The Last of the Month (2/24)

The shortest month of the year flew by in a hurry, just like it always does, so there was no time for anything and thus this comes out way too late. *apologizemodeoff* Here's what was left behind in the mess that was February 2024:

BULLETSBETWEENTONGUES - The Lights never lie
I'm repeating myself, but Ephyra Records is such a cool label. They just know how to deliver the nostalgia from the late 90s and early 2000s! BULLETSBETWEENTONGUES from Texas find the soft spot somewhere inbetween 2000s-Post-Hardcore (think THE BLED or FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES), "real" Screamo and Metalcore in the vein of bands like THIS DAY FORWARD or SKYCAMEFALLING. They totally belong in 2024 and as a result "The Lights never lie" is a quality debut album. (Stream)

COWER - Celestial Devastation
I really liked COWER's debut album "Boys" from 2020 and their sophomore effort is on the same level at least. Tom Lacey from THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND is on the mic, though this has nothing to do with Hardcore. COWER blend Post-Punk, Gothic-Rock, Synth-Pop and Noise-Rock, though the latter becomes even less space than on their first album. They truly love DEPECHE MODE and if you love them too, then you should find a lot to love about "Celestial Devastation". The silent moments here are very well done. (Stream)

CUSTOMER SERVICE - Live more forever (EP)
The video for "Grad Day" was already posted here and I quite like their EP too. If you're into extremely hook-y, emo-ish Pop-Punk, then give them a chance. "I vaped again last Night", "I don't wanna be here anymore" and "Grad Day" are nice, little hits, while the opener and the closer don't work for me, though I get the idea. (Stream)

GARRY BRENTS - Action Figure triggers Earthquake (EP)
This is the guy behind projects like CARA NEIR or PERFUMED SATURNINE ANGELS, though this new project has nothing to do with Hardcore or Metal. It's pure Electronica, pretty upbeat most of the time, taking a lot from 2-Step and Drum'n'Bass, yet the melodicism is always there. While it's nothing that'll be on my heavy rotation, I really enjoyed it for a few spins... (Stream)

GXLLIUM!/ONEWAYMIRROR - Split
Dave Norman calls this "the Split of the year" and while I'd say that the year is too fresh for a call like that, it's definitely my favorite split of 2024 so far. GXLLIUM! were new to me, but I immediately liked them. Guess at the moment, I can't do no wrong with any of those new Screamo-bands from California. This is fucked up, exuberant stuff with big breakdowns and a lot of crazy shit going on. ONEWAYMIRROR cotinue where they left off with their debut full length last year. The only complaint I have about this release is, that it's not weighed out on both bands. You'll get six minutes of GXLLIUM! and only three and a half minutes of ONEWAYMIRROR. This could've used one or two OWM-cuts on top! (Stream)

FLIGHT MODE - Tøyen, '13 (EP)
If you love 90s Indie-/Midwest-Emo and don't know FLIGHT MODE than you're totally living under a rock. They're among the best doing it right now and their third concept EP is just as beautiful as the two preceding it. As a whole the four new tracks are more upbeat than the tracks on "Torshov, '05", so they definitely took a slightly different route musically. (Stream)

HANOI TRAFFIC - towards an end (EP)
Skramz in Australia is a thing again and HANOI TRAFFIC are proof. This is very intense, noisy stuff with fucked up screams, but it's still very groovy and in that no-bullshit-kinda fashion that I mostly enjoy. (Stream)

MAJOR DEPRESSION/CLINICAL TRIAL - Split
Two new bands on Sad Nap Records showcasing different sites of Emo. MAJOR DEPRESSION are destructive and lo-fi and playful. I really like what they're doing! On the other site CLINICAL TRIAL are down for the more melodic, cheery site of Emo. Kinda like if RAINER MARIA decided to do Pop-songs. Great split and I'm looking forward to more stuff by these bands! (Stream)

V.A. - Skramz in Australia
Speaking about "Skramz in Australia"... my first thought when reading that name was "did BSDJ just put out our mixtape from 2022?". But then I could remember, that we named it "Some Skramz in Australia". Check our comp here and then check out the BSDJ-version that portrays the current scene down under... (Stream)