Ether Coven "The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $7.00 / $7.00
LP UPC: 860008449214
CD UPC: 860008449221
CASSETTE UPC: 860008449276
STREET DATE: 9/16/22
CAT#:GFM101
LABEL: Good Fight

Dark. Bleak. Pissed. That’s how vocalist and guitarist Peter Kowlasky’s describes Ether Coven.

The band was born from lengthy van conversations about New Orleans sludge bands and a desperation to create a sound the members had always been fans of. Ether Coven has become an outlet for brooding riffs and frayed emotions, evolving greatly since the project’s first release, 2016’s Human Error. The band then went on to release two albums with Century Media, There Is Nothing Left For Me Here (2019) and Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering (2020).

Fast forward to 2022, and Kowlasky is joined by his Remembering Never bandmate Devin Estep (guitar/vocals), alongside Justin Gianoutsos (drums), and Shane Nerenberg (bass), ready to unleash the next chapter of the band.Joining the Good Fight Music roster, Ether Coven will release their new full-length album, The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, this summer. The seven songs on the record are impassioned and intense, staggering in sound between doom metal, sludge, and post-hardcore. The album was written amidst Kowlasky’s on-going battle with colon cancer and is filled with an overwhelming vulnerability centered around despair, loved ones, and the state of the world.

Speaking on the lyrics, Kowlasky states: “With every release, we try to be as explicit as possible. Nothing is up for interpretation, and the goal is to pull emotion out of people they may not experience otherwise, in hopes someone can connect to any of what we do.”

And Estep adds, “Ether was built as a vessel for the worst feelings we could relay. We will always discuss the state of the world, but this time there is a bit more, I think, about the world that Peter was navigating during his treatments. His experience is the lens of this record.”

Produced by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, the band set out to get The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail sounding as close to their live performance as possible. Using actual pedals instead of plug-ins and the majority of vocal cuts being first takes, the recording process was able to be completed in just one week.

On the album, the band also brought in a heavy line-up of guests and friends to feature. On opener and lead single “Psalm of Cancer” the band is joined by Integrity vocalist Dwid Hellion and Pain Ritual’s Anthony Crupi (who makes several vocal contributions on the album). Listening through the rest of the tracks you’ll find appearances from Daniel Weyandt (Zao), Howard Jones (Blood Has Been Shed, Light The Torch), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse) and Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen).

Closing in on the writing process, Kowlasky expands: “The record is about a moment in time, rife with loss, struggle, and pain, and trying to come out the other side as okay as possible. I've been in love with our band since we started and I can honestly say it's my favorite of all of our records. It's a proper evolution of our frustrations and our intentions.”

With The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, Ether Coven have created a stand-out record embracing their truest form as a band.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Psalm of Cancer
2. Afraid & Suffering
3. god Hates Flags
4. Of Might & Failure
5. The Warmth of Your Bathwater
6. Temple of Wu
7. Consequences of Self (Let the Nails Carve Our Names in Rust)

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of Remembering Never
• Guest vocalists include Dwid Hellion (Integrity), Howard Jones (Light the Torch / Killswitch Engage / Blood Has Been Shed), Daniel Weyandt (ZAO), Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos), Anthony Crupi (Pain Ritual), Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen / Fistula), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse), Michael Darling (Seven Serpents)
• Vinyl housed in a gatefold jacket on limited color vinyl

FOR FANS OF:
Crowbar, EYEHATEGOD, Neurosis, Cult Leader

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End Of The Line "End Of The Line"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 795044139396
STREET DATE: 9/16/22
CAT#: 31G124
LABEL: Three One G

End of the Line, the short-lived San Diego hardcore band that was in the right place at the right time. Existing during summer 1991, its membership boasted Matt Anderson, Scott Bartoloni and Aaron Montaigne of seminal 90s band Heroin, who, for the most part, had switched instruments. Further intensifying this lineup was leather-throated vocalist Cory Linstrum. A mutual appreciation of Bl’ast!, Faith, Void and SSD acted as its starting point, leading the band down the left hand path of chaotic punk and hardcore. EOTL played a dozen shows during its brief reign. Its teeth were cut appearing alongside Aspirin Feast, Say No More, Struggle, Undertow, Downcast, Media Children and Blatz (among others), before obtaining an opening slot on a Born Against/Rorschach show. The display of raw pandemonium unleashed that evening saw End of the Line’s buzz spread to the East Coast as these bands returned from tour. Rapidly a bidding war began with EOTL in the middle. Vermiform offered a seven-inch deal, while Ebullition dangled the opportunity of a full length. The band chose the full length. Having previously recorded three tracks, EOTL now had the opportunity to record the rest of its set for posterity. The band was aware it wouldn’t last much longer. Heroin would be releasing its own LP and leaving for tour, while Linstrum would relocate to the Bay Area to front John Henry West. It was during these recording dates that End of the Line concluded with its final appearance, a September 1991 show with Fugazi and Jawbreaker. Without an active band to promote the release, Ebullition’s version of the End of the Line LP wallowed in obscurity, where it slowly became a cult classic of early 90s hardcore. Let End of the Line crush your eardrums like an artillery shell, leaving you in the mud with the rats, lice and dogs!

