“A blown-out folksy rock number narrating the new precarity of remote work...The season's newest can't-miss band.” — Post-Trash
Providence, RI band Convinced Friend shares a new single today from their forthcoming debut self-titled album, to be released on March 29th, 2024 on Solid Brass Records. Hear/share "Safeway" on Bandcamp HERE and all DSPs HERE.
Convinced Friend is the project of Providence-based Songwriter A.S. Wilson. Recorded at Big Nice Studios, the self-titled album features members of Nova One, and Burr resulting in a collection of largehearted songs that Various Small Flames has called:
"An intimate and attentive sound in the lineage of Jason Molina and David Bazan... pushing beyond the melancholic surface so common to indie rock, looking instead to explore the deep possibilities beneath."
The songs are marked by Wilson's time spent growing up in oilfield towns south of New Orleans -- focused on the little indignities of love and work, with the sense of impermanence that comes with a home slowly sinking underwater.
Convinced Friend will be available on LP and digital on March 29th, 2024 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE,
“Trudging, grinding post-metal heaviness... The opening riff feels like Killing Joke's 'Eighties' played at half-speed and drop tuned a couple of steps.” — Decibel Magazine
"Cohesive as a whole work of scope that's almost deceptive." -- The Obelisk
"Raw, droning, hypnotic, and a lot of fun." -- Metal Sucks
Colorado Springs, CO band Clarion Void are streaming their forthcoming album early today via The Obelisk in celebration of Leap Day. Failure in Repetition is out Friday, March 1st on Lost Future Records. Hear and shareHERE.
Metal Sucks recently premiered "The Bottom" single HERE. Decibel Magazine previously premiered the video for lead single "The Top" HERE. The second single "Sisyphus Wept" launched via New NoiseHERE (All DSPs.)
Failure in Repetition is the newest album from the Colorado Springs, CO based doom-metal quartet Clarion Void. Focused on themes of inevitability and the futility of progress, the album crushes the listener with detuned, sludgy riffs before exploding into a breakneck black metal onslaught. Not for the faint of heart.
Failure in Repetition was recorded with Grammy nominated producer Greg Wilkinson (High on Fire, Pallbearer) at his Earhammer Studio in Oakland, CA. The quartet — Greg Mullenax (guitar/vocals), Bryan Webb (bass), Evan Courtland (guitar) and James Ivy (drums) — sequestered themselves in Oakland to capture the album’s immersive vibe.
“‘The Bottom’ is technically the first act before ‘The Top’” Mullenax explains. “It's the first song we wrote for Failure In Repetition and kind of spawned the idea of the album having repetitive chord progressions over and over again.”
The band’s 2023 debut album Deafening Sounds of Mortality was a crushing work derived of interpersonal pain which received a wealth of praise for its overwhelming mood and weaving of doom, black metal, crust and experimental sludge into a new sound. Here, the band builds on that effort with greater dynamic range and more elaborate songwriting.
The album will be available on LP and digital on March 1st, 2024 via Lost Future Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
CLARION VOID LIVE:
02/29 Colorado Springs, CO - What's Left Records (album release show)
“Ironically uplifting… This song is fast garage punk with a classic rock punch, and it’s addictively upbeat and danceably dire at the same time.” — CvltNation
“At turns dark, menacing, ear-splitting and chaotic, or all of that at once, and fully lives up to its claim to be a dissection of ‘the terrified animal caged within us all.’ It should just come with an all-purpose DANGER sign.” — Buzzbands.LA
"A true punk sound... This is the kind of thing punk rock has always stood for -- it doesn't have to be perfect. But it has to be real." -- Get Some Magazine
Southern California band NORMANS share a captivating live acoustic video today for "Schloss Loss", a standout from their recently released debut self-titled album on Solid Brass Records. The video is hosted by L.A. magazine Get Some Magazine HERE. Direct YouTube HERE.)
Hear/share the full album on all DSPs HERE. CvltNation recently launched the official video for "Murder Rich" HERE & on YouTube.
