Search

#NewMusicFriday: May 16th 2025

Happy Lagwagon day to all that celebrate, but perhaps more importantly, it’s #NewMusicFriday. It’s a stacked week of releases with a mix of highly anticipated albums and a few noteworthy releases that may sneak under your radar.

As it’s one of those jam-packed releases, not everything I wanted to preview was possible. For example, the eighth album from Bury Tomorrow‘Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience’, and another being ‘Menedék’ from Hungarian post-rock trio TÖRZS. Nevertheless, I did listen to the new releases from The Callous Daoboys, Pelican, Arm’s Length, and Soot Sprite, which you can read my thoughts on below.

Today also see rising rockers Sleep Theory release their debut album, ‘Afterglow’Linkin Park gives their ‘From Zero’ the deluxe treatment, a mere six months since its initial release. Stand Atlantic do it too with last August’s ‘WAS HERE’ record. LA industrial/electrical duo Youth Code return after four years with ‘Yours, With Malice’. Florida pop-rockers Arrows in Action deliver “side A of their ‘I Think I’ve Been Here Before’ LP.

If you want more metalcore, then there’s ‘Coda’ by Novelists, and ‘This Pain Will Serve You,’ the new record from London-based group Confessions of a Traitor. While Dundee pop-rockers Copper Lungs return with ‘Broken Beautiful’. There is also new music from Irish post-punks M(h)aol, French atmospheric/post-metal sludge duo Nvage, and the brilliantly named Greek technical punk band, Qualia and the Five Ancestors of the Great Maryland Kingdom.



The Callous Daoboys by Nick Karp
Photo Credit: Nick Karp

The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven

With 2022’s ‘Celebrity Therapist’ record picking up some momentum and plenty of admirers, The Callous Daoboys third full-length arrives with the band at its creative peak. Titled ‘I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven,’ it’s conceptually positioned as a relic from a dystopian future found in the ‘Museum of Failure’. For the Atlanta group, it sees them adding emotional substance to a sound that is as eclectic as ever.

Although anchored by their mathcore sound, The Callous Daoboys have so much to offer. Whether that is on ‘Schizophrenia Legacy’s sharp metalcore blasts occasionally seguing into smooth jazz dips and a sax-laden bridge, or the bloodthirsty ‘Tears On Lambo Leather’ with its hardcore beatdowns being aided by Orthodox’s Adam Easterling. It’s a cocktail of chaos that makes moments such as ‘Lemon’ and ‘Body Horror For Birds’ seem abnormal.

Read the full review here.


Pelican promo photo by Matt Darcy
Photo Credit: Matt Darcy

Pelican – Flickering Resonance

Seven albums deep into their career, Pelican has more than their position as post-metal leaders. Nevertheless, ‘Flickering Resonance’ sees the Chicago outfit return after six years. It also sees founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec return after a decade away. However, ‘Flickering Resonance’ is far from a band treading old ground; it merely hones in on their sonic strengths.

From the tight alt-rock riffs of ‘Gulch’ to the pensive post-hardcore/emo tones on ‘Flickering Stillness’ to the textured swells of ‘Indelible,’ Pelican delivers an array of tones that comfortably sit confined in their wheelhouse. Tracks such as ‘Specific Resonance’ and ‘Evergreen’ thrive on their ability to deliver big riffs that are dense yet not overpowered. On the former, the doom thickness makes way for atmospheric space rock tones, emphasising Pelican‘s structural craftsmanship. The latter resonates with luscious riffs, while allowing bassist Bryan Herweg to provide groove to the mix.

Later on, ‘Pining For Ever’ sees the quartet give a stylistic nod to the likes of Quicksand and Christie Front Drive, before organically stepping into post-rock territory. Schroeder-Lebec and Trevor de Brauw’s guitars twinkle as Larry Herweg’s low-end drums steadily build to a cinematic conclusion.

Understandably, Pelican could be considered “a band’s band” as their often drawn-out soundscapes showcase their textured and tonal agility. ‘Flickering Resonance’ demonstrates a cohesive mindset, bubbling with compelling musicianship that demands appreciation.


Arm's Length Photo Credit Tessa Smith
Photo Credit: Tessa Smith

Arm’s Length – There’s A Whole World Out There

Emo music has a history of producing songwriters who articulate the trials and tribulations of young adulthood so poignantly. Allen Steinberg of Canadian quartet Arm’s Length is the individual who bares all through his band’s music. While 2022 debut, ‘Never Before Seen, Never Again Found’ was a case of having a lifetime to write their debut, ‘There’s A Whole World Out There’, is more relevant. It results in Steinberg’s pain being sharper and unfiltered.

