Good news recently as it was announced that this great band (whose decision a couple of years ago to go on hiatus was understandable but still lamented by me) has signed to Epitaph. They also dropped this new single “Napoleon” which was described by singer Sam Quartin on the labels’ website:
“This song is about wanting to change and no longer being interested in complaining about a problem or situation. It’s about trying to live in the solution.”
The track is a solid comeback for The Bobby Lees and it is very nice to hear some new music from them – looking forward to what comes next!
Musicians (in addition to Quartin): Macky Bowman (drums) and Kendall Wind (bass).
Yes, I did just cover Treasure Pains new single “Left To Give” back on August 31st, a track that is actually part of this upcoming EP. I am less familiar with Spares although I had heard their song “Stalemate” off their eponymous EP which came out earlier this year. I thought it was an interesting bit of music with an eerie rhythm and melody joined by clipped vocals.
I had the good fortune to be able to preview this split EP in full and it is definitely a nice set of four songs. Other than “Left To Give” Treasure Pains also contribute “Strike,” a driving, fuzzy guitar, jumpy drum, screaming vocal piece on the harder side of pop punk.
The two songs from Spares are “Joke” and “New Indignities.” That first track has a really cool atmospheric tone with a lilting melody. It runs 6 minutes and gets a little dense at points but keeps your attention with some jumpy pace changes and interesting lyrics. The second one is a quick 2:42 of blistering guitars, non-stop vocals and an interesting synth accompaniment.
This is set to drop from Wiretap Records / Council Records on September 26th and pre-orders can be placed here:
Just thought I would put out a quick notice for this dynamic upcoming release from Double Helix Records.
I do not quite remember when I first heard Mercy Music but I do remember the name of the album – When I die, I’m taking you with me. That title just struck me and has stuck around in my head. There is a song on there (“Painless”) that warrants a listen also if you ever get a chance.
Danger Days is new to me although the members are a collection of musicians from other bands; The Rabble, Movin in Stereo, Millencolin and Flirting with Disaster.
This release is a nice combination of talented musicians with the two songs fitting well together. Mercy Music has “Big Fucking Mess” which I really like for the pacing changes throughout the song. It starts with a call out on the song title and then cuts back and forth with some choppy, slow moments augmented by thrashing high points. Danger Days fires off right away on “Wasted Time” and keeps a hammering clip going all the way to the end. It is a tight, fast track that will have you singing right along.
This drops tomorrow but you can do a pre-save here:
I know it will be awhile until you can take a listen to this (the single on 7” is set to drop September 5th, with the album to follow October 3rd), but you should definitely put this on your radar.
Overstand formed back in 2020 and have an early eponymously titled EP that came out in 2022. It is a really good hardcore set of 7 songs that blast away with intensity and purpose. A great track to check out from this release is “Cracks in the Mirror.” It has a simple message about how to live life, ripping guitar riffs and a pretty cool change of pace right after the midway point.
Having been able to check out Take Control I can say that Overstand have only gotten better. The guitars are still fierce, the bass is thundering, the drums have enough energy to light up the night and the vocals are edgy and powerful. All of that is not surprising given the pedigree of the musicians involved but it is awesome to hear it all come together so well. Check out “Short Fuse” (which also includes a guest vocal from Puerto Rican Myke of Skarhead & District 9) coming up in September and you will have a good idea of what is in store for the album. There is an absolute ferocity in this song. Also, according to the press release from Earshot Media, the backside of that 7” will be a cover of Bomber Zee (Agnostic Front). You can ponder that until September 🙂
As I already am a big fan of this artist I had been tracking his posts about the development and production of his upcoming albums, Sidereal Days (Day 1) & Sidereal Days (Day 2). This single is the first one off the “Day 1” album. You can catch some of that behind the scenes info on YouTube and through various other press and social media.
The making of these albums has been a long process for him as noted in the press release from Dreamspider Publicity:
“Bill self-recorded his instrumentation and vocals for this song—and the entire double album—at his New York studio, First Thunder Recording. It was there that, starting in July of 2022, Bill laid out all of his parts and fine-tuned his compositions over two years’ time before bringing those recordings to Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville in August 2024 to continue with engineer Dylan Alldredge, with Bill and Neilson Hubbard co-producing.”
“All This Time” has the kind of simplicity that tends to be a hallmark of Scorzari’s most memorable music. A soft guitar melody on nylon strings gets things started and is accompanied by an understated acoustic bass that gives just enough texture to the music. There are also some poignant cello and violin strings here. The piano comes in to provide a hopeful air to the otherwise melancholy vibe of this track.
Standby for the album releases currently slated to start in October of this year. You can stream this one now (easy access link below):
Once you check it on your usual places please consider a purchase as streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand.
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And if you want to hear what I consider to be his best full album released to date, give a listen to The Crosswinds of Kansas, one song of which I had reviewed here:
It was great to hear about this single release and to get the news at the same time that there will be a new album out in September this year (on Punkerton Records). The Dreadnoughts always bring the energy and usually makes me want to jump right back into the pit. This song brings a bouncy beat and kicks along for 4 fun minutes…polka and punk always!
Once you check it on your usual places you can get a vinyl pre-order in here…grow the collection 🙂
jack mesenbourg 