Incoming: 12 Must-Hear September 2017 Releases

While the festival season comes to an end for another year, there is no quiet time as September is a chaotic month for new releases. On the positive side, when it came to choosing out this month’s picks for “Incoming”, it’s safe to say we were spoilt for choice.

Amongst the jam-packed month, there are releases from Enter Shikari, Sleeping With Sirens, Mogwai, Alter Bridge, Hot Water Music, Seaway, The Movielife, Circa Survive, Propagandhi and 36 Crazyfists. Yet, they are only just some of the releases coming out in the next few weeks. While those are certainly anticipated, we’ve picked 12 must-hear releases to check out this September.

Foo Fighters – Concrete and Gold

Undoubtedly Foo Fighters have a proven track record of releasing stellar stadium rock anthems. Their ninth studio outing, ‘Concrete and Gold’, looks set to be a return to form after the disappointing ‘Sonic Highways’. Described by Dave Grohl as “Motorhead’s version of ‘Sgt. Pepper’”, ‘Concrete and Gold’ promises to be the band’s biggest sounding album to date with early singles backing up those intentions.

‘Run’ is a fiery and rocking number with an unleashed Grohl screaming alongside Taylor Hawkins’ chaotic drums with bassist Nate Mendel, and guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett adding to the sonic wall of sound on offer. While ‘The Sky Is a Neighborhood’ is an intense, stomping offering with stirring guitars.

Love them or loathe them, Foo Fighters are sure to deliver another set of gigantic rock songs with ‘Concrete and Gold’. (SR)

‘Concrete and Gold’ by Foo Fighters is released on 15th September on RCA/Roswell.

Foo Fighters links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Prophets of Rage – Prophets of Rage

After more or less stealing the show at this year’s Download Festival, it’s time for Prophets of Rage to step up with their debut full-length. Their brand of bombastic rap-rock stylistically comes off as an organic mash-up of PoR’s former projects; Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill.

While some may dismiss the project of trying to rehash former glories for a new generation, you can’t fault the musical core of PoR. ‘Living On The 110’ thrives on Tim Commerford’s groove-filled bassline, and ‘Radical Eyes’ sees the incomparable Tom Morello bring his distinctive style to the forefront.

With so much widespread political and social turmoil taking place around the world, especially in the United States of America, it is no doubt Chuck D, B-Real and company will be sharing their thought provoking message. You just have to hear ‘Unf*ck The World’ and ‘Radical Eyes’ to see ‘Prophets of Rage’ is heading in that direction. Ultimately, Prophets of Rage look to lead a call-to-action for the world at large. (SR)

‘Prophets of Rage’ by Prophets of Rage is released on 15th September on Concord Music Group.

Prophets of Rage links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Counterparts – You’re Not You Anymore

2017 has proven to be another busy year for Toronto’s Counterparts, with tour dates across Australia, Japan and the entirety of Warped across the USA already making up a portion of their schedule, before tour dates across Canada and a return to the UK in November complete another year for one of the most hard working bands in metalcore.

Among all these nights of destroying clubs across the world, they’ve found time to record and release their fifth full-length album ‘You’re Not You Anymore’. Following 2015’s deeply moving and personal ‘Tragedy Will Find Us’, ‘You’re Not You Anymore’ is an album about change in a way that both embraces and despises the concept. Lead single ‘Bouquet’ is immersed in the anguish and guilt of losing loved ones, while the brutal ‘Thieves’ sees frontman Brendan Murphy declare war on death itself.

At 28 minutes length, ‘You’re Not You Anymore’ is a Counterparts record that trims the ‘post’ and enhances the ‘hardcore’ of their now established style of metalcore. These songs are going to slay on record and will take on a whole new level of force when they get played on tour. (AD)

‘You’re Not You Anymore’ by Counterparts is released on 22nd September on Pure Noise Records.

Counterparts links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

The Wonder Years – Burst & Decay EP

On the surface, ‘Burst & Decay’ could easily be described as just as another “pop-punk band goes acoustic” release but then again this is The Wonder Years. It sees the Philadelphia natives delve into their back catalogue and stripping back seven old cuts with promising results.

