One of the last weeks of the year, and of course it’s one of the most stacked full of great new music. Let’s check it all out together!
Chris Stapleton: Higher
Arguably the biggest name in country (bar maybe Luke Combs) is back with his first new release in three years! I’m a HUGE fan of this man, loved his previous album, and have been rather impatiently waiting for this album for months now. So, let’s dive right in!
Within seconds his (and his wife’s perfect harmonies) vocals had made me fall in love with this album. It’s impossible to hate. Even if the music and songs were badly written, which they most certainly are not, his vocals are so phenomenal that it wouldn’t matter. Opener ‘What Am I Gonna Do’ is the perfect example of it, too. It’s a beautiful, simple traditional country song, and a huge highlight of the album.
Tracks like ‘South Dakota’ and lead single ‘White Horse’ have a bit more of a swagger and dark tone to them, which made them a lot of fun. The latter is fucking amazing too, and one of my favourite songs he’s ever released. Meanwhile, single ‘It Takes a Woman’ is another stripped-back, slower ballad of a track, the main focus being on the perfect vocals. It gives off big Drake White vibes in the best possible way. The chorus honestly gave me chills. It’s incredible. There are other incredible slower tracks, like the title one, but ‘It Takes a Woman’ is definitely the highlight in that regard. Another highlight is the emotional amazingness of ‘The Bottom’.
This album is truly incredible. It’s the perfect chilled out country album, and Chris’ performance and writing is just as good as ever. Again, it’s almost impossible not to love. And it’s impossible for me to compare this to his previous three albums, they all feel like extensions of each other. I can’t give this anything less than 10/10. A continuation of one of the best careers in country music.
Helmet: Left
The New York-based alt metal band return with their first album in over seven years. Honestly, I’m not at all familiar with this band, as I thought they were completely different to what they are. However, I found myself enjoying them! It reminds me a bit of a more hardcore/punk version of the Taproot album from a few weeks ago. Surprisingly enough, it also had a slight British vibe to it too, almost a hint of Kasabian but heavier.
Having said all of that, something didn’t quite click for me. The band are clearly all talented, there are some awesome shredding guitar solos throughout, the riffs are pretty phat and punky, and the vocals only add to that swaggering energy. And I completely get where they are going with their almost Bodycount style, being from NYC. They clearly have a lot of fans and plenty of people will love this. However, nothing really caught my ear or stood out to me. It was all just kinda there, a jumble of metal, punk and indie, but not doing anything of note in any genre. ‘Big Shot’ was probably the track I enjoyed the most, but mainly just for the riff. 4/10
P.S. ‘Holiday’ is a terrible idea for an opening track. Sorry.
AJR: The Maybe Man
The creators of the best TikTok meme song bar none, ‘World’s Smallest Violin’, are back with their first release since then and since that album’s release. I have to admit, while I love that song, I’ve checked out a couple of others since and not been that fussed. But, I did check out a single for this album, ‘Yes I’m a Mess’, and my god, it’s awesome. So, let’s dive in to see what the rest of the album has to offer!
Honestly, it’s a fantastic album. I love the opener being a slow, epic build of a track, the thing the band do the best, in my opinion. The lyrics are also just as phenomenal as their big single, well written and exploring feelings of depression and isolation perfectly. Unfortunately, it’s the only track that has the sort of epic build I was craving from the band, but that doesn’t mean other tracks are bad. As I said, ‘Yes I’m a Mess’ is great, as is ‘Inertia’ and ‘Steve’s Going to London’.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all perfect, and a fair bit of it was either repetitive or simply not my sort of thing. However, as an album as a whole, it’s an enjoyable, and some of the better indie/pop-rock stuff I have checked out this year. Plus, the lyric writing is some of the best around today. It’s so filled with emotion, and I imagine speaks to a hell of a lot of people, young or old. Honestly, this is how Twenty-One Pilots should have ended up like. Either way, it’s a great album! 8/10
Broadside: Hotel Bleu
The modern pop punk band have had a turbulent history, to put it lightly. By the time they blew up with their debut after five years as a band, they already had no original members left. However, they have been a solid unit now since 2017, and their last album was pretty well received. So, they are coming into this release with an awful lot of momentum.
Honestly, I think they stick the landing pretty well with their latest release, too. Opener ‘Stranger’ is a great introduction to the band for me, while tracks like ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘How to Love, How to Lie’ highlight the band’s talents perfect. They’re like a blend of Fall Out Boy and Dance Gavin Dance, and I’m all for it. The tracks that feature guests, be it Brian Butcher, Joshua Roberts and Papadol are all great. The vocalists play off Ollie Baxxter perfectly, and genuinely improve each song they are on.
