Every week our inbox is packed with new singles, and as much as we’d love to give them all the spotlight, there’s just too much good music. So that’s why we’re launching Already Heard Recommends: Songs of the Week.
Already Heard Recommends: Songs of the Week is your go-to roundup of the best new tracks from the alternative scene. Each week, we cut through the noise to bring you a curated selection of must-hear songs spanning rock, punk, emo, hardcore, and more.
Malevolence – If It’s All The Same To You
It’s a credit to Malevolence that their perseverance has paid off. Their DIY work ethic has made them a prominent name in the UK’s metal and hardcore scene. It’s taken them to the point where they’re now working with Grammy Award-winning producers at the legendary Studio 606 in California. The Steel City mob have teamed up with producer Josh Wilbur for their fourth album, ‘Where Only The Truth Is Spoke’. The first taster from it comes in the form of ‘If It’s All The Same To You’.
It sees Malevolence return with intent, setting the bar high for what the Sheffield group are calling “bigger, heavier, and more refined”. ‘If It’s All The Same To You’ is muscular, ignited by metallic riffs and dense grooves. Its video is also a must-see as it features acting legend Alan Ford, best known as Brick Top in ‘Snatch’, who employs the quintet to pull off a heist.
‘Where Only The Truth Is Spoke’ by Malevolence is released on June 20th on MLVLTD in partnership with Nuclear Blast Records.
Pelican – Indelible
Chicago instrumentalists Pelican are embarking on a new chapter. ‘Flickering Resonance’ is the band’s first album in six years. It also sees the return of founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec return, his first album with the band since 2012’s ‘Ataraxia/Taraxis’. Nevertheless, on the evidence of ‘Indelible’, the quartet looks set to maintain their sonically resident brand of post-metal.
Schroeder-Lebec and fellow guitarist Trevor Shelley de Brauw prove to be as bold and dynamic as ever While brothers Bryan and Larry Herweg (on bass and drums respectively) add to ‘Indelible’s thick textures. Riddled with a sludgy, psychedelic undertone, the 7-minute cut takes Pelican‘s sound in a compelling, atmospheric direction.
‘Flickering Resonance’ by Pelican is released on May 16th on Run For Cover.
Lakes – Peach Fuzz
Longtime Already Heard favourites Lakes has returned with a new single titled ‘Peach Fuzz’ via Big Scary Monsters.
Serving as a taster of what is inevitable will be their fourth album, ‘Peach Fuzz’ sees the self-coined ‘glock-rock’ band deliver an urgent rush of math-tinged emo. While lyrically, Roberto Cappellina and new vocalist/keys player Cat Rowland exchange harmonies and lines as they reminisce about life in their 20s.
“It’s about being in your 20s, and becoming almost a completely different person at 30 to who you were as a 20 year-old,” says Cappellina. “I definitely went through a lot of change during that time. To quote Ferris Bueller ‘life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you’ll miss it.’”
While 2023’s expansive ‘Elysian Skies’ full-length saw Lakes embrace a brighter, indie-heavy sound. ‘Peach Fuzz’ hits a level playing field of what the Watford collective have done so far. With its radiant guitars, twinkling keys, and melodic warmth, Lakes are welcomed back with open arms.
Civic – Chrome Dipped
Breaking away from their critically acclaimed Australian punk rock blueprint, Civic has teased fans with the release of their third album by sharing its title track. ‘Chrome Dipped’ is a sturdy, razor-sharp offering led by driving guitars, and underpinned by gritty backbone.
Depicting themes of artificiality, societal expectations, and emotional detachment, ‘Chrome Dipped’ sees Civic in a reflective state. “’Chrome Dipped’ is about finding human emotion and a world that’s hurling towards complete reliance on the machine,” says vocalist Jim McCullough.
Although it marks a stylistic departure from the explosive garage punk heard on ‘End of the Line’ and ‘Time Girl’, ‘Chrome Dipped’ hints at a band with lyrical substance and assured in their direction.
‘Chrome Dipped’ by Civic is released on May 30th on ATO Records.
EYES – Save Face on a Regular Basis
Danish noisemakers EYES have never been ones to take things easy. Their latest single, ‘Save Face on a Regular Basis’ is described by the band as their “most krauty, noise-rocky, full throttle kinda song.” And it’s a fact you can’t help but agree with.