‘There, There’ twinkles with plucky acoustics and Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s soft, impassionate vocals setting the tone for what we hope the remainder of the EP sounds like. Nevertheless, with Campbell’s proven track record of “going acoustic” with his Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties project, all the signs point to another worthy addition to The Wonder Years discography. (SR)

‘Burst & Decay’ EP by The Wonder Years is released on 22nd September on Loneliest Place On Earth / Hopeless Records.

The Wonder Years links: Website|Twitter|Facebook

The Bronx – V

We hope you’ll be wearing your dancin’ shoes on the 22nd because the world’s greatest punk band The Bronx are coming at you with a barrage of hits to swing your hips to on their fifth album, titled none other than ‘The Bronx V.’

We’ll be the first to admit, ‘V’ doesn’t have the same jugular sonic assault that their first three records have become modern classics for, but where The Bronx are lacking in viciousness, they more than make up for their uptempo and adrenaline packed punk songwriting guaranteed to leave listeners grinning from ear to ear with every listen. You’ll find yourself quickly immersed in these songs, whether they’re coming at you fast or through the catchiest choruses in modern punk. Plus hearing the sharp lyricism and gust-filled performance of Matt Caughthran is something we always embrace with open arms.

Promising to fill their songs with “angst aimed at more than just superficial things and more than people who like different music than us, ‘The Bronx V’ is a record that guarantees real substance. (AD)

‘V’ by The Bronx is released on 22nd September on Cooking Vinyl Records/ATO Records.

The Bronx links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Stray From the Path – Only Death is Real

In a period of time where politics is playing a central role in society, it’s only natural that it should be reflected in art. Last month, Stray From the Path came under fire for expressing their viewpoints in ‘Goodnight Alt-Right’, the lead single from eighth full-length ‘Only Death is Real’ after members of the so called ‘alt-right’ took offence at frontman Drew York celebrating them ‘getting knocked the fuck out!’ But if the idea of white nationalists getting knocked out ticks your box, ‘Only Death is Real’ might be the album for you.

As a band who have always worn their politics on their sleeves, Stray aren’t holding anything back on ‘Only Death is Real’, as their social commentary across ten tracks identifies division across society imposed by those in authority. It’s an uncomfortable truth which has already made the band a number of enemies, but is a vital message, and their hip hop indebted hardcore swing is the perfect way to deliver it.

Plus with a selection of guest vocalists including Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley, Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose and Jedi Mind Tricks mastermind Vinnie Paz, there’s no question this album is going to slay. (AD)

‘Only Death is Real’ by Stray From the Path is released on 8th September on Sumerian Records.

Stray From the Path links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Comeback Kid – Outsider

Winnipeg’s Comeback Kid have always showcased a high level of ambition in their songwriting since their 2003 debut ‘Turn It Around’. It’s quality that’s made each album better than the last and made them one of the most reliable and respected names in modern hardcore. With a new home on Nuclear Blast Records, sixth full-length ‘Outsider’ is set to be another chapter in their constant progression as a band.

Their previously released singles show great promise for the record, with ‘Somehow, Somewhere’ and ‘Surrender Control’ both offering hefty slabs of melodic punk exhilaration, while the Devin Townsend featuring ‘Absolute’ brings out the more obtuse side of their songwriting, which also makes for engaging listening.

Having become a gateway band for many hardcore aficionados towards the underground, ‘Outsider’ is another record that displays Comeback Kid as one of the standout talents of the genre. (AD)

‘Outsider’ by Comeback Kid is released on 8th September on Nuclear Blast Records.

Full of Hell links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Arcane Roots – Melancholia Hymns

Whether you’ve followed Arcane Roots since the release of 2011’s ‘Left Fire’ or you’ve never heard a note from the Kingston-Upon Thames trio, we urge you to put ‘Melancholia Hymns’ on the top of your must-listen-to list when it drops on the 15th. This is sure to be the record that will turn them from a cult band into a real force to be reckoned with in the world of alternative rock.

‘Melancholia Hymns’ is a bold step up for Arcane Roots which expands upon lead single ‘Curtains’ integration of ambient electronic passages into their elegant post-hardcore, and it pays off tremendously throughout the album. Without compromising their challenging math rock songwriting that’s kept listeners enthralled up to this point, their embracing of synthesized backdrops and cold dream pop breaks in between frenetic riff assaults gives their music further dimension and a bigger sound that sounds at home in arenas across the globe.

