Browsing Tag

post hardcore

Life in Discord buried tranquillity in trepidation in their latest post-hardcore single, Fading into Obscurity

Posted on 28 August 2022

If you can’t relate to Fading into Obscurity, the latest single to come from the post-hardcore powerhouse, Life in Discord, I don’t know whether I envy you or pity you.

The San Diego-based outfit brought some much-needed gravitas to the emo genre with their bleeding-heart lyricism, cataclysmically sharp riffs that are reminiscent of the likes of Rise Against, A Day to Remember and At the Drive In, and the marred with disillusion vocals that pull you right into the centre of this unfiltered confession of lost sanity.

If there was ever a time we needed a band in the same vein as Life in Discord, it is now. Naturally, we’re not the only ones hyped by their catchy burial of tranquillity.

Fading into Obscurity officially released on August 5th; check it out via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

British Quintessentialism meets riotous pop-punk and post-hardcore in DEFS’ latest single, No Worries If Not

Posted on 7 August 2022

DEFS is a one-man mission to create groove-saturated raucous pop bangers; based on the Sheffield, UK-based songwriter and producer’s latest riotously off-kilter single, No Worries If Not, his endeavour is a resounding success. If you could imagine how Liam Lynch’s United States of Whatever would have unfolded if he was quintessentially British, you’ll get an idea of the animated exuberance.

With his influences ranging from punk rock to nu-metal to 90s indie, DEFS constructed a genre-fluid rancorous mockery of our awkward over-polite tendencies. Through catchy pop-punk choruses, hammering post-hardcore breakdowns (literally and metaphorically), schizophrenic vocal transitions and psychedelically anthemic mayhem, No Worries If Not became the ultimate alt-indie playlist staple. Half-Man Half-Biscuit has nothing on DEFS.

No Worries If Not is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

The UK’s most promising electronic post-rock pioneers, Bear Witness, have released their temperamentally visceral stormer, Thorn in My Side

Posted on 18 April 2022
Bear Witness

If you ever found yourself with a soft spot for Celldweller, Highly Suspect or InMe, the Brighton-based Electronic Alt-Rock duo, Bear Witness have exactly what it takes to rekindle your affinity for viscerally raw turbulent tracks. Their latest single, Thorn in My Side, is practically post-rock pornography.

Around the overdriven scuzzy guitar riffs, there’s enough of a melody to leave you hooked in the temperamental rhythms, and perceptibly, Bear Witness know just how to use spatial effect and build tension throughout their sonic stormer.

Unsurprisingly, we aren’t the only ones hooked on Bear Witness’ refreshing candour and blisteringly off-kilter signature sound. They’ve already been lauded by the BBC, played to crowds at The Camden Assembly, and are currently semi-finalists in the Isle of Wight Festival’s New Blood competition.

Thorn in My Side will officially release on April 15th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Southeast powerhouse, Weller, captured the collective sense of futility and isolation in their post-rock hit, Irritated.

Posted on 8 March 2022

The Southeast UK-based post-rock pioneers, Weller, have released their most bruising single to date with the release of Irritated which opens on the instantly disarming, relatably numb lyric, “it has been so long since I felt some connection, feels like a wasted life waiting for the resurrection”. Impressively, they found a way to capture the contemporary collective sense of ennui, futility and isolation while delivering the ultimate angst-riled comfort for it.

They followed in the footsteps of Bring Me the Horizon and Enter Shikari before stridently taking a step in their own atmospherically enrapturing direction. Usually, there is somewhat of an incongruous relationship between fame and talent; with Weller, there’s a synergy in the ingenuity they deliver and the hype that has amassed around their post-hardcore edge. Since making their first official release in 2021, they have garnered international airplay from TotalRock Radio, BBC Introducing and Kerrang Radio. They have also gone down a storm on Spotify with over 100k streams on their seven singles, two of which have hit number 1 in the iTunes rock chart.

I don’t know what I’m more excited about, their forthcoming EP or the chance to see them live. They have everything it takes to be bigger than Paul Weller, which I very much doubted before I hit play.

Irritated is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of Weller’s indulgently infectious takes on alt-rock.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The alt-rock powerhouse, Silence in Surrender, is ‘Coming Up’ in the first single to be released from their forthcoming album.

Posted on 4 March 2022

South West London’s riffiest prodigal sons of hard rock, Silence in Surrender, have teased what it is to come in their forthcoming album with the release of the first single, Coming Up.

As soon as I hit play, the virtuosic furore shunted me right back to the early 00s metal and hard rock scene; as the dynamic track progresses, they keep the instrumental curveballs coming with the infusion of thrash and the Seattle sound.

