It’s been another week filled with new experiences, growth, and constant horrors. If you’ve been trudging through all of this without a good soundtrack, it’s no wonder you’ve been so despondent. It’s not really our place to judge, but we can’t stand seeing you like this. Here are six staff-picked songs to help turn your frown upside down or possibly just back into a neutral position.
Coheed and Cambria ‘Searching For Tomorrow’
The long-running front for selling comic books, Coheed and Cambria, announced their 11th album ‘The Father of Make Believe.’ Don’t worry, despite the title; this does not appear to be a prog-rock Christmas album, but rather a continuation of the band’s Amory Wars/Vaxis series. News of the album comes paired with the new single ‘Searching For Tomorrow,’ which finds the band dipping into their pop-prog bag a la ‘Favor House Atlantic’
Opeth ‘A Story Never Told’
Opeth’s latest masterpiece ‘The Last Will And Testament’ has been released and it already has fans in a frenzy. Some are calling it their best album since whatever their last album was. Upon listening, it’s not hard to imagine why. Over three decades into their career, Opeth still sounds fresh. ‘Last Will’ drives this point into the ground and offers something for fans of all eras of their storied career.
Glixen ‘Lick The Star’
If you’ve ever wanted to attend a sound bath performance but didn’t want your friends to ridicule you for months on end, Phoenix shoegaze up-and-comers, Glixen, might be for you. Their latest single ‘Lick The Star’ offers the dreamiest intro you’ve ever heard in your life before slamming you into a brick wall of fuzz. The track comes ahead of their newly announced EP ‘Quiet Pleasures,’ which we assume will save the genre once and for all.
Illuminati Hotties ‘December’ (Neck Deep cover)
Legendary pop-punk label, Hopeless Records, has been properly celebrating their 30th anniversary with their excellent singles series ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You.’ The series has already brought us a ton of great covers from the label’s roster, and this week we got one more. Illuminati Hotties have contributed a timely and excellent version of Neck Deep’s ‘December’ complete with exploding choruses and half-time breakdowns.
3GT ‘Watch the Clock’
White Reaper recently saw the departure of their rhythm section earlier in the year. Like many dealing with loss, lead singer Tony Esposito and keyboardist Ryan Hater decided to dance through it with a new side project. 3GT manages to combine the intensity of White Reaper’s frenetic rock sound with borderline EDM elements. It probably shouldn’t work, but it fucking shreds.
NOFX ‘The Decline’
Yesterday somehow marked the 25th anniversary of NOFX’s seminal 18 minute long opus ‘The Decline.’ While the track may have inspired countless other bloated and less necessary works from lesser artists, it also derailed countless band practices as bassists across the globe fruitlessly attempted to play some of the song’s most iconic lines. Rumor has it your estranged friend Greg finally nailed the part that’s ‘like, real high up on the neck’ but ‘forgot’ to hit the record button on his phone.