Welcome to this week’s edition of New Music Friday, our wrap-up of all the metalcore, hardcore, alternative, and indie releases, plus picks from our staff. Check out our release calendar to keep track of what is releasing this year. (Cover: DEFOCUS – Biased)
STAFF PICKS
Vilify – Take The Pill (Single)
Label – Independent
(Spotify/Apple Music)
Joe recommends: Vilify are back with another tune that is hard as nails and sees them enter their element, blending brutal vocals with nu-metal style hooks, “Take Your Pill” is the perfect time to get into this Aussie act.
Pale Bloom – highways (Single)
Label – Independent
(Spotify/Apple Music)
Nisrin recommends: Pale Bloom have put together a beautiful blend of shoegaze, post-hardcore and alt-rock with a stunning riff that is captivating through the track. With top notch production that gives “highways” it’s airy atmosphere, it will be exciting to see what Pale Bloom have planned for the future.
ANGER PARTY – Had Enough (Single)
Label – Silent Cult
(Spotify/Apple Music)
Max recommends: A relentless mix of emo, alternative, Horror, huge riffs and dynamic dual vocals, ANGER PARTY showcase a different side with the dark and soul-stirring track “Had Enough“.
Softcult – Love Song (Single)
Label – Easy Life Records
(Spotify/Apple Music)
Dallis recommends: Softcult with their ethereal shoegaze style guitars and gentle grooves offer a soundtrack for the hopefulness of new love and the anxiety that often comes with it, now all that is left is to see what their much anticipated upcoming EP will reveal.
METAL/CORE RELEASES
To The Grave – Director’s Cuts [FULL REVIEW]
Label – Unique Leader Records
Insomnium – Anno 1696
Label – Century Media Records
HYPNO5E – Sheol
Label – Pelagic Records
Pist – The Bleak Unrest
Label – Independent
Ontborg – Following The Steps Of Damnation
Label – Black Lion Records
Going Off – What Makes You Tick?
Label – Church Road Records
Godsmack – Lighting Up The Sky
Label – BMG Rights Management
The Coming Strife – UK Hardcore Comp
Label – The Coming Strife
HEAVENSGATE – AND ALL I LOVED, I LOVED ALONE (EP) [FULL REVIEW]
Label – Grayscale Records
Crown Of Madness – Elemental Binding (EP)
Label – PressX Productions
Can’t Keep Up – Demo ’23 (EP)
Label – Independent
Demand – Nearly Human (EP)
Label – Extinction Burst
JUT – Demo MMXXIII (EP)
Label – Independent
Major Pain – Promo 2023 (EP)
Label – Indecision Records
HENRET – Abandon Hope (EP)
Label – Independent
Mattachine & Mikau – Eject Modernity, Erase Tradition (EP)
Label – Acrobat Unstable Records & Old Press Records
BABYMETAL – Light and Darkness (Single)
Label – Amuse Inc.
Serration – A Suicide Note in Midi Format (Single)
Label – Daze Records
Crown The Empire – DOGMA (Single)
Label – Rise Records
As Everything Unfolds – Flip Side (Single)
Label – Long Branch Records
GEL – Honed Blade (Single)
Label – Convulse Records
Headwreck – Shiver (Single)
Label – Independent
Bodysnatcher – Dead Rabbit (Single)
Label – MNRK Records
Atilla – Handshakes With Snakes (Single)
Label – Independent
Mental Cruelty – Symphony of a Dying Star (Single)
Label – Unique Leader Records
DETHRXNER – GET GOOD (feat. Andreas of CABAL)
Label – Prime Collective
Rise of the Northstar – Third Strike (Single)
Label – Atomic Fire
Execution Day – Flourish (Single)
Label – Independent
DEFOCUS – Biased (Single)
Label – Arising Empire
Judiciary – Knife in the Dirt (Single)
Label – Closed Casket Activities
Ohhms – Blood Feast (Single)
Label – Church Road Records
Entheos – Darkest Day (Single)
Label – Metal Blade Records,
Blind Channel – FLATLINE (Single)
Label – Century Media Records
Fallstar – Doomsayer (Single)
Label – Facedown Records
Come at the King – Good Bad Influence (Single)
Label – Independent
The Ongoing Concept – Unwanted Again (Single)
Label – Solid State Records
REZN – Reversal (Single)
Label – Independent
QUEEN KONA – Heist (Single)
Label – Moosh Man Records
Patient Sixty-Seven – Lake Valley (Single)
Label – Independent
Maelføy – Regrets (feat. Benedikt Weißkopf & Gerrit Kirschbaum) (Single)
Label – Uncle M Music
Tariot – Hell Hole (Single)
Label – Out Of Line Music
Nylist – Blind (Single)
Label – Independent
BVRNA – Estrella fugaz (Single)
Label – Mad Bird Records
panicwaves – Twisted (feat. Aaron Steineker) (Single)
Label – Easthaven Records
Catsclaw – Passenger (Single)
Label – Independent
Acadence – Degrade (Single)
Label – Independent
A War Within – Fracture (Single)
