A new year sees us change tact a little when it comes to our roundup of singles. A new name with renewed focus on bringing the best underground music from the UK and around the world.
From Ruins – Don’t Remember Me
Release Date: 4th August 2025
Kicking us off for 2026 we have a track released mid-summer 2025…obviously. Out of Northern Ireland, From Ruins are still pretty green with just the eight songs released since their inception a couple of years ago. ‘Don’t Remember Me’ isn’t a million miles away from previous songs, it just feels like a band that have refined their craft. The vocals seem to soar higher, the riffs hit harder, everything is tighter while still retaining roughness around the edges.
The Harbor Divide – Death of the Sun
Release Date: 21st December 2025
Continuing in that metalcore zone are The Harbor Divide (no prizes for guessing where they’re from given the errant ‘u’) and their latest track ‘Death of the Sun’. All of the hallmarks of metalcore are represented here, but the guitars feel bigger than your average metalcore band and the contrast between cleans and screams is the big selling point. Get ready to sing along before smashing shit up.
TeethOut – Whales
Release Date: 5th December 2025
Heading north to Canada, a country that feels like it just consistently produces quality bands across all genres. Here we have TeethOut tackling a touch of skate-punk. ‘Whales’ is a throwback in style to when everything was just a little bit easier, which makes the song’s theme of letting life pass you by even more harrowing. One to pump up loud and sing like no one’s listening.
Ultra-Lite – Would You Kindly
Release Date: 11th December 2025
Alt-rock with a touch of…lots of other stuff to go with it sees Ultra-Lite defy genres on ‘Would You Kindly’. Punky drums, post-hardcore-esque vocals, indie guitars, there’s a lot to get your head around here. The main takeaway though, is that this is the sort of song you probably want to be seeing in a small sweaty bar somewhere. Fun through and through.
Bury Us All – The Aftermath
Release Date: 26th December 2025
Back to something a tad heavier with ‘The Aftermath’, the explosive Boxing Day single from American outfit Bury Us All. Dominated by seething vocals in the verses and released by cleans in the chorus. If you’re looking for a throwback to the early days of metalcore, Bury Us All may well just be what you’re seeking.
Poor Bambi – This One Is For Free
Release Date: 6th January 2026
The first song released in 2026 to be covered by Hardbeat is from old friends Poor Bambi, The Norwegian rockers that have all the vibes to be one of those London punk bands that have exploded this decade. ‘This One Is Free’ continues to build their catalogue of stomping, punky noise rock. This can’t be played loud enough.
Goaxing – Unbreakable
Release Date: 12th December 2025
We dip back into 2025 to round us off with Italian metal mob Goaxing and the unrelenting ‘Unbreakable’. Equal parts pummelling and atmospheric, ‘Unbreakable’ manages to keep a relentlessly stomping pace despite several transitions and they even manage to drop in a few ‘bleughs’. Which is always nice.