Content Breakdown
Another extensive list of #NewMusicFriday sees the light of day. It’s headed by the return of CANDY. Their new album, ‘It’s Inside You’ is a brazen mix of hardcore, pulling the genre into various directions via pulsating electronica. For those old-school rockers, Bon Jovi follow up their ‘Thank You, Goodnight’ documentary series with ‘Forever’.
Canadian pop-rocker LØLØ aims to stand out from the pack with her personal and relatable debut outing; ‘falling for robots and wishing i was on’. Her fellow Canadians, Rarity continue to balance the fine line between hardcore and pop-punk on third album, ‘Lower Feeling’, with admirable results. Elsewhere, Hands Like Houses continue to bleed in new vocalist Josh Raven (The Faim) with an EP titled ‘Strato’. While. the ever-mysterious Nordic Giants revisit their early material with ‘Origins’ proving to be a reminder of their spell-binding style.
There are also new releases from Royal Republic, Finnish symphonic metallers Apocalyptica, Sect, Pedro the Lion, Slow Joy, Perennial,Red Vanilla, EELS, and more.
LØLØ – falling for robots and wishing i was one
Canadian artist LØLØ comes from the circle of accessible female pop-rock singers, joining the likes of Charlotte Sands, and Maggie Lindemann. On the surface, they’re all fairly interchangeable and lack any staying power. LØLØ‘s debut full-length offering, ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’, wrestles with adolescence, capturing the feeling of being in your mid-20’s and going through break-ups and dealing with mental health issues. It’s set up to be all very relatable, yet considerably removes any notion of personality.
Early cuts such as ‘omg’ and ‘facepaint’ are punchy, setting the lyrical tone for the remainder. Yet at 15 songs deep, the narrative of”‘troubled girl in distress” soon wears thin. ‘poser’ offers one of the few highlights, comfortably leaning towards the pop side of the spectrum amid angst-laden words of “You never loved me you fucking poser, Was it only ever just for the sex?”.
As evident on ‘wish I was a robot’ and ‘suck it up’, LØLØ is capable of delivering catchy songs. Yet while the choruses serve up favourable melodies, they rarely provide LØLØ with a distinct personality. Her carefree delivery on tracks such as ‘hot girls in hell’ questionably removes any possibility of a notable impact. The hooks are there, but it all been done before.
When she’s not exploring light pop-rock, LØLØ is honing in on raw ballad territory. ‘snow in berlin’ and ‘thoughts in the shower’ are stripped-back and allows her to show some effective vulnerability. ‘i would fix u if i could’ embraces a sedated ballad tone as LØLØ ‘s sings of being unable to make the “bad boy” become good. Maybe it’s their execution, or the lightweight production utilised, but when LØLØ slows things down, she comes off as more genuine and personable.
Unfortunately for LØLØ, ‘falling for robots and wishing i was one’ consists of more forgettable moments, drenched in frothy pop-rock with an emotional narrative that rarely achieves what it aims to deliver.
Nordic Giants – Origins
It’s always exciting when the enigmatic duo known as Nordic Giants releases new music, even if this compilation pulls together from their first three releases. Nevertheless, the material lifted from the ‘A Tree As Old As Me‘ EP, along with early singles ‘Speed the Crows Nest’ and ‘Shine’ still captures the beauty and pure essence of “Rôka” and “Löki”. Furthermore, many of the instrumentation has been re-recorded, re-mixed, and re-mastered, injecting new life into these decade-old tracks.
Throughout their discography, the instrumental pairing have continuously provided an ambient and rich sound that is simply immersive. ‘Origins’ is no different. This is considerably expanded on the occasional guest vocal utilised. Whether that’s Freyja’s angelic harmonies on ‘Glass Skinned Girl’, Cate Ferris’ earthly voice complementing ‘Shine’s twinkling keys, or Jake Reed’s intense-building words on ‘The Seed’. They all effortlessly complement Nordic Giants‘ cinematic post-rock sound.
However, it’s the final guest spot from Amdine that captures how perfect Nordic Giants can utilise vocals. ‘B.O.A.T.S’ is an awe-inspiring and mesmerising penultimate offering. Having crafted a visually captivating show, on record Nordic Giants can easily be as beguiling. Here sweeping strings, Râka’s distant drums, and Löki’s alluring piano keys complement Amdine’s heavenly tongue.
