Honey Trap are a hugely talented three-piece band from Leeds with members Owen, Aidan and Ben. They have just released a cracking new song, “Pretty Substance”. The tune has a deeply chilled light reggae feel to it. The vocals remind me of Richard Archer of Hard-Fi. This is perhaps one of the finest late summer songs ever!
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The Biffy boys return with a mighty slab of emotionally driven hard rock. Some of the exquisite riffage evokes the finest of late 80s and early 80s heavier bands. Meanwhile some of the harmonies could comfortably and seamlessly grace a great Queen song. “True Believer” is among their best from one of Scotland’s finest bands. ‘Mon The Biff! Biffy Fucking Clyro are back baby!
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A Michael Jackson cover by a metal band? Will that work? Fuck yeah! This is on a par with Alien Ant Farm’s cover of “Smooth Criminal” from 2001. “Give In To Me” in its original form was the seventh single released from Jackson’s eighth studio album ‘Dangerous’ in 1992.
Apparently Pure Obsessions & Red Nights recorded the song six years ago during the sessions for their ‘Mr. Strangler’ trilogy. They take the song from it’s syncopated modern pop R & B roots to another level entirely. They bring some magnificent dark metal and industrial vibes to give their take on the tune a deep and Stygian gothic feel. This is not some awful facsimile type of cover. They make the song feel new, fresh, disturbing, bombastic and absolutely fucking awesome!
Philippe Deschemin, who took care of mixing and mastering, reflects on the release: “During the recording of the Mr. Strangler Trilogy, I wanted to step aside from my own compositions and work on a cover. I’ve been a Michael Jackson fan since my early days, and many of his songs have a strong rock foundation. The choice of ‘Give In to Me’ felt natural. With the Trilogy leaning toward Gothic Metal and Industrial Rock, I wanted to push the guitars and give the song that weight. I’m glad to finally release it, six years after its recording.” Give this cracker a spin, you won’t regret it!
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Jesse Hartman who had a very successful time with his alt-pop project LAPTOP in the early part of this century releasing three classy albums; ‘Opening Credits’ (2000), ‘The Old Me vs. The New You’ (2001), and ‘Don’t Try This At Home’ (2003). I have been listening to those collections again and they have aged very well. Hartman is now working on a fourth LAPTOP album, ‘On This Planet’, with his son Charlie Hartman. The first results are “Weirder” released back in May and new single “Additional Animals”. It is a dark pop masterpiece about extinction, meat and the human urge for more. It has the classic LAPTOP alt-pop synth sound with some funky horns and was that some mandolin I heard too? The single was mixed by Mario McNulty who has worked with David Bowie, Prince, Nine Inch Nails, Laurie Anderson and Julian Lennon to name just a few. LAPTOP will be opening for UK indie darlings Cast in New York in September.
Jesse Hartman said this of the song “This song is about the human appetite — for meat, for more, for everything — and how that hunger’s eating us alive. It’s a song about extinction that you can dance to. The lyrics are a little more connected to the moment than usual for me — our failing planet, our endless consumption — but it’s still wrapped in this shimmering, international pop packaging. We tracked the song in hip Valencia, added harmonies and Caribbean instruments in Nevis, and finished it in our hood in New York. It’s a global pop fever dream about survival, meat, and the slightly hilarious fact that humans always want just a little more.” Lyrically it is pure brilliance. I love the lines that essentially deal with the demise of meat “Maybe cloning with help. Biotech can help. Another planet can help? Maybe god can help?” I love that it invokes such a range of things from biotech to god! Based on the two singles so far the new album is shaping up to be damned good!
Jesse directed the songs video and it is rather splendid! It was filmed during a surreal family summer in Valencia and features Jesse, Charlie and Jesse’s daughter Lulu. Jesse had this to say about the film. “It stars me, my kids, our percussionist Mike (who used to play with Brian Eno), and our Nevis family singer Denise. It’s chaotic and colorful and oddly hopeful — like maybe we’re not the last animals standing“. Watch the film, stream/ download/ buy the track, just do what you can to have this song in your life!
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Brooklyn’s Biohazard are preparing to release their first album in almost ten years. It is called ‘Divided We Fall’ and to get us prepared for the riff onslaught they have gifted us with a new single hot on the heels of “Fuck The System” (July) and “Forsaken” (June). The third single from the new album is “Eyes On Six” and it is a magnificent metal monolith powered by riffs forged in the bowels of Valhalla. This sound could make a planet full of people mosh together. Get it into your head now and be ready for the album in October!
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We haven’t featured a release from the delightful Safe Suburban Home Records for too long and we will rectify that now as we tell you about the new single from LOWMOON. UK based musician and producer Mikey Wilson is LOWMOON and his new song “Vacant Youth” is simply gorgeous. The music is a wonderful blend of exquisite jangly 80s and 90s indie with a charmingly blithesome vibe. It has that happy sounding music with the lyrics overlaying a slightly darker tone. I was reminded of Teenage Fanclub and Belle and Sebastian. This bodes well for the next LOWMOON album scheduled for next year. “Vacant Youth” is out on all platforms this Friday, 22nd August, get it in your ears as soon as you can, it will make your life better! While you wait for Friday click here to check out more of LOWMOON’s great music on Spotify!