So whether you’ve listened to Arcane Roots before, or not, make no mistake, this album will leave you in awe. (AD)

‘Melancholia Hymns’ by Arcane Roots is released on 15th September on Easy Life Records.

Arcane Roots links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Always Foreign

With 2015’s ‘Harmlessness’, TWIABP produced another set of compelling and bold songs that went beyond the confines of the “emo revival” many had placed them in. Two years on, the Connecticut collective have returned with ‘Always Foreign’. Once again, vocalist David F. Bello has a tendency to tell stories of cinematic proportion with a musical scope to match.

‘Marine Tigers’, named after David’s father José’s latest book, addresses xenophobia and discrimination the Bello family have received over several generations since arriving the USA from Puerto Rico. Musically, it’s a stirring, complex 7-minute track that weaves along morose lines before crescendoing towards a brass-filled conclusion. In contrast, ‘Dillon and Her Son’ is a direct, upbeat number filled with lyrical bitterness of growing older and being envious of the young.

Don’t be surprised if ‘Always Foreign’ adds to TWIABP’s growing reputation at being one of emo/indie rock’s most reliable bands via a collection of dynamic songs. (SR)

‘Always Foreign’ by The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die is released on 29th September on Epitaph Records.

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Rebuilder – Sounds From The Massachusetts Turnpike EP

Boston’s Rebuilder have spoken candidly about their desire to move away from pop-punk (or at least pop tinged punk) to more of a straight up rock sound, and after the success of 2015’s excellent ‘Rock & Roll in America’, it feels they’ve finally made good on that promise.

The ‘Sounds From The Massachusetts Turnpike’> EP should see the group push further in this direction, melding their heart-on-sleeve lyrics with driving rock and glorious pop-punk melodies. It’s certainly an enticing premise – and when singles are as good as ‘Mile Or An Inch’, it’s something you should get very excited about… (RM)

‘Sounds From The Massachusetts Turnpike’ EP by Rebuilder is released on 1st September on Panic State Records.

Rebuilder links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Jesus and his Judgemental Father – It Might Get Better

Leeds Queer Pop-Punk heroes Jesus and His Judgemental Father may very well be about to drop 2017’s most instantly likeable release in the form of their sophomore album ’It Might Get Better’. This is a record loaded with warm and fuzzy guitar lines that zip by in joyful whirlwinds, and one brimming with a bashful yet, iron-willed sense of self-belief.

This is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the highs and lows of queer life, the eternal struggle for self-acceptance, and the wonderful, and at times awful, kick to the feels that love and relationships can be. Some tracks may take a no-holds barred, gritted teeth stand for the rights and trials of their community, but every single track will still offer something universally acceptable.

The quartet’s lyrical output is at parts brutally self-reflective, deceptively deep and razor sharp in its pithy quips and observations. This combined with their heartwarming, life affirming hooks and melodies should see fans of the likes of Mixtapes, Candy Hearts, Against Me and Great Cynics adore this soon to be not so secret gem of the Leeds punk scene. (DW)

‘It Might Get Better’ by Jesus and his Judgemental Father is released on 1st September on Specialist Subject Records.

Jesus and his Judgemental Father links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Seán McGowan – Graft & Grief EP

Southampton’s own working-class wordsmith troubadour Seán McGowan may be Xtra Mile Record’s newest signing, but almost everything about his sound, approach and message resonates with all of the hallmarks that the label has built up over the years. His first release for them, and McGowan’s third EP, ’Graft and Grief’ typifies just why in 4 delightful bursts of authentically lived in, deliciously phrased and infectiously executed folk-punk. All bookended by two excerpts of his rough and ready, everyman poetry overflowing with subtle political fire and unflinching self-narrative.

McGowan’s aligning of the spirit of Billy Bragg and The Clash, with the accessibility and inescapable folk-punk hooks of label mates Frank Turner and Rob Lynch is a sure-fire winner, and an approach likely to make him instantly beloved by the Xtra Mile faithful. Once heard these witty, riotous and cannily crafted yarns of zero hour contracts, shaking off pedestrian existence and savouring simple pleasures need to be spun again and again. (DW)

‘Graft & Grief’ EP by Seán McGowan is released on 8th September on Xtra Mile Records.

Seán McGowan links: Facebook|Twitter|Music Glue

Words by Sêan Reid (SR), Andy Davidson (AD), Rob Mair (RM, Dane Wright (DW).