If you’re into the modern style of pop punk, you’ll love this. It’s a very solid album filled to the brim with great, enjoyable tracks. It did get a bit samey after a while, it all being the same formula, but when it’s this high quality it’s hard to be mad at that. It’s one of the best pop punk releases of the year, so for that reason gets a 8.5/10 from me!
Hinayana: Shatter and Fall
We’ve already reviewed this awesome album! Check it out here!
Foghat: SONIC MOJO
The legendary British blues rock band are one of the few bands this old to still be consistently releasing new music. Their self-titled debut was released back in ’72, and over half a century later and after 18 albums, the band have certainly slowed down on their output, but are still going pretty strong. The first album in five years, SONIC MOJO still kinda slaps. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect a bunch of 70-odd year old musicians writing blues rock would sound like, but it’s still done very well. Whether it’s ‘I Don’t Appreciate You’, ‘?’ or the Santana-like ‘Mean Woman Blues’, there are plenty of great tracks throughout.
There isn’t a bad track on the album though, and it’s simply a fun listen. it has no right being as good as it is this late in Foghat’s career, but new vocalist Scott Holt has clearly put a revived spark in the band. I will definitely be listening to this album again a fair bit, and being in a blues-adjacent band myself, I am hugely jealous of the band’s talent. My only slight negatives are that it does get a bit repetitive by the end of the first half, and that it’s not exactly anything new. Still, 7.5/10, great stuff!
Lonely The Brave: What We Do To Feel
A band that, much like Helmet above, I knew the name of but had a very different idea of their sound in my head. Until this week, I had it in my head that this was some sort of metalcore band, so imagine my surprise when a modern Foo Fighters-like sound came on! It feels like a combination of that and Broadside from earlier. It’s good! A kinda indie/pop rock with a slightly darker, heavier edge.
I had this album on while I cooked and honestly, it’s a really great, cohesive work as a whole. Every track works perfectly with each other, yet there were still standouts for me personally like ‘Victim’ and ‘In the Well’. For once too, I love the slower, darker, moodier tone the album takes in its second half. Usually I’m all for a big, hard-hitting ending, ‘The Bear’ almost sounds like Sleep Token’s ‘The Summoning’, in all the best ways. It’s one hell of a way to end an album.
While it’s not typically the type of music I’d go out of my way to listen to, I enjoyed listening to it as a whole and definitely wouldn’t turn it off if it came on again, be it individual songs or the full album. For anyone into indie or softer stuff, check this out ASAP! 7/10
ODD Crew: Dark Matter Pt. II
So, the first thing I noticed about this album… damn is it long. Eight tracks and only one is below the five minute mark, with the opener stretching to nearly nine. According to the press release, this album ‘Seamlessly fusing the raw energy of alternative metal with the intricate nuances of progressive melodies’. So, I have to say, with that kinda selling, I’m excited to dive in!
Opener ‘Wings on a Burning Wind’ certainly does one hell of a job setting the scene, building up slowly, emphasis on both the clean and heavier, distorted riffs. It immediately gives off big Tool vibes. Heck, it’s nearly three minutes before we even have any vocals. Said vocals fit perfectly over the quiet, melancholy clean guitars though, and amp up fantastically the harder the music goes. It also reminds me a bit of Empyre (review for their last album here). We also get one hell of a guitar solo in this track, fitting the mood and tone to perfection.
This opening track feels like the perfect epitome of the rest of the album. Even on the shortest track, ‘Thin Air’, the pace is pretty plodding and the emphasis is on the juxtaposition of heavy guitars and the lighter, clean vocal style, alongside cleaner, more open, almost ethereal instrumentation at times. It screams of the talent of the playing and writing the band have, and makes for an incredible, interesting listen.
It’s definitely proggy, and the perfect blend of both Tool and Empyre, I’d say. The two tracks I’ve mentioned already are definite highlights, but honestly this whole album is amazing. It feels like one that’s supposed to be experienced as one big piece, too. So grab a snack, sit in a dark room, and listen to this from front to back. You won’t be disappointed. 8.5/10
Deorbit: Retrogradient
Instrumental music is always a bit of a hard sell. However, the guys at Deorbit turn that premise almost completely on its head with this release. The trios technical playing ability is off the charts, and they craft an incredible collection of heavy songs. It’s track after track of tasty death metal riffing and some amazing drumming to boot. Highlights include the ‘Perihelion’, ‘Glacivore’ and ‘Senescence’. Honestly, it’s kinda hard to say much else about it. It’s a solid album that does get a little samey after a few tracks due to the instrumental nature. But there is a lot to love here and if you’re into the genre at all, check it out! 7/10
Shylmagoghnar: Convergence
The one-man atmospheric black metal band is back, with Nimblkorg creating one hell of an epic soundscape for the act’s third album. He has some balls on him too, as the opening near-11 minute track is an instrumental. It definitely sets an atmosphere, that’s for sure, but I was worried I’d have two instrumental albums in a row. That may be too much for even me! So, when I heard the scream near the beginning of ‘Follow the River’, it was a welcome surprise!
