As the summer festival season swells, May is a great time to drop your key single, and we’ve picked up on a host of great tracks through our New Music Friday column, including Ihlo, Delilah, fromjoy, and En Masse. As ever, four staff picks and our sharpest Thursday-night minds aren’t enough to catch everything we would like to, or in fact, feel we need to talk about. Here are some key releases before they leave the rearview mirror.
Safeguard – Sweet Pea (Independent)
Seven years have passed since Safeguard’s pair of EPs impacted the UK’s underground emo network. They are Yorkshire’s take on Warped Tour, and have resurfaced in 2025 with a set of new tracks. Engineer Bob Cooper brings a production quality to the new tracks that their early work really deserved. “Sweet Pea” is a summery and tender track full of immense detail in the instrumentals, complete with a belter of a bridge and chorus. It’s also immensely touching, as singer Declan Gough takes a moment to process tremendous loss: “I’ll cling to your ashes and fade into blue / How the fuck am I supposed to live without you?” Dobbin T
FFO: The Story So Far, Balance And Composure & Belmont
Seethe – Deceit (Independent)
The latest nu-core entrants in the UK space come in the form of Seethe, and make their debut with the standout track “Deceit”. Rather than opting for the full-throttle approach their genre mates lead with, Seethe mix up the tempo, switching between menacingly paced moments that are then immediately met with vicious nu-core screams and gnarly guitars. In a genre where sounds are often too familiar, Seethe have created one that is intriguing and fresh with their debut. Joe E
FFO: So Far So Good, Break Fifty & PULSE
Pennwood Rd. – June bugs (Independent)
Midwest emo debutants Penwood Rd. dropped the first of their material from their upcoming EP with delightful single “June bugs”, which has recently been followed up by “Leech”. The groove-work on the drums captures the ear, with fills floating across the toms on the verses, giving a joyous flair. Melancholic moments bleed throughout as the guitars strum and sombre vocals, contrasted with raw screams, giving “June bugs” the stylings of the Tumblr-era post-hardcore emo that was ever so popular a decade ago. It’s one to mellow out in the sun to while taking in the day. Joe E
FFO: Sweet Pill, Pianos Become The Teeth & Origami Angel
As My Ashes Blur The Sky – First Was Chaos…In The Stench Of Parasites (Independent)
San Jose revival outfit As My Ashes Blur The Sky continue to provide that Killing with a Smile-esque sound with a drizzle of somber metalcore. With all the modern oversaturation that has flooded the scene today, an abundance of MySpace miscreance is becoming more welcomed with open arms and ears by the minute. “First Was Chaos…In The Stench Of Parasites” not only fits right in with this anarchial designation but also pushes the prolific metalcore boundaries amidst an artillery shell of poly riffs and chugs, to boot. Shane C
FFO: Delilah, End It All & HELL CAN WAIT
freak – swallow (Independent)
For those who have been searching for a hit of the old sounds of Code Orange, FREAK has that and more in absolute abundance on “swallow”. It’s a relentless attack on the auditory senses with their piercing vocals, blast beats and crunching riffs, with industrial stylings intertwined. “swallow” is a sledgehammer that looks to smash the mind and ear to bits in a feral yet impressive manner. Nisrin
FFO: gloom.tx, Heriot & SoulShatter
Satellite108 – Excerpts of Orbit (END)
Satellite108 kicked May off in style with “Shadows of You” and “ILY.exe”, a melting pot of influences underpinned by breakcore, dainty ambience, and artful anime samples. “Shadows of You” is the more dynamic of the two, progressing from its moving opening melody through hypnotic breakcore to a filthy, near-deathcore crescendo bookended by Bunny Girl Senpai snippets. It’s a big departure from last year’s shoegaze-heavy Distant Romance, but superbly crafted. Harry
FFO: Desolate, Fromjoy & Crystalview
Dvdangel & deadfave – Last Message Received (Independent)
The world of breakcore has been one vibrant in 2025, with new drops from the likes of Nedaj, FlowerByDeMii, Sxnctuary and more. Creating an atmosphere and an emotion are so integral to the genre’s appeal – each sample and beat must craft a world that can be projected onto listeners. On their latest collaboration “Last Message Received”, dvdangel and deadfave craft beauty. While short in its runtime, its shift between extended sorrowful synths and jungle style beats makes for a hypnotic listen, with each layer and subtle sample adding moments that capture the mind and ear here.
FFO: Sxnctuary, timesgone & bleach.bath
VICTIMBLAMED – Asphyxiate (Independent)
The deathcore revival movement seemingly lost one of its most contributory compatriots in VICTIMBLAMED earlier this year with a sudden post on social media that indicated they were done for good. With an outpouring from fans to make a potential return, VICTIMBLAMED have done just that with their latest hack ‘n slashing of the cranium in “Asphyxiate”. It’s as demolishing as everything else they’ve released thus far to a gleefully bludgeoning degree. Featuring a rare uplifting instrumental section that is seldom seen in deathcore, VICTIMBLAMED perhaps use this to offer sincere thanks to proponents of the revival scene before ending with a short cataclysmic drubbing. Welcome the fuck back. Shane C
FFO: MAULED, Slamwich & Girl Of Glass
Postal – With Lips Locked And Eyes Sewn Shut (Independent)
Everything is bigger in Texas. That’s at least what we’ve been told time and time again. While this sentiment is hardly applicable to anything outside of square mileage and steaks, contemporary hardcore may also be worthy of that denomination. San Antonio-based hardcore newcomers, Postal, are another group that have continued to trek towards Southern stardom. On “With Lips Locked And Eyes Sewn Shut”, we get the blunt force trauma-inducing jab of modern hardcore with a smoked seasoning of old-time metalcore underpinnings. Like the proper Texans they are, Postal have once again provided a diverse sonic dish that is perfect for every occasion. Shane C
FFO: Sincerely Yours, The Motion Mosaic & Constrain