In 2021, in the lingering haze of the global pandemic and several nautical miles off the coast of Los Angeles in a broken down boat, Southern California natives and stalwarts of the local DIY music scene Matthew Reid (Blonde Summer) and Michael Perry Rudes (FEELS) decided it was time to embark on a new musical odyssey together; one that championed fearlessness, rawness, and above all, freedom.
NORMANS was born on the dirty streets of L.A. and baptized in the punk rich waters of Hermosa Beach; the city that gave us Black Flag, Redd Kross, Minutemen and more. Years of exposure and participation in the myriad of genres and sounds that make up the vibrant music scene resulted in a multi-genre-bending, bass and synth fueled cacophony that pays homage to the ghosts of Killing Joke, The Jesus Lizard, GVSB and The Birthday Party.
NORMANS have managed to stitch together elements of surf, post punk, noise rock and Wax Trax era electro-industrial music for a sound that is urgent, angry, and simultaneously danceable. Oozing with satire and shrouded in bizarre visual art and imagery, bassist and vocalist Matthew Reid explores issues of violence, drug use, and the terrified animal caged within us all. Where their musical journey takes them will keep us wondering. What is certain is the band’s willingness to propel themselves into uncharted waters, unlike the boat they started on just a few short years ago.
NORMANS will be available on LP and digital on January 12th, 2024 via Solid Brass Records.
“Noisy, chaotic, and fragmented—a hybrid of garage rock, indie, and psychedelia that feels like the product of 30-plus years of indie music history. In reality, though, Darren Smallman’s songs are more inspired by his experiences as a person living on the autism spectrum.” — Bandcamp Daily
"This balance - between big and small, between composure and fury - is what makes the record so engaging, Smallman's gaze of disdain flitting from universal issue to idiosyncratic bugbear without pause." -- The WIRE Magazine
“Blends squalid punk sounds with aspects of brown acid psychedelia, building into something uniquely wild and colorful.” -- CLASH Magazine
“It’s a wild mix of classic garage rock, psychedelic elements (Hawkwind says hello), typical punk riffs of the late 1970s, noise rock à la Sonic Youth or Fugazi, repetitive, shamanic recitations. 34 captivating minutes over thirteen songs from one cast.” Amplified [8/10]
UK psych-punk Dez Dare shares a new single and video today from his forthcoming album A Billion Goats. A Billion Sparks. Fin. Watch & share "Gotta Cold Feeling" via YouTube HERE & hear via Bandcamp HERE.
All other singles are available to stream on all DSPs HERE.
Dez Dare kicks off UK tour dates in April, with more to follow in the EU and Australia. Please see current dates below.
A Billion Goats. A Billion Sparks. Fin. features 11 songs that delve further into the void than previous records, leaving the sardonic frustration behind for sarcastic existentialism, zeroing in on the big philosophical questions, and the pedantic shards of nonsense that make up our existence.
This track is a fuzzed up, bass and synth driven, stomper that tackles the biggest question of all… as the wires fray from the burden of existence + the last sparks shimmer in your consciousness, the void has one simple question… “What tunes do you want playing on the way out?”
The Stooges ‘Real Cool Time’?
The Triffids ‘A Trick of the Light’?
Judy & the Jerks ‘Good Time’?
Nicki Minaj ‘Red Ruby Da Sleeze’?
Whatever your taste, the small things matter. Make it a strong choice!
The self-produced Australian has spent over 3 decades producing music, releasing and touring bands, and doing live sound for z-grade metal bands. Growing up in the coastal town of Geelong (Djilang) in Australia, he was introduced to the DIY punk and rock scene at 15 and this community and the ideas rooted in the underground music scene have guided his output and ethics throughout his career.
This year Dez will be joining forces with label titans God Unknown (Cassels / Duke Garwood / James Johnston + Steve Gullick / KLÄMP / Oneida / Laura Loriga / Monster Magnet / Wellwater Conspiracy [Soundgarden + Monster Magnet]) and will be producing a deluxe version of the album on blob color vinyl and includes a comic book illustrated by Mike Keane. In true nerd fashion the comic also features Top 10s by Dez, Jason Stoll (God Unknown), Matthew Barnhart (Chicago Mastering Service), Mike Keane, and the album illustrator MALMALL.
A Billion Goats. A Billion Sparks. Fin. will be released on LP, CD and download on March 1st via God Unknown Records.
“Trudging, grinding post-metal heaviness... The opening riff feels like Killing Joke's 'Eighties' played at half-speed and drop tuned a couple of steps.” — Decibel Magazine
"Raw, droning, hypnotic, and a lot of fun." -- Metal Sucks
Colorado Springs, CO band Clarion Void share a new single today via Metal Sucks from Failure in Repetition, their forthcoming sophomore album, and debut on Lost Future Records. Hear and share "The Bottom" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)
Decibel Magazine previously premiered the video for lead single "The Top" HERE. The second single "Sisyphus Wept" launched via New NoiseHERE (All DSPs.)
Failure in Repetition is the newest album from the Colorado Springs, CO based doom-metal quartet Clarion Void. Focused on themes of inevitability and the futility of progress, the album crushes the listener with detuned, sludgy riffs before exploding into a breakneck black metal onslaught. Not for the faint of heart.
Failure in Repetition was recorded with Grammy nominated producer Greg Wilkinson (High on Fire, Pallbearer) at his Earhammer Studio in Oakland, CA. The quartet — Greg Mullenax (guitar/vocals), Bryan Webb (bass), Evan Courtland (guitar) and James Ivy (drums) — sequestered themselves in Oakland to capture the album’s immersive vibe.
“‘The Bottom’ is technically the first act before ‘The Top’” Mullenax explains. “It's the first song we wrote for Failure In Repetition and kind of spawned the idea of the album having repetitive chord progressions over and over again.”
The band’s 2023 debut album Deafening Sounds of Mortality was a crushing work derived of interpersonal pain which received a wealth of praise for its overwhelming mood and weaving of doom, black metal, crust and experimental sludge into a new sound. Here, the band builds on that effort with greater dynamic range and more elaborate songwriting.
The album will be available on LP and digital on March 1st, 2024 via Lost Future Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
CLARION VOID LIVE:
02/29 Colorado Springs, CO - What's Left Records (album release show)
“Right in line with fellow SoCal tokemeisters Fu Manchu and Nebula, with plenty of hazy Sabbath rifferama and a generally sludgy, laconic approach.” — Decibel Magazine
"A classic blend of stoner, doom, and boogie rock, reminiscent of Orange Goblin and Motorhead." -- Metal Insider
Los Angeles band Max Boogie Overdrive share the official video for "Suffer Sister" from their forthcoming debut album Stoned Again today via Metal Insider. Watch video HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
Decibel Magazine recently shared the album title track "Stoned Again" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp HERE and all DSPs HERE.)
Hailing from greater Los Angeles, Max Boogie Overdrive was originally conceived in 2022, as a recording project between guitarist Max Boogie a.k.a. Jim Bacchi (Hittman, Fuzzbubble, The Tikiyaki Orchestra) and Drop Dee a.k.a. Daren Ford (Red Square Black, Ravine, The Generals) as a way to pursue their passion for all things Stoner and Boogie... mammoth guitar riffs, bellowing vocals, and the swagger of early '70s Detroit rock nʼ roll -- dirty, fuzzy, with just a dusting of doom, and whole lotta boogie (not Disco... Heavy Boogie Rock.)
The cyclonic drumming of Tom ʻKnucklesʼ Hernandez (Lords of Altamont, Superbeez) propels the band past the sludge and doom pace, and guitarist Richard ʻRCʼ Clarkʼs guitar adds the necessary beef to the mix, fattening up the tone, and added vocal duties.
