POSTS TAGGED : Grunge

Nihiloceros – ‘Halfway Human’

Nihiloceros are a trio from Brooklyn, NY who trade in powerful, heavyweight and muscular jams taking influence from post-punk, grunge and 90s alt-rock.

The trio’s latest single, ‘Halfway Human’, taken from their recent EP Self Destroy, is a perfect encapsulation of their raucous, rockin; wares. Fuelled by crunchy guitars, meaty riffs and barreling barrage of loud, pounding drums, ‘Halfway Human’ is bristling with an untamed raw energy that burns bright amid the scuzzy, fuzz and distortion filled environs. A muscular, powerful and terrific blast of crunching alt-rock that is refreshingly unsubtle.

Listen to ‘Halfway Human’ below and why not check out the EP here.

Strangers With Guns – ‘Problem Is You’

Strangers With Guns are a Dublin based trio who’s raucous sound is a hypnotic fusion of grunge, post-punk and early ’90s lo-fi indie-rock.

Their latest single is ‘Problem Is You’ and it captures all that this Dublin trio offer – and how. The gritty raw materials of slant-edged rhythms, searing riffs and furious percussion provide the perfect vehicle for raw, almost spoken word vocals, to hit home. There is a hint of threatening menace to ‘Problem Is You’ as it grinds and grunts its way through a murky but muscular world of riffs and distortion; much like Death in Vegas’ ‘Aisha’ duking it out with Slanted and Enchanted era Pavement. It is a strident, sharp sound that finds time for a cataclysmic climax toward the end too. A solid and encouraging opening gambit from a trio with bags of promise.

Listen to ‘Problem Is You’ below now:

HAVVK – ‘Always The Same’

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Berlin-based Irish outfit HAVVK (formerly HAWK) are a formidable force of nature and self-evidently brilliant guitar band, and led by the charismatic Julie Hawk, they have a MASSIVE sound – this much is abundantly clear from the first few notes of new single ‘Always The Same’.

‘Always The Same’ is the first track lifted from HAVVK’s debut album – due out in the new year – and delivers an incredibly powerful and pulsating blast of vital, grunge-fueled indie-rock. Burning with frustration and fury, it thunders along hammering, bone-rattling percussion interspersed with sharp riffs, unrelenting guitar lines as Hawk’s stunning vocals enter the fray, rendering everything else secondary. The soaring power of Hawk’s vocal at its most intense charges to a cathartic climax that brings the house down around us. You can feel the frustration and the fury throughout – musically, lyrically and vocally – as the band expose female objectification by flipping it on its head, and in doing so deliver a fierce, uncompromising, pulsating and compelling tune.

You can listen to ‘Always The Same’ below and keep an eye out for the debut album come the new year.

Terra Pines – ‘Dream Big’

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Self-professed purveyors “sludgepop” and “grungegaze”, Terra Pines is an Australian trio comprised of Kelly Hanlon (guitar/vocals), Owen Dengate (guitar/vocals) and Cameron Smith (drums/vocals).

Playful genre descriptions aside, the Aussie outfit make powerful, fuzz-filled guitar tunes and just this month, have released their self-titled album. The album is fronted by rambunctious new single ‘Dream Big’; a perfect intro and one that will have you scooting straight over to the new album. An absolutely brilliant three minutes of fuzzed-up-noise, ‘Dream Big’ is tempered by her lilting vocals, while gritty guitars, heavy reverberating drums and rocking a crunchy, fuzz-heavy riff that rips through the track. For all the powerhouse pieces of post punk, shoegaze and grunge, there is a subtle seam of dreampop running through its core, eking out a near perfect space between sludge, fuzz and hazy pop.

Tune into ‘Dream Big’ below and if it is too your liking, why not check out Terra Pines’ debut record here.

Hover Bored – ‘Safe Side’

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Formed in Wakefield, but now based in Manchester, Hover Bored are a quartet with a flair for fuzzy concoctions of grunge and scuzzy power-pop.

They play fast, energetic and loud, something abundantly clear upon hearing their scorching new single ‘Safe Side’. Musically, it’s a whirlwind of crunchy guitars, searing riffs, rolling bass, crashing drums and bratty vocals. These coalesce amid a sea of fuzz into a fiercely infectious two-minutes plus some. Calling to mind the likes of Dinosaur Pile-Up, Fidlar, Honey Lung and King Nun, they deliver a meaty, undeniably infectious cut of grungey wizardry. This is a foursome who do a rather redoubtable trade in the seriously potent scuzzy grungey/power-pop stakes.

‘Safe Side’ is out now, tune in below:

Introducing: False Heads

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London grunge/punk trio False Heads have marked themselves as noisemakers supreme over the course of the past 12 months.

They have released a slew of blistering singles and their latest ‘Weigh In’, is as ferocious an intro as possible. ‘Weigh In’, and indeed their grunge/punk hybrid, is rammed with vicious hooks, fierce, crunchy guitar riffs, hammering percussion and banging bass line. Three-and-a-half-minute burst of coiled up aggression, delivered with a primal energy; this is raspy, aggressive, and downright infectious. The companion to ‘Weigh In’, ‘All Eyes’ leans toward the grungier end of the spectrum yet similarly menacing, viscerally snarling and hard to resist. False Heads certainly sound like a trio with fire in their bellies, and with a bunch of singles and live dates planned for the coming year, these guys look like an exciting prospect.