I never thought I would see the day when a track could appease fans of Mastodon, Bring Me the Horizon, Faith No More, Velvet Underground and Pixies simultaneously, but Silence in Surrender delivered that and a whole lot more with Coming Up. It appears that they’re the only one that got the memo about bringing the sex appeal back to rock too – the guitar solos should come with an X-Rating.

Coming Up is due for release on March 4th. You can check out the official music video via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Purge yourselves via District 13’s post-hardcore stormer, Step into the Fire

Posted on 5 February 2022

There was little chance of forgetting the mesmeric furore of District 13, which we were introduced to via their 2019 single, Soma. The Exeter-hailing virtuosic sons have driven even more frenetic finesse into their sound over lockdown if their latest single, Step into the Fire, is anything to go by.

Between the old-school Black Sabbath vibes and the hints of post-hardcore, their own darkly maniacal alt-metal signature sound had plenty of room to breathe. For 5 and a half minutes, District 13 prove the dynamism in their influence and talent as you are shunted through the unpredictably gratifying progressions. From hooky choruses to theatrical interludes to thrash metal breakdowns, Step into the Fire offers it all. We highly recommend any alt-metal fan with an open mind instead of a petulant fixation on the past purges themselves within Step into the Fire.

The official video for District 13’s single, Step Into the Fire, is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gunpoint Alibi deliver the evolution that alt-rock fans have been waiting for with their latest single, Bury Me

Posted on 23 January 2022

‘Bury Me’ is the latest fierce slice of alt-rock from the Denver, Colorado-based powerhouse Gunpoint Alibi. What started as a garage-punk cover band in 2019 evolved into a gnarly post-hardcore outfit complete with ensnaring high-octane instrumental hooks and harsh pop-punk vocals that fall away from the Hayley Williams mould (thank God!) into raucous new territory.

Morgan Elizabeth’s vocal confidence runs in parallel to the levels of conviction and dynamism; she could smash through a screamo track just as well as a Taylor Swift hit. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the infectious sense of playfulness she uses as she attacks the lyrics with her versatile vocal timbre. We can’t wait to hear how they follow on from this monster of an alt-rock evolution.

Bury Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Embark on an aural space odyssey with Sunset Afire’s doomy cinematic track, Red Sails

Posted on 21 December 2021
Singularity by Sunset Afire

Doomy, groovy, cinematic tonal palettes feel more fitting than ever, and that’s just what the Brooklyn, New York-hailing post-hardcore outfit, Sunset Afire, delivered with their album, Singularity.

The standout single, Red Sails, is an atmospheric introduction to the nihilistically fuelled minds behind the vicious yet sublimely composed furore in the seminal album.

Rather than going full pedal to the metal, Sunset Afire knew exactly where to throw the fire into the single with the gorgeously layered male and female vocals and where to strip it back to build the tension. Red Sails doesn’t go full-on space odyssey rock opera; instead, it keeps grungy nuances at the heart of the progressively electrifying track that we can’t wait to hear more of. They’ve definitely made an ever-lasting impression with their elevated experimentalism.

Red Sails is now available to stream and download via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hopes Avenue has released their viscerally raw post-hardcore sophomore track, Escape/Reality.

Posted on 6 October 2021

Hopes Avenue became one of Scotland’s most promising alt-rock outfits with the release of their viscerally raw post-hardcore sophomore single, Escape/Reality.

Given that we’re practically living in the world Charlie Brooker imagined for Black Mirror, the chillingly cold production of the familiar rock elements in Escape/Reality is oddly consoling. Their intrinsically melodic hardcore progressions carry the same evocative weight as Days to Remember, Rise Against, and Alkaline Trio as the sombrely high-octane vocals make sure that Escape/Reality hits as hard emotionally as it does sonically.

The insanely talented 4-piece powerhouse is one to watch; especially for fans of Bring Me the Horizon and Enter Shikari.

Escape/Reality is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-Hardcore and Power Pop Collide: Picture the Scene. The Hang-Up

Posted on 27 September 2021

After a line-up change that saw a female vocalist fronting the South East, UK outfit Picture the Scene. with their freshly refined sound, the heavy pop-punk powerhouse has come in with all guns blazing with their latest single, The Hang-Up.

The galvanizing power-pop choral hooks are broken up with heavy rock motifs and growled vocals that any fans of Job for a Cowboy or any other post-hardcore outfit will be familiar with. I can only imagine how intense the playful ferocity in the sticky sweet hit would be live. Picture the Scene. is for every metalhead who finds themselves with a guilty penchant for Taylor Swift. With The Hang-Up, Picture the Scene. established themselves as on par with BABYMETAL for the boundaries they broke with their sonic furore. Do I even need to tell you to save space on your radar?

The Hang-Up is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast