The Cloth - 2013 - Touched

The Cloth are a three piece punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.  They play riff focused stoner metal with one foot in punk rock and the other in the garage. These two songs are noisy, catchy and owe equal debt to stoner metal as they do noisy hardcore punk. Good stuff all around.

Brave Bird - 2013 - Maybe You, No One Else Worth It

Brave Bird is an emo band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Maybe You, No One Else Worth It is their debut LP released by Count Your Lucky Stars Records. Brave Bird is a part of the Ann Arbor Emo Collective along with Gerald Field, Pity Sex and Youth Novel. Brave Bird play a melodic, somewhat twinkly brand of emo that pulls from the midwest vein of things.




There are a bunch of twinkly, emo songs to be enjoyed on this album so long as whiny vocals aren't too much of an issue. Too Late Now comes out of the gate with catchy riff and reaching vocals, Whittle Down The Days is guaranteed to get stuck in your head alongside The Worst Things Happen To Me  while the title track just rips. If you're down for some twinkly, emo that isn't afraid to kick up some dust you won't be disappointed.

Carly Dow - 2013 - Demo

Carly Dow is a folk singer-songwriter from Winninpeg, Manitoba, Canada. She writes acoustic folk songs, filling out the background with lap steel guitar, upright bass, drums and mandolin. Think along the lines of Po' Girl and Julie Doiron and you won't be far off. She's performed twice at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

All of these songs have a country tinge to them, but Too Much To Go Back is the most focused on that, the lap steel is a nice touch, All Sleep Tonight has a rock solid rhythm that lets Carly's voice stretch out, and the mandolin allows Soil To Dust to dance around like a nimble country song while Carly does her thing beautifully. If you like folk music Carly Dow is one to watch.

Carly Dow "All Sleep Tonight" from Janine Kropla on Vimeo.

June Paik - 2013 - June Paik

June Paik is a screamo band from Germany. This self titled EP is their fifth release, this one being released by React With Protest, Forged In Iron and Parade of Spectres. They have also release splits with  Battle Of Wolf 359 and Titan. On this EP they play a very dark, very heavy brand of screamo. The screamed vocals are almost unintelligible, buried under layers of black metal guitars and a wall of heavy, dark sound.

The whole feel of this album is very heavy, the dark, apocalyptic wall of sound comes rushing out of the speakers and smothers any light or happiness in the immediate surroundings. These are dark, heavy songs played at screamo speed with devastating results.

Capacities - 2013 - There Is No Neutral

Capacities are a four piece screamo band from New Jersey. There Is No Neutral is their third release. Previous members have also played in  Black Kites, Less Life, Birth Screams, The Assistant, This Ship Will Sink, In First Person, You and I, and The Saddest Landscape.  They are associated with Protagonist Music, How Soon Is Now, Middle Man, Melotov and Dog Knights Productions.




When the songs are firing on all cylinders these songs are whirling dervishes of energy, the only song over 2:13 is the awesomely long closer Sons Of A Silent Age. Songs like Personhood In The 21st Century and God To The Flatlanders change quickly and without looking back, compact bursts of emotional rage that come barreling out at top speed. The speedy, somewhat chaotic nature of these songs is underlined by the closer, the best and longest song on the album, the aforementioned Sons Of A Silent Age. The song is a melodic, slow burner that beautifully unfolds across six minutes If you like screamo in any capacity, there's something here for you.

Bocanegra - 2013 - Bocanegra

Bocanegra is a four piece screamo band from Guadalajara, Mexico. This is their debut EP. Members also played in Human Plague and Baby Nelson & The Philistine. Vocalist Alonso Mangosta Esquinca  cites Crass and Converge as influences, as well as a shift in writing style from the political focus of Human Plague to the more personal focus of Bocanegra. The vocals are mixed low giving them a more desperate feel, and everything else is wrapped in a nice layer of distortion, which makes the drums thump harder and the melodic guitar lines stand out.



