Now that we’ve crossed into the new year, it’s like the floodgates have opened. This New Music Friday was a rich one! There were so many songs to choose from this week that it was tough to lock down just five, so I added a sixth.
Hopefully, you’ll be as excited as I am about this week’s crop, starting with, and please accept my sincere apologies for this very unprofessional introduction, but…
“Thoroughbreds” by Poison The Well
Poison the MOTHERF***IN Well is back, baby!
I’m just so excited! These dudes have not put out a new album since 2009, so this is a really big deal for us aging hardcore kids. This week, the Miami Metalcore legends dropped “Thoroughbreds”, the pummeling debut single from their forthcoming new album, Peace in Place. Play it LOUD.
“Not Today” by Kim Gordon
Alt-rock legend Kim Gordon just announced her third solo album, PLAY ME. To accompany the news, the former Sonic Youth singer dropped a new single,
The noisy, indie-pop track is deeply compelling, with a sort of polite demand that you engage with it. It’s also very clear that Gordon is having so much fun making music these days, and I love that for her and us.
“Fake ID” by XCOMM
Hailing from Venice Beach, California, the XCOMM boys are not your average hardcore band. Actually, they kinda are? And that’s sort of the point. This crew of young punks is here to speak up for their people, and that’s what punk and hardcore used to be about. Going to bat for marginalized groups, not taking any s***, and encouraging PMA.
This thrashy new jam, “Fake ID”, is all about not being able to get into shows as a teenager because of age limits. It’s got big Gorilla Biscuits “No Reason Why” / Casualties “Up the Punx” vibes, and we need more of that.
“Memory Be a Blade” by Warterbaby
From my very first listen to Waterbaby’s “Memory Be a Blade”, I knew it was never gonna leave me. It’s both classy and relevant. Like, baroque-pop.
The song plays like you’re standing in the middle of an art museum exhibit, and every sound is a different piece of art that you can stop and focus on. Just trust me. Close your eyes and listen.
“Jessica’s Changed” by Surfbort
Surfbort is one of those bands where if you get it, you get it. Nothing I say is going to change that. This new jam, “Jessica’s Changed”, is killer punk rock.
The band’s new album, Reality Star, drops in March.
Honorable mention: “Truth or Consequences” by Carrion Vael
I really wanted to give these dudes a shoutout because Carrion Vael is doing some really sick tech-death stuff, and I need more people to know about it.
Today, the band’s newest album, Slay Utterly, drops, including the new song “Truth or Consequences”. It’s such impressive musicianship, and it hits so hard.
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