A pretty stacked week of New Music Mondays this week, featuring some massive names in rock, country, metal and even rap! Let’s dive in!
HARDY: Quit!!
So, it seems like a rather controversial opinion these days, but we loved HARDY’s last album. To the point where it almost feels unfair that he’s put another out just over a year later! However, it’s hard to complain about more music from the master country songwriter, and if the singles I’ve heard already are anything to go by, this will be another amazing album!
HARDY’s first foray into a full rock album is certainly still a damn interesting, fun listen. There’s still a hint of country every now and again, but has more of a radio rock sound, for the most part. I hate that the closest comparison I find my brain keep trying to make is MGK. It’s certainly better than his last album, though. Songs like ‘ROCKSTAR’, the darker, heavier ‘JIM BOB’ and ‘PSYCHO’ are all great.
However, I do think that without the crutch of the inventive album story and concept from Mockingbird, a few of the tracks do fall a bit flat. Outside of a few great lyrics, chorus hooks and breakdown riffs, the songs are largely forgettable. And heck, a couple even boarder on cringy, sadly. They even manage to completely misuse Daddy Durst on ‘SOUL4SALE’, not giving him anything to work his rapping or screaming with, instead giving him and almost ’Behind Blue Eyes’ ballad to sing on. I loved the fusion of rock and country on his last album, but this has gone to show that, outside of a few songs, he cannot write straight rock songs as well as country ones. It’s not bad by any stretch, but barely comparable to Mockingbird and not something I’ll be revisiting much outside of the singles and a couple of other tracks. It’s a bit of a disappointment for me, sadly, but still gets a solid 6.5/10
Eminem: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)
The rap god himself is back with another album, the first since 2020. You’d have to have been living under a rock if you didn’t see the massive impact that ‘Houdini’ had, everyone saying that Slim Shady was back and the song very much implying the same. Though I was a child, I grew up at the time when Shady was at the top of the world, and absolutely adore those first three albums. So, if the whole thing is gonna be like that, I’m down. And while I’ll be sad if this is indeed a swan song for this style of Em’s work, hopefully he goes out with a bang!
It’s certainly back to the older style, it feeling like a continuation of The Eminem Show. There’s a lot to love on here, too. Between ‘Brand New Dance’, ‘Antichrist’, ‘Habits’ and the lead single are all massive highlights. Heck, I even really enjoyed ‘Guilty Conscience 2’, it bordering on 2edgy4me but did get a chuckle or two and I always like when Em does the battle-inside-his-head tracks. He’s still fantastic at his craft too, spitting bars pretty quickly and writing the melodies well, as well as plenty of clever lyrics.
It’s not all perfect, though. Firstly, at over an hour and 19 tracks, it’s a slog to get through. I know Eminem Show was long too, but this isn’t quite at the quality of that to warrant it being this long. And, as I touched on before, a few of the tracks still have that edgy-for-edgys-sake feel to them. In Em’s defence, nowhere near as many as on previous albums, but the feeling of him saying controversial stuff just to please his fans and cause a media buzz did shine through occasionally.
However, overall, it’s not a bad album, and very much feels like a return to form for a guy who has spent so long away from it. I completely get wanting to change things up and make what sort of music you like, but the fans have been crying out for this for a while, I do think it delivers for the most part. I really enjoyed it, and will certainly be listening to a good few songs from it again in the coming months. 8.5/10
P.S. why does Em hate ‘midgits’ so much on this album? 😅
Graphic Nature: Who Are You When No One is Watching?
Nu-metalcore sounds like something right up my street, and somehow, though I’ve seen the name around everywhere, I’ve not managed to check the Kent band out before, until now. It was everything I wanted and more, too. It’s crushingly heavy, but still has plenty of catchiness and some melody, as well as some amazing riffing. It also has a surprising amount of electronic influence to it, the record scratching being a nice touch! and whether it’s hardcore screams or more lower growls, Harvey Freeman is a criminally underrated vocalist. And those breakdowns… DAMN.
It’s 42-minutes of perfect modern British metalcore, like the perfect blend of early Architects and Vexed, of course with a healthy dose of Slipknot in there for good measure! Songs like ‘Blinded’, ‘Something I’m Not’ and ‘Low’ are all huge highlights but, honestly, there isn’t a bad track on the album. It’s angry and aggressive and heavy in all the best ways, and is right up my street. If you’re into the heavy stuff at all, check this out, I promise you’ll love it as much as I do! I’m gonna be listening to this a lot moving forward, and I HAVE to see them live now, this would pop off. It’s a very easy 9/10 from me!
Megan Moroney: Am I Okay?
Megan is in a similar boat as HARDY; releasing another album just a year after her breakout one. The difference is, however, that this not only feels like an extension of Lucky, but also holds up to the quality, being another awesome release. I’ve been a big fan of the singles she’d put out beforehand, from ‘Indifferent’ to ‘Man on the Moon’, but they are backed up by some fantastic album tracks like the title one and ‘I Know You’. I do feel like 14 tracks is just a touch too long, especially when a lot of them are the similar acoustic-ballad style and tempo. However, having said that, I wouldn’t know which couple of songs to cut, as they are all excellent.
When I first listened I thought ‘this is great, but not quite as good as her debut, it hasn’t impacted me the same’. But given that I’ve got half of it on my playlist already, and that I feel like her debut grew on me more and more with subsequent listens, that it just isn’t the case. The emo cowgirl has done it again, knocking it out of the park and proving that she is going to be a massive name in the country world for years to come. And, for the second year in a row, she’s guaranteed to be pretty high up in our albums of the year list, easily! 8.5/10
Thirteen Goats: Capricorn Rising
The BC death metal band are back with album number two. We checked out their debut back in 2022 and honestly, I remember enjoying the album a lot more than I’ve given it credit for in the review. And, unsurprisingly, this is another awesome release! It’s packed full of awesome, heavy riffs, and some incredible clean and harsh vocals, all of which have pretty catch, melodic moments to shine through. ‘Sign of the Goat’ is an incredibly strong album opener, but honestly there isn’t a bad track on the album, with plenty of other highlights, including ‘A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing’ and ‘Permission to Die’. They also have a pretty cool image and theme, leaning fully into the pagan/satanic stereotypes of the genre. It’s 42-minutes of a brutal, heavy assault, and is massively enjoyable. It’s not going to be for everyone, but for those into the heavy end, I’d certainly recommend checking it out! And, while I would say it is better than their debut, it’s also a testament to how heavy this site has made me, that I love this now! 8/10, great stuff!
Mr Big: Ten
The hard rock band are back with their (surprisingly) tenth full length release. It is their first in seven years and, given that they are on their final tour, I imagine it will be their last. Talk about going out with a bang, too. For those who are a fan of the band, this is right up their usual street of funky, blues-infused, fun rock performed and written to perfection. Opener ‘Good Luck Trying’ is a great example of this, and is also a fantastic track. The rest of the album continues the same quality too, being plenty of highlights, from ‘I Am You’ to ‘Courageous’. It’s the perfect blend of Bon Jovi and Electric Boys; catchy choruses and melodies and some awesome playing, of course the legendary Paul Gilbert being a big high point. If this truly is the bands last hurrah, they have produced one hell of an album to go out on, it feeling like a true culmination of their near-40 year career. It’s hard not to love this album, and I’d recommend it to any rock fan! 8.5/10
The Bridge City Sinners: In the Age of Doubt
2024 is the year of spooky banjo time, and this band are very much leading the charge alongside Amigo the Devil. Spoiler 1: Amigo is very high on our list of top albums this year so far. Spoiler 2: I think this album will be, too.
Don’t get me wrong, it certainly won’t be for everyone. But fuck, I loved this. The further through I got, the more and more ended up on my playlist. I think currently I have over half of the album on it. Dark/neo-folk is quickly becoming one of my favourite genres, and it’s in large part thanks to songs like ‘Doubt’, ‘Crazy’ and ‘Sinner’s Saloon’. Every track on this album is incredible, though, and it’s been put together in the perfect arrangement.
Libby Lux has one of the best vocal ranges of any genre currently, going from jazzy Amy Winehouse to Danny Filth at the drop of a hat. Meanwhile, the rest of the band are so insanely talented, crafting some real interesting melodies and rhythms, even more impressive without a drummer present. We need more fiddle and double bass in darker music.
It’s 34-minutes of awesomeness, and I can’t get enough. I’ve had it on a good few times already this last weekend, and I doubt that will be changing much in the coming weeks and months. It’s a truly special release that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of your usual music taste. I can’t not, it’s gonna be 10/10.
The Mourning: Hush
The sophomore album of the Florida-based prog metal band is true masterclass in technicality and talent. ‘Chaos Machine’ opens the album up perfectly, showing off the bands skill, style and sound. It’s like Periphery, Polyphia and Coheed and Cambria all met and had a baby, and I am all for it! The sheer mind-blowing talent continues throughout the whole album too, all 51-minutes being incredible. You can tell I’m not at all jealous, right…? It’s so hard to pick out highlights as they are all so good, but also do share a similar sound and formula, for the most part. Having said that, the Tool-esque ‘I Feel the Rain’ was awesome and very different! It’s an incredibly interesting album and certainly one for anyone into prog or djent at all! It gets an easy 8/10 from me! Hopefully it’s not another six year wait for another album, as these guys could be massive in the sub-genre!
Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson: Passage Du Desir
This is a real interesting release. Sturgill returns after what was thought to be a career-ending injury and retirement under a new moniker, and having more of a chilled out, traditional blues sound than his previous five releases. Sadly, I don’t like it quite as much as his Sturgill stuff. However, I admire the crap out of him for his reinvention and going in a new direction, especially when he still had a huge fan base for his more country stuff. I’m curious to see what bigger fans of the guy have to think about the album, I must admit!
Songs like ‘Scooter Blues’ and the countrier, emotional story of ‘Who I Am’ are awesome, and massive highlights of the album. I love that he gives the tracks more room to breathe too, some going seven plus minutes, feeling very bluesy. It’s certainly not a bad album, it’ll just take some getting used to. It’s certainly a good album to relax too, almost having an easy listening air to it all. It certainly grew on me more the more I listened, and will most likely continue to do so moving forward. But, for now, it gets a solid 7/10 from me!