 The opening track El Nido Arderá comes out of the gates and sets a high standard for the rest of the album. While there's nothing wrong with these songs, this band obviously knows how to churn up an awesome screamo storm, the songs are inconsistent, Cabbalso Ciegos eventually explodes out of it's moodiness into an aggressive punk song but it takes a moment but Serpientes uses an unrelenting drum beat and a powerful breakdown to destroy everything around them and slowly build it up. I can't wait for more.

The Braces - 2013 - Two years

The Braces are  four-piece pop-punk outfit from Thousand Oaks, California. Two Years is their fourth release, released by Paper + Plastik. Citing influences like mid-'90s Fat Wreck, the Dismemberment Plan and early Saves The Day they have crafted an LP that is inconsistent but still chock full of punk pop gems coming across as a less consistent RVIVR. These are solid pop punk songs that unfortunately can get taken down the wrong path, making some generic choices early on, Applause is a good song but is plagued by that generic punk pop rhythm.

 Applause is early favourite but the album doesn't really kick into a high unique gear until Trophies comes alongs with it's stop and start rhythm, if you make it far enough the combo punch of DIY, Siren and Vandal come together into unique, lyrical, almost desperate melodic punk rock mix. If you're willing to dig a little bit into this album then there are melodic pop punk rewards to be had.

Vacanza - 2013 - Cancello

Vacanza are a four piece punk band from Italy. Cancello is their sophomore EP. They play post hardcore influenced brand of screamo with buried vocals and a lofi layer of noise over everything. The vocals soaked in reverb overtop of guitars that go from vaugely mathy post-hardcore walls of sound to more straight ahead screamo riffing. All these songs are completely soaked in their own reverb heavy, lofi tone which is distinctive but has a tendency to blur the songs together. If you're not paying attention the songs can blur together a little bit simply due to sameness in tone.

 That same post hardcore styling that allows them cover everything in a layer of muting noise brings some interesting twists to the songwriting which keep the songs from being too standard. Rombo is a standout with the shouted backing vocals, Foresta is good despite the guitars getting lost creating a wall of sound and Felpa is a feisty little melodic beast. If you enjoy post-hardcore influenced screamo that embraces it's lofi nature then this is for you.

AYS - 2013 - Suburban Haze

AYS are a five piece hardcore punk band from Germany. Suburban Haze is their seventh release. They play a dual guitar heavy brand of hardcore. The double guitars allow for heavy metal styled riffs played at hardcore speeds while the singer uses his raspy shout to great results. These hardcore songs take large influence from the groove metal school,  they find a heavy groove and ride it until it collapse under the hardcore attack

On Orphans the guitar dances dizzying circles around thudding drums while the raspy throated singer screams his lungs out while Blind Faith hangs out on and returns to a chugging riff with a slight detour into a a more melodic bruiser with some sweet backing shouts. If you like heavy hardcore with a gruff drill instructor shout this will be right up your alley

A.M. Overcast - 2013 - Pellow

A.M. Overcast is a math rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Pellow is their sixth release. They play a melodic, poppy, progressive brand of math rock. These are pop songs but have a math rock basis so there are lots of twists and turns, nooks and crannies in these songs. The progressive and mathy nature is what keeps me coming back to these songs. They start as simple math rock or pop songs but the guitar riffs and songwriting immediately take off in different directions and there is a little bit of twee in some of the vocals, it's never overwhelming.


 The guitars are universally melodic, verging into twinkling in some places and the dual male female vocals add to the catchy nature of the songs. Amanlanchier stumbles over itself adorably before finding it's almost too catchy groove, Aquacellar is the same, fitting almost twinkly guitar riffs and catchy vocals overtop of a rambunctious song that eventually settles into a melodic groove. If you like short, melodic, catchy math rock songs with a pop bent that insist on taking left turns then is the album for you.

California X - 2013 - California X

California X is a four piece punk band from Amherst Massachusetts. California X is their debut LP They play a grungy, heavy brand of punk and wear their influences proudly on their sleeves. These songs owe a great debt to bands like Sonic Youth, Jay Reatard and Dinosaur Jr while the singer vocally sounds like Torche. The most redeeming factor of this album is it's heaviness. They combine all those influences into some kind of punk fueled beast that is almost stoner metal in it's heaviness.The main problem I have with this album is the songwriting. The songs are all solid but they roughly all sound the same.

California X have a clearly defined sound, it may be overly reliant on proclaiming their influences but they have clearly found the niche they like. But within that nice there just isn't the variation necessary to truly support a full length LP. Songs like Lemmy's World combine melodic guitars and buried vocals with a wall of noise and an overwhelming sense of heaviness to great effect while songs like Pond Rot just kinda sit there. If you like noisy, grungy punk rock that goes out of it's way to be heavy but still melodic this album will strike gold right off the bat but otherwise you might have to work at it. 

The Saurs- 2013 - Bring Me Fog

The Saurs are a garage punk band from Barcelona, Spain. Bring Me Fog is their debut EP. They play a dirty brand of garage rock bringing in elements of blues that would feel at home in Detroit. These are straight ahead garage rock songs that aren't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves.

 Ain't No Deal starts off with a guitar solo and the proceeding is no less unhinged, Because Of You has an excellent female singer overtop of some blues influences garage punk, The Spring aims at something darker and heavier, ending up stuck in some mud and Maybe closes things out with a smoldering explosion of a song. These songs are melodic, energetic and verging on shambolic, if you enjoy garage rock there's something here for you.

Kreutzer Sonata - 2013 - Dead Ends EP

The Kreutzer Sonata are a three piece melodic punk rock band from Chicago. Dead Ends E.P is their sophomore album. They play a catchy blend of  street punk, melodic hardcore, more than a little screamo  with lots of gang shouts and backing vocals. The backbone of the all these songs is punk rock with a melodic focus, and The Kreutzer Sonata have so many tricks up their sleeves that their songs jump fluidly around and there is always either a guitar or a voice doing something interesting.

Incendiary - 2013 - Cost Of Living

Incendiary is a hardcore punk band from Long Island, New York, USA. Cost Of Living is their sixth release. They play a heavy brand of hardcore punk. The singer has a great, drill instructor shout that bounces nicely off the guitars pummelling you into submission. The songs are perfect examples of how to do hardcore well in the modern era, they manage to stay out of the quicksand of too much chugging and generic songwriting.

These songs are brief, heavy and incredibly pissed off, very similiar to Benchpress except for the absense of chaotic solos. Snake is a thumping, crawling hardcore anthem revelling in how heavy it is and Deed Before Creed is has a melodic slow burn beatdown feel. At almost a half hour the album does seem a little long but if you're into this kind of heavy hardcore then there's rarely too much.

Vices - 2013 - Between My Mind And The World

Vices are a five piece hardcore punk band from Sydney, Australia. Between My Mind And The World
 is their debut LP. They play a brand of hardcore punk that very much reminds me of Touche Amore with more chug. The singer has a very emotional, desperate shout and the guitars jam out a catchy melodic hardcore base.




Most of these songs are pretty straight forward melodic hardcore songs but every so often one of the songs catches fire, Part.1, with it's slowburn, Home and Destinations are good examples of when the emotionality comes to the forefront, nudging them towards that boundary line between hardcore and screamo. If you like fast, emotional hardcore that isn't afraid to show it's scars then album will be right up your alley

Torche - 2013 - Keep Up

Torche is a four piece heavy metal band from Miami, Florida, USA. They play a very melodic stoner, sludgy brand of heavy metal. They have the heaviness down perfectly, the base is always a thick, heavy stoner metal   sludge fest but then layer over top melodic guitars and catchy vocals. Volcom Entertainment just released their new single Keep Up and it kicks ass. Via the Needle Drop

Benchpress - 2013 - Controlled By Death

Benchpress are a five piece heavy punk band from Lewistown, Pennsylvania, USA. Controlled By Death is their sophomore EP. They play a very heavy version of beat down, tough guy hardcore. The singer has an awesome barking growl and the guitars play thrash metal with great abandon. Metallic guitar tones and
melodic, chaotic solos anchored by a double base come barrelling at you at hardcore speeds, unrelenting for 12 minutes.