Long time readers of this series will know I’m incredibly up and down with black metal. Usually, it has to have something mixed in with it to keep me interested. I’m happy to announce, that this album was definitely an up for me! The aforementioned track, ‘Follow the River’, is fucking awesome, all eight minutes of it! So are tracks like ‘Strata’ and the amazing pirate ballad, ‘The Sea’. And the surprisingly more electronic/techno ‘Gardens of the Erased’ is an awesome and well-placed interlude to break everything up. The fact that one man can not only write this, but play and record it all himself is insanely impressive and deserves MASSIVE respect.
It definitely feels atmospheric, with the tracks I named feeling huge and grandiose, like they deserve to be part of a movie soundtrack if most of Hollywood wasn’t scare of heavy music. I know this sort of music isn’t for everyone, but if I can get into it, then most of our writers should be able to find something in this awesome album to love. Check this out, you won’t be disappointed. 8.5/10
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: Fronzoli
The Australian psych band certainly win the award for the most wonderfully chaotic album opening of the year. ‘Nootmare’ is one hell of a song, though, and shows off the talent, catchiness and craziness of the band in equal measure perfectly. The whole album follows this lead, as well. It’s crazy, heavy, catchy and a whole lot of fun. Even slower tracks like ‘Cpt. Gravity Mouse Welcome’ has an underlying buzz of chaotic energy to it’s otherwise indie-ballad style. While typically it’s not really my sort of thing, tracks like ‘Alakazam’ and ‘All Aboard the S.S. Sinker’ were awesome and I’ve added them to my personal playlist to hopefully check out again. It’s an incredibly fun listen, and if you’re into psychedelic or indie stuff, you’ll love this. 8/10
Sophie Lloyd: Imposter Syndrome
One of 2023’s biggest breakout stars, the local-ish girl and MGK guitarist has finally put out her star-studded debut solo album. To the surprise of almost no one who’s checked out the singles prior to this release, it’s great. Having an album like her similar guitar goddess Nita Strauss’ album this year (review here), she’s done each track with a different guitar vocalist. Whether it’s international names like Lzzy Hale or Matt Heafy or more local talent like Nathan James or even Marisa Rodriguez, Sophie has managed to collect some of the best vocalists in rock and metal for this release. And honestly, she adopts each of the artists own styles perfectly. It’s awesome!
‘Let It Hurt’, ‘Won’t You Come’ and ‘Fall of Man’ are personal highlight track of mine. However, there isn’t a bad track on the album, honestly. Heck, surprisingly Michael Starr even reigns in the Horningsham for once on ‘Runaway’! Honestly, this feels like what Slash wanted to do with his self-titled album, but didn’t quite nail it as well as Sophie’s done here. It somehow feels like I’m listening to the vocalists own stuff, but yet somehow with a tinge of awesomeness added by Lloyd.
I really hope Sophie continues on with her solo stuff, because this is a fucking awesome album. Being so young as well, she has so much potential, and I can see her being a megastar in the next few years. I can almost guarantee that she’ll be at the top of our industry for years to come. And, when people look back, this album will be a big reason as to why. 9/10
Stray Kids: ROCK-STAR
So, this definitely isn’t the sort of thing we usually cover. However, I was already listening to it anyway and really enjoyed it, so figured screw it, I’ll tack it on down the bottom and let y’all know briefly what I thought.
As I said, this is an awesome album. It’s kinda heavy any, given that, although they are classified as K-pop, they are essentially on the heavier side of trap music. It’s dark and still has some fun drops into the choruses. And there is enough of a crossover now between this type of music and metal, with the likes of 3TEETH, Fever333, Kim Dragula etc, that it felt only right to cover it. That, and they do an actual rock version of ‘LALALALA’ at the end which is fantastic, guitars and all. Honestly, I wish the band did more stuff like this, as the rock style really compliments their own, and feels like something pretty fresh and fun. Tracks like ‘COMFLAX’ and the slower ‘leave’ are also great and infectiously catchy.
These guys deserve every bit of their massive success, and I would LOVE to see them live, they look like so much fun and humongously polished. I understand I am probably in the very small minority of readers that will be into this, but for me, this easily gets an 8/10!