I typically try to post the Month In Review section a week earlier than this in an effort to ensure the newer tunes I’m posting about maintain relevancy in this lightning-fast industry.
I apologize to anyone that reads this, but I just landed a new job working at a Newspaper in the middle of February so I admittedly had other deadlines to meet with higher priority.
I will still be keeping up with this and will attempt to meet my deadlines as much as possible. This also happened to be the most biggest month for new music since 2016 so there is a lot of ground to cover.
Anyways, let’s get started.
Hopefully you’ll skim through this list and find something perfect for you!
American Nightmare-“American Nightmare”
Genre: Hardcore Punk, Post Punk
FFO: The Suicide File, The Hope Conspiracy, Modern Life is War
I usually tend to reserve the “Month In Review” section for lesser known bands whose releases receive less buzz than deserved, but I still feel compelled to talk about this record.
Comeback albums are always a risk (I’ll admit my first play through was interrupted by revisiting Background Music), but the Boston-based quartet keep their legacy alive sticking tight to their established formula while subtly branching into darker territory.
The newfound Christian Death and Bauhaus influences come as a very small surprise considering the more goth-like soundscapes and aesthetic frontman Wes Eisold (Cold Cave) has explored since AN’s disbandment in 2004, but these influences remain subdued. This is still a hardcore record through and through.
Many fans reacted negatively to We’re Down Til We’re Underground, yet it is now considered a classic alongside its predecessor. American Nightmare takes the experimentation found there and pushes it the next logical step forward without missing a beat despite the 15 year gap.
Check out the lyric video for “The World is Blue” below!
American Pleasure Club-“A Whole Fucking Lifetime for This”
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Emo, Lofi, Dream Pop, Pyschadelic Rock, Noise Pop, Indie Folk
FFO: Modern Baseball, Elvis Depressedly, Coma Cinema
The artists formerly known as Teen Suicide return for a third studio album with a noticeably much brighter sound.
For those unfamiliar, the Baltimore outfit’s catalog has typically yielded a bizarre, inconsistent melting pot (or “honey pot”, if you will) of genres ranging from lofi bedroom folk to fuzzy pysch rock to samples with no necessary rhyme or reason.
Frontman Sam Ray continues this trend despite the name change and his happily married life. Ray still channels his anxieties flawlessly through his lyricism, but something about A Whole Fucking Lifetime for This certainly feels more focused and accessible.
Stream the record in it’s entirely below!
Burden-“Maker//Breaker” EP
Genre: Metalcore
FFO: Hatebreed, Terror, Since the Flood
Hailing from the South Shore of Massachusetts, the Metalcore outfit known as Burden returns for a sophomore EP.
Nothing in Return treated listeners to an unholy matrimony of crushing Doom and beatdown Hardcore, but Maker//Breaker takes things a step further with faster tempos, improved drumwork, and lightning-fast riffage.
The doom influences remain present but feature a more sparing yet effective execution.
Stream the EP below!
Cosmic Child-“Blue”
Genre: Indie Rock, Dream Pop
FFO: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Life on Venus, Kindling
Singaporean quintet, Cosmic Child, pleasantly grace ear drums this February with a dreamy sophomore LP guaranteed to take your ear drums on a beautiful adventure.
Blue features a more mature, full sound than untitled featuring layers of synth, walls of sound, and lush soundscapes reminiscent of a day dream.
Stream the entire album in the link below!
The Dead Mantra-“Saudade Forever”
Genre: Noise Rock, Post Punk, Cold Wave, Shoegazing, Stoner Rock
FFO: A Place to Bury Strangers, True Widow, Planning for Burial
French noise Dead Mantra act deliver a hauntingly beautiful sophomore LP that presents a matured, darker sound.
Unfortunately, it appears the group is calling (or has called it) it quits after Saudade Forever, but it is still worth a listen by every imaginable standard.
Get lost in the haunting mixture of atmospheric drone borrowing influences from cold wave, post punk, and shoegazing.
Stream the whole album in the link below!
Erdve–Vaitojimas
Genre: Sludge Metal, Hardcore Punk
FFO: Neurosis, Hooded Menace, Amenra
Erdve is a brand new Lithuanian four piece that successfully blends Hardcore, Sludge Metal, and Atmospheric Drone in a refreshing way.
Vaitojimas is a passionate, angry, and devastatingly crushing debut LP that immediately deserves your attention.
Stream the album in its entirety below!
