Music News: Album Release Schedule This Week (January 2024)

2024 is shaping up to be a pretty decent year in terms of new releases.

Here at the Music News section of The Hard Times, we want to ensure you know what is coming out and when.

January 2024 will see brand new albums from the likes of Alkaline Trio (Blood, Hair and Eyeballs) and Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes (Dark Rainbow).

Read More: Music News: Blink 182 Influenced Writing of New Alkaline Trio Album

Music News: Album Release Schedule This Week (January 2024)

Here is a pick of the albums set to come out on Friday, January 26th 2024:

Date Band Album
01/26/24 Alkaline Trio Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs
01/26/24 Chatham County Line Hiyo
01/26/24 Courting New Last Name
01/26/24 Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes Dark Rainbow
01/26/24 Future Islands People Who Aren’t There Anymore
01/26/24 Gruff Rhys Sadness Sets Me Free
01/26/24 Heavy Seas Distortion Days
01/26/24 House & Home and Suntitle Split
01/26/24 Katy Kirby Blue Raspberry
01/26/24 Kula Shaker Natural Magick
01/26/24 Lyrical Lemonade All Is Yellow
01/26/24 The Smile Wall Of Eyes
01/26/24 The Umbrellas Fairweather Friend
01/26/24 Torres What An Enormous Room
01/26/24 Ty Segall Three Bells

House & Home and Suntitle Split

One of our picks of the week is the House & Home and Suntitle split. The new Split features two tracks from House & Home which were produced at The Bakery Recording Studios by Will Beasley (The Dangerous Summer, Handguns, Turnstile), as well as two from Suntitle, produced at Creep Recording Studio by Jake Clarke.

The two bands gave their take on the new release to Punk Rock Theory:

Suntitle: “We’ve known House & Home since October of 2017 and instantly became best friends. They’re the best people and it kinda felt natural. We both had some songs sitting around and just decided it would be cool.”

House & Home: “We’ve been close to Suntitle for over 5 years now. They’re like family. In that time Matt joined their band, Joe moved to Richmond, and we’ve just been bouncing ideas off each other for our own bands. It made too much sense to collaborate a little bit.”

The Hard Times Real Music News

Make sure you check out some more of the REAL music news that we’re posting on The Hard Times these days:

Music News: Big Four Thrash Legends Confirm UK and Europe Tour

 

Music News: Big Four Thrash legends Anthrax will be going back out on tour across the UK and Europe this year alongside Kreator, with Testament as opening support.

The band’s official Instagram account confirmed the 18-date tour this week: “International metal forces join in a monstrous union between US metal monsters, Anthrax and German thrash titans, Kreator. Completing this unmissable line-up, a very special guest, the Bay Area’s metal machine, Testament!”

Music News: Anthrax Tour Dates and Tickets

Tickets for the shows go on sale on January 26th and they are expected to sell quickly for this highly anticipated tour, considering it is three of the genre’s most legendary bands.

Here are the confirmed dates:

Anthrax UK Tour Dates 2024

  • 21-Nov-2024 UK – Manchester, O2 Apollo
  • 22-Nov-2024 UK – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
  • 23-Nov-2024 UK – London, Eventim Apollo
  • 25-Nov-2024 IE – Dublin, 3 Arena
  • 27-Nov-2024 UK – Glasgow, OVO Hydro

Music News: Anthrax Europe Tour Dates 2024

  • 29-Nov-2024 FR – Paris, Zenith
  • 30-Nov-2024 DE – Düsseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric Halle
  • 01-Dec-2024 DE – Munich, Zenith
  • 03-Dec-2024 LU – Esch-sur-Alzette, Rockhal
  • 04-Dec-2024 CH – Zurich, Halle 622
  • 06-Dec-2024 IT – Milan, Alcatraz
  • 07-Dec-2024 DE – Stuttgart, Schleyerhalle
  • 08-Dec-2024 DE – Berlin, Verti Music Hall
  • 10-Dec-2024 HU – Budapest, Barba Negra
  • 11-Dec-2024 PL – Katowice, Spodek
  • 13-Dec-2024 DE – Frankfurt, Jahrhunderthalle
  • 14-Dec-2024 DE – Hamburg, Edel Optics Arena
  • 15-Dec-2024 NL – Den Bosch, MainstageTickets for the tour will be available from Friday, January 26th at 9 am GMT, from www.anthrax.com and www.kreator-terrorzone.de.

