Brimming with furious riff and soaring hooks, this week’s new music roundup offers a bounty of radical rock releases that you would be a fool to miss!
Life will probably never be the same as it was before the COVID pandemic took the world by storm. Mourning the loss of the world we knew is normal, but it’s important to recognize all the good that continues to exist. Each new week brings us music that has the potential to change countless lives, and this week’s batch of new releases is no exception. There are too many good records for us to mention, but here are five from our clients that we believe everyone should experience.
Sevendust – Blood & Stone (Rise Records)
Most bands are lucky to release three studio albums before going on hiatus or breaking up. Blood & Stone is Sevendust’s thirteenth record, and it sounds just as energetic as their 1997 self-titled debut. From the crunchy riff of “Dying To Live” to the cathartic “What You’ve Become” and reflective “Wish You Well,” the Georgia rock band uses their latest creation to analyze the lessons learned throughout their career. The group stops short of saying they’ve figured out how to live and succeed in the modern age, but they now share a bond that time and struggle cannot break. Blood & Stone tells us that Sevendust is here to stay, and they’re urging us to be as bold as them in everything we attempt during our short time on this planet.
Pup – This Place Sucks Ass (Rise Records)
No one understands the challenges of chasing dreams as a human born in the late twentieth century better than Pup. Their nihilistic optimism creates a space where listeners can scream about all the things going wrong in their lives while figuring out how to live in the present. It’s a delicate balance between clinging to hope and calling out the things we cannot change, but these Canadian gentlemen make it seem easy. This Place Sucks Ass is precisely what fans have come to expect. Complete with gang vocals and the creeping suspicion we might feel the way we do right now for the rest of our lives, it’s everything we need to keep fighting for a time when things might improve (even if we know they never will).
Undeath – Lesions of a Different Kind (Prosthetic Records)
Offering a new take on a classic sound, New York’s Undeath has quickly built a ravenous following in the death metal scene. Lesions of a Different Kind is leaps and bounds beyond the material found on the band’s 2019 demo, but it stays close to the themes and aesthetics that initially helped the group take the heavy music scene by storm. This is the kind of record that genre fans will have on repeat throughout the winter, and with each subsequent listen, they will find themselves developing a tight connection to the three-piece that should lead to strong ticket sales once live music resumes in 2021. Lesions is an album that deserves to be heard in concert, and the work ethic displayed on it tells us that we will have many opportunities to witness Undeath’s rise through the metal ranks in person in the years to come.
Hands Like Houses – Hands Like Houses (UNFD)
Summer may have come and gone, but there is a vibe running throughout Hands Like Houses’ self-titled EP that hits you the same way that only a road trip with the windows down in mid-July can. It’s easy and breezy on the surface, but the deeper you dig, the more immersive the experience becomes. “Space” tackles the struggle of figuring out who you are when you’re trying to be something to everyone, while “Dangerous” seeks to harness the power we possess within ourselves. Like the other tracks on the record, these songs serve as a collection of rapturous moments where the band — along with listeners — can take stock of how a life with music has shaped the people they’ve become. This is therapy as much as it is an artistic expression, and the fact it works on a commercial level argues that Hands Like Houses should continue using this approach moving forward.
The Bouncing Souls – Volume 2 (Pure Noise Records)
Creativity is an endless journey that can radically evolve with time. The way someone writes a song or paints a portrait in their youth may look and feel nothing like the work they do later in life, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost touch with themselves. It often means the opposite because time gives us the gift of perspective, enabling us to view our history with fresh eyes. The Bouncing Souls have seen and done everything a band can hope to do. They’re using the gift of a long career to revisit their catalog and reimagine the material that still resonates deep within their souls. Volume 2 is the latest in this series of second chances, and it proves that no matter how the band chooses to express themselves, their songs will always hit close to home.
