“It feels so good but I know it’s poison.“
A month that was filled with gems for singles, with the likes of Vitatoerm, Fever Cult and crooked all showcasing the immense talent exists in the DIY scene. With the likes of Divine Hatred and God Glitch showing their force as they release their respective EPs, it was a month that delivered plenty of incredible music across the board.
Christian Science Reading Room – Bloodhound (Decapitator Records)
Starting somewhere quiet and cosy, “Bloodhound” is a plush indie folk track from the now-released debut EP from Christian Science Reading Room. For those in the know, the project boasts a stellar lineup: Harper Boyhtari (Greet Death) and L Morgan (Bristletongue) share lyrical and vocal duties, backed by Andrew Smith (meth.) and Seth Beck (Greet Death). This is their outlet for gentle alternative folk, and kicking it off with such a well produced start leaves us anticipating even more. “Bloodhound” can be read as a tale of friendship – how the quiet moments of understanding between longtime mates become an invaluable currency. – Dobbin T
FFO: Soccer Mommy, Emma Ruth Rundle & The Beths
Turtle Tea Party – Sun Slayer (Independent)
Like deathcore has over the last few years, mathcore has begun seeing the sprouts of a new generation beginning to appear from the soil, and with them comes Turtle Tea Party. The band’s debut single, Sun Slayer, sees them throwing caution to the wind and going full-throttle. Glitchy instrumentals, crabcore-esque dance breaks with heavily pitch-corrected vocals, and ludicrously heavy screams combine in a near-unlistenable fashion to form a real spectacle to behold. Already showing that they can easily hang with the more established names in the genre, Turtle Tea Party don’t care about keeping things palatable, they’re here for the real fans and are looking to revive what was once a dying genre. – Jack W
FFO:Abrupt Decay, ZOMBIESHARK!, moshing with your legs as far apart as possible
Crystalview – under the sun together (Independent)
Crystalview return with “under the sun together“, following the hyperpop direction of their previous single. The track crafts a comforting atmosphere with its uplifting and floaty synth melodies coupled with punchy electronic kicks. Crystalview continue to develop their sound unbound by genre constraints, and it’s intriguing to imagine where they can go next. – Jonathan T
FFO: Porter Robinson, Charli xcx & iRis.EXE
sweetmouth – sugarcoated (Independent)
After many months of performing on the live circuit, Cheltenham unit sweetmouth have finally dropped their first studio effort with “sugarcoated”. Oozing with swagger and style, “sugarcoated” takes the 00s pop punk style and adds a nu-esque style to it, combined with Felicity Mitchell’s sublime vocals, it makes for an outstanding track that will hopefully begin to put sugarcoated on a fair few radars. – Joe E
FFO: Ocean Grove, Amira Elfeky & As Everything Unfolds
The Good Depression – Curse the Witch (Independent)
There is something to the sound of The Good Depression that is bursting at the seams of every moment. Packed with the chaos of Every Time I Die and the screamo fury of a Dreamwell, there is little that holds their latest track “Curse the Witch” from being one of the most hellish tracks in September. Crunching guitars that are backed by an evil kick, all lead by screamo-come-hardcore vocals that will put a hole through the door of the mind. – Joe E
FFO: Theurgy HC, GASKET & Ursula
Suds – Quietly Feeling (Independent)
Suds’ sound comes together at some busy crossroads with the intrigue of midwest emo and math rock, wound around a warm core of folk and singer-songwriter sensibility. It’s no surprise to hear such a band is gearing up for their second LP through Big Scary Monsters, with “Quietly Feeling” as one of the lead singles. With heartwarming performances all round that will leave you feeling fuzzy, it’s an anthem for the shy and reserved among us. It’s also the perfect two-chorus track, closing on a rising riff looks on the bright side. – Dobbin T
FFO: Hospital Bracelet, Oso Oso & Chase Petra
Skorn – You Won’t Last (B.I.G Records)
Sometimes you really can judge a track just by one tiny detail. On “You Won’t Last”, it’s the snare: a sharp uppercut each time it lands, the exact mix of “precise” and “obtuse” that hardcore thrives on. Off-tune in a curated manner, it penetrates toward a pitch register it really shouldn’t, providing a vital ‘rent lowering shot’, something that all forms of punk ought to carry. As a result the whole band’s sound is punched into another dimension, whether it’s the plentiful groove segments or circle pit riffs. When the final breakdown pauses for effect, the sound as it splashes against bare studio walls is glorious. There’s more to this single, of course, but I probably don’t have to tell you that Skorn absolutely rocks. – Dobbin T
FFO: Cold World, Pain of Truth & Sunami
Bleeding Truth – Patient 220 (Come Home) (Independent)
The Myspace and 00s revival is in full swing across metalcore, deathcore and screamo, with all the better for it. Leaning full into the metalcore stylings of that Myspace sound are Bleeding Truth, as they blend the contrast of screamo-esque harsh vocals with the metalcore cleans that inspired the likes of Asking Alexandria in their early form. It’s a style that hasn’t been fully explored by many of the revival bands, which makes what Bleeding Truth have done all the more interesting. – Joe E
FFO: Of Machines, Knife Dance & Wires
Massa Nera – Lavender (feat. Tony Castrati) (Independent)
Closing out this list with a polar opposite to where we began, “Lavender” is skramz at its most terrifying and esoteric. Massa Nera don’t get to this level of sheer fright with maxed-out effects, rather, every sound is induced through sheer force majeure. The feature from Tony Castrati (Crippling Alcoholism) makes the trippy middle segment even more of a mind-bender, just look up the lyrics with some caution. – Dobbin T
FFO: White Suns & drive your plow over the bones of the dead