ESOCTRILIHUM–Pandemonium (Forbidden Formulas To Awaken The Blind Sovereigns Of Nothingness)
Genre: Blackened Death Metal, Doom Metal
FFO: Behemoth, Dark Sermon, Cathedral
Heavily influenced by the cosmogony and aesthetic of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, French act Esoctrilihum present a massively layered, apocalyptic sophomore LP.
Similar to the stylistic tendencies of legendary Polish act Behemoth, Pandemonium consists of a horrifying summoning of both Black and Death Metal with some Doomy seasoning.
Stream this monolith of a record in the provided link below!
Frigs–Basic Behaviour
Genre: Noise Rock, Garage Rock, Post Punk, Psychedelic Pop
FFO: Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, The Jesus Lizard
Toronto-based quartet Frigs summon the psychedelic noise of Sonic Youth and the rawness of Jesus Lizard together on their debut LP.
Basic Behaviour encompassed a unique recording process featuring a split between home recordings and Toronto’s Union Sound Company. The balance of rawness and sterilization attributes to the group’s overall sonic footprint.
Stream the record in it’s entirety in the link below!
Greber–Cemetery Preston
Genre: Sludge Metal, Doom Metal, Hardcore Punk, Grindcore
FFO: Crowbar, Unearthly Trance, Cult Leader,
Cambridge two-piece Greber unleash a sickening, dark third LP fusing together crushing doom and horrifying Grindcore.
Despite only being instrumentally comprised of drums and bass, the duo present a dynamic, innovative, full-sounding record.
Cemetery Preston is a vicious, punishing listen for fans of any type of Metal.
Stream it in the link below!
Harikiri for the Sky–Arson
Genre: Black Metal, Post Metal
FFO: Deafheaven, Agalloch, Ghostbath
Austria’s Harikiri for the Sky have managed to do almost everything but disappoint. I posted in 2016 about how blown away I was by III: Trauma and luckily, Arson delivered the same authenticity two years later.
Emotional, melancholic tracks of Black Metal movements embody this record’s tracklisting with an atmosphere enveloped by an earthy, nature-fueled aesthetic and folk-inspired breaks.
I feel this duo in particular have remained one of the strongest, most unprecedented groups in the “Blackgaze” movement, and LP#4 reinforces this idea tenfold.
Insect Ark–Marrow Hymns
Genre: Doom Metal, Post Metal, Experimental Rock
FFO: Neurosis, Pelican, Aluk Todolo
Just when you think you there possibly couldn’t be another two piece Doom Metal act releasing a fantastic record this month, New York’s Insect Ark goes ahead and does just that.
The Doomy duo presents listeners with an textured, theatrical, and instrumental journey titled Marrow Hymns out now on Profound Lore.
Kal Marks–Universal Care
Genre: Indie Rock, Noise Rock, Post Punk
FFO: Modest Mouse, Guerilla Toss, Pile
Another band from my neck of the woods dropped their third LP this past month.
The Boston trio known as Kal Marks has amassed a decade’s worth of chaotic, abrasive, and raw material and their latest work adds to this trend tenfold.
Universal Care is a dirty, noise-driven ride of a record with surprising twists and turns.
Stream it below!
Lord Lu C N–The U Album
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
FFO: Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, JK The Reaper
Floridian producer Lord Lu C N presents a solid debut LP featuring the talents and wordplay of various, highly-involved MCs including Denzel Curry, J.K. the Reaper, and more.
The beats/production are top tier and compliment the stylistic execution and flow of whomever is featured on the specific track creating a variety yet cohesive units of feel good tunes.
Stream it in its entirety on Soundcloud below!
Low Anthem–The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depths of the Sea
Genre: Indie Folk
FFO: The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Deer Tick
The Rhode Island-dwelling indie folk quartet known as Low Anthem resurfaces with a fifth LP.
The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depths of the Sea is an aquatic, chamber folk record drawing upon an old Buddhist fable for its conceptual influence.
Stream the whole album below!
Onra–Nobody Has to Know
Genre: Hip Hop, Electronica
FFO: Flume, Flying Lotus, The Drive Soundtrack
French beat producer Arnaud Bernard (known better by his stage name Onra) enchants listeners with his latest release perfectly suiting for those yearning for pure ’80s era nostalgia.
Nobody Has to Know is an instrumental journey through bright, glossy soundscapes with the help of various guests performances.
Stream it in full via the link below.
