Soral – This ‘N’ That
Release Date: 24th April 2024
Soral, composed of Tom Roscow on vocals, Alex Worrall on bass and Adam Boya on drums, released their genre-mashing single ‘This ‘N’ That’ in April 2024.
The Mancunian band have made a weird and wonderful mix using components from hardcore garage, old-school grime, rock guitar and heavy drums. Produced and mixed by Dean Glover, the Cheetham Hill trio’s aggressive lyricism tells a story of despondency; life is a struggle for normal people, and working a dead end job gets you nowhere.
This is apparent particularly in the line: ‘What can I do? What can I say? 9-5 man it ain’t gonna pay.’ Soral does a brilliant job of telling the listener a story about everyday life and the anger they feel while incorporating 2000s hard rock motifs.
By using this eclectic combination, they have created a sound that is completely their own.
Rating: 9/10
For fans of: Kasabian, Muse, MC Vapour
Austin Road – … A Cloud With No Silver Lines
Release Date: 9th February 2024
Metalcore band Austin Road released their single ‘… A Cloud With No Silver Lines’ in February this year, pulling elements from heavy metal, rock and screamo to create a menacingly brilliant track.
Originating from Glastonbury, they have made a contemptuous, deprecating song with an encircling guitar riff and harsh vocals. They made the track more aggressive by having a heavy voice on top of another heavy voice, showing their anger while also creating a unique take on the genre itself. Without a smoother set of vocals, the song sounds enraged and dark.
Produced by Joe Marsh Recording, ‘… A Cloud With No Silver Lines’ begins with consistent fretting, reminiscent of songs like Thunderstruck by AC/DC, immediately making the abrasiveness apparent. The thunderous drum beat then comes in, followed by caustic, merciless lyrics bellowing about the band’s disdain for life.
Rating: 7/10
For fans of: Motorhead, Motionless in White, Bring Me The Horizon
Telling Secrets – (Wake Up) Full Moon
Release Date: 8th March 2024
Penned and produced by the band’s lead singer Vik Kovacs, Telling Secrets released ‘(Wake Up) Full Moon’ in March 2024. Emerging from the UK, with ties to LA and Hungary, the track merges modern rock with rap, which is a combination not often seen.
Distributed by PsychTune, the beginning showcases autotuned lyrics, influenced by trap music and emo. There are layers of unearthly harmonies on top of unpitying guitar, creating a spiralling atmosphere and conveying Kovacs’ message of battling inner conflicts and burdens.
‘(Wake Up) Full Moon’ contains synthesisers throughout, pulling from 80s pop. It works well with the autotune from the beginning; giving off a robotic vibe while still being an emotional, passionate piece.
Paired with an exciting music video, the song communicates the feeling of relieving yourself from anxiety and self-loathing while using components from a variety of genres.
Rating: 5/10
For fans of: Cradle of Filth, Black Veil Brides, blink-182
Scatter The Tribe – Rush
Release Date: 26th April 2024
26th April 2024 saw Scatter The Tribe’s newest single ‘Rush’, mixed and produced by Meyrick de La Fuente. The London based band have pulled elements from late 2000s metalcore and screamo to create this dynamic track.
Craig Lockyer, Dante Coates, Reza Felyati and Havi use shattering hooks and heavy technical riffs to convey a dark tone throughout. The intro showcases a swirling guitar, reminiscent of the Doom soundtrack.
At almost 40 seconds, the vocals come in. They are fast, similar to a rap, and successfully express the anger of the song. The chorus uses emo-type lyrics and slows down vocally, making it poignant and emotional, and the screams at the end of the chorus revitalise that feeling of anger from the verse.
Rating: 7/10
For fans of: Haunted By Wolves, Decade & A Day, American Theory
Rookie – Boy
Release Date: 10th May 2024
Italian band Rookie released their single ‘Boy’ in May 2024. Distributed by Universal, the band mixes 90s emo and punk with alternative rock to create a unique track.
‘Boy’ conveys a message of sadness about life and not fulfilling dreams. It begins with everyone playing, then cuts to just the bass while the vocals begin, helping to express their attitudes on childhood and emotions. Using the influence of emo for their lyrics pushes this implication even further.
There is an uplifting aspect to the song as shown with the guitar solo just after the 2 minute mark, which has highs and lows throughout it, communicating how there are peaks and troughs in life.
Members Carlo Demo, Antonio Loseto and Nicola ‘Dominik’ Cerantola debuted their first album, Appartamento in centro, in September 2016, and it is fascinating to see how far their style has developed.
Rating: 8/10
For fans of: Sum 41, Pearl Jam, Green Day