Content Breakdown
Pinkshift – Authority Problem
Bloom – Out Of Reach
Blanket – Hole in My Head
Flycatcher – Down
Moodring – Half-Life
Weird Nightmare – Forever Elsewhere
Spearside – Couldn’t Be Told
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Newish Music Playlist Update
Every week, our inbox is flooded with new singles from across the alternative scene, and while we’d love to highlight them all, there’s simply too much great music to keep up with. That’s where Already Heard Recommends: Songs of the Week comes in. We sift through the latest releases to bring you a handpicked selection of the standout tracks you need to hear.
Whether it’s rock, punk, emo, hardcore, metal, or something in between, we cut through the noise and bring you the songs that deserve your attention.
Pinkshift – Authority Problem
Just weeks removed from releasing ‘Earthkeeper,’ Pinkshift have dropped this angst-ridden, socio-politically-charged onslaught. Embracing an outspoken punk ethos, ‘Authority Problem’ thrives with personal empowerment and political resistance. Vocalist Ashrita Kumar’s words are confrontational as they celebrate personal identity against disrespect and institutional intimidation.
“Fuck ICE, fuck the left and the right, fuck the false decorum of rules and laws and executive orders just created to make people feel small and helpless,” Pinkshift said when commenting on the track. “Only I know who I am, and if you disrespect me, then I don’t care, you’ll feel my wrath.”
Bloom – Out Of Reach
Aussie melodic hardcore outfit Bloom continue to preview their upcoming ‘The Light We Chose’ record with ‘Out of Reach’. It sees the quintet charge through with Jono Hawkey’s biting screams and Jarod McLaren and Oliver Butler’s chunky guitars. While bassist Andrew Martin and drummer Jack Van Vliet round out the track’s density and energetic ferocity.
With ‘The Light We Chase’ thematically taking a reflective approach, ‘Out of Reach’s blistering rush is complemented by an internal doubt of chasing personal goals. “‘Out Of Reach’ stems from questioning whether the pursuit is worth it, and the dissatisfaction that can come when striving towards a goal,” Bloom explains. “The idea that the goalposts are always moving is at the root of the song, opening with the lyrics ‘Never satisfied, I always push to have it all’. Imagery of rot and ash drive the track forward, and Jono’s switch to clean vocals in the chorus ‘spit out the taste of’ a dream that has become a tragedy. Here, there is no light, and ‘Out Of Reach’ asks the question if anything was worth chasing at all.”
‘The Light We Chase’ by Bloom is released on October 31st on Pure Noise.
Blanket – Hole in My Head
Blanket are longtime favourites here at AlreadyHeard. Their evolution from post-rock to shoegaze has been organic. Their new single, ‘Hole in My Head’ exemplifies the North West quartet’s ability to deliver immersive soundscapes. Neatly utilising delays, reverb and modulation, it allows Blanket to create a hazy wall of sound.
Among the textured sounds and drenched instrumentation is a song of vulnerability, dealing with self-disappointment. “Lyrically, “Hole In My Head” came from that restless place where you’re grappling with the sense that something inside you isn’t quite right,” the band explained. “But instead of spiralling, you’re reaching for something better, trying to learn and grow through the discomfort.”
Flycatcher – Down
New Jersey quartet Flycatcher continue to impress as they give another preview of their new album with ‘Down’. Utilising slide guitars and ruminating in a grunge-like skin, it sees Flycatcher maintain the twangy indie rock sound that made previous singles ‘Flood’ and ‘Truth’ so favourable.
There’s a comforting consistency to what the four-piece do. It’s one that borders on being simple yet effective through its warm execution. Lyrically, the band describe it as “a nod to past friends and watching them slip into their old ways.”
‘Wrench’ by Flycatcher is released on October 24th on Memory Music.
Moodring – Half-Life
Having relocated to Atlantal, Georgia and inked a deal with Sharptone Records, ‘Half-Life’ marks the beginning of a new chapter for Moodring. The alt-metal project spearheaded by Hunter Young returns with a bruising, personal statement as he reflects on a life-changing medical condition.
With its rugged alt-metal spine and an underpinned industrial element, ‘Half-Life’ is a crushing and raw number, riddled with catharsis. “‘Half-Life’ was one of the first songs written after I received a life-changing medical diagnosis and was forced to grieve losing the person that I thought I was and had identified as for most of my sentient life,” Young shares. “It was a devastating blow to an already-tarnished nervous system. This song and subsequent songs were my way of coping and writing an obituary for the person I lost in that doctor’s office.”
Among the challenges Hunter has faced is the notion that Moodring has become a solo project, unable to tour, yet it leaves endless possibilities as Young works with different collaborators. ‘Half-Life’ maintains the intensity of past releases yet serves as a reintroduction to Moodring. Watch this space for more new music.