 

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While we don’t have any Anthrax, Kreator or Testament in our amazing Hard Times Shoppe, you can still get some fantastic Metal albums on vinyl as well as the best merch that has ever existed (*may be exaggerated).

Music News: UK Fat Wreck Punk Legends Confirm Tour

UK Punk legends Snuff have revealed that they will be going back out on the road in April 2024, with eight shows planned across the United Kingdom.

The band are currently out on an Acoustic tour, but this will see Duncan and the gang back out making a ton of noise and being one of the best live acts on the circuit right now.

Music News: Snuff UK Tour Tickets and Dates

Snuff will be heading out on tour in April 2024 on the following dates, with tickets available from the links listed:

Who are Snuff?

If you aren’t aware, Snuff is a UK band that has been going since 1986, with multiple releases across their own record label 10past12records and Fat Mike’s iconic Fat Wreck Chords.

The band has been through several members, but the one constant is Drummer and Singer Duncan Redmonds.

Current Bass Player Dan Goatham is also the lead singer and guitarist of UK melodic hardcore punk band Spoilers, who are absolutely worth checking out in their own right.

More details and videos are below!

Music News: Snuff and Spoilers on YouTube

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Couple Working From Home Forced to Have Affair With Each Other

MIAMI — A local couple working from home was reported that they were left with no choice but to start sleeping with one another, according to sources nostalgic for a quick shag in the office breakroom.

“Ever since Katie and I started working from home full-time, we’ve been forced to flirt with each other throughout the day. One thing led to another and let’s just say I have a new ‘work wife’ who just so happens to be my girlfriend of seven years,” stated Brad DeAngelo. “Sure, we hated having to go into a physical office because the commute was so draining, but at least it gave us the opportunity to run into other coworkers who were also DTF. But maybe this was a blessing in disguise and exactly what our relationship needed to get back on track. Who knew sleeping exclusively with your partner had so many benefits?”

Katie Knoblauch, DeAngelo’s partner of four years, offered her take on the situation.

“Help me!” stated Knoblauch as she frenetically chewed on some ice cubes. “The only thing that was keeping our relationship together was all the cheating and the excitement that came with it. I guess we could probably break up, but I could never afford a nice apartment like this by myself, and our cats are so attached it would be tough to break them up, what’s the point? Our relationship is just a lot stronger when I’m having sex with the mailroom guy in the office bathroom or storage closet. I’m not sure why that is, but I don’t question it.”

Relationship expert Dr. Clara Lau explained how they’re seeing an increase in horny couples looking to copulate with anyone except their significant others since more jobs have gone remote.

“It’s been a very difficult time for people who used to cheat on their partners,” described Dr. Lau. “Pre-pandemic, folks had so many great opportunities to bang other people but with more companies going remote, adulterers have become desperate. I’d say any delivery person dropping off anything to these people’s homes are at serious risk of being approached, seduced, and debauched. That might sound kind of cool, but think of all the packages that might never get delivered on time. But at least it would fulfill that sexual hole in every remote worker’s life.”

At press time, the couple was forced to have part-time affairs with other people after their jobs switched to a hybrid work schedule.

Just Like Us! These Celebrities Will One Day Either Die or Watch All Their Loved Ones Pass Away

It’s no secret that celebs live glitzy and glam-filled lives beyond the grasp of our normal and non-rich minds, but from time to time it’s nice to remember that in many ways, they’re actually just like us! That’s right— just like us, these A-listers are ultimately left with two possible outcomes in life: dying tragically or witnessing all their loved ones pass away before they also go themselves. Read on to see which celebs are just like us!