Silver Spoon takes a moment to let everything breath but never stops pummelling while Disgusted With The World Ft. Dion Barrella Of Rock Bottom is a whirlwind of brutal and heavy activity and No Place Like Home can't make up it's mind if it wants to be a riff filled thrashy monster or a slow burning, lumbering beast. If you don't like your hardcore punk heavy but still agile, thrashy and pissed the fuck off then there may be no hope for you.

Eros + Massacre - 2013 Behind The Aesthetic Form Lies The Repressed Harmony Of Sensuousness And Reason

Eros + Massacre is a four piece screamo band from Madrid Spain. Behind the aesthetic form lies the repressed harmony of sensuousness and reason is their debut EP. They play a noisy, chaotic and abrasive brand of screamo. Reminds me of Alexander Korda in the potentially pretentious, chaotic hardcore branch of screamo. 

The multiple vocalists are incomprehensible screams and are buried deep in the mix. The guitars churn out pumelling, distorted noise while the drums destroy the ground you're trying to stand on. If you enjoy insular, chaotic hardcore then this will be right up your alley.

Second To Last - Starters - Changing Tides

Second To Last is a pop punk band from Lodi, California. Changing Tides is their sophomore release. They are pop punk but the songs on this album are not afraid of getting their hands dirty. They cite Jawbreaker, Jimmy Eat World and Hot Water Music as influences. Radiation and Drugs are the best songs on this whole album, catchy with enough melancholy grit to make things interesting, after that the acousticness starts and I tune out.

Starters are a four piece pop punk band from Dublin, Ireland. Changing Tides is their sophomore EP. Their brand of pop punk is focused on a less melodic, more urgent street punk end of the spectrum. They cite Title Fight, Balance & Composure as influences, I would throw in comparisons to a less political, more melodic Class War Kids. There are still melodic guitars and vocals reaching for something beyond us all and they aren't afraid to simply let things float away into the ether. Second To Last is aiming down a more melodic path while Starters seems more interested in keeping everything moving forward at breakneck speed.

all sharks - 2013 - all sharks

All Sharks is a two piece post-hardcore band from Spain. All Sharks is their debut LP. They play a very sparse, screamo influenced brand of post-hardcore. They cite June of 44, Shellac and Slint as influences. The songs on this album are content to just stretch out and let the bass do all the heavy lifting with the guitars coming in to add effects while the singer shouts desperately. When everything is firing on all cylinders like on All Traitors, and Sharks, the guitars are riffing away or making some ethereal sound, the bass is throbbing relentlessly and the singer is shouting like there's a demon chasing him down while the drummer keeps everything in lockstep and makes it danceable.

Think early 90's angular, off kilter indie math rock merged with the raw emotion of screamo but being realized as post-hardcore that isn't afraid to just sit on a moving bass line and let that ride for five minutes. If you enjoy sparse post-hardcore this album will be right up your alley,

Things Fall Apart - 2013 - "All Of My Friends Hate Your Band"

Things Fall Apart are a screamo band from Colombus Ohio. They play a very heavy, doom metal influenced brand of screamo. "All Of My Friends Hate Your Band" is their fifth release. The songwriting style is fairly straight ahead screamo except there is a focus on being as heavy as possible. It transforms the songs from the frantic, punk based screamo into an incredibly heavy doom metal beast that is still agile enough to squish you like a bug.

The first two songs, You Didn't Leave Me Any Foot Steps To Follow In pt.2 and You Didn't Leave Me Any Foot Steps To Follow In pt.3 are excellent and set the standard for the rest of the album. If those songs don't drag you into their dark heavy world then this whole thing is a wash but if those two songs hit the spot then this whole album is pure gold.

Altona - Homage - 2013 - Split

Altona are a four piece hardcore punk band from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. Homage are a five piece melodic hardcore band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Altona play a rather straight ahead brand of hardcore punk. The songs are short, hard hitting and get right to the point but aren't afraid of stretching out with some brief moments of calm.

Homage play a solid style of melodic hardcore with a gruff vocalist. The guitars do the heavy lifting in terms of melody, they create a wall of sound that has the potential to be stretched out into some post-rock style instrumentals. Thankfully they keep everything tight and the songs catchy.