Label – Independent
Project 86 – Virtual Signal (Single)
Label – OMNI Records
Echoes – Loveless (Single)
Label – Independent
Systems & Stories – Osage (Single)
Label – Independent
Blindfolded and Led to the Woods – Methlehem (Single)
Label – Prosthetic Records
Böse Fuchs & Sly – ZORN (Single)
Label – Independent
Defamed – Divinities (Single)
Label – Independent
Lo – Suffocation (feat. Josh Judge) (Single)
Label – Independent
Cliffside – Forever (Single)
Label – Independent
Heartlay – Carnivore as Well (Single)
Label – An Exile
POST-HARDCORE/ROCK RELEASES
Real Friends – There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late [FULL REVIEW]
Label – Pure Noise Records
Awake At Last – The Balance
Label – Wake Up Music LLC
Hundred Reasons – Glorious Sunset
Label – SO Recordings
Fat Heaven – Trash Life
Label – Independent
Erase Theory – Erase Theory (EP)
Label – Icons Creating Evil Art
L E A – Happy Never Ending (EP)
Label – Head Bitch Music
Cyan Kicks – Into You (Single)
Label – Warner Music Group
covet – firebird (Single)
Label – Triple Crown Records
Point North – Safe and Sound (feat. Jonathan Vigil) (Single)
Label – Hopeless Records
All Faces Down – Three Years (Single)
Label – Forevermore Labels
HANDCUFF – El Ganso (Single)
Label – Church Road Records
Militarie Gun – Do It Faster (Single)
Label – Loma Vista Recordings
Concrete Castles – Running From The Daylight (Single)
Label – Velocity Records
Bad/Love – Are You Ready? (Single)
Label – Independent
A Foreign Affair – Day by Day (feat. Aaron Gillepsie) (Single)
Label – Independent
Krooked Tongue – Velociraptor (Single)
Label – Independent
Archetypes Collide – Parasite (Single)
Label – Fearless Records
Have Mercy – 1979 (Single)
Label – Rude Records
Weathers – All Caps (feat. John the Ghost) (Single)
Label – Sumerian Records
Discrepancies – Recovery (Single)
Label – InVogue Records
CYANSEA – Divergence.186 (Single)
Label – Independent
Atlantis Chronicles – Within the Massive Stream (Acoustic) (Single)
Label – Independent
Designer Disguise – Get Low (Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz Cover) (Single)
Label – InVogue Records
happydaze – Faded (Single)
Label – Thriller Records
Meet Me @ the Altar – Kool (Single)
Label – Fueled By Ramen
Death Cab for Cutie – Foxglove Through the Clearcut (Acoustic) (Single)
Label – Atlantic Records
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE/SHOEGAZE RELEASES
BIG|BRAVE – nature morte [FULL REVIEW]
Label – Thrill Jockey
Model/Actriz – Dogsbody
Label – True Panther
daine – shapeless
Label – Warner
Gorillaz – Cracker Island
Label – Parlophone Records
U.S. Girls – Bless This Mess
Label – 4AD Ltd
shame – Food for Worms
Label – Dead Oceans
Algiers – Shook
Label – Matador
The Church – The Hypnogogue
Label – Communicating Vessels
Gruff Rhys – The Almond & The Seahorse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Label – Rough Trade Records
Vérité – love you forever
Label – Independent
Miss Grit – Follow the Cyborg
Label – Mute
Philip Selway – Strange Dance
Label – Bella Union
Meemo Comma – Loverboy
Label – Independent
Quinnie – flounder
Label – Columbia Records
mui zyu – Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century
Label – Father/Daughter Records
The Lathums – From Nothing To A Little Bit More
Label – Island Records
John Bence – Archangels
Label – Independent
Master Peace – Peace Of Mind (EP)
Label – PMR
Pugilist – Negative Space (EP)
Label – Of Paradise
CHVRCHES – Over (Single)
Label – Virgin Records
The National – New Order T-Shirt (Single)
Label – 4AD
City and Colour – Fucked It Up (Single)
Label – Still Records
Manchester Orchestra – Capital Karma (Single)
Label – Concord
Breathe Carolina – WIFI (Single)
Label – Spinnin’ Records
Hippo Campus – Kick in the Teeth (Single)
Label – Grand Jury Music
From Inside – The Right One (Single)
Label – Independent
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Nadja (Single)
Label – Jagjaguwar
Shit Present – Voice in Your Head (Single)
Label – Specialist Subject
Shana Cleveland – Walking Through Mountain Dew (Single)
Label – Hardly Art
Matilda Mann – The Day That I Met You (Single)
Label – Independent
Now After Nothing – Fixation Fantasy (Single)
Label – Living On Neptune(s)
State Champs – Everybody But You (Mik Lo-fi Remix) (Single)
Label – Pure Noise Records
Sad Boys Club – Delicious (Single)
Label – Modern Sky UK
Halsey – Die 4 Me (Single)
Label – Capitol Records