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa is an all-around pop star and instant hit writer. Not many can say they wrote the songs “Levitating” and “New Rules” all while being under the age of 30. Still, despite Dua’s impressive rise to megastardom and classic good looks, she too will ultimately be forced to grapple with the unforgiving current of time which leaves you standing at the foot of your own grave, either to accept your fate and die in peace or have your life violently ripped from your tight, relentless grasp. We also caught her eating frozen yogurt one time. She is truly just like us!

Al Pacino

Al Pacino is a charismatic, well-respected Hollywood star and a very talented actor. We’re big fans of his movies, especially the ones where he shows his chops playing a smooth-talking mafia boss. But what if we told you even this A-lister is subject to the deep suffering inherent to life, including illness, death, loss, pain, and longing for that which will never come to pass. Who knew we had so much in common with this Godfather icon?

Oprah

This one came as a shocker to us too. Even Oprah—beloved TV personality and the only person alive with a book club that people care about— will one day find herself aged and alone and left wondering: was it all worth it? What does it all mean? It may have felt meaningful in the moment, and yet these moments pass. It all passes—the love, the anger, the wanting, even the loss. When it comes down to it, these things are all just toys we are playing with, and in the end we will have to put them all back. Is any of it worth it if we must put it all back? These daunting questions are ones that await us all, including Oprah. She’s just like us!

Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay has got to be the funniest TV chef on the air right now! We love it when he hits an amateur chef with that biting British sass. At the same time, this British sass won’t’ save Gordon Ramsay from one day falling to his knees at the cold face of reality, the reality that there is never a right time, that it all feels wrong and that is the very nature of death: it has no mercy, no reason, no vendetta, just the promise to come for all and stop for none. Thanks for staying relatable, Gordon!

Bella Thorne

Despite seeming like an invincible outgrowth of the Disney teen enterprise, Bella Thorne is—you guessed it—totally defenseless when it comes to the inevitable outcome of this mortal life. But what about her work on Disney’s hit show “Shake It Up” and her advocacy for the dyslexia community? These things may be impressive, but they ultimately will amount to very little in comparison to the feeling of watching everyone she was ever close to being lapped up in the jaws of time.

Howie Mandel

This “Deal or No Deal” host has had an illustrious career filled with entertainment accolades and cameos on various TV shows that make you go: “Hey, is that Howie Mandel?” Still, even Howie will eventually have to “deal or no deal” with the fact that nothing is promised but the end of consciousness as we know it, and if there is a God he may be cruel or he may be kind, but he will not spare you from robbing you of your blood, your beating heart, and all your earthly attachments.

Kylie Jenner’s Baby

Kylie Jenner’s Baby, otherwise known as Aire Webster, is one of the most famous babies online today. With an infant net-worth of more money than most people will ever see in their lifetimes, Aire already seems to live a life beyond relatability. Still, even this famous baby will one day grow up and pass through the ages, all the while inching closer to know grief and loss, wounds only to be healed by time and then reopened again as life runs its brutal course. Yes, even this rich baby is just like us!

Ellen DeGeneres

Last but not least on this list—and a win for some LGBT representation—is uber-famous and now-problematic star Ellen DeGeneres. Little does Ellen know, the various controversies she faced in the past few years are nothing compared to life’s ultimate scandal: death and the fateful question of the manner in which it will be thrust upon you. Now here’s a scandal we can relate to! As it turns out, now-problematic Ellen is just like us. We’re not sure how we feel about this one!

There you have it, folks! While celebrities’ lives can at times seem daunting and out of reach, it is nice to remember that they are people just like us and, just like us, they will one way or another suffer deeply, slowly, and only with brief and temporary bouts of relief.

Colin Meloy Warms up Crowd by Recalling the Effects of the Great Nordic War on the Baltic Maritime Trade Routes

CHICAGO — Colin Meloy appeared on stage an hour early during a recent Decemberists show to illuminate the crowd on how the power shifted from the Swedish Empire to the Tsardom of Russia in terms of controlling Baltic maritime trade routes following the Great Nordic War, enraptured sources confirmed.