Problem of Pain–I Will Always Want To Let Go EP
Genre: Hardcore Punk, Powerviolence
FFO: Nails, Full of Hell, Dwell
With a band name based after what I’m assuming is the critically acclaimed novel by C.S. Lewis, Michigan’s Problem of Pain violently bursts into the scene with an emotionally-charged EP on Blood & Ink Records.
I Will Always Want to Let Go features four brief yet powerful tracks of bludgeoning, sludgey, blackened hardcore.
Did I mention they are a two piece? That appears to be a trend this month.
Stream it below.
Qual–The Ultimate Climax
Genre: Post Punk, Industrial Rock, Electronic, Experimental
FFO: Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristel
William Maybelline releases his third solo LP under the Qual moniker embracing a bizarre, gothic, noise-driven sound reminiscent of legendary EBM artists including Kraftwerk or Throbbing Gristel.
Stream it via the link below.
Ride–Tomorrow’s Shores EP
Genre: Alternative Rock, Dream Pop
FFO: Oasis, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Lush
The Legendary British act known as Ride are famous for being vastly underrated. Nowhere sonically pushed the shoegazing boundaries in ways few could imagine a full year before Loveless closed the book on the genre.
Decades later, Ride released a solid comeback record titled Weather Diaries that picked up where Going Blank Again left off (I tend to convince myself the two records in between never actually existed).
Tomorrow’s Shores serves as an extra batch of leftover songs from Weather Diaries proving that Ride not only mastered their established sound, but proves they can hold their own against contemporary contenders.
S.Carey–Hundred Acres
Genre: Indie Folk, Ambient
FFO: Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Sufan Stevens
Wisconsin native, Sean Carey (S. Carey), is best known as the drummer and backup vocalist of the iconic musical collective Bon Iver. Not many know, however, that Carey crafts music of his own.
Hundred Acres proves to be just as-if not-more beautiful than the (at least recent) efforts of his flagship project. The tracks found throughout feature soulful chamber folk brimming with lush atmosphere and complex acoustic guitar-work.
Stream some of the tracks here, but seriously buy the record. This is already a year end contender.
Sitcom–Be the One You Love
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap
FFO: Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Swan Lingo, Lil Peep
Philadelphia’s Jake Lazovic (Sitcom) tackles anxiety, depression, and existential dread in an LP flawlessly reflecting his own alias.
Be the One You Love presents a form of comfort in its lyricism through forms of light-hearted parody and satire. The record is a carefree, fun, and often silly adventure providing charm and humor in the darkest of times.
Stream this bright record packed with good vibes below.
The Soft Moon–Criminal
Genre: Post Punk, New Wave
FFO: Cold Cave, Drab Majesty, A Place to Bury Strangers
San Francisco artist, Luis Vasquez (The Soft Moon), unleashes his fourth full length record blasting above the mix in a brutal, newfound fury.
Criminal packs a more abrasive execution shying away from the mystifying drone found in previous releases. Check the stream below for ten tracks of passionate, noisy, industrialized Post Punk.
Swan Lingo–Wonder What
Genre: Hip Hop, Rap, Ambient
FFO: Sitcom, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Craft Spells
Swan Lingo is a new, up-and-coming MC from Washington, DC worth your attention if you’re looking for a more relaxed, chilled out, and atmospheric approach to Hip Hop.
The collaborative efforts of Lingo himself, D33J, Shlomo and Craft Spells help create production consisting of relaxing, dreamy ambience.
Catch Swan Lingo‘s soundcloud below and be sure to check out Wonder What!
Trail of Lies–W.A.R
Genre: Metalcore
FFO: Earth Crisis, All Out War, Blistered
W.A.R is a debut LP containing eight pummeling tracks of pure Syracuse Straight Edge Hardcore.
Featuring a roster of members previously appearing in acts such as Naysayer or Malfunction, Trail of Lies demonstrates their cunning ability to let their paths converge at a point where their take on Hardcore could perhaps not be heavier if it tried.
Stream W.A.R in it’s entirety below!
Wake–Misery Rites
Genre: Death Metal , Grindcore, Sludge Metal
FFO: Napalm Death, The Red Chord, Pig Destroyer
Canadian deathgrind collective, Wake, punish ear drums with a sophomore LP that flawlessly locates the sweet spot between intense grindcore and Droney Sludge.
Misery Rites is an important release for any human that enjoys banging their head; regardless of speed.
Stream it below!