Knocked Loose Release New EP, ‘A Tear In The Fabric Of Life’ + Animated Short Film

Knocked Loose have released their stunning and visionary new EP in full today – A Tear in the Fabric of Life. It’s their most dynamic and contained offering to date, and a balancing act: a mid-length EP with grand ambitions and scope, one full of new sonic elements and a cohesive aesthetic that hangs onto Knocked Loose’s trademark anthemic delivery. 

A Tear in the Fabric of Life is a story written by Knocked Loose frontman/lyricist Bryan Garris and comes to life within an extraordinary animated film directed and created by Swedish filmmaker Magnus Jonsson, who is known for his visual curiosity and often exploring dark themes, in abstract and surreal worlds.

Garris reveals, “It’s a story about extreme grief and the levels a person is willing to go through to get rid of it. The story follows a main character through a traumatic car crash late one night in the woods that leaves his partner deceased, and from there you spiral with him into the depression and guilt that comes with being the cause of something so detrimental. This is the first time we really dove in and tried to create something sonically that evokes a different range of emotions and over all something that introduces tension and anxiety with a massive pay off. The story is told not only through words but through the music as well, which proved to be our biggest challenge in writing. Lyrically this story ended up being much more personal than we initially intended. We started with the idea to tell a fictional story but throughout the process, I found ways to incorporate real feelings of loss and mourning, as well as anger and self doubt. I’ve always been a very personal writer and this was originally a step away from that, into something more artistic. But in the end, it was just as therapeutic as writing a regular Knocked Loose record, and I think you’ll be able to hear that.”

Director and animator Magnus Jonsson tells, “I always want to create something that complements the music, works within its structures and hopefully enriches the experience for the audience. With a longer format around 21 minutes, covering 6 tracks, I knew this dark ghost story was a very interesting challenge to explore in animation. I took the story presented in the songs and anchored that into a visual world. I wanted to create an intense nightmare, focusing on the emotional states of Bryan’s main character. I created visuals that bring the audience deeper into this story of a spiraling descent into horror and destructive madness — Taking a minimalistic and sometimes even abstract approach to many parts of the image making, creating unease and an eerie atmosphere.”

Watch ‘A Tear In The Fabric Of Life’ below and you can stream the EP via your preferred service here.

Narrow Head Reissue Of Satisfaction, Share New Video, Announce UK Tour With Chubby & The Gang

Just off the heels of Narrow Head’s 2020 highly acclaimed Run For Cover debut they’ve announced the reissue of their first full-length, ‘Satisfaction’ — the album that changed everything for the burgeoning Texas underground band. ‘Satisfaction’ was an unofficial progression, a signal that Narrow Head was coalescing around a vision for their band and their music. Narrow Head are best known for their wall of riffs and deceptively sweet pop melodies. In just a few years they quickly amassed a devoted following for their standout live performances and open-hearted, emotionally naked songwriting which can be heard even throughout their very early recordings. 

Check out the video for ‘Cool In Motion’ below.

Although changes in the band’s lineup and in the individual lives of members were on the horizon, ‘Satisfaction’ is a result of spontaneity and a willingness to experiment. At that time, Narrow Head was comprised of Jacob Duarte (guitar, vocals), Ryan Hughes (guitar, vocals), Ryan Seelig (bass), and Carson Wilcox (drums). 

Everything on ‘Satisfaction’ was tracked over a three day period, and the group moved quickly through the writing, rehearsing, and recording process. “It’s pretty clear we were still figuring out the dynamics within the songs and what the exact right parts were, and I think that shows in how differently we play those songs live now,” Wilcox said.

Looking back on the recording now, Duarte can see renewed significance in the material and its messaging. “We just wanted to make a record and tour. I was trying to figure out my life like any other 21-year-old, but I was always playing music. I was zoned in and very driven at the time, thinking there was nothing to lose. It’s a very naive, optimistic recording,” he said.

There wasn’t a message of significance on ‘Satisfaction’. Rather, Wilcox saw it as a chance for the band to solidify its new lineup and develop a sound, saying, “We were just hanging out writing songs in a style that inspired us.”