This record has been remixed and remastered by Tim Green (Nation Of Ulysses/The Fucking Champs) at LOUDER studios. Pressed on limited edition color vinyl with a 3D cover and accompanying individually printed 3D glasses.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Trapped
2. End
3. Please
4. The Engine
5. Guilt
6. Past
7. Unnecessary
8. Burning Down
9. Sedative

MARKETING POINTS:

• 3D effect cover - comes with 3D glasses
• Features members of Heroin

FOR FANS OF: Heroin, Bl!ast, VOID

The Darling Fire “Distortions”

LP - $15.95 / CD - $8.00
LP UPC: 047338063307
CD UPC: 783495979746
STREET DATE: 9/23/22
CAT#: IOD033
LABEL: Iodine Recordings

“This place is a monument to my broken soul.” After enduring the crushing sorrow of loss and grief, The Darling Fire return with their sophomore release. “Distortions” is a dark and pensive journey in ten compositions that transcends both beauty and pain, seamlessly combining elements of shoegaze, post-hardcore, and metal. Ghostly female vocals float above a pounding wall of sound, sewn together with vast atmospheric waves. Bleak, somber, and enchanting. Most will find “Distortions” to be a significant departure from their previous LP “Dark Celebration” as this recording is much more abrasive, gloomy, and brooding—more metal influenced than indie. The band felt that this new aggressive sound more accurately portrayed the sadness, rage, and pain they felt and that it seamlessly balanced with the hypnotizing softness of Jolie’s vocals. The outcome was an amalgamation of something beautiful, austere, and cathartic. It combines the haunting chills of My Bloody Valentine and the heaviness of Deftones. The band allowed themselves to feel unconstrained while writing this album without having to force these songs to adhere to one genre or sound. “It felt like a natural evolution for us to go in this direction—to create more movement…” says Jolie Lindholm. The vast collective experience of each member of The Darling Fire is exceptional by any measure. Members previously played with: Shai Hulud, Further Seems Forever, The Rocking Horse Winner, As Friends Rust, and Strongarm. An impressive collaboration that was only strengthened by working with Producer Jay Maas (Defeater, Title Fight, Bane) in the studio. The outcome is an impressive and ambitious album that will resonate with listeners of all underground music. “I’ve had very specific dreams and nightmares throughout my life that I still remember vividly. A dream can blur the line between what is and isn’t real. At times, we may wake from a good dream and want to fall back into it; or we tell ourselves to wake from a nightmare, only to realize what’s happening on this plane is stranger than the one we just left.”

TRACK LISTING:

1. Machina
2. Heart Will Stop
3. Clean Hands
4. Downer
5. Amber
6. Hers
7. Perigee
8. Rituals
9. Samsara
10. Legless

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features members of Shai Hulud, Further Seems Forever, The Rocking Horse Winner, and As Friends Rust
• Full service press by Amy Sciaretto (Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, August Burns Red)
• Produced by Jay Maas (Defeater, Bane, Title Fight)
• Playing Furnace Fest 2022 in Birmingham, AL
• Tours and Festival appearances planned for 2022

FOR FANS OF:
Deftones, Nothing, Holy Fawn, Spiritbox, Narrow Head, Slow Crush, Deafheaven

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Slow Crush "Aurora"

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 196925079891
STREET DATE: 9/9/22
CAT#: QP005
LABEL: Quiet Panic

A compelling abrasive shoegaze band, dealing with the aesthetics of contrasting sounds. Heavy like a gloomy dream yet soothingly vibrant. The vulnerable soft floating voice of Manchester's Isa Holliday underneath layers of grungy shoegaze soaked noisepop, seeking shelter from a f'ed up world.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Glow
2. Drift
3. Tremble
4. Shallow Breath
5. Aid & Abet
6. Collide
7. Bleached
8. Aurora

MARKETING POINTS:

• Upcoming US tour including appearance at Furnace Fest.