Three lads who make a whole lot of noise, what’s not to like? Well, for now, check out ‘Weigh In’ & ‘All Eyes’ – as good a start as any.

Honey Lung – ‘End of Time’

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Honey Lung are London trio – Jamie Batten (guitar/vocals), Charlie Gardner (Bass) & Omri Covo Drums – with a fondness for electrifying, fuzz-fuelled adventures in gritty grunge.

Setting out this flair for ’90s inspired lo-fi, grungey fuzz is ‘End of Time’; the lead track from Honey Lung’s brand new, 5-track EP Kind of Alone (produced by Michael Smith (Wolf Alice, Kid Wave, Anteros). Weaving nineties grunge and shoegaze with more contemporary tones of Yuck and War on Drugs, ‘End of Time’ is four-and-a-half-minutes of clattering, reverb-laden guitar heroics, with some added dizzyingly explosive punch and rampaging riffs. Amid the fuzz, stop-start crunchy guitar licks, slinky bass and a chorus that’s dripping in hooks, work in tandem to reveal a power-pop loving side packed with punch. It is this combination that makes ‘End of Time’s infectiousness hard to shake. A triumphant, confident and pretty damn irresistible introduction.

Honey Lung’s Kind of Alone EP is out soon. You can listen/watch ‘End of Time’ below.

Introducing: La Bête Blooms

 

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Hull alt-rockers La Bête Bloom have been blazin’ and bashing a trail of rock ‘n roll destruction for a while now, and their work thus far has been nothing short of impressive.

All ends up, La Bête Bloom’s dynamic and visceral concoction of alt-rock, grunge and post-punk makes for one hell of an exhilarating experience. Tracks like ‘TV Speaks’ and ‘Nothing Left But The Taste’ suggested a bright and noisy future but the Hull post-punks’ new single ‘Breaking In’, is the best yet. In just over two-minutes, they unleash as potent assault of guttural guitars, ear splitting feedback. Combined with pummelling percussion, fizzing and hissing guitars, the vocals manage to cut through with an aggressive intent, adding a level of menace and building to a ferocious, explosive climax. More urgent, abrasive and altogether more aggressive than their previous efforts, ‘Breaking In’ is the first barnstorming taste from their forthcoming EP I Know It’s Nothing, which is due out early next year. Blooming beasts indeed.

No concrete date on the new EP but you can listen to new single ‘Breaking In’ – and some other choice cuts – below. Watch this space!

Tuff Love – ‘Crocodile’ & Compilation LP ‘Resort’

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Tuff Love have announced they are to release a compilation LP called ‘Resort’ in January.

It’s been a fine year for Tuff Love and their burgeoning band of fans, with the Glaswegian scuzz-pop aficionados concluding a triumphant trilogy of introductory EPs. The album will be composed of the band’s three EPs thus far – 2014’s ‘Junk’, ‘Dross’ from this February, and most recent release ‘Dregs’ – in one 15-track compilation . To coincide with the news of the LP, to be released via the mighty Lost Map Records on January 29th, the duo are releasing Dregs track,‘Crocodile’ as a single. ‘Crocodile’ strikes a perfect balance between contrasting ingredients of their sound. With a tattered grunge-echoing main riff, and Eisenstein and Bear’s charming two-part harmonies and dreamy vocals, it outlines exactly what Tuff Love are all about, all in two-and-a-half minutes. Tuff Love have impressed more and more on each and every occasion, and it’s been solid gold irresistible listening from first to last. Here’s to more of the same in the future.

You can listen to new single ‘Crocodile’ and check out the tracklisting for ‘Resort’ below.

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Millions Like Us Podcast – Episode #4

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Delighted to once again to share a brand new episode of ‘Millions Like Us’, a music podcast with myself & Justin Beats, in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now.

A bi-weekly digest of music from metro Vancouver and beyond, the fourth installment has the usual chatter and top tunes, comprised from an eclectic mix of styles and genres. There’s also a chance of winning tickets for the excellent Girl Band, for their show in The Media Club, Vancouver on November 20th.

Edit – Girl Band have unfortunately had to cancel all their upcoming shows, including Vancouver, due to health reasons. We wish them a speedy recovery and hopefully we’ll see them visit Vancouver in the future.

That#s about that then, we hope you enjoy episode 4. You can read more on it here and listen to episode #4 below, and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump. If you would like to get in touch the show, you email them at millionslikeuspodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.

You can subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter. Until Episode #5, here’s to good listening.

Episode 4 Tracklist:

Silver Matter – ‘Punks Grown Up’

Joanna Gruesome – ‘Last Year’

Knife Pleats – ‘One Step Too Far’

Girl Band – ‘De Bom Bom’

New Pope – ‘Christopher’

Martha Ffion – ‘So Long’

Mt. Wolf – ‘Hamburg’

BOUSADA – ‘Cast in Gold’

Lil Dicky – ‘Professional Rapper’

Auramics – ‘Founders of Time’

Fake Tears – ‘Second Wind’

Dead Soft – ‘The Wind’

Half Man Half Biscuit – ’24 Hour Garage People’