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time to create and release music, so the more people involved in the process the better.
AH: Besides a few shows scheduled around the single release, what other plans do Lapyear have for the rest of the year and into 2019?
Mat: We have our release show on 14th November at the Black Heart in London, and then a small south coast run in late November where we play Bournemouth and Brighton. Our plan going into the new year is to go back into writing mode and come up with a body of work that we are musically proud of, so that we are primed and ready to take on 2019!
‘Stay Warm / Tired Eyes’ by Lapyear is released on 9th November on Venn Records.
Lapyear links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp
Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86)
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