Post-Punk
Des Rocs Announces 2021 US Headlining Tour
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-18T22:39:01+00:00“>May 18, 2021 | 6:39pm ET Rising rocker Des Rocs will embark on his first-ever headlining U.S. tour this fall. The New York musician’s outing will run from late September until early November. Des Rocs has been making waves the past couple years with a post-punk vibe that’s heavy, melodic, and theatrical at the same time. He released the EP This Is Our Life in December, with the title track making a strong impact on active rock and alternative radio. The tour will kick off September 28th in Detroit and run through a November 4th hometown show in New York City. Prior to the first gig, Des Rocs will play Delaware’s Firefly festival alongside such acts as Billie Ei...
Squid Release Debut Album Bright Green Field: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T16:39:22+00:00“>May 7, 2021 | 12:39pm ET Brighton post-punk group Squid have just released their debut album, Bright Green Field. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Bright Green Field spans 11 tracks in total, including the previously released singles “Paddling” and “Narrator”. Squid went all in when creating the record, which can be heard in the 30-person choir, the horn and string ensemble, and their strange use of field recordings of bees. Props to producer Dan Carey (black midi, Bat For Lashes, Hot Chip) for making it all work together in a way that’s not too far off from LCD Soundsystem’s weirder moments. Back in March, we caught up with the five-piece band abou...
Liars Announce New Album The Apple Drop, Share “Sekwar”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-05T13:00:41+00:00“>May 5, 2021 | 9:00am ET Electronic punk outfit Liars has announced its new album The Apple Drop. It’s out August 6th on Mute, and you can catch a preview with lead single “Sekwar”. When last we heard from Liars, Aaron Hemphill had amicably departed the band and Liars was the sole project of Angus Andrew. He put out 2017’s TCFC and 2018’s Titles with the Word Fountain with little outside assistance, but now Andrew has returned in a collaborative mood. The Apple Drop was made with avant-garde jazz drummer Laurence Pike, multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell, and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew. “For the first time I embraced collaboratio...
Iceage Bring the Storm on Fifth Album Seek Shelter: Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-04T04:00:21+00:00“>May 4, 2021 | 12:00am ET The Lowdown: Danish rock experimentalists Iceage will return with their fifth album Seek Shelter on May 7, just a few days past the three-year anniversary of their 2018 acclaimed album Beyondless. Seek Shelter acts as Iceage’s own sonic laboratory, where they test hypotheses about introducing a significantly wider array of soundscapes into their catalogue. Seek Shelter is proof positive that these experiments paved the way to successful results, as it’s the band’s most inventive album to date. Their latest not only illustrates the breadth of Iceage’s range, but also that they’re not afraid to creatively roll the dice — and in the case o...
IDLES Announce “Beauty from Ashes” US Tour for Fall 2021
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-27T18:30:51+00:00“>April 27, 2021 | 2:30pm ET IDLES are returning to the US for the first time in two years with the newly announced “Beauty from Ashes” 2021 tour. This is the post-punk outfit’s first opportunity to tour in support of last year’s Ultra Mono, a good album with the bad fortune to drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bristol five-piece will alight in Saint Paul, Minnesota on October 7th before speeding through a 21-date trek with support from New York rockers Gustaf and Portland punks Lithics. The tour wraps in Seattle on November 9th, and you can get tickets here. Since sharing Ultra Mono last year, IDLES have been busily supporting projects from o...
Lost Album Mutator by Late Suicide Frontman Alan Vega Finally Released: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-23T15:43:07+00:00“>April 23, 2021 | 11:43am ET The lost album Mutator from late Suicide singer Alan Vega is out now via Sacred Bones. To celebrate the release, a new archival video for “Muscles” has been unveiled. Mutator was recorded from 1996 to 1998 in New York City by Vega and with his wife and longtime collaborator Liz Lamere. The songs were unearthed in 2019 by Lamere and Vega confidant Jared Artaud from the singer’s vast archive of unreleased music. The first singles “Nike Soldier” and “Fist” showcased Vega’s unrelenting creative spirit and knack for beguiling wordplay. The fact that these songs sat in the vault is a testament to just how prolific Vega was, steadily releas...