Presented here in its full length album glory, the bandʼs debut, Stoned Again serves up a classic blend of all the aforementioned genres in its own unique hybrid. Listeners have drawn comparisons to Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, even Motorhead... Of course the Sabbath influence is there, but throw in some old Kiss, UFO, Budgie and classic early 80ʼs metal as well... “Stoned Again" focuses on songwriting more than any particular “sound”, so there is a bit more of classic rock structure to the songs, but all heaviness is there, a bit of space-out psychedelia, some epic guitar jams, and of course... riffs o' plenty. Dig it!
Stoned Again will be available on CD and download on March 29, 2024.
MAX BOOGIE OVERDRIVE LIVE 2024:
03/21 Eugene, OR - Sam Bond’s Garage
03/22 Portland, OR - High Water Mark
03/23 Richland, OR - Ray’s Golden Lion
03/28 Los Angeles, CA - Resident - album release show w/ Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol, Zig Zags
"I guarantee you, their to-the-point new single will be jammed firmly in your head for days on end." -- Metal Injection
“Fuzzed-out, speaker-exploding groove that's both sonically excruciating and intoxicatingly alluring. They find a weird sweet spot of harshness and catchiness that goes down like a greasy, gut-busting bad decision.” — Invisible Oranges
"Epically catchy... Imagine the ear-wormy fuzz-rock riffage of Dinosaur Jr. if it was played on an eight-string guitar with super heavy low-end." -- Revolver Magazine
Austin trio Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol share the official video and single for the anthem "Whip It Around" today from their forthcoming album Big Dumb Riffs. Metal Injection premieres the video for "Whip It Around", directed by Katie McDowell,HERE. (Direct YouTube HERE.)
Pre-orders/pre-saves for Big Dumb Riffs are available via Bandcamp HERE and all DSPs HERE.
Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol also launch their Big Dumb Tour 2024 in late March. Eastern US dates announce today, with tickets on sale this Friday, February 16th. Please see all dates below. Ticket links HERE.
“Our catalog has never been short on big dumb riffs, but the idea on this record was to really turn the screw,” says RBBP bassist Aaron Metzdorf. On Big Dumb Riffs, that screw is cranked incredibly tight.
“We just wanted ‘the part’: The opening of Pantera’s ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’, the breakdown in Primus' ‘Pudding Time’ — the shit that makes you move and lose your mind. Just that part the whole time.”
Across 11 concise, taut songs — most clocking in around 2 minutes or less — Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol demonstrates their skillful ability to blend the merciless low end of Leo Lydon’s 8-string guitar, Aaron Metzdorf’s masterful chordwork on the bass, and Sean St.Germain’s driving drumming.
Hot on the heels of their breakout 5th studio release Doom Wop (2023), Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol returns with Big Dumb Riffs: A whole new variant of the fuzzed out, overdriven, melodic, groovy music they have been making since 2016. While Big Dumb Riffs is decidedly more aggressive and rhythmic, it still retains the overtly melodic feel of Doom Wop. But Leo Lydon’s vocals are considerably more angry and negative (song titles like “1-800-EAT-SHIT” and “Body Bag” should be a clue.)
“The whole writing process was, ‘what if we just played two notes the whole song’,” Metzdorf says. “‘What if we tuned down to almost unusable string tension?’, ‘what if we write a record that will make everyone say 'wow that is dumb’? Leo and I really move around on stage a lot. Being a dingus is crucial to the groove. All these riffs were designed to allow us to act bigger and dumber on stage.”
Big Dumb Riffs will be available for streaming and download on March 22, 2024. LP to follow in late Spring.
RICKSHAW BILLIE'S BURGER PATROL LIVE 2024:
03/09 Houston, TX - Moon Tower Inn
03/11 Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas - SXSW
03/22 Austin, TX - St Elmo Brewing - album release show
“Sure to blow minds and win hearts, the five-track album IV, out on Valentine’s Day this year, employs those post-punk aesthetics by shuttering arrangements to the brink of ambient, noise, and out-jazz territories.” – SF Bay Guardian
“Bold and inventive… The crowning glory of IV gives hope of what may yet come as this trio fly off on further cosmic adventures.” – Echoes & Dust
Madrid, Spain band TUTUPATU release their captivating album IV today via Bay Area label Broken Clover Records. The entire album is streaming via Echoes & Dust alongside a feature in which the band describes the varied influences that shaped the album HERE.The album is also available today at Bandcamp HEREbut does not hit streaming services until the summer, per label policy.
The band also gave an in-depth interview with It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine about the immersive, meditative process they used to capture its sound HERE.
The band’s desire to capture TUTUPATU’s essence led them to secure an underground location in Madrid, where they set up a private recording studio. They locked themselves for a 72-hour recording session. They aimed for unfiltered creativity: 32 tracks rolling at all times, doors locked, lights dimmed, and volume cranked.
The result? A mesmerizing blend of motorik drums, throbbing basslines, howling guitars, wailing saxophones, ethereal synths, and a myriad of flutes and folk instruments intricately woven into their debut album, “IV.” Comprising five expansive tracks, this collection immerses the listener in an auditory journey, guiding through intricate inner landscapes, transcending conventional musical boundaries.
The album serves as a sonic memoir, encapsulating five distinct moments, blending krautrock, synth ambient, noise, and free jazz. Each track beckons the listener into dreamlike soundscapes, creating a truly immersive experience.
TUTUPATU, founded by Tomas Garrido, Matías Tangerina, and Olivares, fuses their diverse musical backgrounds in classical, jazz, rock, electronic, experimental noise, drones, and ethnic music. After more than a year of dedicated rehearsals, they've meticulously crafted a unique sound that invites exploration.
Their collective aim is to shape an auditory landscape that defies convention, drawing inspiration from trance-inducing repetition—a musical odyssey transcending genres, resonating with the eclectic blend of their individual influences. Through their explorations, they guide listeners on an introspective journey into uncharted realms. Join TUTUPATU in the immersive experience unfolding through their debut album.
IV will be available on LP and Bandcamp download on February 14th, 2024 via Broken Clover Records. Pre-orders are available HERE,
"I've absolutely fallen in love with their d-beat inflected, richly expressive take on death metal. This is nothing more than well made, thought out, and passionately performed metal that runs on the wild and epic sound we love here on Heavy Blog." -- Heavy Blog is Heavy
“Oak, Ash & Thorn combine their varied influences well, channeling Amon Amarth and Kataklysm smoothly alongside the power metal influences they clearly love. It’s an accessible sound and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Oak, Ash & Thorn quickly rise to new heights with it.” -- Decibel Magazine
Denver quartet Oak, Ash & Thorn premiere the official video for "Auras", the second single from their forthcoming full length, Our Grief is Thus today via Decibel Magazine. Watch & share "Auras" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)
Hear and share first single "Light My Pyre" via Bandcamp and all DSPs.
Our Grief Is Thus is a monumental album, loosely constructed as a concept album with every song dealing thematically with grief from loss in some form. Album opener, “Dying Culture”, for example, is about the loss of tradition by way of urbanization and generational decline, “Light My Pyre” tackles betrayal and the dissolution of friendship, and “Auras” deals with the loss (and renewal) of honor and identity in the face of withering familial ties.
The album was recorded at the Blasting Room (founded by Black Flag/Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson) in Ft. Collins, CO in June-July of 2023, and marks the first time in Oak, Ash & Thorn's history that the band walked out of a studio with an album fully representing their vision. The songs on Our Grief is Thus are tighter than on prior recordings, with the band reaching beyond their pagan death/black metal foundation to take novel influence from the galloping energy of crust punk, power metal's soaring triumph, post-punk's brooding dynamics, and the unconventional melodies of prog metal.
