James offers his favourite singles submissions from this past week. Please check out the bands, and let us know what you think via our Social Media channels!
Drittmaskin – Hjertet mitt slaar
In the world of heavy music, Norway does two things better than pretty much anyone. Firstly and most obviously, it appears Black Metal culture over there is just as prominent as say, Michael Bublé is on our shores. Secondly and more recently, Norway has spawned some of the most wicked Punk N Roll acts that we’ve seen in years. Drittmaskin comfortably manage to tread into both worlds perfectly, and ‘Hjertet mitt slaar’ sounds like it was recorded in the fucking woods. Inaccessible noise for people that would enjoy the concept of Immortal having a fistfight with Kverlertak, get this in your ears now.
Lakehouse – Food Basics
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Canadian’s Lakehouse managed to pinch a slight hint of Ska and blend it with influences from the likes of prized UK skatepunks Gnarwolves. ‘Food Basics’ matches my personality to perfection, and with a wicked chorus to boot, it reminded me of being pissed off at the same bullshit routine and being constantly skint, yet still managing to find a smile through it all. Lakehouse are a band for having a laugh with your mates- catchy, simple as fuck punk rock that’ll never ever feel dated. ‘Food Basics’ drops 5th December 2018, and I’m pretty excited for you all to hear it!
Fake Figures – Bury The Hatchet
Fake Figures are a name that every couple of years, you might see rumbling around various US rock/metal music scenes before somewhat disappearing again. Featuring prominent members of Atreyu, Scars of Tomorrow and Hotwire, despite the band being around since 2011 it appears they’re more than happy to go at their own pace with releasing new material. With a third EP due late 2018, boy does their patience pay off with ‘Bury The Hatchet’. I’ll be honest, Beartooth’s past two releases haven’t been to my tastes, but Fake Figures might have just provided the alternative I’ve been looking for all this time. Potentially the metalcore sleeper hit of 2018, for fans of big choruses and massive riffs.
The Exits – Gone
The Exits are back on our weekly coverage and this time offering a much more solemn approach in latest single ‘Gone’. I find it difficult to describe a sound as ‘trademark’ for a band so relatively small as The Exits, but their overall approach just screams of distinction and I can’t get enough of it. This is a band taking the classic guitar tones of The Eagles and The Police and merging them with a contemporary rock spin. It’s something that a million bands have tried before them and just about failed, and when I say The Exits are a band for just about every fan of rock and roll, I really mean it. If ‘Gone’ isn’t to your tastes, I implore you to check out ‘Press Repeat.
Automatic Ape – Dry The Sea Down
Every bloody week I do this to myself, picking a band that’s near impossible to describe in a short paragraph. Spain’s Automatic Ape reminded me of an Alt-Rock spin on a Devin Townsend album- bizarrely melodic as much as it tries to take your face clean off, coupled with a music video screaming of eccentricity. It’s clear ‘Dry The Sea Down’ is out to take your senses on a ride of a lifetime, and after hours of sifting through new music that all just sounded the same, it was a refreshing palette cleanser hearing a band like Automatic Ape. Certainly not for everyone, but if a more progressive version of latter day The Dillinger Escape Plan sounds up your street, get on this now.
Press Club – Headwreck
Raw, fast paced Indie-tinged Punk Rock seems to be killing it on a global scale right now, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out Press Club may just be about to topple every other upstart on the planet. ‘Headwreck’ took me back to the first time I heard a young Milk Teeth and Marmozets, gritty and emotional with the world beckoning at their feet. The same applies with Press Club here, they might be a decade off reaching the pinnacle of their success, but boy is ‘Headwreck’ a wicked foundation to build on. I must say though, many bands have stripped the distortion from their sound in place of a grander scale of production. On the flip side, the bite and snarl that Press Club seemingly do so well needs to stay, for the time being at least…
Everything To Nothing – Ten Years
It’s a testament to their quality that even with less than 200 Facebook likes, this isn’t the first time Everything To Nothing have managed to grace the pages of our tiny website. Encapsulating the best of contemporary UK Rock and melding it with an old school Emo-Rock spin, the production quality and song-writing prowess of ‘Ten Years’ is nothing short of staggering for a band still in their infancy. Everything To Nothing represent one of the better examples of upcoming underground Rock, and affirm the reason I spend hours every night digging through new music. ‘Ten Years’ is set for release 7th December 2018, and with this level of cohesion for a band so young, it’ll likely blow my mind what comes next.
That’s this weeks singles reviews, please feel free to check out the tracks above on the usual formats, or alternatively you can access them on our embedded Spotify playlists below. Thanks for reading!