Helmet Cover Gang of Four’s “In the Ditch” for First New Track in Five Years: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-21T19:18:33+00:00“>April 21, 2021 | 3:18pm ET Alt-metal veterans Helmet have unveiled their cover of Gang of Four’s “In the Ditch” from the upcoming tribute album The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, due June 4th. The song marks Helmet’s first new track in nearly five years. As previously reported, The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four is a tribute to the pioneering post-punk band and their late singer-guitarist, who passed away last year. Among the other artists contributing tracks are Tom Morello & Serj Tankian, Flea & John Frusciante, Gary Numan, IDLES, and more. Helmet, like so many other bands, owe a great...
Wu-Lu Quietly Rages on Simmering New Song “Times”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-14T21:54:39+00:00“>April 14, 2021 | 5:54pm ET South London multi-instrumentalist and producer Wu-Lu, aka Miles Romans-Hopcraft, has unveiled a simmering new song titled “Times”. Wu-Lu self-produced the track, which features drumming by Morgan Simpson of black midi. It quietly rages beneath the surface like turn-of-the-century alternative rock, but never reaches the thrashing crescendo of his previous single, “South”. As he explained in a press statement, the song is about self-discovery and coming of age in these turbulent times. He said, “It’s of understanding that with time comes wisdom. Living life teaches us everything we can to bounce back, we are made of more than...
Posthumous Alan Vega Song “Fist” Unveiled: Stream
Last month, Sacred Bones announced the release of a long-lost solo album from the late Suicide singer Alan Vega. The record, titled Mutator, is due out next month, and today the label is releasing its second single, “Fist”. Similar to album’s initial preview, “Nike Soldier”, this cut is five minutes of grim yet playful post-punk from one of the best to ever do it. The song has a sleek and rubbery industrial groove that Vega chants “fist” over with the domineering emphasis of a comic book villain. It’s the type of song that’s equally perfect for a wild night at a steamy club or with the lights low in the comfort of your own home. Take a listen below. Vega, who died in 2016, sadly isn’t here to comment on the specific intentions of this song, but a couple of his close collaborators...
Squid Unveil the Origins of New Single “Paddling”: Stream
Our new music feature Origins gives artists the platform to provide unique insight into their latest track. Today, Squid twist the oars on “Paddling”. Four years since their formation, Brighton post-punks Squid are finally ready to deliver their anticipated debut album, Bright Green Field. Though many of the tracks on the May 7th release are brand new, day-one fans will certainly recognize the latest single, “Paddling”. With the motorik kick of a looping drum machine leading the song staggering through different psychedelic sonic shifts, it’s long been part of the five-piece’s live shows. Inspired by a scene from Kenneth Grahame’s beloved classic The Wind in the Willows, it finds Squid’s multiple sings taking differing perspectives on “the dichotomy between simple pleasures and decade...
IDLES Cover Sharon Van Etten’s “Peace Signs”: Stream
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of her 2010 album Epic, Sharon Van Etten is reissuing it as a double LP featuring a front-to-back covers album. Dubbed Epic Ten, our first sample of the reimagined tracks came from Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine’s take on “A Crime”. Today, the second single has arrived, as SVE has shared IDLES’ cover of “Peace Signs”. The British outfit keeps things as close to the original as their post-punk sensibilities will allow them, with all the familiar progressions still in place. In IDLES’ hands, however, they’re riddled with anxieties and the searing tension of shredding guitars. Certainly the screaming repetition of “Peace signs” hits different coming from Joe Talbot’s growl rather than Sharon Van Etten’s voice. Take a listen to the cov...
Horsegirl Share New Single “Ballroom Dance Scene”: Stream
Teenage Chicago noisy rock trio Horsegirl have released a new single called “Ballroom Dance Scene”. Watch its corresponding music video down below. Band members Penelope Lowenstein, Nora Cheng, and Gigi Reece wrote the song, which details the lives of various fictional characters, during the fall 2019 Chicago teacher’s strike. They created the accompanying video during this past winter break, shooting it on their phones and an old digital Canon camera. Street footage was filmed in the band’s “aux-less 2004 Buick LeSabre,” while the indoor scenes were shot in the attic of Reece’s childhood home. The song itself features layered vocal melodies and builds from restrained opening acoustic strum, bringing in swirling electric guitars midway through. “Ballroom Dance Scene” serves as an ampl...
