FIVES: Must Hear May 2015 Release

With Spring firmly here and a wealth of festivals having just took place, May is another busy one for album and EP’s releases. You can expect to see major releases from the likes Faith No More, The Early November, Anti-Flag and Silverstein scheduled alongside releases from Diamond Youth, Great Cynics and We Are The Ocean. To put it simply; there’s a lot of good music coming out this month.

So with so much to take in, Already Heard is at hand to suggest five releases you should definitely check out this month.

Superheaven – Ours Is Chrome
On paper Superheaven’s second full-length doesn’t sound far too different from the dozen of 90s rock-inspired records we’ve heard in recent months. However from the opening moments of ‘I’ve Been Bored’, you soon realise ‘Ours Is Chrome’ is a special album. Whilst it wallows in the band’s lyrical insecurities on tracks like ‘All The Pain’ and ‘Leech’, the overall tone of ‘Ours Is Chrome’ keeps you hooked throughout.

With Will Yip on production duties, ‘Ours Is Chrome’ sees Superheaven evolve into a confident alternative rock group with simple-yet-effective melodies. It’s an album that progresses almost seamlessly and demands repeated plays. (SR)

’Ours is Chrome’ by Superheaven is out now on SideOneDummy Records.

Superheaven links: Facebook|Twitter

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! – Get Lost, Find Yourself

This month finally see’s the sophomore release from criminally underrated French party-core mob Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and if ‘Playing Dead’ and ‘The Other Line’ are anything to go by the boys output has got even more potent since their excellent debut ‘Pardon My French’.

Both tracks show off even tighter, harder hitting breakdowns while Bert Poncet and co’s already impressive knack for writing huge heavy pop-punk choruses that rise irresistibly out of the carnage seem to have got even more inescapable in scale. ‘Get Lost, Find Yourself’ should see the band striding unstoppably towards the top of their scene to join it’s heavyweights A Day To Remember and Four Year Strong. Prepare yourself for the one album this year likely to make you punch things out of pure joy. (DW)

‘Get Lost, Find Yourself’ by Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! is released on 18th May on Fearless Records.

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

The Story So Far – The Story So Far
After teasing fans with a trio of fantastic singles, Walnut Creek’s The Story So Far are set to release their long awaited 3rd self titled full length this month. Such is the hysteria surrounding the band ever since ‘Under Soil and Dirt’, surely this has to be once of the most anticipated releases of the year.

Internet rumours claiming that The Story So Far would follow the new “Shoegaze” trend of their peers like Title Fight were soon thankfully quashed. ‘Nerve’ picks up where ‘What You Don’t See’ left off with the same swagger and groove that has become key to their sound. Parker Cannon’s distinctive vocals are still fantastic and he is still singing some of the most relatable and “angry finger point” worthy lyrics in the pop punk scene. ‘Solo’ and ‘Heavy Gloom’ are equally as good. These singles have whipped the Tumblr anticipation into hysteria and with good reason.

All signs point to another stellar full-length by one of the most consistent pop punk bands going. They have honed their sound over the last couple of albums, and if these teaser tracks are anything to go by, we are all in for a right treat. Expect bouncy riffs, songs about girls and plenty of “feels”. Bring on the 18th of May. (AM)

‘The Story So Far’ by The Story So Far is released on 18th May on Pure Noise Records.

The Story So Far links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Hop Along – Painted Shut
Having come from seemingly nowhere to drop one of the best albums of 2012, ‘Get Disowned’, Hop Along are back to prove such astonishing success was no fluke.

Signing to Saddle Creek means the profile of the group has jumped immensely, and lead single from the album, ‘Waitress’ means the Philadelphia group has already attracted a huge amount of media attention. Building on their emo/punk/folk/grunge/indie sound, it’s a rousing example of the group’s off-kilter sound, while Frances Quinlan has never sounded better. Similarly, if the album is as good as the other songs which they’ve teased – ‘Powerful Man’ and ‘Texas Funeral’ – then ‘Painted Shut’ could be a real favourite this year. (RM)

‘Painted Shut’ by Hop Along is out now on Saddle Creek Records.

Hop Along links:
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Calls Landing – Heirlooms
Recording and releasing your debut album entirely on your own terms and on your own dime is not only a damned ballsy thing to, but it’s also a sign that a band really have their shit together and have the utmost confidence in their writing. Step forward Leeds emo-punks Calls Landing who, with their debut long player ‘Heirlooms’, provide the perfect example of this thinking.

And within a handful of tracks of the record it’s unavoidably obvious that in this case the gamble has paid off and then some. Working with northern producer extraordinaire Bob Cooper, the lads have captured everything that has made them one of the most loved bands on the West Yorkshire punk scene in recent years, and made a rather fine and infinitely listenable album too. Already Heard defies fans of the likes of Motion City Soundtrack, Transit and Fireworks to check out singles ‘Belgium’ and ‘Tightrope’ and not find themselves with a new favourite band. (DW)

‘Heirlooms’ by Calls Landing is released on 11th May.

Calls Landing links: Facebook

Words by Sean Reid (SR), Dane Wright (DW), Rob Mair (RM), and Andy McGonigle (AM)