Joined by Jesse Matthewson of KEN Mode, the Copenhagen band delivers a thrilling hardcore blast. It sees guitarists Rasmus Furbo and Søren Bomand thrash out as bassist Kenn Bendtsen and drummer Simon Djurhuus control the chaos unleashed by vocalists Victor Kaas and Jesse Matthewson.
The track is lifted from EYES‘ third full-length album – ‘Spinner’. Set in the world of a fictional early 80s anime episode, the album sees Kaas explore personal events and emotions, such as traumas in youth and early adulthood. It’s paired with an intense, groove-heavy musical direction that maintains the unhinged nature of past releases.
‘Spinner’ by EYES is released on April 25th on Prosthetic Records.
Humour – Neighbours
Returning with their first slice of new music in two years, Glasgow’s Humour delivers a pounding, paranoia-induced re-introduction with ‘Neighbours’. It sees the post-hardcore group at their heaviest, partly thanks to Andreas Christodoulidis’ piercing screams.
While its bridges have a melodic warmth, it’s ignited by Ruairidh Smith’s bashing drums. Ross Patrizio and Jack Lyall’s guitars prove to be astute and hypnotic, maintaining ‘Neighbours’‘ ebb and flow. Executed with urgency, it maintains the grim lyricism that shaped 2023’s A Small Crowd Gathered To Watch Me’ EP. It sees Christodoulidis develop an intriguing narrative rooted in derangement. “Neighbours is about a guy who lives alone but is convinced that a group of mischievous creatures share his flat, deliberately doing things to make him suffer, like turning off the heating in winter, or turning it up when he’s too hot and making noise in the kitchen when he tries to sleep,” Humour‘s vocalist explains. “As he gradually descends into paranoia and psychological instability, he decides to try and get rid of them by turning the oven on and letting gas fill the flat overnight.”
Where past material leaned into post-punk territory, ‘Neighbours’ is an impressionable return that is worth keeping an eye on.
Jools – Mother Monica
For the best part of two years, Jools have been gathering momentum with their brand of cathartic and unpredictable punk. At the back end of 2024, they went into Lewis Johns’ studio, The Ranch, to record their debut album – ‘Violent Delights’.
As a band with a socially powerful core, it’s no surprise that the album’s first single, ‘Mother Monica’, sees lead vocalist Kate Price explore her Catholic upbringing. “We’d spoken about the constant, underlying feeling of guilt and need to be ‘good’ that can sometimes come with being brought up Catholic. For us, that eventually manifested in a need to be rebellious”, she explains. “The hook of the chorus comes from a prayer by St Augustine, who was known for being excessive and sinful in his youth, and asked God to make him good, but just not yet. ‘Mother Monica’ is our version of that prayer.”
The Leicester/London sextet pair it up with an energetic sound that sees Price’s vocals thrive with charisma before co-lead Mitch Gordon takes over in the aforementioned chorus. As a unit, Jools deliver an infectious example of why they’ve been cited as “ones to watch” by tastemakers.
‘Violent Delights’ by Jools is released on June 6th on Hassle Records.
TÖRZS – Otthon
Hungarian trio TÖRZS exemplifies how music can be used as a form of escapism on ‘Otthon’. Taking from the post-rock collective’s upcoming ‘Menedék’ record, the composed number beautifully drifts towards stirring guitars and flowing percussion. Meaning ‘At Home’ in Hungarian, ‘Otthon’ is poignantly executed, allowing its members, Soma Balázs (guitar), Dániel Nyitray (bass), and Zsombor Lehoczky (drums), to express their tight-knight musicianship.
The element of close collaboration and creativity is explored throughout ‘Menedék’ (meaning ‘Refuge’). Although Lehoczky has since parted ways with the band (and replaced by Tamás Szijártó), ‘Menedék promises to preserve TÖRZS‘ breathtaking quality interlacing it with an introspective approach.
‘Menedék’ by TÖRZS is released on May 16th on Pelagic Records.
Listen all of this week’s choices and more through our ‘Newish Music’ playlist. Consisting of the latest rock, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, and everything in between, it’s your go-to playlist for new music.
The ‘Newish Music’ playlist is also available on Apple Music.
Have a song to consider for a future edition of ‘Already Heard Recommends? Tell us about it here.
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