This month we highlighted many fantastic singles on our New Music Fridays, and some of the very strongest included Terminal Sleep, Graphic Nature, Lowen and Coilguns. As usual, a crop of excellent singles didn’t land on these lists, so this is our chance to push them onto your radars.
Dry Socket & Body Farm – Endless Psychosis // Abomination (Independent)
Sneeze and you might miss these tracks: Body Farm‘s contribution to this split is sub-one minute, and Dry Socket‘s isn’t much longer. “Endless Psychosis” lives up to its name through loose tempos and ridiculous twists and turns. “Abomination” is a pissed-as-fuck hardcore ditty, seeing Dani pushing their voice to its limit.
FFO: Filth is Eternal, Melt Banana & Gel
Outlander – Orbit (Church Road Records)
Outlander have more than a penchant for grand epics, so “Orbit” is unique in their discography, becoming their shortest song. In its four minutes, it demonstrates Outlander‘s talent for less-is-more shoegaze, with just two riffs, a steady build, and tasteful conclusion. One to play when you’re recontemplating your life on the kitchen floor at 2am.
FFO: Grivo, This Will Destroy You & Slow Crush
Belong – Souvenir (kranky)
The announcement of Belong‘s return was a suprise, as their take on ambient drone has remained relevant since the release of Common Era in 2011. “Souvenir” indicates they haven’t reunited just to rehash their golden era. It’s a twitchy, hypnotic track, like a krautrock take on Duster. It retains the claustraphobic mix from their celebrated works, but declines over-layering of guitar tracks and rolls with piercing beats. Check it out if only to marvel at their upcoming evolution.
FFO: Have a Nice Life, Jesu & Fennesz
Uzumaki – Scenes Of Beauty (Everything Sucks Music)
It’s rare to get a pop punk track this lengthy and indulgent – perhaps it shouldn’t work, but for Uzumaki it does. On “Scenes of Beauty” the ironic lead riffs and too-cool-to-care vocals line up perfectly for a song you can get lost in.
FFO: Buds., PUP & Joyce Manor
NORNA – Ghost (Pelagic Records)
As NORNA gear up for their sophomore self-titled album, the first warning is “Ghost“, demonstrating their dissonant take on post metal. The volume peaks as the vocals are shredded into obscurity by copious effects chains at the track’s centre. Shades of post-hardcore and rock influence keep the track grounded.
FFO: Cult of Luna, Callisto & Year of No Light
SIBIIR – The Famine (Fysisk Format)
SIBIIR practice many disciplines including hardcore and thrash, but on “The Famine” they come bounding out of the Norwegian forests in classic black metal style. The vocals retain that deranged clarity and anger that only an appreciation for hardcore could provide.
FFO: Kvelertak, Devastator & Dödsrit
Huntsmen – In Time, All Things (Prosthetic Records)
Returning to the fold in 2024 are Huntsmen with their third release on Prosthetic Records. The band impressively combine many influences: post metal and rock, doom, folk and prog. “In Time, All Things” is a theatric single highlighting how Aimee Bueno-Knipe‘s voice enhances the band’s sound. A semi-acoustic opening develops towards crushing sludge riffs, culminating in a tasteful melodic solo and harsh vocal conclusion. This should be sampled by all fans of modern prog and extreme metal.
FFO: King Woman, Myrkur& Messa
Suffer No Fools – Tha Hard Way (Heroes & Martyrs)
Suffer No Fools invite us to roll the dice on their crossover hardcore single “The Hard Way“. Alarming siren samples sit well alongside squealy divebombs, but the fundamentals are all here too: strong vocals, a tight rhythm section, and an incredibly tasteful mix. It’s good to see some more material from Suffer No Fools on the horizon.
FFO: Pain of Truth, Enforced & Nerve Agent
Laurentian – Kill the Sun (feat. Haydn Connolly) (Church productions)
With technical ability, production, aesthetics, and songwriting far beyond their modest following, Laurentian are primed to take over the UK deathcore scene. Calling it just ‘deathcore’ feels like an understatement, as “Kill The Sun“‘s guitars perform labyrinthine maneuvers seen only in math rock. Haydn Connolly (ex-In Fear) assists in making the track wall-to-wall heavy, save for a reflective break in before the terminal breakdown. Here’s hoping the band can take to the road and smash this out before long.
FFO: Bound in Fear, Waste & Distant