It’s been another week filled with devastating heat, threats of World War III, and even worse, a new Benson Boone album. You might be wondering how to escape. While we don’t have any concrete plans outside of staring directly at the sun while violently screaming, we do have some new music for you. Here are six songs our staff listened to this week while fighting off a constant and collective low-grade panic attack.
Motion City Soundtrack ‘She Is Afraid’
It’s been nearly a decade since Motion City Soundtrack called it quits before promptly going on more tours than most indie bands do in their entire careers. The band’s last uttering of new music occurred in 2015 with their album ‘Panic Stations.’ This all changed last week with the announcement of a new record ‘The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World’ and lead single ‘She Is Afraid,’ leading to all of your English major friends letting out muted but unmistakable screams of unbridled joy.
The Beths ‘No Joy’
New Zealand indie rock quartet The Beths continue to tease their upcoming full-length ‘Straight Line Was a Lie’ with the new single ‘No Joy.’ For a song with such heavy subject matter, it’s one of the more upbeat tracks we’ve heard from the indie rockers. If you make a point to not listen to the lyrics at all you might even start doing that weird little dance at your desk that your coworkers can totally see despite your concealment efforts.
Between the Buried And Me ‘Things We Tell Ourselves In The Dark’
For a song titled ‘Things We Tell Ourselves In The Dark,’ Between the Buried And Me’s first new track in nearly half a decade could be a lot more depraved by our staff’s horrifying standards. Not to say that the band’s blend of prog, metal, and avant-garde rock isn’t shocking in its own right, it’s just that a lot of our interns are concerningly morbid people. Regardless, the track is a total trip and maybe the first song we’ve heard in a while that makes a bass solo sound tolerable.
The Armed ‘Kingbreaker’
You might be tempted to start shopping for new headphones, stereo equipment, or an ENT doctor within a few seconds of The Armed’s new single ‘Kingbreaker.’ We’re here to save you money, time, and sanity by assuring you the song just sounds like that. The Detroit punk collective has been known to push stylistic bounds, but this track takes things up a notch. Imagine being in a perfectly triangulated position that allows you to hear every stage at a noise festival simultaneously and you’ll be in the ballpark here.
Sanguisugabogg ‘Abhorrent Contraception’
The great thing about the written medium is that we don’t even have to attempt to pronounce Sangis… wait… Shishke… no… wait we got this… Sanguisugabogg! Nailed it. Anyway, the overnight death metal sensations announced ‘Hideous Aftermath’ their highly anticipated follow-up album to 2023’s instant classic ‘Homicidal Ecstasy.’ The lead single ‘Abhorrent Contraception’ continues to cement their status as genre toppers while proving they actually do know how to think of titles that are pronounceable and easy to read.
Wednesday ‘Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)’
It wouldn’t quite feel like summer without some sludgy guitars that seem to evoke both a cool breeze and smothering humidity at the same time. Fortunately, Wednesday has us covered with their latest, ‘Wound Up Here (By Holdin On).’ In true Wednesday fashion, the song features earnest and vulnerable lyricism that sits on top of a wall of guitars seemingly fighting to be the first to break out of your speakers. It’s crunchy as hell, and woozier than you were after mowing the lawn this week.
Need more? Well, fuck off. Sorry, it’s really hot out still and we’re kind of cranky about it. Here’s a playlist that has every song we’ve listened to this year. It pairs well with stuffing a bunch of ice cubes under your hat and dousing your body with cooler water.