Another impressive trait of Nordic Giants is their use of samples. ‘Origins’ is bookended by two numbers that do just this. First ‘Together’ uses Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech, providing a thought-provoking narrative to the duo’s atmospheric soundtrack. A reworked version of ‘Dark Clouds Mean War’ closes the compilation. While the original was entirely instrumental, this version adds Rod Steiger rousing performance as Emperor Napoleon I from the 1970 film, ‘Waterloo’. His departing words bring a sense of closure, honing in on the emotional pull that Nordic Giants can conjure up. Musically, Râka and Löki go from delicate pianos to brooding low-end drums to striking synths, structurally keeping listeners enthralled. As mournful synths and ringing cymbals ease off into the distance, you realise the mysterious pair have taken you on a musical journey.
Whether you’re familiar with Nordic Giants or discovering them for the first time, ‘Origins’ is an ideal starting point. Its eight tracks capture their musical blueprint beautifully. For example, listening to the triumphant horn of ‘Through a Lens Darkly’ lends itself to the ambient richness heard in later material. Overall, it’s just another majestic collection of Nordic Giants‘ musical poise, craftsmanship, and beauty.
Wimp and prom – Split EP
Brighton continues to be a hotbed amongst the DIY scene. Both Wimp and prom emerge from it to deliver this split EP. I’ll admit the blend of emo, hardcore and shoegaze is quickly becoming pretty commonplace, yet it’s a style that I’m always willing to give a chance.
Emo-grunge quartet Wimp‘s serve up ‘Shelter’ and ‘Kiss The World’. The former firmly sits in the grunge space with a wall of distortion and muted verses. Whereas the latter hints at a more melodic side before erupting with a punk-fueled tempo. Yet as the track eases off, the use of duel vocals allows Wimp to show they’re more than distortion fiends. As subtle guitar harmonies ring out, hints of shoegaze pour in.
For prom, the pairing of ‘Come Undone’ and ‘Frail Hands’ allows them to showcase their versatility. ‘Come Undone’ is a short, sharp, and raucous blast of emo hardcore reminiscent of Title Fight. In contrast, ‘Frail Hands’ drifts along, wrapped in comforting shoegaze before a change of pace threatens to crash the train off the tracks. Thankfully, its conclusion is controlled and stirring, just about leaving you wanting more.
Whether or not split releases have any impact is debatable. However, for bands like Wimp and prom, they continue to be an avenue to get their music heard, no matter how big or small an audience hears them. This split outing is a small taste of one of the country’s most beloved DIY scenes.
What is out on #NewMusicFriday?
CANDY – It’s Inside You
LØLØ – falling for robots and wishing i was one
Bon Jovi – Forever
Hands Like Houses – Strato
Rarity – Lower Feeling
Nordic Giants – Origins*
Pedro The Lion – Santa Cruz
Sect – Plagues Upon Plagues
Royal Republic – LoveCop
Slow Joy – Mi Amigo Slow Joy
Perennial – Art History
Red Vanilla – Days of Grey
Apocalyptica – …Plays Metallica: Vol 2.
EELS – EELS Time
The Omnific – The Law Of Augmenting Returns
Caligula’s Horse – Charcoal Grace (Deluxe Edition)
Archives – No Bliss In Ignorance
Wimp and prom – Split EP
Cardinals – Cardinals
Porcupine – All Is Vapor
Missing Link – Watch Me Bleed
Evergrey – Theories of Emptiness
UltraBomb – Dying To Smile
Richard Henshall – Mu Vol. 1 EP
Vomit The Soul – Massive Incineration
Jason DeVore – Til The Voice Goes Out
Cross Dog – All Hard Feelings
Adjentist – III
all under heaven – What Lies Ahead Of Me
Cruel Queen – …And Then It Ends (Deluxe Edition)
Dream Drop – Acne Superstar (Extended Edition)
Drip-Fed – Sold For Parts
Mountainscape – Iridescent
Femegades – Sex Robots
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.
