Weekly Winners, 4/11/21 - 4/17/21

 This week was packed with releases, but maybe shy on a bit of quality. Of course, even in a week with a lot of not so good stuff, there’s bound to be the good stuff. Next week’s list however, while not very big, starts a five or six week long string where we have a very big release per week. So, look forward to that. What are you listening to?


Escape the Fate - Chemical Warfare (Better Noise Records)

Escape the Fate has been bad for a few years now and I’m not saying their back or anything but… this album has some pluses. John Feldman is back producing and there’s a lot of good moments, there're a lot of bad moments too however so enter cautiously. I would give it like a “Not Bad” out of 10, it’s listenable but we still have so far to go if this band is to truly be viable again.



Hail the Sun - New Age Filth (Equal Vision Records)

Been a casual fan of this band for a long time. Always thought they had the talent but not quite the songs to back it up. I think this album has finally reached that, I think when touring returns this album will give them that boost to come into their own. Already seeing buzz around it too.



Belle Haven - Time Changes Nothing (Greyscale Records)

Everyone loves to have this Emo Nite lens around emo as a whole right now. Everyone waiting at held breath for the new MCR or whatever legacy act that isn’t as active right now. Belle Haven shows that the genre isn’t just for the older bands. All the passion you would get in the 2000s. I will admit that the lyrics are… a bit goofy at times but the EP overall is really good.



Softcult - Year of the Rat (Easy Life Records)

Not sure what to say about this but it sort of speaks for itself. Short and sweet, you’re in and out in 15 minutes and I think you’ll enjoy it.



Beach Bunny - Cloud 9 (feat. Tegan and Sara) (Mom+Pop)

“Cloud 9,” which was previously a single off of 2020’s Honeymoon (*ahem* my second favorite album of last year) has made a lot of waves on Tik Tok as of late. Being that the song has a lot of love song tendencies but addresses the muse as “he” a lot of fans felt excluded. So front woman Lili Trifilio took to re-recording the track to include he, she and they pronouns throughout it. She even got a Tegan and Sara feature added in as well. The track, in my opinion, is a lot clearer now but the production quality between Honeymoon and Blame Game is of a much higher quality so that isn’t a surprise.



Rina Sawayama - Chosen Family (feat. Elton John) (Dirty Hit)

Another single reworked with a feature. “Chosen Family” was always a song I didn’t find that exciting off of SAWAYAMA and this new rendition isn’t that much better but the piano ballad aspect and Elton John vocals give it a new, welcome life at least.


Silverstein - Bankrupt (UNFD)

If you’re part of the scene you know you absolutely hate when a band says “this is our heaviest material to date.” Every single time it's a generic octanecore. So when Silverstein pushed this being their heaviest track in their 20 years of life, Hell when Shane Told backed it up in his New Noise podcast, my eyes rolled to the back of this plane of reality. Then I heard it. This is, without a doubt, the heaviest and possibly best Silverstein song in their 20 years of life.

Other Tracks

Anjimile - In Your Eyes (Reflection) (feat. Jay Som) (Father/Daughter Records)

cupcakKe - Mosh Pit

Ghost Iris - cult (Long Branch Records)

Half Hearted - Fun (feat. Gina Fritz)

Liquid Tension Experiment - Rhapsody in Blue (Inside Out Music, from the full length LTE3)

Lucy Dacus - Hot & Heavy (Matador Records)

MARINA - Purge the Poison (Atlantic Records)

Natalia Lafourcade - Cien Anos (feat. Pepe Aguilar) (Sony Music)

nothing,nowhere. - fake friend (acoustic) (Fueled by Ramen)

One Morning Left - Creatvres (Arising Empire)

Royal Blood - Boilermaker (Warner Records)

Salem - DRACULADS (Roadrunner Records/Warner)

To the Grave - The Ghost of You (My Chemical Romance cover, from the compilation Epilogue)

Trash Boat - Silence is Golden (Hopeless Records)

This Wild Life - Still Wondering Why You Left Me Behind

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