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Specky Cult is the best named band in many a moon in my opinion. It makes me feel guilty for calling another lad at my school, even more moons ago, we called him Specky followed by another four letter word beginning with C. The new Specky Cult single is called “Dad Dance” which is definitely a style of dance I am familiar with and perhaps the only dancing I can do!
The song is infectious and draws you into it with some towering hooks and a bass line built for the dance floor. There is a post punk feel to it, but without that early 80s misery, this is a track that will make you smile and get you off your arse. Wherever you are when you hear it you will have to dance. If you fail to sing along to the chorus after a couple of listens I feel that you need to get your head checked. Has there ever been a song that mentions Rednex huge 1994 hit “Cotton Eye Joe” before this stomper from Specky Cult. In the fade of of “Dad Dance” they even throw in a bit of the 60s Batman theme. “Nananana nananana Dad Dance” indeed!
The band is made up of Rob Glover (lead guitar, vocals), Carol Stephen (lead vocals, guitar, cowbell), Rob Bradford (bass, keys, buttons), and Steve Bradley (drums, vocals). The band are tight and clearly know how to have fun. Of “Dad Dance” the band said that they are “throwing our hat in the ring for this summer’s catchiest song“. Is it the catchiest song this summer? It is certainly a top contender and deserves to be heard in festival fields across the land! Are they the finest madcap punk band in the North East of England? Probably, and one of the best in the UK too.
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This new single from Montreal based singer songwriter Guilhelm has pop, punk and a slacker laid-back Weezer type vibe. A summer anthem for 2025 with a wonderfully positive “I know I’m not gonna die” vocal hook. Guilhem described the song “This song explores the different ways to overcome a hangover in some sort of quest for self-improvement. It’s about inadequacy and self-destructive behavior, but it also expresses a hopeful, yet uncertain, desire for a better future“. The video, finely shot by Alex Charron, exaggerates that cool laid back vibe too. I love the song and I love the video. Guilhem’s new album ‘A Good One’ hits the streets on 5th September. It was mixed and mastered by the one and only Frank Turner, a great favourite here in Mayhem Towers!
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Back in April we reviewed, “BLAIR!”, Industry Standard’s debut single, we bloody loved that one, so there was a lot of excitement here at Mayhem Towers when their latest hit the world. It is wonderfully titled “C.J.O.S. (Circle Jerk Of Sadness)” and is rather different, but just as explosive, as “BLAIR!”. This new track is a post apocalyptic plea hopefully telling us to sit up and fucking do something about our world. Maybe more people will listen and actually try to do something to save our planet. But the first United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP1 was in 1995, later this year COP25 will be held in Belém, Brazil. So 30 years and 25 conferences and still the earth is dying while the rich and powerful do absolutely fuck all! OK, I am told that killing the rich might be a little extreme but let’s at least tax the bastards.
Pictures by Lou Smith
While billionaires, filthy rich tech bros, oligarchs, dictators and would-be dictators continue their own obscene circle jerk while counting their money and rockets the rest of us are left to rot so that this vile group of people can wank themselves into oblivion while covering each other in their, probably gold flecked, salty discharge like some kind of bukkake Armageddon. Perhaps that is why Trump is so orange.
Picture by Simon Milner
Anyway as for the song it is a controlled chaos driven punk attack. According to lead vocalist Gaby, the song is “a panic attack disguised as a joke” which deals head-on with themes like climate collapse, existential burnout, and dissociation, and “watching it all happen with a milkshake in hand”. The anxiety here is off the scale but there is also a brilliantly crafted injection of very dark humour. When was the last time a Greek mythological figure got mentioned in a punk song? Has it ever happened? Cerberus gets a part in this lyric. He is the monstrous, multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld, preventing the dead from leaving and barring the entrance to the living. Lines like “A masterpiece of human emissions” and “even the ants are tired” might be short but they use the language supremely well in a way that oozes frustration.
Picture by Nasser Yebovi
If anyone chose to merge line dancing with punk, this song would be a perfect fit. Imagine replacing the classic punk Pogo dance with a violently punky Morris dance, without the bells, obviously. Incidentally I fucking hate Morris Dancing, but a screaming, raucous, high octane version in the mosh pit is something that many of us would love. That kind of celebration of all that is good about the world might just help to avert our minds, albeit briefly, from the shitty state of the world. Bottom line though this is a stonkingly good song that deserves massive exposure.
Industry Standard are the previously mentioned lead singer Gaby (Gabriella Gonzalez) and three punk powerhouse musical henchmen: Phillip Stakem whose riffs are like small megaton explosions, Oliver Jackson’s bass playing split an atom and Tim Sketchley plays his drums so hard the echo bounces off the moon. I reckon if you love Scene Queen, Delilah Bon, tiLLie and Casseyette you will worship Industry Standard.
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“L‑Shaped Couch” is the fabulous new glitter ball of a single from the phenomenon that is Scene Queen. It is a stunning, pop based move away from her signature bimbocore sound. It is a delightful divergence into a sparkling disco sound. This song would not be out of place on a classic disco playlist, but it still retains the essence of who Scene Queen is. In addition to the funky synth sounds there is also some chunky guitar riffage. Her vocal is full on pop and would give Kylie a run for her money. There’s a thought, how about a Kylie and Scene Queen collaboration? In the meantime put on your best disco trousers and glitter flecked tank top and get down to some discocore from Scene Queen.
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With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 