We continue with our wrap-up of April, and following on from our recap of LPs and EPs, we now take a look at some of the singles from the previous month. Containing the stellar new tracks from SPACED, a tantalising track from Mareux and another spectacular shoegaze tune from LOCKSTEP.
Run Into the Sun – Try/Hope (Independent)
Salt Lake City hardcore band Run Into The Sun follow on from “Love/Pain” and “Cry/Blood” with their latest two tracks in the form of “Try” and “Hope“. “Try” is punchy with infectious guitar lines. Vocalist Dan Fletcher shouts about choosing to move past negative thoughts, and is joined by Billy French of Cherem who lends his gruff voice to the song. With “Hope”, they shift into a melodic bounce and another guest vocal feature from Charles Palleta of Snake Eyez. The sense of local community Run Into The Sun is instilled through their lyrics, collaborations, and imagery across the release – it’s all indicative of something bigger.
FFO: La Dispute, Intiate & Touche Amore
SPACED – Boomerang/Cycle Killer (New Morality Zine)
After firmly setting an impression with Spaced James last year, Spaced are not letting up with the release of dual single “Boomerang” and “Cycle Killer“. The huge tunes see the group meddle with vocal hooks that yearn to be yelled back, and massive guitar riffs that capture the ear. Spaced have levelled up their sound on these two tracks, with “Cycle Killer” oozing with confidence and joy. There is no doubt that Spaced are set to be the next big thing on the hardcore scene.
FFO: Turnstile, Mindforce & DRAIN
hxly xo – Seventh Heaven (Ink & Wash)
There has been a relentless element to hxly xo over the past few years, yet the breakcore artist has not dropped a note on any of their recent releases. “Seventh Heaven” adds to what is a fantastic discography that includes collaborations adding further nuance to an already solidified sound. Hopefully “Seventh Heaven” will lead to the release of another full-length, as this is an artist right on top of their game.
FFO: 星熊南巫, Erythh & MISRY
Graywave – Blur Into One (Church Road Records)
Sooner than expected, Graywave is back with the sublime single “Blur Into One“, following on from their sophomore EP Rebirth. The crushing atmosphere envelopes the track from the get go, with its noise and sound becoming inescapable. The gorgeous riffs and drum rudiments are exquisite, and compliment Jess‘ vocals to make for one of the best shoegaze tracks that has been released this year. With further new material on the horizon, it should now be time to see Graywave as a force to be reckoned with.
FFO: Slow Crush, Doused & Bleed
Mareux – Little Lies (Revolution Records)
Mareux was thrown to the forefront with track “Perfect Girl”, a tune that has become a staple of schizoposting, doomer compilations and now a footnote in the darkwave genre. The follow up was always going to need to meet expectations to prevent the perception of a one trick pony. The first challenger was “Night Vision“, which is one of the strongest tracks of 2023, and now “Little Lies” continues to see darkwave hit a high that has not been seen for years. The brooding synths and lamenting vocals make for a track that can become a personal soundtrack, and adds to the anticipation of what Mareux will come up with next.
FFO: French Police, Molchat Doma & The Black Queen
Buggin – All Eyes on You (Flatspot Records)
Chicago hardcore band Buggin are here to have a grand time. “All Eyes on You” is vibrant, groovy, and real, mixing playful with cathartic. Vocalist Bryanna Bennett gives a punchy delivery, and they are joined halfway through the song by labelmate and fellow Chicagoan Kharma vocalist. This comes ahead of their debut full-length, Concrete Cowboys, which comes out June 2nd, announced alongside second single “Not Yours“.
FFO: JIVEBOMB, End It & Anklebiter
CHADWICK – Running (Independent)
The journey of Pure Violet and Hundredth vocalist Chadwick is one for the ages. After mastering the craft of hardcore, they produced one of the greatest records in the past 10 years in the form of RARE. There has been a sense that anything Chadwick touches turns to majestic gold with recent Hundredth and Pure Violet material. Now this solo-titled, solo-released track takes a techno-esque tangent that is catchy. It is a grand listen given the weight of what came before, and brims with intrigue for what is to come.
FFO: Teenage Wrist, Panama & Kira
LOCKSTEP – Hunger (Independent)
Lockstep returned with atmospheric single “Hunger”, a nearly six-minute long song showcase of Lockstep’s penchant for lush guitar-driven melodies, hushed vocals, and moments of full heaviness. Pulling from post-rock, shoegaze, doom, and noise rock, the six tracks on the EP fit perfectly alongside output from bands like Jesu, Holy Fawn and Nothing. The songs maintaining a sense of presence in life, rather than tunnel vision for the future.
FFO: Holy Fawn, Sol Blind & Leaving Time
Ikonik – Mistakes (feat. Mizra Radonkica)
A surprise onto the scene comes Ikonik, running out of Coophenhagen, offers one of the catchiest tracks recently in the form of “Mistakes”. Huge synths that are accompanied by impassioned vocals put together a track that yearns to be revisited. Dripping with vocal hooks that are delivered with a majestic style, the horizon for Ikonik seems infinite and one can only hope that what is to come will continue to meet the mark of recent material.
FFO: Redhook, Riyah & Concrete Castles