Weird Nightmare – Forever Elsewhere
With Canadian noise rockers METZ on hiatus, Weird Nightmare sees frontman Alex Edkins flex his power-pop muscles with a radiant charm on ‘Forever Elsewhere’.
Working alongside Jim Eno of Spoon, ‘Forever Elsewhere’ sees Edkins expand Weird Nightmare‘s lo-fi bedroom sound without sacrificing the magnetic hooks. It sees Edkins pair up fuzzy guitars with a buoyant message. “‘Forever Elsewhere’ is the most optimistic song I’ve written to date. I wanted to send an unequivocal positive message into the world,” says Alex. “The line ‘Love, it will come,’ summarises the overall theme: if things feel hopeless and the world is bleak, don’t give up, keep pushing. I like to think of it as a pep talk wrapped in fuzzy guitars.”
Spearside – Couldn’t Be Told
Hailing from Trim, Co Meath, meet Spearside, the hardcore project from sibling duo Oisín and Cian Walsh. ‘Couldn’t Be Told’ is the title track from the pair’s forthcoming EP, due out later this month. It’s a riotous blast of hardcore punk, distilled into a distorted and fierce rampage.
“The title encapsulates the meaning of the song; the arrogance of youth, the consequence of misplaced effort, and watching someone wilfully go down a sad road,” vocalist and guitarist Oisín Walsh explains. Steve Albini once said something about the music industry that has always stuck with me because it applies to life in general. He said, “If you can understand somebody else’s mistake and not make it, then you’re ahead of the game.” ‘Couldn’t Be Told’ is ultimately about trying to learn from others’ mistakes.”
‘Couldn’t Be Told’ bites down on the heaviest that June’s ‘Hatchet Man’ EP hinted at. While there was a grit to that EP’s title track, it also offered fuzz-laden alt-rock in the form of ‘Planning Our Escape’ and ‘All the Same’. ‘Couldn’t Be Told’ hints at a more unhinged offering from the emerging Irish duo.
‘Couldn’t Be Told’ by Spearside is released on October 22nd.
Newish Music Playlist Update
| 2XKO and Courtney LaPlante – Ties That Bind 84 Tigers – Regeneration Days (feat. Aaron Stauffer) Action/Adventure – Spiral The Alchemy – Pushing Up Daisies Alea Jacta Est – Le Club Alter Bridge – What Lies Within Annisokay – Splinters The Band Comino – 12:34 Beans on Toast – The Glastonbury Oak The Belair Lip Bombs – Back of My Hand Bicycle Inn – Ordinary Hel Black Label Society – Broken and Blind Blanket – Hole In My Head Bloom – Out Of Reach The Bobby Lees – Napoleon Boys Go To Jupiter – Revenge Tour Broadside – Someone You Need Brusic – Fractures Bugeye – This ain’t a love song Cherym and Uninvited – Sofa Bed Chief State – No Brakes chokecherry – Major Threat CKY – Can’t Stop Running |
Cold Night For Alligators – I Am Only Fear The Rasmus – Creature Of Chaos (feat. Tyler Connelly of Theory Of A Deadman) Crystal Lake – The Weight Of Sound Customer Service – Picture This Dark Chapel – Sign of Life The Low Blow – Dead Nettles Defocus – COMA Dollyrots – You Don’t Own Me echochamber – netherworld Flycatcher – Down Fountain Island – Girl You Got Me Frank Turner – Giraffes #1 Frayle – Boo Gideon – Wrong One Hail The Sun – Relapse Is A Love Affair Hit The Lights – Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt Holy Wars – Metamorphosis HVNDS – BLOOD Ice Nine Kills – The Laugh Track Johnny Zirkel – Fix My Eyes Joyce Manor – Well, Whatever It Was Kit Major – Teenage Wannabe Kröna – The Weasel Strut |
Lunar & The Deception – No More Secrets Maybsomeday – Matchstick City MEGG – Clarity mirabelle. – Crybaby Moodring – Half-Life Northlane – rot.exe / ra.exe Pallbearer – Watcher In The Dark (2025 Mix) The Penske File – Hold On to the Glow of Youth Pinkshift – Authority Problem Ragana + Drowse – Ash Souvenir Rob Zombie – Punks And Demons Sawtega – Tower Shields – Wolfskin (feat. Left to Suffer) Sick Joy – Anything Goes Sleemo – Bleeding SMUG LLC – Exciting Doom Spanish Love Songs – Cocaine & Lexapro (feat. Kevin Devine) / Berlin (feat. Tigers Jaw) Spearside – Couldn’t Be Told| Superworld – Locked Room These New South Whales – Miss Her Weird Nightmare – Forever Elsewhere When The Sun Sets – Came Up Short The Wytches – Is The World Too Old? |
The ‘Newish Music’ playlist is also available on Apple Music.
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