“The folks here seemed like they were very well seasoned in rock and roll shows. I could tell they’ve done this and been here before. I elected to not bore them with some anecdote of the great Chicago fire, or ramble on about how what is referred to as the first Chicago school mixed European modernism and neo-classical architecture to create the commercial style in early skyscrapers,” Meloy explained. “The Chicago crowd is so well versed in letting loose that I felt I needed to abandon local lore and throw something like the Treaty of Nystad at them to get the energy up for a performance.”

A fan was spotted near the stage wearing a Decemberists shirt and holding a tape recorder the entirety of Meloy’s opening crowd work.

“Oh I can’t really speak too profoundly on their music. I basically record Colin at shows, transcribe the recording and turn it in as a paper, this thing is worth 33% of my grade and I think this is worthy of at least a B+,” admitted Jenny Blank, an online graduate student studying history. “Few weeks ago they played a show in Cleveland and Colin went fully in on Warren G. Harding and the Teapot Dome scandal and how it is a high water mark in presidential cabinet corruption. I dumbed down some of the language to make it seem like something I wrote and my professor referred to it as ‘a revelation,’ which I found out is really good!”

A member of one of the opening acts was seen pounding Malort shots at the bar.

“We have been touring for only like four weeks and he has written a children’s book and created an expansion deck for the card game their band designed,” Sighed the anonymous member of an earlier slotted band. “It makes me feel dumb, so recently I’ve been wearing fake glasses and pretending to play a hammer dulcimer, I’m a sham.”

The Decemberists kicked off the west coast leg of their tour by opening a Los Angeles show with a commencement speech to recent UCLA grads.

Photo by Visions of Domino.

Nikki Haley Remains In Presidential Race, Endorses Trump

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. —  Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley says she is committed to remaining in the race for the 2024 Republican Presidential Nominee while also fully endorsing frontrunner Donald Trump, confirmed campaign officials.

“I’m going to stand and fight for the Republican Party and together we can take America in a new direction,” said Haley. “That’s why New Hampshire is so important. The voters here can make a difference and show the world they want an alternative. I’d also like to announce that I back Donald Trump and believe he is the right man for the job. He is the only one who can defeat Biden and the radical left. When you get to that ballot box make sure to vote Haley. But I’ll be voting for Trump.”

Independent New Hampshire voter Kevin Patterson admitted he was confused by Haley’s message.

“I think Trump is a danger to democracy and I’d love to see an alternative to him or Biden, but I’m not sure what she wants me to do here. My vote is sacred, and if I waste it now I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I could have the one vote that changes everything, like in that ‘Swing Vote’ with the guy from ‘Yellowstone,'” said Patterson from his Ford F-150. “It made sense when DeSantis endorsed Trump, that little weasel is spineless and wormy, but I expected more from Haley. It’s already tough for me to admit I’m voting for a woman, this might be the last time I ever do that.”

Former President Trump seemed to bask in his former rivals endorsing him.

“It’s sad, so sad, to see everyone groveling at my feet saying ‘Donny, I didn’t mean what I said, please select me for VP.’ I know what they are trying to do, I’m not dumb, I’ve read every word in every language. I’ve even made up a bunch of the best words that everyone still uses,” said Trump. “Everyone who uses words has me to thank for it. Believe me. I’ve also invented a new way to make soup. All the chefs in the world want to know how I do it, and when I’m president again I’ll finally tell them. I’m also going to deport anyone who didn’t vote for me.”

At press time, Haley was expected to be the keynote speaker at a Trump rally in Concord.

Music News: Billie Joe Armstrong on Being Called A “Bisexual Icon”

Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day has always been a polarising figure amongst punk fans, but it’s his moniker as a “bisexual icon” that he has recently addressed.

Speaking to PEOPLEhe said, “I think it’s fucking cool that someone calls me a bisexual icon. I’ve seen that before. I’m like, ‘Fuck, yeah!'”

