You’ve got a month’s worth of music to get through next week. And you’ve got it easy — I’ve got to get through it all right now. So let’s skip the blither-blather and get down to the nitty-gritty. Here are your plays of the week:
Age Of Apocalypse
In Oblivion
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Born out of Hudson Valley’s ever-evolving scene in 2018, Age Of Apocalypse have proven themselves to be the next evolutionary step in bringing metallic hardcore with sung vocals to a modern era. Their second full-length LP In Oblivion takes everything that caught youf attention on 2022’s Grim Wisdom and triples down on it all, showing their penchant for writing genuinely huge metallic hardcore epics without eschewing any of the frenetic energy inherent to the genre. Singer Dylan Kaplowitz has truly come into his own as a frontman as his voice soars to operatic heights in one moment, crashing down to hellish lows in screaming the next. The rest of the band flourishes equally, as Jack Xiques’ riffs blend together Stigmata, Section 8, Randy Rhoads and Paul Gilbert into a singular, thrilling sound. While many have tried and failed to bridge the gap between clean vocals and hardcore, Age Of Apocalypse have taken the throne as modern masters of the sound.”
Bed
Everything Hurts
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bed are a Berlin band founded by Argentinian bass player Sol Astolfi and Chilean vocalist Nicolás Astorga in 2021. After initial experimentation and writing sessions, they invited German guitarist Ema Schiller to join. Their sound rooted in shoegaze, dream-pop and post-punk. Their lyrics are sad and sexual, weaving together threads of both vulnerability and desire, producing a body of work that challenges normative creative expression. This is exemplified in the vocalizations, which are intentionally gender ambiguous, representing a fluid identity throughout the album. The band wind together iconic elements of the 90’s scene, layered with ambient and influenced by the Berlin rave scene. There is a coming-of-age quality to their compositions, a sense of reaching a certain age in life, losing a second virginity across their musical practice, the regaining of innocence and the caring of the wounds of adulthood. There are also narrative aspects that catch the listener, interludes that whisper a secret which gives depth to the storyline of the record.”
Crystal Spiders
Metanoia
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Riding the tides of doom-laden riffs and intoxicating grooves, Crystal Spiders return with their third album Metanoia. Known for their alchemical blend of heavy metal and psychedelic soundscapes, Crystal Spiders delve deeper into the abyss, exploring themes of transcendentalism and expansion in tracks that are both gritty and beautiful. In Metanoia, Crystal Spiders masterfully intertwine searing NWOBHM guitar solos, thunderous fuzzed-out basslines, and howling vocal harmonies. The album’s title, derived from the ancient Greek word for a transformative change of heart, encapsulates a journey of transcending boundaries and venturing into uncharted territories. Building on the foundations laid by legends from Black Sabbath and Judas Priest to Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Windhand and beyond with an innovative approach, Crystal Spiders infuse the best elements of both classic rock and heavy metal dynamics with a hazy, psychedelic, doomed-out edge.”
Ewan Currie
Strange Vacation
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Some records are born under pressure-tight studio schedules, looming deadlines, and the constraints of collaboration. Others are shaped by exploration, the freedom to play, and the time to refine. Ewan Currie’s sophomore solo album Strange Vacation is the latter: A record made without urgency, where every instrument in the studio was fair game, every part rewritten until it felt just right, and every decision made in the name of curiosity. While Currie takes the reins on most of the instrumentation, he called in longtime friends when a particular moment demanded a specialist’s touch, crafting an album that feels both intimate and expansive. Rooted in timeless songwriting but unafraid to break convention, Currie traverses genres and traditions with ease, embracing a broad sonic palette. Acting as co-producer along with longtime collaborator Thom D’Arcy, he expanded his creative reach, experimenting with synths, textures, and production techniques that push beyond his previous work.”
Dwellers
Corrupt Translation Machine
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Salt Lake City progressive blues rock trio Dwellers are about to release Corrupt Translation Machine, a gripping, nine-track offering that marks the band’s first new output in over a decade. Dwellers’ story has always been one of diversion and redirection. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Joey Toscano, the band’s 2012 debut Good Morning Harakiri and its 2014 followup Pagan Fruit helped establish a distinct creative voice in psychedelia and Americana-tinged blues rock, expressive and vulnerable in ways that heavy rock ‘n’ roll is rarely willing to be. Corrupt Translation Machine, which brings bassist Oz Inglorious, drummer Kellii Scott and keyboardist Chase Cluff to a completely revamped four-piece lineup, is both a reinvention and continuation of Dwellers’ purpose. The album lays claim to the heaviest sounds they have produced and meets that head on with poppish fluidity and melodicism. Love and the potential of its loss meet with expansive, sometimes cinematic texturing.”
Robert Forster
Strawberries
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Picture one of our greatest living singer-songwriters in a kitchen. He is on holidays, he’s just had a swim. His wife is out on the beach, and he finds himself faced with a bowl of irresistible strawberries. They’re meant to be shared, of course, but their taste is out of the ordinary, so he just can’t help himself. Minutes later all of the delicious fruit are gone, but there’s the germ of a song as the phrase ‘Someone ate all the strawberries’ has just popped into Robert Forster’s mind, sounding ‘so weird, but normal.’ Thankfully, he has taken his guitar with him. As the story goes, his wife Karin Bäumler not only forgave her husband, she actually joined him on a duet of what was to become the title song to his ninth solo album. “What can ordinary be?” is its wistful question, befitting the life’s work of Robert Forster, a man who has perfected the art of being outré in a least ostentatious way, from his time in The Go-Betweens to his solo career, now spanning almost three decades, interrupted only by the old band’s reformation in 2000 which ended with his songwriting partner Grant McLennan’s untimely death in 2006.”
Andy Frasco & The U.N.
Growing Pains
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andy Frasco & The U.N. would like you to experience Growing Pains. But don’t worry; no suffering will be required on your part. In fact, Frasco and co. will be happy to deliver the goods straight to you — all pre-packaged, road-tested and guaranteed to please. Growing Pains is the band’s landmark 10th studio album. The LP, produced by Frasco himself for the first time, finds the ever-evolving artist reflecting on life, growth, and balance while maintaining his signature mix of irreverence, humour and raw honesty. The album features cameos by bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings and G. Love. Throughout the album, Frasco continues to push himself, capturing the highs and lows of the road, the weight of expectations, and the simple joys that make it all worthwhile. “I wanted to show people how I’ve grown as a songwriter,” Frasco shares. “That I wasn’t just a crowd-surfing party guy in a bar band. This record is about finding balance in music and life — focusing on the simple pleasures and taking nothing for granted because there are no guarantees tomorrow.”
The Grogans
Stagger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Genre-expanding outfit The Grogans are a trio of best friends from Melbourne who explore nuanced manoeuvres in surf, punk, blues, garage, psych, rockabilly and reggae. Banding together in high school playing backyard gigs and weekly jam nights, seasoned musicians Quin Grunden, Angus Vasic and Jordan Lewis shared their first official release Cacteyed in the summer of ’16. The EP’s instantaneous and lasting reception was matched by the band’s playful successor Twangs n’ Cans the following year. Their third EP Grogan Grove (2018) featured the lauded live favourite Lemon To My Lime, which has now clocked over four million streams and subsequently catapulted The Grogans to the top of Australia’s ones-to-watch list. Cutting the ribbon on their debut album Just What You Want, 2019 saw the band sell out multiple venues across Australia. In the year following, The Grogans dropped their self-recorded and mixed magnum opus Day / To / Day, resulting in a sold-out national tour. Following this album, the band released their third LP Which Way Is Out. Today, they are known as a safe bet for contemporary indie rock that has found a home somewhere between the rehearsal room in the garage and surfer dreams on the beach. Blues and psychedelic pop, Tame Impala and The Beatles come together to create the ideal soundtrack for a life spent trying to escape the dusty Outback — or for everyone who has already done so.”
Sophia Kennedy
Squeeze Me
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Baltimore-born, German-based multi-talent Sophia Kennedy is back with a bang. Stripped down compared to her previous works, Sophia embraces her talent for catchy melodies with pop appeal and psychedelic flourishes on Squeeze Me. Here, she examines the question are you embracing me or crushing me? With commanding determination, she explores this central theme across its 10 tracks. Strength and vulnerability, humor and melancholy, fatalism and resilience; Squeeze Me upends everything we thought we knew about Sophia Kennedy. The album’s cover captures this perfectly — depending on your perspective, either Kennedy or the world is upside down. With a more focused and “pop-leaning” sound, Squeeze Me is her most cohesive album yet, perhaps even a kind of artistic manifesto. It’s a multilayered, confident statement, created in the midst of external and internal crises. Rather than ignoring the world outside, Squeeze Me creates its own — a world that feels both familiar and like nothing we’ve ever seen before.”
Lost Friend
The Promises You Don’t Keep
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Long before being labelled The Greek God of Style, Gigi Palassis was writing brilliant songs and playing guitar in obscurity to everyone except his family. Finally, after stints playing guitar with Wake Up Mordecai, Jean-Michel, Jill & Micah and XL427, and then the lost output of L’Albatros, his tortured songs and brooding voice are ready to emerge. The melody that Palassis creates is breathtaking and heartbreakingly honest. The Promises You Don’t Keep is full of moody pop tunes with loads of Greek guilt, shame, and sensitivity from the sultry voice and mind of Christopher Palassis (guitarist in XL427, formerly Second Best and L’Albatros).”