Vocalist/guitarist Adam Armstrong uses his clean tenor/baritone more than ever before, reinvigorating it with a newfound grit and power. Lead guitarist Jason Harding truly shines in his playing, and his unique melodic leads - including his first proper solo on "Ten Years on the Tundra" - have elevated the band's songcraft to new levels. Bassist Erik Hoffman can be heard coming into his own with his distinct knack for both accentuation and lead-weighted groove, while drummer Cierra White, already notorious for her unstoppable kit-killing, has taken inspiration from gospel drummers, evident in her choppy fills and use of unorthodox patterns. Producer/recording engineer Colton Krohn and guest producer Taylor Hahn, meanwhile, were instrumental in the making of the album, as Armstrong notes, “they pulled the absolute best performances out of us, and their expertise and advice on arrangement were like nothing we'd ever had before.”
Oak, Ash & Thorn arose along the Colorado Rocky Mountain's Front Range out of a collective passion for heavy metal and a shared pagan worldview. Their debut full-length, May Every Altar Linger from2018, was a patented blend of dual clean vocals/death growls, anthemic riffing, and athletic drumming, inspired by the likes of Týr, In Flames, and Immortal. On 2021 follow-up EP To Gaze on Stars of Frost, the band refined their sound further by enlisting Fabian Jiru of Trollfest (Napalm Records) for production duties. In 2023, the band would work with Jiru once more on the Eternal EP, issued by new label Lost Future Records directly before an extended east coast tour with Brooklyn melodeath up-and-comers Solemn Vision. Previously, Oak, Ash & Thorn had shared stages with the likes of Cradle of Filth, Borknagar, Rotting Christ, Týr, Arkona, Metsatöll, and Kalmah, amongst many others.
Our Grief is Thus will be available on LP and digital on April 19, 2024 via Lost Future Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.
"Doesn't sound like the latest endpoint in a gradual evolution as much as a new beginning." -- Pitchfork
“A sharp and honest work of indie rock that breezes along with simple, airy guitar strumming and Daniel Burton's poignant lyrics and quietly smoky vocals.” — Glide Magazine
Long running indie rock band Early Day Miners share a new single today from their forthcoming album. Hear/share "The Arson Garden" on all DSPs HERE.
Glide Magazine recently shared the video for single "Along The Ramparts" HERE (YouTube)
After 7 studio albums with both Secretly Canadian and Western Vinyl Records over the last 20+ years, Early Day Miners have returned with their latest offering, and their first with Solid Brass Records, titled Outside Lies Magic.
Led by Daniel Burton — the band's founder, and engineer of albums by Songs: Ohia, Papa M, Okkervil River, and Windsor For The Derby — the band has enlisted various friends to round out their studio and live performances since their formation in Bloomington, IN over 20 years ago.
Early Day Miners' surroundings have always been reflected in their sound.
Their early compositions, while in Bloomington, IN, mirrored the slowly unfurling, seemingly inescapable expanse of the Midwest. Now based in New Orleans their sound has yielded a subtle but correlative shift in the band. The Crescent City; its name is not only a reminder of its shape carved out by the river cradling it, but also a perfect allegory of a city forever in flux between the most contrasting aspects of the human condition, from light to dark.
Within those darker quarters of experience lies the gold that Early Day Miners have labored to unearth with cautious vulnerability over the course of their eight albums. The internalized rumination that has characterized the band up until now has been exchanged for an open embrace of loss and sorrow and, perhaps even more courageously — joy.
Outside Lies Magic offers an audible lightness. Most notably Dan Burton’s voice, once hushed and at times hesitant, is now full-bodied and sure; his heart, once tenuously carried on his sleeve, is now firmly in his throat. And though this might be the leanest the lineup has been, they are focused and warm, exuding the maximalism of their new home with nuance and a laissez-faire approach. Early Day Miners sound as unhurried as ever, but never aimless; Early Day Miners have finally arrived.
Outside Lies Magic will be available on limited edition Desert Sand colored or Ultra Clear vinyl LP and digital on March 22nd, 2024 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.