Armstrong also discusses sexuality back in the 90s, saying that today people tend to be a “lot more brave” than they were during the Gen X-led period: “Being a Gen X-er, I feel like there was a seed that got planted where it was the era in the 1990s that we came up, where men were discovering more of being with other men and being more bisexual, and coming out with that, whether it was someone like Kurt Cobain or what I was saying.

“It’s way more complex now, as far as sexuality. You’re like, ‘Wow, we’ve really come a long way.’ Even though it’s still kind of looked at as being taboo, I think people now are a lot more brave than they’ve ever been. I think people are way more open now.”

Music News: Billie Joe Armstrong on Bisexuality

The conversation with PEOPLE also shifted to Green Day’s new LP, Saviors, with the track ‘Bobby Sox’ having fluidity among gender and sexuality being at the forefront.

“It’s the ’90s song that we never wrote” Armstrong revealed. “It started out being a song I wrote for my wife but as it materialised, I wanted to switch it up and added, ‘Do you wanna be my boyfriend?’ on top of ‘Do you wanna be girlfriend’… So the song becomes a kind of universal anthem.”

Music News: Dead Kennedys Member Hit By a Car

Dead Kennedys member East Bay Ray recently confirmed on Instagram that he had been run over whilst walking in the middle of a crosswalk.

The 65-year-old guitarist confirmed to followers: “A car hit me while I was in the middle of a crosswalk and slammed me into the road. I’m okay, emergency room did a CT scan and patched me up. Luckily, very luckily, no broken bones or brain hemorrhage.”

The Latest on East Bay Ray

Thankfully the Oakland, California legend appears to be alright following the hit, although the image he posted showed some of the damage that was caused during the incident:

 

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Music News: East Bay Ray Hit By Car

EBR still plays in Dead Kennedys and has been a member of the iconic band throughout the two stints that they have been active, being the only member to do so (Klaus Flouride was not active for just a little bit during the 2010s).

Ray brought a Surf influence to the sonic tone of the band, with his trademark reverb and twang helping to create the foundation for Jello Biafra’s incendiary vocals.

Our best wishes go out to Ray and hopefully, there are no further complications from this unfortunate incident.

Music News: Blink 182 Influenced Writing of New Alkaline Trio Album

Iconic punk/somewhat emo band Alkaline Trio are set to release their latest album, ‘Blood, Hair And Eyeballs,’ and they revealed some of the major influences behind the sound of the new record.

Speaking to NME, Matt Skiba revealed how his work with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker during his stint in Blink 182 changed how he wanted to approach writing the new LP.

“If we really wanted to accomplish something new, maybe we should try something we haven’t done in a long while,” Skiba revealed, which involved he and Dan Andriano dropping the work they had created separately to work on everything in the same space: “The whole idea of building a record from the ground up was a great deal of fun and very effective. When there’s three people doing it together, there’s an urgency and an inspiration that doesn’t really happen when you’re on your own,” he added, which is how the two Blink albums that Skiba was part of, 2016’s ‘California’ and 2019’s ‘Nine,’ were written.

Music News: Alkaline Trio’s New Album Influenced by Great Three-Piece Bands

It wasn’t just Blink that helped add to the sonic nature of the new work, as Andriano also revealed that he had been listening to some of the great three-piece acts of the past for inspiration: “There was a lot of me listening to some of my favourite bands of all time, asking how they achieved what they did,” said Andriano. “Everything The Police put out sounds so full,” with NME also adding that The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Nirvana were also vital influences to the new album.

Music News: Recording at Dave Grohl’s Studio

Speaking of Nirvana, the band recorded BH&E at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606, with Skiba elated at being able to use that iconic Neve console, saying there “isn’t a cooler place to work.”

“There isn’t a cooler place to work,” Skiba agreed. “The Neve console has been signed by Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney and all these other heroes, so the history is right in front of you. We really took our time crafting this record” the Alkaline Trio singer added.

Alkaline Trio Blood, Hair and Eyeballs Video

You can check out the titular track from the new record below: