Some weeks, especially during the midst of festival season, there aren’t that many major releases to shout about. Unless I’m missing something or someone from my always diligent research, I’d say this is one of those weeks.
Nevertheless, this week’s #NewMusicFriday releases are led by the return of Soft Play. The Royal Tunbridge Wells punk duo formerly known as Slaves deliver ‘Heavy Jelly’, their first album in six years. Massachusetts rockers Highly Suspect shake off past experimentation flourishes on ‘As Above, So Below’, serving up an acceptable brand of blues-infused classic hard rock.
Further afield, Sable Hills provides a collection of high-octane metalcore in the form of ‘Odyssey’. The Japanese metalcore outfit’s third album proves to be a thrilling affair. It’s full of rabid moments, destructive riffs, and frantic drum work, yet as its title track shows early on, Sable Hills execute this style well. Throughout, the quintet shifts between modern and “old school” metalcore tropes with ease. For example, ‘Misfortune’ and ‘Battle Cry’ are delivered with an abundance of bite and intensity. While ‘A New Chapter’ utilises brief clean vocals to complement the relentless onslaught that they’re able to conjure up. ‘Carry The Torch’ delivers one of several hefty breakdowns scattered throughout ‘Odyssey’.
On the surface, Sable Hills might not be offering new to the genre, yet dive a little deeper and you’ll discover a band who are technically proficient in the riffs and solos they pull off. Just take a listen to ‘Bad King’, and you’ll hear a band who knows how to thrash around a fretboard with confidence.
The upside of it being a relatively “quiet” week for releases means lesser-known names get the opportunity to be highlighted. Take London/Devon multi-instrumentalist Jaws the Shark for example. Otherwise known as Olly Bailey, his debut full-length, ‘Wasteland’, pulls in punk, garage, and grunge rock to thread together an introspective narrative with occasional anthemic earworms. Likewise, singer-songwriter Gigi Gold provides a musically sprawling EP in the form of ‘Souvenirs’. From the sultry rock of ‘Why Should I’ to the woozy coolness on ‘You Ain’t Changed’ to ‘Hot Coals’ country swells, Gold‘s musical exploration is admirable. In between, there’s the glistening ballad ‘Stare Up at the Sky’ and the haunting ‘Black Water Falls’, highlighting her versatility.
There is also a new EP from Potionseller. The Grand Rapids, MI outfit’s debut outing, ‘When They Get Old’, serves up five slices of boisterous emo/pop-punk. Aided by engineer/mixer Ryan Malicsi of Hot Mulligan, tracks such as ‘Monarch’s Club‘ and ‘Love Island’ (ft. Tyler Albertson of Homesafe) see the five-piece effortlessly fit into a crowded scene. Along the way, vocalist Austen Reno, lead guitarist Nate Leritz, rhythm guitarist Andy Morris, bassist Jake Bartell, and drummer John Wilson, stir up a strong mix of favourable hooks, delivered with an abundance of emotion.
Salem Wolves of Providence, RI take on an ambitious concept record. ‘The Psychotron Speaks’ tells the lost story of a pro wrestler’s unnatural rise. It chronicles a fever dream of 80’s wrestler Danny Morton Jr. who takes on the moniker of ‘The Stranger’ and utilises a world-bending (and sinister) device called ‘Psychotron’. Musically, it sees the New England group evolve from their garage rock n’ roll roots, taking in 70’s prog, punk, psychedelic, grunge, and soft rock. Its sprawling musical breadth complements frontman Gray Bouchard’s ambitious narrative of love, power, addiction, and adoration.
There are also new releases from Denzel Curry, Los Campesinos!, Saosin, The Joy Hotel, Calling All Captains, Breaths, as well as a solo offering from 5 Seconds of Summer‘s Ashton Irwin.
On the heavier side, there’s Finnish symphonic death metal courtesy of Assemble The Chariots, prog metallers Far from Refuge, and straight-up US hard rock from Flat Black, Finally, Axamenta offers some cinematic prog metal.
What is out on #NewMusicFriday?
Soft Play – Heavy Jelly
Highly Suspect – As Above, So Below
Jaws the Shark – Wasteland
Sable Hills – Odyssey
Denzel Curry – King Of The Mischievous South, Vol. 2
Los Campesinos! – All Hell
Foxcult – The Amethyst Drift
Barns Courtney – Supernatural
Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction
Gigi Gold – Souvenirs
The Joy Hotel – Ceremony
Saosin – Live From the Garden Amphitheater
Ashton Irwin – Blood On The Drums
Potionseller – When They Get Old
Salem Wolves – The Psychotron Speaks
Assemble The Chariots – Unyielding Night
Excel – Seeking Refuge (Ressiue)
Breaths – Breaths
Calling All Captains – (e)motion sickness
Far From Refuge – False Flag
Flat Black – Dark Side Of The Brain
Trail Of Lies – Only The Strong
Axamenta – Spires
Atavistia – Inane Ducam
Oneida – Expensive Air
Head Dent – The Dent
Beautiful Freaks – We Talk to Birds
A Thousand Reasons – A Thousand Reasons
Dental Plan – Raw Nerve
Eye For An Eye – Omega Drone/Who
A Shoreline Dream – Whitelined
Her Head’s On Fire – Strange Desires
Looseleaf – Selfsame
Pocket Full Of Crumbs – In My Hands I Hold A Lucky Cricket
Thousand Limbs – The Aurochs
If you think I’ve missed something or have a new album/EP/song to tell us about, tell us about it here.
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.