Welcome to February, the month where things start to pick up when it comes to new releases. Here are five hand-picked tracks could be making noise in the weeks and months ahead.
1. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Called LA
The Emergency EP (Universal)
Recommended If You Like: Good bands with terrible names
This is the first new material from RJA since 2018 and is explained by frontman Ron Winter this way: “This song was just really fun from the beginning to the end. It’s the story of how I met my future wife. As I was producing the lead vocal, the engineer tracking me stopped and said, ‘This is crazy. I was here this night!’ And he was there, so that was proof to me I really captured the essence of the occasion lyrically. It’s a melodic roller coaster of nervous excitement, like when you first meet someone special. This is a fun, unashamed love song straight from the emo playbook. Don’t quit before the end because this song rides hard until the wheels fall off!” Okay, then.
2. The 1975, Me & You Together Song
Notes on a Conditional Form (Interscope)
RIYL: LONG albums
If the rumours are to be believed, the fourth album from The 1975 (due April 24) will feature no fewer than 22 songs. Four of them (including them) have so far been released as singles. Is this jangle pop or a shoegaze that could have been released in about 1993? Your call. Either way, it’s a pretty solid song.
3. Irist, Burning Sage
Order of Mind (Nuclear Blast)
RIYL: Metal metal metal
There’s talk in some metal circles that this could be the most important debut record of the year. What we have here are five guys from Atlanta who have put an interesting spin on the kind of music created by Gojira and Meshuggah. Not for everyone, but you if you live the metal life…
4. Mallrat, Charlie
Driving Music EP (Nettwerk)
RIYL: Nice songs about good dogs
Yes, Australia’s Mallrat has written a song about her golden retriever (yes, his name is Charlie) as a way to convey the idea of unconditional love. As an caretaker of two super-sweet English bull terriers, I totally get it. The video was shot on 8mm film.
5. Fire from the Gods, Right Now
American Sun (Eleven Seven/Rise Records)
RIYL: Crunchy alt-rock from the late 90s
As this single from Austin’s FftGs ascends a number of charts, it gives me hope for the future of rock. Lord knows that these difficult times require loud and angry music. If you’re into rock from bands like Godsmack, Disturbed, Bad Wolves, Five Finger Death Punch, and Three Days Grace, you’ll find much to like here. Fun fact: Although frontman AJ Channer was born in the Bronx, he spend some of his formative years in Ghana.
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