#NewMusicFriday: May 2nd 2025

A new month has begun, and with it comes another round of releases.

As always, #NewMusicFriday has a mix of familiar and emerging names looking to grab your attention this Bank Holiday weekend with new releases.

Today sees new releases from PUP, Acres, and Press Club, which are all discussed in detail below. In addition to those albums, you can also hear the following:

• Activist punks Propagandhi are as outspoken and reflective as ever on ‘At Peace’.
• Turnover celebrates the 10th anniversary of their standout record, ‘Peripheral Vision’, with a deluxe edition.
• DIY metallic hardcore group fallfiftyfeet‘s ‘Counterfeit Recollections’ proves to be a thrilling and intense mix of spirited melodies, twisted riffs, and dynamism that shouldn’t be ignored.
• Paradise Slaves includes members of 36 Crazyfists and Diecast. Today, the quartet launch their debut album, ‘With Hell In His Eyes’. It sees them deliver a hefty brand of metalcore and gritty metal.
• Brighton-based newcomers Slung show their eclectic sound on debut album, ‘In Ways’. Led by the captivating vocals of Katie Oldham, its eleven tracks serve as a textured collection which richly ruminates between stoner rock, prog, post-rock, and post-hardcore.
• Emerging Bristolian noise collective Knives look to leave their mark with a message of inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment flowing through ‘Glitter’. It stylistically pulls from hardcore, post-punk, alt-rock, and experimental jazz.
• There are also new releases from Puddle of Mudd, Lights, Jarki Monno, Teens in Trouble and Bat Boy, Club Night, vide, Car Seat Headrest, and more.

PUP – Who Will Look After The Dogs?

Over the past 15 years, Canadian favourites PUP have become one of punk’s most consistent bands. Constantly self-aware and delivering rousing punk sing-a-longs, ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ is considered to be a cathartic record. After all, this is a band with a tendency to be dysfunctional. Nevertheless, frontman and chief songwriter Stefan Babcock is reflective on PUP‘s fifth LP. Reminiscing on his younger years, his bouts of self-loathing, and the realisation of ownership of his life, ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ is a chronological tale of Babcock’s personal growth.

‘No Hope’ and ‘Olive Garden’ deliver a one-two punch of two-minute fuzz-laden punk. Themeatically, it sets the self-loathing tone with Babcock singing “I don’t need her, It’s killing me” on the opener, before ‘Olive Garden’ sees him stood up by an ex-love. It’s backed by a wall of noise, intersliced by ’50s doo-wop flourishes.

‘Concrete’ bounces due to Nestor Chumak’s bass work and Steve Sladkowski’s dulcet guitar riff, leading to one of ‘Who Will Look After…’ biggest choruses. Later cuts such as ‘Needed To Hear It’ and ‘Cruel’ exemplify PUP‘s knack for delivering hooks. Meanwhile, ‘Get Dumber’ sees Jeff Rosenstock join in to provide an energetic whirlwind of driving guitars and pounding percussion, only for ‘Hunger For Death’s succulent opening to rein things in. As Babcock sings “F*ck everyone on this planet, except for you,” against a backdrop of lo-fi strings, it bursts with a swinging tempo. Babcock’s mood is equally bittersweet and self-deprecating.

Although it’s not instantaneous, ‘Who Will Look After…’ sees PUP at questionably their most varied, expanding their sonic palette. ‘Paranoid’ has the fingerprints of post-hardcore, maintaining a familiar scrappy energy, only for ‘Falling Outta Love’ to counter its gut-punch with shuffling percussion, harmonious backing vocals, and layered build.

‘Hallways’ sees Babcock in an optimistic yet raw mood as he provides a cutting break-up number. Even though he’s dealing with the end of a relationship, he sees light at the end of the tunnel: “Cause when one door closes, it might never open, There might be no other doors.” Penultimate track, ‘Best Revenge,’ keeps up the optimism, adding celebratory gang vocals as he goes about “living well”. Ultimately, it is Babcock’s self-awareness is the glue that keeps ‘Who Will Look After…’ thematically together. It’s partnered with a unified sound that is PUP at its core, yet evolved.

Clouded with regret and the occasional hints of hope, ‘Who Will Look After The Dogs?’ is considerably PUP at their most vulnerable. However, it’s allowed them to add depth to an already reliable discography.

Acres – The Host

Call me old-fashioned, but is it an album if there are only seven tracks? Nevertheless, that’s what Acres serve up on their third album, ‘The Host’. The South Coast quartet hopped over to Michigan to work with The Plot In You frontman Landon Tewers on this rather brief outing. Towing the fine line between alt-metal and metalcore, it sees Acres aiming to break out from the pack, yet it doesn’t quite achieve that.