FOR FANS OF:
My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, DIIV, Deafheaven, Brutus, Chelsea Wolfe, Hum, Ringo Deathstarr, Nothing

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Netherlands “Kali Corvette”

LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 795044139426
STREET DATE: 9/9/22
CAT#: 31G122
LABEL: Three One G

Lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, compulsive creator, and unrepentant volume addict Timo Ellis (Yoko Ono, Cibo Matto, Sean Lennon, Joan As Police Woman, Spacehog) formed NETHERLANDS in 2010 in NYC. The band has since shared stages with Napalm Death, Melt Banana, Mutoid Man, Yob, Retox, Black Flag, Eyehategod, Flipper, Martin Rev, The Death Set, Moon Tooth, and Witch Mountain, among many others. Now with drummer David Keith (Rainbow) and synth-bassist Kelsey Warren (Blak Emoji), the band continues to reject restraint in favor of maximum impact: shredding chops, soaring vocals, and maddening hooks. Netherlands crushes decades' worth of bombast into psychotropic nuggets of evil sludge-rock bliss, with nods to the dirtbag rituals of 70’s acid rock and punk, the grandeur of 80’s arena rock, and the guttural intensity of 00’s posthardcore. KALI CORVETTE is Netherlands’ 6th full LP, and features all the hallmarks of Ellis’ work; blistering guitar heroics, primal drumming, and searing caterwauls. However KALI CORVETTE veers bracingly into the realm of electro-noise-punk, ratcheting up the intensity into a uniquely weaponized form of rock that reaches towards high art. The record features guest performances by Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), Michael Kubacki (Car Bomb), Tim Dahl (Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, Child Abuse), Daisy Press (Steve Reich) and Suzanne Von Aichinger (The Suzannes.) KALI CORVETTE is another chapter in the book of a band that’s consistently released heavy music on its own terms and with its own undeniable personality. There’s a reason contemporary heavy luminaries like Joe Duplantier of Gojira and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon count themselves amongst Netherlands’ biggest fans, and KALI COREVETTE’s 7 tracks effortlessly demonstrate NETHrock’s potency once again.

TRACK LISTING:

1. NATURAPHOBIA
2. D.T.A.
3. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME?
4. SO SICK
5. THERE'S A GLITCH IN HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
6. FURY MALL
7. KALI CORVETTE

MARKETING POINTS:

• 6th Full Length LP
• Features guest performances by Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers), Michael Kubacki (Car Bomb), Tim Dahl (Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, Child Abuse), Daisy Press (Steve Reich) and Suzanne Von Aichinger (The Suzannes.)
• Shared stages with Napalm Death, Melt Banana, Mutoid Man, Yob, Retox, Black Flag, Eyehategod, Flipper, Martin Rev, The Death Set, Moon Tooth, and Witch Mountain, among many others

FOR FANS OF: Melvins, Torche, Big Business

Official Site

Greet Death "New Low"

12"EP - $12.70
PURPLE / BLACK 12"EP UPC: 723314783864
RED / BLACK 12"EP UPC: 723314783857
INDIE 12"EP UPC: 723314783840
STREET DATE: 8/26/22
CAT#: DW234
LABEL: Deathwish Inc.

Greet Death is a four piece shoegaze band from Flint, Michigan.

"New Low" is a new 5 song 12"EP from Greet Death. The first four singles from this session were released digitally over a span of months in 2021 into 2022, leaving the title track exclusive to this final collection. With "New Low" Greet Death continue to explore the layered melancholic atmosphere they are known for while expanding into unconventional melodic territory.

Produced by Greet Death
Engineered and mixed by J. Kalmink at The Stooge in Zeeland, MI
Mastered by Will Yip
Music and Lyrics by Logan Gaval and Sam Boyhtari
Vocals by Gaval and Boyhtari
Drums and Percussion by Jim Versluis
Guitars and Bass by Gaval and Boyhtari
Piano by Boyhtari
Photos by David Beuthin
Scythe Logo by Liam Rush
Original Band Logo by Brendan Coughlin
Design by Jacob Bannon

TRACK LISTING:

1. New Low
2. Panic Song
3. Punishment Existence
4. Your Love Is Alcohol
5. Hate Everything

MARKETING POINTS:

• On tour with Foxing this summer July 5th - August 13th
• Full service press by Stephanie Marlow (Deafheaven, Touche Amore, Boris)

FOR FANS OF:
Hum, Nothing, Cloakroom

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Slow Crush "Hush"

LP - $17.25 / CD - $10.70
LP UPC: 196626350718
CD UPC: 5060852560744
STREET DATE: 8/26/22
CAT#: QP009
LABEL: Quiet Panic

A compelling abrasive shoegaze band, dealing with the aesthetics of contrasting sounds. Heavy like a gloomy dream yet soothingly vibrant. The vulnerable soft floating voice of Manchester's Isa Holliday underneath layers of grungy shoegaze soaked noisepop, seeking shelter from a f'ed up world.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Drown
2. Blue
3. Swoon
4. Gloom
5. Swivel
6. Rêve
7. Hush
8. Lull
9. Thrill
10. Bent and Broken

MARKETING POINTS:

• Gatefold Vinyl packaging
• Over 3000 copies sold worldwide
• Appearing at Furnace Fest and touring worldwide in 2022

FOR FANS OF:
Catherine Wheel, Narrow Head, SOM, Gleemer, Teenage Wrist, Deafculf, Mondaze

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Landlords "Codeine"

LP - $14.65 / CD - $6.50
STREET DATE: 8/26/22
CAT#: CRR139
LABEL: Church Road

Landlords are a four-piece alternative / slow rock band from Hamilton, New Zealand.

Born in 2017 from various members of local hardcore/metal/punk bands, a trio of shoegaze/slow rock fans got together, & soon came a small collection of demo-ready shoegaze inspired songs. The band soon started popping up in venues around New Zealand, filling rooms with their driving, reverb-laden tunes. Their original bassist relocated to Melbourne for a year, but was soon back in New Zealand due to covid, re-joining the band on guitar making Landlords a 4-piece.

They released their debut self-titled EP in 2020 - six songs of their hallmark heavy distortion, vocal melodies blended under waves of ethereal guitars, driven by the relentless percussion and bass lines that underpin the moody lows and frenzied highs. A mini tour followed the release, allowing the band to share their dynamic sound further afield.

Codeine is Landlords’ second and most commanding release, a crescendo of all their musical energy and songwriting maturity, cementing them as one of the most promising post-punk acts to come out of New Zealand in recent years.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Perfect Life
2. Haunt
3. Clover
4. Dwell
5. Violence

FOR FANS OF:
Duster, Title Fight, DIIV

Instagram

The Wind In The Trees “Architects Of Light”

LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 8/26/22
CAT#: TG054
LABEL: Twelve Gauge

With “Architects of Light”, The Wind In the Trees continues their legacy of glitchy, chaotic grindcore with renewed fury. After their 2019 debut “A gift of bricks from the sky”, “Architects of Light” is the Baltimore, Maryland three-piece’s awaited follow up. Throughout its fourteen tracks, this record sees The Wind In the Trees truly embrace how heavy they can sound, combining brutal fast-paced grind with moments of sludgy metalcore. As the title promises, this record builds steadily, brick by brick, to a towering culmination that is as fracturing as it is enlightening.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Devoid of Entropy
2. Excision of the Last Tellurians
3. Parasitic Dawn
4. Orion
5. Dying in Light Years
6. Thy Flesh Consumed
7. Sowing the Seeds of War
8. Serpent Bearer
9. Singularity
10. Dimensions Coalesce
11. Absolute Magnitude
12. Prophecies of Torment Fulfilled
13. Prismatic Nebula
14. Hell Above

MARKETING POINTS:

• Engineered and mixed by Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations (Skeletonwitch, Misery Index)

FOR FANS OF:
Ion Dissonance, Robinson, Sawtooth Grin

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Spitfire “Cult Fiction”

Spitfire “Cult Fiction”

2xLP - $20.65
STREET DATE: 8/19/22
CAT#: MOM058
LABEL:Mind Over Matter

The band that quietly influenced an entire generation of chaotic metallic hardcore - Spitfire - saw their final album released in April of 2008 and is finally seeing the vinyl version pressed 14 years posthumously. Cult Fiction (potentially a subtle reference to vocalist Jon Spencer's previous work on Scarlet's "Cult Classic") is an exercise in extremity both in terms of the mathematical churning of the riffs as well as the disparity between the madness and the soft, mechanical interludes interspersed throughout the album. Cult Fiction was ultimately the band's swan song, with members going on to join Norma Jean & Mae and leaving in their wake a newly reformed Scarlet as well. They certainly went out with a bang, and we are excited to re-introduce the album on a new format all these years later!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Arrhythmia Drift
2. Chemo Therapist
3. Segue 1
4. Crossed
5. Mother Earth In Labor
6. Dawn Patrol
7. The Animal Kingdom of Heaven's Gate
8. Track Marxist
9. Brain Debris
10. Pro-Life
11. Meth Monster
12. Meat Maker
13. Segue 2
14. In Vitro
15. End

MARKETING POINTS:

• Features a gatefold jacket
• Remastered for vinyl

FOR FANS OF:
Scarlet, Norma Jean, Advent, Engineer

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Utmost "Good Street"

CASSETTE - $7.00
STREET DATE: 8/12/22
CAT#: SDR082
LABEL: Sunday Drive

Continuing their upbeat style of hardcore first heard on their 2021 single, “Big Dose”, Utmost is back with a new single titled, “Good Street”. Inspired by skating with the crew in New York, vocalist Alex Allen once again delivers unique, fun, and catchy hooks all over the track. Combined with heavy-hitting drums and production from bassist/producer, Jonathan Wisniewski, Utmost sprinkles in backing vocals, dissonant melodies, and more to create a dynamic, summer hardcore track.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Good Street
2. Good Street (Demo)
3. Big Dose (Lo-Fi Version)

MARKETING POINTS:

• West Coast Tour with Glare

FOR FANS OF: Seaweed, Turnstile, Drug Church

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Wolfbrigade “Anti-Tank Dogs”

7"EP - $8.75
STREET DATE: 8/12/22
CAT#: AL036
LABEL: Armageddon Label

Since their formation in 1995, then under the moniker Wolfpack, WOLFBRIGADE have become one of the most enduring - and influential - forces in the worldwide hardcore-punk scene. Particularly at the turn of the millennium, when the revamped moniker was invoked, WOLFBRIGADE have etched a unique sound that draws in the locomotive surge of D-beat with the crushing intensity of death metal; some would call it "crust," but the band evade easy categorization with every record they release. And seven albums in and more than two decades touring worldwide under the WOLFBRIGADE banner, the "Lycanthro Punks" show no signs of slowing down.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Anti-Tank Dogs
2. Brain-Ruler
3. Necronomium

MARKETING POINTS:

• Heavyweight 7" vinyl on color vinyl

FOR FANS OF:
Discharge, Motorhead, Anti-Cimex, Entombed, Wolfpack, Tragedy

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Icepield "aɪspiːld"

CASSETTE - $4.75
STREET DATE: 8/5/22
CAT#:PRO074
LABEL: Protagonist

Fusing the seemingly disparate sounds of post-hardcore and post-punk, this new San Diego outfit offers up their debut 3-song cassette. So, what happens when you take a heavy dose of melodic chaos not unlike their hometown heroes Drive Like Jehu, add a pinch of Sense Field, and dashes of The Jesus Lizard and Pitchfork, then toss it in a blender with a few sprinkles of 80s alternative rock? Well, you get Icepield. Duh. Featuring ex-members of: Stickfigurecarousel, Foreign Bodies, Modern Love.

TRACK LISTING:

1. The Glove
2. Bitter Marrow
3. Don't Change

MARKETING POINTS:

• Includes download card
• Recorded and mixed at Earthling Studios
• Features members of Stickfigurecarousel, Foreign Bodies, Modern Love

FOR FANS OF:
Drive Like Jehu, Sense Field, Pitchfork, Stickfigurecarousel, Jesus Lizard, Fiddlehead

Juniper Youth "Poison"

7"EP - $6.50
STREET DATE: 8/5/22
CAT#: MOM071
LABEL: Mind Over Matter

"The roots of Juniper Youth, a power trio out of Boston, Massachusetts, dig deep into the past to unearth a taste of the future. Shaped by family blood, lifelong friendships and inspirations ranging from J-Dilla to Deftones, JY delivers its signature doom-pop with a thuggish rhythm section, celestial guitar work and impassioned, tear-out-your-heart vocals. Don’t think of it as a cure for your attitude problem, rather The Cure with an attitude problem." - Andrew Bishop Juniper Youth features 3 members of Irepress (vocalist Jarrett Ring and brothers Shan and Sheel Davé on guitar and drums respectively), carving out new territory outside of the post rock universe that they helped to shape and influence. Taking this on, they've used the same off-kilter, super slick rhythm section and combined it with powerful rock vocals. For their follow-up single, Mind Over Matter Records followed up with a limited edition 7" package that highlights Poison on the A-side in all its glory and for the B-side they've got a vinyl-only instrumental version! This is the perfect companion piece to the Full Sun single that was released last year and is the only place to catch another glimpse of the instrumental side of the band after the release of their debut LP.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Poison
2. Poison (Instrumental)

MARKETING POINTS:

• Members of Irepress
• B-side features vinyl only instrumental

FOR FANS OF:
Irepress, Deftones

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Damien Done "To Night"

2x7"EP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 8/5/22
CAT#: MOM065v
LABEL: Mind Over Matter

Damien Done is a post-punk/alternative rock outfit from Damien Moyal of 90s/00s hardcore punk bands As Friends Rust, Shai Hulud, Morning Again and Culture. The Detroit-based band, originally founded as a solo project in Miami, Florida, has released one album (Charm Offensive, 2018) and several EPs, and has toured both domestically and abroad.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Thirty Pews
2. To Night
3. A Feast For Every Beast
4. Shine On

MARKETING POINTS:

• Mixed by James Paul Wisner (Paramore, Underoath, Dashboard Confessional)
• Includes bonus track, a cover of The House of Love's "Shine On"
• Packaged inside of a totally unique, hand-crafted gatefold-style jacket

FOR FANS OF:
Billy Idol, Wovenhand, Beastmilk/Grave Pleasures, The Jesus and Mary Chain

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Her Head's On Fire "College Rock and Clove Cigarettes"

LP - $14.65 / CASSETTE - $7.00
LP UPC: 047338063277
CD UPC: 783495979722
STREET DATE: 7/29/22
CAT#: IOD029
LABEL: Iodine Recordings

Indie rock, of all stripes, is far too long in the tooth—and the classic back catalogs far too crowded—for half measures: If we are to have new “left of the dial” songs in an age where the wry cleverness and heart-on-sleeve (or heart-patch-on-messenger-bag?) vulnerability of yore have listed into a kind of sardonic nihilism, then those songs must be full of that strange alchemic mix of chords and melodies that make hearts flutter and souls soar—they must be incandescent; bright flares that light us up and burn away the pretenses and bullshit the world circa 2022 seems determined to encase us in.

Enter Her Head’s On Fire—a fiery, enlivening quartet with an unfuckwithable pedigree (Saves the Day, Garrison, Small Brown Bike, The Bomb, Casket Lottery, Gay for Johnny Depp) that serves as the DNA for a ten track genetic splicing debut full-length, College Rock & Clove Cigarettes that is not only simultaneously familiar and transcendent, but also very, very good.

Like, cry-on-first-listen, sway-enraptured-on-your-tippy-toes, make-a-mixtape-and-slip-it-into-your-crush’s-backpack good.

If you ever thrilled to the anthems of Samiam, pounded the steering wheel to Superchunk, reveled in the waves of Dinosaur Jr’s melodic fuzz, gladly went over to the Farside, got down to some Elvis Costello, or can remember where you were the first time you heard Sense Field…well, then Her Head’s On Fire’s heart-seeking post-post-hardcore, “emo”tive rock stemwinders will be the best thing to happen to you in a very long time.

Building on the promise of an auspicious bow via last year’s well-received split with living legend J. Robbins, College Rock & Clove Cigarettes is a beguiling and powerful statement: Her Head’s On Fire has your number and a container of clean sonic kerosine. All you have to do is follow the light, open up to the real, and find your way back to the messy, anthem-inspiring glory of love once again.

Her Head’s On Fire is:
Sid Jagger (Garrison, Gay for Johnny Depp) vocals
Jeff Dean (The Bomb) guitar
Rodriogo Palma (Saves the Day) bass
Jeff Gensterblum (Small Brown Bike, The Casket Lottery) drums

TRACK LISTING:

1. Burn
2. Call Me Up
3. Lexicon of Doubt
4. Common Shame
5. Pristine Heart
6. Rising Tide
7. So Beautiful
8. Matchsticks
9. Sugar Lips
10. Are We Enough

MARKETING POINTS:

• Debut LP by Her Head’s On Fire
• Featuring members of Saves the Day, Garrison, Small Brown Bike, and The Casket Lottery
• Produced by Jeff Dean (Samiam, Braid)
• Full PR Campaign by Atom Splitter PR
• Shows and Tours planned for 2022 (US / Europe)

FOR FANS OF:
Superchunk, Samiam, Jawbreaker, Lawrence Arms, and Farside

Instagram | Facebook

Neurosis "Given To The Rising"

2x12"LP - $17.25
2xLP UPC: 658457105016
STREET DATE: 7/29/22
CAT#: NR050
LABEL: Neurot

Given To The Rising is like being submerged in an isolation tank -- it's enveloping, subverting the senses with surreal visions we'd swear were our own, cleverly jarring and disorienting consciousness beyond any footing in reality. As any diehard Neurosis fan will tell you, there's a moment with every new record and live show at which the band will stop as if the world has frozen in position, then suddenly kick into the primordial wail that we've all come to recognize as the "Neurosis note" that forces the listener's head and shoulders to lurch and sway almost uncontrollably. Given To The Rising is Neurosis at its most captivating and hypnotic. Put simply, the album is some of the band's most raw and immediate material to date, but it is also more complexly orchestrated and richly thickened with psych-damaged overtones. Given To The Rising is more than a just a powerful collection of songs -- it's more like a religious experience. While personal epiphanies are repeatedly told by those who've been converted by Neurosis' sensory overloading live show as well as its recordings, there's a hypnotic quality to this album that takes hold from the opening guitar squall of the title track. Once again recording with revered engineer and longtime friend Steve Albini (as the band has for five previous albums,The Eye of Every Storm in 2004, A Sun That Never Sets in 2001, Sovereign in 2000 and Times of Grace in 1999), Given To The Rising bears the band's signature crushing heft and cathartic force. However, it also finds Neurosis delving into increasingly psychedelic effects and twisted, inventive song structures. Much of the dramatic lull of recent works is forgone in favor of full-on attack. While it's reflective of the band's signature aggressive pummeling, Given To The Rising is not just an exercise in Wagnerian thunder. Neurosis instead takes an exploration into psychoactive prog-rock and eviscerating symphonic thud that moves well beyond anything that might fit snugly within a particular genre. It's as though the band has taken cues from such psych-noise predecessors as Hawkwind, Faust, Skullflower and Chrome, merged those elements with the sickening frequency assault of Throbbing Gristle and then submerged them within Neurosis' saturated sonic strata. "We stand encircled by wing and fire" growls vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly, opening the album and its title track, the band's heels already dug deep in the dirt, blasting forth in all directions at once. It's as though we join the battle already in progress, and by all means we have -- Neurosis has fought hard to maintain its sovereignty not just in the music business, but as a boundlessly creative entity consisting of Kelly, guitarist/vocalist Steve Von Till, bassist/vocalist Dave Edwardson, drummer Jason Roeder and keyboardist Noah Landis. The band brought keyboards to heavy punk. It brought experimental noise to metal. It merged antique droning folk with Black Flag's desperation. All the while, forging onward toward new means to explore the infinite realms of catharsis and self-transformation, while myriad bands simply follow in its wake. The guitars grunt and groan like sinister beasts on "Fear and Sickness", propelled by Roeder's clever rhythmic shifts delivered by thunderous, rollicking tom beats that lunge into half-time thumping kick drum and snare blasts. "To The Wind" opens with a deceptively delicate, albeit forlorn melody unlike anything we've come to expect of the band, which is abruptly choked off at the 2-minute mark by one of the most brutally sudden shifts of mood and tempo. A slight, barely audible growl hints at the change to come, but when a wall of chiming bent-notes and drop-tuned sludge guitars, paired with a stomping beat erupt over the melody, it's truly monolithic in impact. Edwardson slings heavy low-end distortion over the top with howling bent notes adding powerful harmonic overtones. But, perhaps the highlight of the song comes during a brief respite, when Kelly lets out an astounding 29-second-long throat-curdling scream at the song's climax. Von Till's rasping whisper sounds downright haunting over the rhythmic churn and Landis' syrupy tones on "Hidden Faces" prove ample evidence to the band's latest evolutionary step. "Through eyes of the wheel I will see you coming," Von Till howls, the band erupting in consensus.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Given To The Rising
2. Fear And Sickness
3. To The Wind
4. At The End Of The Road
5. Shadow
6. Hidden Faces
7. Water Is Not Enough
8. Distill (Watching The Swarm)
9. Nine
10. Origin

MARKETING POINTS:

• Packaged in a gatefold jacket and includes download code

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Pummel "Headcase"

CASSETTE - $7.00
STREET DATE: 7/29/22
CAT#: SDR083
LABEL: Sunday Drive

Boston hardcore (BHC) is a region commonly noted when reading or discussing hardcore, and with good reason. Important bands in the 80's like SSD, DYS, Slapshot, Jerry's Kids and more all made a huge impact on hardcore and the sound to come decades later. Pummel have this sound embedded in their DNA, and with the mix of the new wave of 00s BHC from bands like Mental, Stop and Think, etc. Pummel are currently carrying the torch for their hometown. Their 2021 self-released EP, "Next In Line" began to show a glimpse of Pummel's next evolution as a band. While maintaining groove, Pummel began to sprinkle in metallic leads, tempo switches and more. A year later, the band is back with the single, "Headcase"—their first release on Sunday Drive Records. "Headcase" further pushes the sound from their last release, overall making this a menacing single. From little moments like the leads in the beginning to the hi-hat break in the middle, Pummel is at their best, creating something fun, new and interesting.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Headcase

MARKETING POINTS:

• Produced by Will Killingsworth (Orchid)

FOR FANS OF:
Outburst, Stop and Think, Rampage

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Bastions “Majestic Desolation”

LP - $16.60 / CD - $8.00
STREET DATE: 7/29/22
CAT#: CRR135
LABEL: Church Road

Seven years on from playing their final note onstage and unexpectedly ceasing all activity, seminal UK alternative hardcore band BASTIONS have announced their return. Eleven years on from the North Wales band’s revered debut album, Hospital Corners, BASTIONS will be releasing their second proper full-length , Majestic Desolation, via Church Road Records on July 29.

Privately reuniting in 2020, the quartet - composed of Jamie Burne (vocals), Jamie McDonald (guitar), Gareth Davies (bass) and Kieran Brindley (drums) - began reconnecting and re-envisioning what a future could look like with BASTIONS in it, a future that held respect for their past efforts without bending to misguided nostalgia or revised history. Discontent with simply resting on their discography's laurels, Majestic Desolation’s eight tracks are the result of a dark rekindling. Returning to The Ranch Studios in Southampton, UK to record with long-time collaborator and old friend Lewis Johns in July 2021, Majestic Desolation is proof that time dulls nothing.

As visceral as they ever were, BASTIONS’ trademark darkened hardcore and unnerving melodicism still convulses and writhes with an air of disquietude. Lamentations of lost time, profound emptiness and grief permeate throughout the entirety of Majestic Desolation’s 25 minutes. No more earnestly is this showcased than the one-two punch of Slithering into Coalfields - with Burne’s howls of “All this loss, all these years” on the latter. Majestic Desolation is less a comeback record as much as it is a continuation of all that made BASTIONS a highly influential UK act in the first place, taking personal hells and finding the universality within them against the backdrop of a sonically ceaseless push and pull.

BASTIONS in 2022 remain as perceptive towards all that leaves us desolate and hurting, with Majestic Desolation knowing when to swing and when to swim in the malaise of it all. Seven years on from that final strangled note at iconic London venue The Black Heart, BASTIONS are back and that sinking feeling of desolation is here to stay.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Haar
2. A Broken Crown
3. Acres of Love
4. Heavy Hearts
5. Slithering
6. Coalfields
7. Darker Paths
8. A Spiteful Reign

MARKETING POINTS:

• Produced by Lewis Johns (Rolo Tomassi, Employed To Serve)

FOR FANS OF:
Modern Life Is War, Touché Amoré

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Nathan Gray & The Iron Roses "Rebel Songs"

LP - $15.30 / CD - $8.00 / CASSETTE - $7.00
LP UPC: 603111751610
CD UPC: 603111751641
CASSETTE UPC: 603111751627
STREET DATE: 7/22/22
CAT #: IOD032
LABEL: Iodine Recordings

NOT AVAILABLE TO EUROPEAN ACCOUNTS

Gray’s third solo album Rebel Songs brings him closer to his own truth as both a passionate songwriter and the vulnerable and exposed human that he’s become. Once hiding behind the aggressive and in-your-face façade as frontman of hardcore stalwarts BoySetsFire, Gray’s personal reckoning came with his confrontation of his own painful and past – he couldn’t just keep pummeling his repressed emotions into submission… he had to slow down, dissect and examine it. A victim of sexual assault at the hands of the church (which he is rather open about on stage and in song), he once sublimated the bubbling-under pain and anger into hardcore’s demands for speed and fury. These days, however, he battles his repressed demons by relaying his experience to his audience in a more relatable and therapeutic manner – though indie rock. “In my own journey through healing, I started to understand that no one can influence change in the world without turning that inward to heal themselves first. As such, what we do in our own lives influences our political leanings and world view.”

Rebel Songs is Gray’s reaction to not only his own personal past but the cultural and political unrest that infects this country and, on a larger scale, the world. “I think the impetus for the sound and style of Rebel Songs was to get back to my roots on what got me into hardcore in the first place, which was pure and simple punk rock,” he says of the album’s inspiration. “Coming back to that place while redefining myself through my roots was freeing. I grew up listening to The Clash, The Ramones, Fat Boys, RUN DMC, Black Flag and NWA. These artists defined and shaped me. They were there for me during the good times and the horrific times. Taking those inspirations with me into this place of my life and career just make sense.”

Melding all those music reference points into a 12-track album of fierce and passionate anthems, Gray and his band The Iron Roses takes all the experiences of their collective lives and coalesces it into melting pot of inclusivity. “People like me (white men) have to set an example,” he says of his very conscious decision to make his band as culturally and racially inclusive as possible. “How would people in the audience experience the show if they didn’t feel represented? The Iron Roses include a trans woman, a black man, a mother of two, pansexuals, bisexuals, CIS straight folks, etc. We represent many, because it is our duty to. It's important to me to create a space to allow others to express themselves on stage by using my own privilege. I'd be full of shit if I didn’t back my words. I see no point in talking about inclusion and diversity, about Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights and women’s rights if I didn't back it up. It would be a mockery.”

This blend creates a fascinating and organic brew of the different corners of rock that he imbues in his album. From the Elvis Costello-esque New Wave of “Reckoning” to the anthemic and earnest title track “Rebel Songs” (which features friend and Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath) to balladic album closer “That Said,” Rebel Songs covers a lot of ground – musically and thematically. The reggae and hiphop-infused “Look Alive” was new ground for him. “It was the first time I ever tried adding hip-hop influences into my body of work, which was terrifying and invigorating all at once,” he explains. “It presented a perfect opportunity to add to the mix my friend Eugenius who had recently sampled one of my old band’s songs. It’s the first song on the album that shows what an insane mix of influences the rest of this album will bring - reggae, punk, hip hop… Fuck, it’s like a ‘buckle up’ moment.”

But Rebel Songs isn’t a preachy album. It admits to being adrift in the feeling of aimless direction and asks for help as well. He tackles this rudderless abandon on the openly unanchored song “Lost.” “This was the first purely personal song on the album which was a huge shift from the albums prior to this,” he confesses. “It speaks to something people don’t acknowledge when speaking on social issues… It's okay to admit that you are also lost in the world, but that you are doing the best you can. It’s a personal experience we can all attach to. It’s important to hear this on an album that is socially and politically driven - being vulnerable to say ‘this is what I see, and I know I don’t have all the solutions and I’m not always right but I am doing what I can to be better. We should all do that.”

TRACK LISTING:

1. The Reckoning
2. Look Alive
3. Rebel Songs
4. Radio Silence
5. Fired Up
6. Capitol Stairs
7. No Pasaran
8. Million
9. Don't Wait Up
10. Lost
11. Grace
12. That Said

MARKETING POINTS:

• Limited US Pressing on Iodine Recordings
• First single featuring Timothy McIlrath, vocalist of Rise Against
• Solo project of Boysetsfire singer
• US tour in February/March 2022
• Festival Appearances planned for 2022

FOR FANS OF:
Boysetsfire, Nathan Gray, Rise Against

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