May Roundup
Happy spring, friends. I hope the weather is as delightful for you as it is for us here. The little man has been enjoying getting outside, whether it be in the backyard, a walk to the famed Baltimore Flower Market, one of Mount Royal Soap's night markets, or just a stroll around. I'm in the market for a reasonably-priced, used running stroller of some kind so I can take him for some runs in the near future. Pray for me.
Anyway, we've had some jams coming out and maybe you know about 'em, maybe you don't. Let's take a look-see.
One Step Closer - All You Embrace
I associate this band with Anxious in my head, probably because I got hip to them both around the same time, and they both are hardcore bands that have branched more into some emo areas. One Step Closer keep things a bit more on the hardcore side of things. I liked their previous full-length, This Place You Know, a bunch, but this exceeds that album in almost every way for me. I wouldn’t dare call this a turn to pop, but incorporates a lot more of that sound than the last album. At times it reminds me of a heavier Balance & Composure, a band I loved, but I also hear shades of early Citizen, and that whole scene of early-2010s Brand New-loving post-hardcore bands, especially on songs like “Esruc.”
Yambag - Mindfuck Ultra
Listen, you don’t put out a record called Mindfuck Ultra and expect me not to check it out. Convulse Records does it again, and Yambag delivers 11 songs in under 11 minutes. This album is short, fast, and brutal. “Party Song” is 40-ish seconds of what sounds like the worst party imaginable. Or best, maybe, if your idea of a party is a particularly violent pit. There’s no breathing room here, the attack is relentless in a way that could be exhausting to listen to, if the whole thing wasn’t over so quickly. The end result is to leave your head spinning in the best way.
Bad Beat - LP 2024
Another killer slab of hardcore from Triple-B Records, this unit from Detroit had me from one song. I pre-ordered the album on Bandcamp then promptly forgot about it, so it was a delightful surprise getting the email it was released in my inbox. Rivaling the aforementioned Yambag for brevity, the band rips through 16 songs in about 14 minutes. This is some classic beatdown hardcore. You’re gonna mosh through your office wall.
Looking to the Future
There are some bangers coming up soon. I’m hyped for Charli XCX’s new one, as are all smart people of excellent taste. The Peggy Gou full-length should be a good time; “Lobster Telephone” is a good song to whet one’s appetite. LEATHERS and Nox Novacula are both dropping albums in August, which should help usher in some nice fall gloom.
What are you looking forward to this year? What’s been on your rotation? Drop a line!