Pointing to tracks like “Cool in Motion,” “Paranoid Hands,” and “See You Around” as personal favourites, those involved with the recording believe the record is at its best when the improvisation is apparent. And while much has changed within the last five years, ‘Satisfaction’ remains an incredibly proud and significant moment in the lives of those who were involved with it.With a planned reissue of the recording from Run for Cover due in November 2021, those moments of spontaneity and growth will see new life, reframed as a cornerstone of the band’s career as they look to the future.

Pre-order Satisfaction now via the following link.

Check out the Tour Dates With Chubby & The Gang Below.

12/03: Guildhall Studio – Portsmouth, UK
12/04: Green Door Store – Brighton, UK
12/05: The Waterfront – Norwich, UK
12/06: Bodega – Nottingham, UK
12/08: The Castle & Falcon – Birmingham, UK
12/09: Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds, UK
12/10: Think Tank – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
12/11: King Tuts Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow, UK
12/12: Club Ifor Bach – Cardiff, UK
12/14: Yes – Manchester, UK
12/15: Scala – London, UK
12/17: Exchange – Bristol, UK

Volumes Announce New Record, ‘Happier’

VOLUMES have been regularly dropping new songs through the pandemic. Today, the band has confirmed it will release its new album Happier? on November 18 via Fearless Records.

The band has also release a video for the new single ‘Bend.‘ Watch it below.

”Bend’ is about how, in a relationship, sometimes one person can break another while all along they never seem to bend or break themselves,” says singer Michael Barr. “It’s really about how we can easily turn into someone else and start to tear each other down.”

In 2010, Volumes burst onto the hard rock scene with The Concept of Dreaming EP. Via followed in 2011 and No Sleep arrived in 2014. After initially parting ways with Barr back in 2015, the band remained prolific and dropped Different Animals [2017] and the Coming Clean EP [2019]. Their total stream tally exceeded 40 million as they racked up international praise from the likes of Alternative Press, New Noise Magazine, Rock Sound, Metal Injection, and more. Barr returned to the fold in 2020.

Check out the Cover Art, Tracklisting below and Pre-orders via the following link.

FBX
Malevolent
Bend
Get Enough
Lets Me Down
Man On Fire
Weighted
See You Again
Into You (Hurt)
Void
Happier?

Erra Release Vanish Canvas Ft. Courtney LaPlante Of Spiritbox

ERRA have released a new version of their single “Vanish Canvas” featuring vocals from Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante. ERRA’s JT Cavey reveals, “We’ve never had a guest feature before, even before my time in the band. ‘Vanish Canvas’ is a very special song to Jesse and the rest of the band; it felt right if it were to be any song, it was this one. Courtney has been a longtime friend and extremely supportive of me, as well as ERRA; we are honored to have her be our first feature.” Vocalist Jesse Cash adds, “Vanish Canvas is my favorite song that ERRA has written, and Courtney’s presence on it makes it that much more impactful.”

The new version of “Vanish Canvas” follows the release of the instrumental version of their latest, highly acclaimed S/T album which was released earlier this year via UNFD. Their massive U.S. run is well underway and is their first tour back since the onset of the pandemic. The band is thrilled to be back on the road, performing songs from ERRA live for the first time ever.

For a full list of dates or tickets head HERE. Keep up with ERRA on Instagram HERE.

Sumo Cyco Reveal Initiation Digital Deluxe Edition & Single, ”Sun Eater’

After setting the music world ablaze in May with the release of their mind-bending latest full-length album, Initiation, fans instantly clamored for more SUMO CYCO. Those prayers are now answered with the drop of the official Initiation Digital Deluxe Edition! Featuring peppy new single “Sun Eater”, plus additional limited edition tracks “New Jive”, “We Are The Nation” and “Awakened”, the Initiation Digital Deluxe Edition is available today via all digital retailers.

Fans can check out a delightfully demonic new music video for “Sun Eater” now! Seamlessly melding punk, reggae, metal and pop, “Sun Eater” joins the ranks of recent singles like “Bystander”, “Vertigo” and more – all boasting millions of streams/views to date.

Frontwoman Skye “Sever” Sweetnam says about the Initiation Digital Deluxe Edition:
“We are ecstatic to get more music out there on the Deluxe Edition of Initiation. We wrote so many songs for Initiation and had some really solid tracks that just didn’t make it on the original track listing. We just can’t keep them to ourselves.”

Skye adds about “Sun Eater”:
“When I wrote ‘Sun Eater’ I was contemplating life’s big existential questions. No matter what problems we’re faced with, we’re all just here for a moment spinning warp speed through space. When one starts thinking of the big picture, it can also make our everyday problems seem more insignificant. I sing about my inner demons very often in my music, when comparing those demons to a massive Sun Eating monster of the universe, it really is no match. So, the song is really about seizing the day, because it really is crazy that we even exist.

For the video, I wanted to try some 2D animation inspired by Monty Python and some of my favorite movie and TV opening title sequences. I wanted to inject lots of our signature colour but simple compositions of each frame keeping it all very stark and contrasted. In the video, I have created an alter dimensional clinic where my demons are waiting for a cure. I also introduce the mad Nurse who only prescribes one type of pill for everything. A gold pill that harnesses the sun.”

SUMO CYCO’s Initiation invites a mass of new followers into their warped, dystopian-like world of “Cyco City”! As with its predecessors Lost In Cyco City (2014), Opus Mar (2017) and countless singles, Initiation is based in the imaginative conceptual location of “Cyco City”. But unlike most concept albums, the lyrical content is inspired by the band’s real-time environment – featuring timely, personal themes of love, sacrifice, anxiety, empowerment and more that all listeners can relate to. By the end of Initiation, listeners will wonder just what exactly SUMO CYCO can’t do, proving them as a band on the rise, and that unconventionality always stands out from the pack.

 
Initiation Digital Deluxe Edition track listing:
1) Love You Wrong
2) Bystander
3) Vertigo
4) Bad News
5) No Surrender
6) M.I.A.
7) Cyclone
8) Run with the Giants
9) Overdrive
10) Power & Control
11) This Dance Is Doomed
12) Awakened
13) New Jive
14) We Are The Nation
15) Sun Eater

Order the Digital Deluxe Edition or ‘Initiation’ here.

Circa Survive Release New Single. ‘Imposter Syndrome’

Circa Survive have announced their upcoming EP, A Dream About Love, set to be released 22nd October via Rise Records. Preorder for the upcoming EP are available HERE. Alongside the announcement, they haved shared the EP’s first single, “Imposter Syndrome”

“This was the last song I wrote before I went into rehab two years ago. The song is about forgiveness and accountability and represents a sense of starting over for me,” vocalist Anthony Green shares about the new single. “Scrapping the blueprints and building from scratch in every aspect of our life.” Produced by Will Yip (Turnstile, Quicksand, Turnover), the single and EP are a sonic departure for the group as they continue to push their own boundaries. 

Check out ‘Imposter Syndrome’ below.

Save Face Share New Track ‘Sharpen Your Teeth’

In just a few weeks, New Jersey’s Save Face will release their monumental new album ‘Another Kill ForThe Highlight Reel’. Produced by The Movielife’s Brett Romnes, the album houses some of the most eccentric and theatrical music vocalist Tyler Povanda (he/him) has ever created –– and he knows it, too.

In a bold video for their new song ‘Sharpen Your Teeth,’ out today, Povanda taps deep into all of our internal odontophobias whilst somehow making us sing along at the same time. It’s a twisted kind of game the young songwriter plays, pulling equal inspiration from Jersey scene titans like My Chemical Romance and Thursday as well as Broadway musicals like Sweeney Todd and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Watch the ‘Sharpen Your Teeth’ video below.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS EDITING AND VISUALS THAT MAY BE INTENSE/DANGEROUS FOR SOME AUDIENCES. THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE PHOTOSENSITIVITY OR EPILEPSY SHOULD TAKE EXTREME CAUTION. AN ALTERNATIVE VISUAL FOR THIS SONG CAN BE FOUND HERE FOR THOSE SEEKING A DIFFERENT / LESS INTENSE EXPERIENCE.

Elsewhere on the record, the eccentric frontperson draws influence from his Jersey brethren like Thursday (Geoff Rickly actually sings on ‘A.M. Gothic’), but adds a theatrical bent that’s rooted in his love of musicals like Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dear Evan Hansen, and more. It’s clear that this record is much more interested in building worlds around itself than it is in adhering to any genre conventions or expectations. 

“I’m just trying to make something that’s interesting to me, despite whether anyone likes it or hates it,” Tyler explains.

The spirit of art for art’s sake is what truly lies at the core of their ethos. “If you’re going to make art, you have to be willing to have your spirit crushed, and I have repeatedly,” Tyler admits. “But in that, I made the best thing I ever have.”

“It can be hard to reconcile the fact that we live in a world where we’re taught that the validation of your art determines its worth,” he continues. “The only thing that makes it worth it is creating something that is so inspiring to you that it feels like it’s worth the struggle to put it out into the world—and that’s what these songs did for me.”

That drive to keep pushing through discomfort is evident on this album and is what makes the collection of songs on ‘Another Kill For The Highlight Reel’ as cathartic as they are catchy.

Pre-orders for ‘Another Kill For The Highlight Reel’ are available via the following link.

The track listing is available to view below.

1. The Funeral You’ve Been Asking For
2. Curse Me Out
3. Another Kill For The Highlight Reel
4. Bury Me (Tonight!)
5. Sharpen Your Teeth
6. A Song For Your Futile Heart
7. GLITTER
8. The Perks Of Not Being Able To See Your Reflection
9. A.M. Gothic
10. Watch You Die Again
11. Please Murder Me

SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY Release New Single / Video For ‘The End To A Brief Moment Of Lasting Intimacy’

SeeYouSpaceCowboy have released another impactful video for the new track, “The End To A Brief Moment Of Lasting Intimacy”.  The bands highly anticipated new album, “The Romance Of Affliction” is set for release on 5th November, 2021 via Pure Noise Records. 

“Don’t mistake lust for love” says Connie Sgarbossa. “Don’t think that the presence of others can make you feel whole. We are angels with faded halos clinging to the doomed pleasures that wrap us together in an indulgent embrace, only to lose the harmony, unbid, and move to the next temporary comfort. Even if it feels like the person in front of you can save you from the isolating feelings of being alone in this world, it’s only temporary.”

The second full-length studio album from San Diego’s self proclaimed “Sasscore” outfit expands on the darker elements that weave together the band’s DNA.  Produced by Knocked Loose guitarist Isaac Hale, “The Romance Of Affliction” stands as the quintessential SeeYouSpaceCowboy record. It’s violent and vicious, harrowing but oddly comforting, bleak yet beautiful. It’s a complex and compelling mix of genres that defies categorisation and which truly places the band in a world of their own.   

Lyrically it examines struggling with adversity while trying to find beauty within that fight and the hope of triumph.  It’s the sound of total collapse, of darkness closing in, of trying to escape – through drugs, through death, through whatever means necessary – from the horrors of existence.  Two weeks after the band finished recording, frontwoman Connie Sgarbossa nearly died from a drug overdose. It was, she admits, a kind of physical manifestation of everything the album’s 13 songs are about.

“Writing music is cathartic to me,” she says. “Getting things on paper is the only way I know how to deal with stuff. So to have that happen two weeks later almost backed up why I wrote the album – it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. It reinforced that  I wrote the album that I needed to write.

Reflecting on the themes of the new album Connie comments “The album is a reflection on the last couple of years of our lives; It serves as a tongue in cheek, but genuine look at what it means to struggle through adversity while trying to find some beauty in it all… It’s about making art about parts of our lives that are ugly and how that seems to resonate the most with people.” Sgarbossa expands by adding “…what it means to be in love with someone as well as the substances that are killing you both, what it means to use sex as a way to try to feel content and loved but without a true connection that instead makes you feel more isolated. The poetic nature of writing songs about addiction only to almost die of an overdose a few weeks later. It’s a pretty coat of paint on a crumbling structure.”

That brutal, unflinching honesty isn’t just conveyed with Connie’s intensely personal lyrics, but through the intensely visceral songs that bring those raw emotions to life. Indeed, the music is a physical manifestation of the existential tug of war played out in these songs – the push and pull between existence and non-existence, the torment of loss, the rush and exhilaration and self-destructive devastation of addiction – and everything in-between. Whether the blisteringly erratic tumult of opener “Life As A Soap Opera Plot, 26 Years Running” – which features Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley – or the confused duality of “With Arms That Bind And Lips That Lock”, the wild, craven and careening existential torment of “Ouroboros As An Overused Metaphor” or the desperate, suppurating urgency of “Melodrama Between Two Entirely Bored Individuals”, each song its own unpredictable, chaotic journey through darkness and pain, all linked together by the universe they’re part of. 

The record is packed with tales of  love, addiction, obsession and redemption and is a perfect brew of heavy, chaotic and confrontational.

Pre-orders for ‘The Romance Of Affliction can be made via the following link.

Snake eyes Release New Single, ‘Scuttlebug’

South coast grit pop trio snake eyes’ new single ‘scuttlebug’ is “a song about lonerism and feeling cut off from your mates when they don’t make the time,” says vocalist and guitarist Jim Heffy. “i’m not good at being on my own but i think it’s super important to be able to be your own company and entertain yourself.”

It’s also a song that made Heffy’s purchase of some extraneous new musical gear entirely worthwhile…: “if you’re ever having an internal argument about whether or not you should get that new pedal/weird bit of gear that you don’t absolutely need, do it. you might get a new song or two out of it. i saw one of my friends was getting rid of a delay pedal so i told him i’d take it. he had this little vibrato pedal that he was willing to chuck in for a couple extra quid so i said “sure”. i had the intro bass riff recorded in the voice notes on my phone and as soon as I started messing around with the vibrato pedal, the guitar part came straight away. it wasn’t originally supposed to be on the mixtape but i knew I wanted to get it on there. we finished the arrangement of the song the day before we tracked the drums and i wrote the final lyrics in the shower the day i tracked the vocals.”

snake eyes are uniting their recent slew of vibrant, riff-fuelled singles on ‘the lovehate mixtape’, which is set for release 19 November via Killing Moon Records. Aptly, the release will be available on actual cassette tape, available to pre-order now. The collection of tracks follows the band’s debut EP ‘skeletons’ which was released last year as the pandemic took hold. Heffy explains snake eyes’ journey to this mixtape thusly: “for our second full release, we knew we wanted to switch things up a bit. i had so many songs written and the thought of doing another ep didn’t make any of us particularly excited. i think tom floated the idea of doing a mixtape “with skits and that” and that seemed a lot more fun. i realised that some songs seemed sorta like love songs and others not so much. there’s more good vibes within some of the tracks (than on the skeletons ep) but more anger in others. there’s definite themes of self love and self destruction too, so “the lovehate mixtape” was born.” 

This mixtape is a veritable party of a record which provides an insight into snake eyes’ world and is a fun, wild ride, complete with a killer collection of tunes. Kicking some punk attitude in with their grunge and brit pop influences (think hints of Nirvana, blur, Reuben, a dusting of Wolf Alice & a splash of Weezer), snake eyes self-produced their first EP but this time around have collaborated with friend and producer James Simpson (Indoor Pets). Dan Coutant (Drug Church, War on Women, Gnarwolves) delivered on the mastering mystery magic.

The live-music-prohibiting events of 2020 meant that snake eyes launched with merely one gig under their collective belt, but you can bet your bottom dollar that this time round you’ll be able to catch snake eyes in actual real life, blowin’ ya noggins off as they rip rock shows up and down the UK. They’ve already started to set stages alight with their fire riffage. See below for upcoming dates. 

Check out ‘Scuttlebug’ below.

Glacier Veins Share New Single & Video For ‘Cover Me’

Portland, OR-based band Glacier Veins returned with their new single and video “Cover Me” out now on Equal Vision Records. The single marks the band’s first new music since their beloved 2020 album The World You Want To See, and ​​is a perfect example of the group’s mature songwriting style, seamlessly meshing complex guitar riffs with high-energy melodies and catchy lyrics. Produced by long-time collaborator Justin Abel, the track oscillates between pop-punk, progressive rock, and emo sensibilities. The official video is as ethereal as it is powerful, emphasizing the narrative of the song with an old-school cinematic beauty.