While ‘The Host’ removes any resemblance of filler from its track listing, it still doesn’t put them in a positive light. Like many bands of their kind, the Portsmouth band struggles to provide a solid identity. Sure, there are heavy moments such as ‘Built To Bleed’, partly thanks to dense drum work and Ben Lumber’s blaring, distorted vocals. However, it’s countered by the towering alt-metal of ‘Staring At The Sun’ and melodically strong ‘Your Goodbye’. Both put Lumber’s tuneful abilities to the forefront, yet his voice isn’t distinct enough. Musically, they’re both admirable, with the latter leaning into a heavy pop-rock pacing.

That doesn’t mean they don’t try to stir things up. Acres do their best to show they’re more than another metalcore band.  ‘Bloodlust’ bubbles with an intense electronic pulse and a throbbing, down-tuned breakdown. Likewise, ‘Steal the Light’ utilises glitchy electronics in its verses, making its bursting choruses more impactful. ‘Not So Different’ provides an Architects-esque arena-metalcore chorus that equally melodically soars and crushingly stomps. Closing track, ‘Around Again’ delicately takes an atmospheric pop ballad route, with sharp guitars coming in the later stages. These experimental tropes are welcomed, if not entirely unique.

Besides being filtered down, ‘The Host’ does allow Acres to expand and add layers to their brand of metalcore. However, it still doesn’t quite pull them out of the mire of similar bands doing the same thing. It’s clear they have ambition, versatility, and some hefty hooks, yet it’s not fully realised on this outing.

Press Club – To All The Ones That I Love

There has always been something likeable about Aussie indie-punks Press Club. Maybe it’s the soulful, magnetic voice of Natalie Foster, or her heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics, or her bandmates’ textured and earnest sound, or it’s a combination of all of that and more. Having been silent for three years, their fourth album, ‘To All The Ones That I Love’, sees the Naarm/Melbourne quartet step out as an independent band.

From the outset, Press Club are in full flow with very little at fault.  ‘I Am Everything’ sets the album’s honest tone, resonating with warmth and jangling instrumentation. ‘Wilt’ rings with a power-pop charm and is paired with vulnerable words of “I’ve lost, lost all the motivation, to waste my time”.  ‘Champagne & Nikes’ is vibrantly reminiscent of longtime favourite ‘Headwreck,’ partly thanks to the rhymic pairing of bassist Iain Macrae and drummer Frank Lee. ‘Wasted Days’ melodically shines, drenched in late summer harmonies.

If you were to take the first five or six tracks from ‘TATOTIL,’ you’d be left with an outstanding EP. That’s not to say the second half isn’t terrible. ‘No Pressure’ pounds with Foster’s distinct accent, a rigid bass line, and sonically swirling guitars, before ‘Vacate’ arrives as the album’s centrepiece. Its steady, plucky build finds the perfect balance between Press Club‘s punk tendencies and sincere songwriting, pulling you in. It also allows Foster’s emotive vocals to be put to the forefront. This also happens on the album closer, ‘Desolation’. Taking a steadier approach, it exemplifies Press Club‘s tight-knit sound.

Overall, the blend of breezy pop melodies with an assured indie-punk foundation makes ‘To All The Ones That I Love’ a much-welcomed return for Press Club. Add to that its raw lyrical substance, and you’re left with an album that’s well worth spending time with.

What is out on #NewMusicFriday?

PUP – Who Will Look After The Dogs?
Turnover – Peripheral Vision (10th anniversary)
Knuckle Puck – Copacetic (Remixed/Remastered)
Acres – The Host
Propagandhi – At Peace
Press Club – To All The Ones That I Love
Slung – In Ways
fallfiftyfeet – Counterfeit Recollections
Paradise Slaves – With Hell In His Eyes
Puddle Of Mudd – Kiss The Machine
Lights – A6
Your Spirit Dies – My Gnawing Pains Will Never Rest
Knives – Glitter
Jarki Monno – Not What It Looks Like
Teens in Trouble and Bat Boy – Split EP
Regal Cheer – Quite Good
Club Night – Joy Coming Down
Blondshell – If You Asked For A Picture
Car Seat Headrest – The Scholars
PARCS – Sleepless
vide – decorated in spiderweb
Tumble – Lost In Light
AAWKS – On Through The Sky Maze
Recall The Remains – Revenant
Demonic Death Judge – Absolutely Launched
RATS – Rule The World
Rikki Rakki – Sing, Cicadas!
Ben Basile – Benergy
Melting – You Exist Because We Allow It
Glass Caves – Back To Earth
Bleed – Bleed
Movieland – Now & Then

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.