Song of the Week-WARGASM's "Vigilantes'

 

If Mindless Self-Indulgence were to rapeDie Antwoord during an alien abduction somewhere on the Zeef-side, then the results might be this band. They are the kind of crazy I love. Actual instruments are being banged on; they have done the rock festival circuit a few times over, so they are not names you won't recognize. I know the trend is for bands to sometimes just release a string of singles but I hope this is foreshadowing of an impending full-length. But if so, it would not drop til June at the earliest, unless they have the worst press team ever. They call themselves angry music for sad people, and I don't get where the sad is in this equation, but it is so good I am not questioning it. 

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Song of the Week Propaghandi's "Cat Guy"

Since I started this column, it has leaned into perhaps some of the more hooky genres like darkwave, pop, and industrial, so now it feels good to bring punk into the equation, even though there are not a ton of punk bands that get me excited for their upcoming release. To do that, you have to be a band on the level of Propaghandi, who has me stoked for their May 2nd Album "At Peace". There is more of a refined metallic thrashing at the edges of not only this song, but their career as a whole, giving them the edge over your average punk bands. This song has vocals have purpose and the lyrics are clever, so what is not to like about it? If you are a fan of the band or thinking man's melodic punk like Bad Religion, then this song is going to be worth your time. 

 

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Song of the Week - Turnstile's "Never Enough"

 

The title track from the band's forthcoming album, which is due for a June 6th release, finds Turnstile taking this week's honors. The song seems to indicate another step away from their hard-core roots into a more atmospheric rock direction, as the song works off a droning groove and the melodic vocals form a sing-song chant to help hook you in. It invokes the crossroads some post-hardcore bands found themselves at with shoegaze in the 90s. However, they are certainly more uptempo than, say HUM. Whatever they are doing certainly works, despite finding them moving in a more accessible direction, which should find them poised to attract a larger audience; it's hard to complain when the song is so well written.

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Song of the Week - SWARM6IX : "$OCIAL VIOLENCE feat. KUBRICK"

Mixing pop music with metal either works well or falls limp. It seems like the pop elements are played down and the marketing of the artist tries to place more emphasis on the metal part of the equation, even if it is not dominant. Perhaps it's the hype that makes me pass the most judgment, as I went into checking this song with zero knowledge about the artists involved, and it works for me. Granted, aside from the chorus, these guys are a great deal darker than their peers. I get why these guys are called "trap-metal," but I think it is really well-done revitalization of nu-metal. The chorus works for me despite being one of the more formulaic elements, as it's given proper contrast with the verses. I look forward to hearing how this works in the context of a full-length album 

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Song of the Week - Youth Code- "No Consequence'

 

A precursor to the release of their new EP "Your's With Malice" which is dropping May 16th, It feels like like Skinny Puppy and more like a hard-core band playing hardcore thanks to the more mean-spirited vocal delivery of vocalist Sara Taylor. The video is pretty straightforward, and the most appealing aspect of the song is the lyrics as she declares that she will never pretend to be something that she is not. This holds more weight when you consider the listless tone of social media that finds people shifting with the short-sighted cultural trends of the moment, which they invest their identity in for it to only be forgotten in the next two-week news cycle. Youth Code is like most industrial bands raging against their own machines, but have a more endearing conviction that fuels their music aggression. 

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Song of the Week- HAIM's "Relationships"

A few years have passed and I keep waiting for a new HAIM. That day has come and they have delivered. The sisters write pop music as a band, a novel concept, but they play instruments and such with a team of producers and songwriters helping them. It has lived up to expectations, a little poppier than I thought they might go as none of the Fleetwood Mach influence we heard on the last album was present, but this was just a single so who knows how the entire album will be, but if there is any indication here I think it should be good. Strong vocals and hooks as always with some of pop's more thoughtful lyrics.Sonically closer to "I Want You Back' than their last album. While they are not Taylor Swift' equals when it comes to album sales or ticket sales, they are certainly on her level creatively, as Taylor Swift herself is a big fan, having taken them on tour with her before. 

 

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Song of the Week- Astari Nite's "Unisex Games

Here's a new column we are starting here, to bring you the best new song of the week, having not covered singles in the past, bands are releasing music differently these days so it seems a shame not to share this with you. It seems fitting to inaugurate this with one of my favorite bands we have been championing here for a few years Miami's Astari Nite. The single for this song will drop on the 14th, it finds the band continuing to expand their sonic horizons while retaining key elements of the sound that make them who they are. It's a dancey tune that the band made as a form of therapy to bring some levity to the looming apocalypse that continues to unravel this year. Although this song is musically upbeat the lyrics are sardonic enough to offset, making it a "feel good" song that is not too happy for my more melancholic tastes. The video accompanying this song is important as it puts the song's carefree sentiment in motion. They are on tour in support of Rosegarden Funeral Party, so keep an eye peeled for them to roll through your town as they are a live act that should not be missed. 

 

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