New Music Report – March 26, 2021
Man, this week was a full week for new music. Also, pretty diverse too, which is always really fun. A few specific things of note this week: The Those Who Ride With Giants actually came out last week and I just found out about it but it’s way too good to not cover. Also, out of all the music that came out this week, the thing that stuck with me the most was probably the SeeYouSpaceCowboy/If I Die First collab single. It’s basically a perfect interpretation of 2005-era emocore for 2021. It’s incredible, so definitely don’t miss that one. As usual, I’ve been building a Spotify playlist with all the new music I feature every week, so if you’d like to listen along, check out the link below.
Genghis Tron – If you told me that I’d be getting new music from Genghis Tron in 2021, first off, I wouldn’t have believed you, but I also definitely wouldn’t have expected it to sound like this. But honestly, the progression of their sound makes absolutely perfect sense. Their frenetic cybergrind of more than a decade ago has evolved into an incredible and surprisingly peaceful electronica driven post rock sort of experience. Which, I know, when you put the two genres next to each other makes no sense at all, but it’s accomplished in a way that only Genghis Tron could pull off. No matter what they sound like, they’re still blazing a trail. But as time passes and tastes mature, I think it’s safe to say the majority of Genghis Tron’s original fanbase will have made their way towards this sort of sound on their own and are absolutely going to appreciate this incredibly creative, complex, and frankly beautiful piece of music from a band that I don’t think anybody thought they were going to hear from again.
Those Who Ride With Giants – Oh my god, this album is absolutely gorgeous. Every truly great post rock album is a unique experience; a journey that you can fully lose yourself in. The best ones, in my opinion, are the ones that take you from the very first note, telling a story like a good book but with no words. And in that story, like all good stories, there are key thematic pieces and storylines, ebbs and flows, chapters and movements, all fully enveloping you. These always feel very different than a traditional album with lyrics, which of course, can also tell a story; conveying these sorts of thoughts and emotions with only instrumentals is a difficult thing to do, but when done right, it speaks a universal language and can take you so far without saying a thing. And this is precisely what this album accomplishes. It’s a peaceful loneliness that’s calming and fantastic. This album is truly beautiful and left me completely speechless at the end. And it’s been on repeat since then. I couldn’t recommend this more.
The Drowned God – I feel like these guys have been released about 15 singles for this 10 track album, but I do have to say, each one of them was very interesting and very exciting, so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. It’s kinda hard to pin these guys down to a single genre. In fact, I think it’s easier for me to find bands to compare them to. At immediate listen they reminded of a weird mix of Envy and The Body (who I reviewed a couple months ago). So, I guess it’s like a mix of noise, screamo, metalcore, with a bit of black metal sprinkled in, as is the trend these days. But despite these comparisons, they still remain remarkably unique. And I think that individuality made the album even more captivating. I honestly don’t think this is going to be one of those albums that goes on to create a new sound or spark a musical revolution. But the chaos is incredibly charming and it’s exactly what it needs to be.
Eternal Void – This is another strange one actually. Like, I guess they’re metalcore – progressive metalcore, to be more precise – but not in the way that you’d think. It follows the basic formula of super technical metalcore, but it’s not quite as polished. The vocals are grittier, everything sounds more chaotic, there’s more going on all at once and it feels less organized but also more organic because of it. That ultra-polished metalcore can honestly get a bit old sometimes. It feels a little formulaic and at the end of the day, kinda ends up losing some emotion in favor of tedious technical proficiency. Every once in a while, an album like this is exactly what I need to hear. It sounds like Eternal Void had something to say, and this album was the medium to do so, rather than needing a vehicle to deliver breakdowns and tweedly riffs. Which isn’t to say it isn’t technical or heavy, it is, but it feels like there is a purpose to it all.
Singles/Albums – SeeYouSpaceCowboy/If I Die First (Collab single, Emocore/Mathcore), The ’68 (LP, Noise Punk), Mars Volta (De-Loused demo single), Monuments (Djent), Gojira (Metal), Cannibal Corpse (Death Metal), August Burns Red (Metalcore), Ghost Iris (Metalcore), Beartooth (Post hardcore), Tilian (DGD solo project), As Everything Unfolds (Post hardcore), Lotus Eater (Numetalcore), Above, Below (Progressive metalcore), 1782 (LP, Doom metal), Immerse (Post hardcore), Death From Above 1979 (Indie Pop)