‘The World’ instantly sets the sentimental tone with soft guitars giving way to a desperate Steinberg with his bandmates elevating the raw emotion produced. Musically, ‘There’s A Whole World Out There’ sounds like an actual band who have toured together. Where previously, guitarist Jeremy Whyte, bassist Ben Greenblatt, and drummer Jeff Whyte joined Steinberg to flesh out the songs on ‘Never Before Seen…’ This allows the four-piece to naturally evolve, yet is often firmly grounded in punchy emo. Tracks such as ‘The Weight’ thrive with a pop-punk warmth, but are countered by the rose-tinted textured splendour of ‘Palinopsia’ with its sweeping strings. 

‘You Ominously End’ teases with a bluegrass-infused intro before galloping into pop-punk territory, with a subtle banjo plucking away. The use of banjo appears throughout ‘TAWWOT,’ most notably on the determined anthem that is ‘Attic’. Here, sombre piano keys and twanging banjos build to impactful (and harmonious) emo/pop-punk.

At ‘TAWWOT’s core is Steinberg’s overtly honest songwriting. For the most part, he’s self-reflective, even if he’s being selfless (‘Funny Face’ and ‘Halley’). It allows him to be earnest and consistent. Fittingly, the closing track, ‘Morning Person’, plays to his strengths, showing his vulnerability and resilience across seven minutes. It allows them to stylistically expand. Whether that be Jeff Whyte’s low-end drum fills, or the subtly soaring of post-rock guitars. Elsewhere, ‘The Wound’ sees him accept his defeatist attitude with a hint of black humour; “when I swear on my life, we both know that the stakes aren’t high”. 

The main take away from ‘There’s A Whole World Out There’ is that Steinberg has accepted the issues he’s been through, and he’s coping. With a flicker of alt-country, Arm’s Length continues to be a burgeoning emo band that are clearly capable of writing songs worth investing in.


Soot Sprite - credit_ Sofia Irini
Photo Credit: Sofia Irini

Soot Sprite – Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon

There’s a lot to like about ‘Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon’, the debut album from Exeter trio Soot Sprite. Shimmering with hints of emo and shoegaze, its eleven songs lean into an assured indie-punk reminiscent of defunct group Muncie Girls. Frontwoman Elise Cook leads with often all-too-relatable themes of struggle, perseverance, and occasional optimism.

Early highlights, ‘Days After Days’ and ‘All My Friends Are Depressed‘ feel equally vulnerable and determined. The former hones in on the need for empathy. While the latter sees Cook split her focus between a societal mental health crisis and an internal reminder to be active, or nothing will change. This theme of self-observation pops up through ‘Wield Your Hope…’‘Spectator’ floats against the numbness of constant bad news. “Only so much I can take of reality,” sings Cook as Sam Cother’s drifting drums and Sean Mariner’s grounded bass lines complement the atmospheric tone.

Past relationships and friendships are also touched upon. ‘Great Expectations’ punches with cathartic tendencies, ditching toxic friends (“I spend around you takes a year off of my life”). ‘Viscous Cycles’ ruminates on behavioural patterns, allowing Cook to share her vulnerability in damaging relationships. This susceptibility reappears on closing track, ‘Cautious Optimist’Tender guitars allow her fragility to be emphasised, ponderously guessing what comes next while being carefully hopeful.

Although Soot Sprite sound isn’t unique, it allows Cook and company to write compelling songs that are full of emotion. They deliver a personal message of willingness not to be weighed down by the state of the world.


What is out on #NewMusicFriday?

Bury Tomorrow – Will You Haunt Me, With That Same Patience
The Callous Daoboys – I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven
Sleep Theory – Afterglow
Pelican – Flickering Resonance
Arm’s Length – There’s A Whole World Out There
Linkin Park – From Zero (Deluxe Edition)
Stand Atlantic – WAS HERE (Deluxe Edition)
Arrows in Action – I Think I’ve Been Here Before
Full of Hell – Broken Sword, Rotten Shield
Youth Code – Yours, With Malice
Novelists – Coda
Confessions of a Traitor – This Pain Will Serve You
Soot Sprite – Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon
Damiano David – Funny Little Fears
Mhaol – Something Soft
TÖRZS – Menedék
Nvage – Nvage
TAMIW – Farewell Party
Deadset – A Place Called Home
Patchwork – Scars
Copper Lungs – Broken Beautiful
Qualia and the Five Ancestors of the Great Maryland Kingdom – Accidentally Funding the End of the World
Dropsonic – Dropsonic
KEYAN and Connor Kaminski – Kinetic
Rokets – Bad Choices
The Happys – Listen to The Happys
100%WET- 100%WET
Wounded Touch- A Vivid Depiction Of Collapse
iNTeRNeT FReNDz – B-Sides, Vol. 1
Grails – Miracle Music
Citadel – Limbo
Lástima – A Pain Bloomed From My Lungs
Pridian – VenetianDark

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.

Related

AlreadyHeard is independently owned and operated, and we’re dedicated to providing fresh, authentic content about alternative music.

The site runs on passion, but the regular costs—like hosting and upkeep—are a reality we face every day. If you want to help us continue delivering the content you love, supporting us on Ko-Fi will help cover these ongoing costs. Every donation keeps us independent!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Learn more.