On the song, Malia Endres (vocals/guitar) stated:

“We are incredibly excited to be back with a new song that feels like a release of all the energy and emotion that have been growing and flowing since the release of “The World You Want To See”. On a personal level, “Cover Me” gave me an opportunity to tap into some strong feelings and really be able to express and validate them for myself. Besides just pure expression, though, writing this song helped me reflect on how I could use that emotional energy to bring more meaning to my life and also my relationship with the people and world around me. I hope this song provides you with the space and energy to also tap into and move with your emotions in a validating and constructive way.”

The band are also about to embark on an eleven-date west coast tour with pop-punk band The Home Team, dates below.

Scottish Alt-Rock Band Dancing On Tables Release New Video for Single ‘Black’

Named as one of Variety Magazine’s ”10 Brits To Watch,” Scottish alternative rock band Dancing On Tables are debuting a music video for the newly remastered version of their single “Black”, which appears on the upcoming 5 song EP titled ‘Play Play Play’ out October 29 via Enci Records/LV Music. The video tracks the quintet’s journey from when they released the original version of the track to now.

On the release, the band say:

“‘Black’ is essentially a story about a friend of ours who went through a break up that completely crushed him. They weren’t together anymore, but it seemed like his life was more dominated by them than ever. The title plays on the mourning aspect of someone post-relationship, going through the different stages of accepting that something is never coming back.

With the video, we used footage from the last few years to show how we’ve grown as a band from the time we first released the track. It was important to us that it felt positive, as the person the song was written about has moved on with his life in that time and we wanted the video to reflect that.”

With an ever-growing fanbase in the UK and beyond, the band’s profile continues to rise. A recent supporting stint on Catfish and The Bottlemen’s arena tour, festival appearances, placements in ad campaigns for Schuh x Adidas and Scottish Water, and inclusion on major playlists, such as New Music Friday, The Pop List and Breaking Alternative have all helped to put the spotlight on these promising young lads.

Check out the video for ‘Black’ below.

Anna Shoemaker & Middle Part Team Up For ‘It’s Depression’

indie-pop singer and songwriter Anna Shoemaker shares her new single, “It’s Depression (ft. Middle Part),” out now on +1 Records. “It’s Depression” arrives on the heels of “Sick!,” the first single to be released from Anna’s forthcoming debut album due out in early 2022. With these new songs, Anna is breaking out of the bedroom pop world into a more mature and intentional sound, writing her feelings as though you’ve lived them alongside her. 

“It’s Depression” is a collaboration between Anna and Brooklyn-based musician Middle Part, who has been credited on many of Anna’s previous tracks and often performs in her live band. “Middle Part and I similarly overthink a lot of things and, to me, that’s kind of what this is about,” she says. “It’s an anxiety attack in a song.” It’s a bold and anthemic song, swelling with infectious guitar riffs, heavy-hitting percussion and an irrepressible chorus destined to be sung by future crowds: “Tell me that you want me back and I’ll stop over thinking everything I do and all I say to you / It’s not really what I had in mind! / All I want is someone to love and I don’t know why I always fuck everything that I do and all I say to you / It’s not really what I had in mind!” 

Described by NYLON as “Brooklyn’s own Olivia Rodrigo,” Anna Shoemaker is making her mark as the next indie-pop darling to watch. Combining alt-leaning production, intoxicating pop melodies and notably honest lyricism, her songs capture the turmoil, charm and introspection of young adulthood. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, she first made her mark by releasing a viral mashup of Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” and Chance the Rapper’s “Cocoa Butter Kisses” right from her bedroom floor. She has released 2 EPs since – ‘East Side’ (2018) and ‘Everything Is Embarrassing’ (2020) – as well as a handful of standout singles. Anna is now preparing to release her debut album in early 2022 via +1 Records.

Check out ‘It’s Depression’ below.