Browsing Tag

Hardcore

Existentialism met visceralism in Bookie’s hardcore no-wave LP, ‘So what good does living do me?’

Posted on 3 December 2025
So what good does living do me? by bookie

The NYC no wave scene delivered its fiercest shot of volition yet with the existential arrival of Bookie’s So what good does living do me?. While some will see nothing but dejection in that title, others will recognise a fair philosophical enquiry. If you fall into that latter camp, the hardcore LP, comprising nine distortion-heavy tracks that reach the epitome of guttural vindication, will hand you a form of catharsis that only comes from admitting that existence feels a lot like wading through psychological squalor.

The filthy yet efficaciously adrenalising production mirrors how dank reality can be if you rip away the façade holding society together. Each track gives you a new lens to peer into the void of modern life as the barrage of instrumentation and the off-kilter chameleonic vocals howl into the carnage. Not only did Bookie deliver the same authenticity as early hardcore pioneers in the vein of Napalm Death, they did it with conceptual depth, mind-twisting samples and sheer inhibition that loosens the knots of their rhythms.

Bookie formed in New York as a hardcore unit built around Gavin Hughes, Niko Hasapopoulos and Scott Chupp. The LP came to life through a self-released process, recorded and engineered by Jack Lynch at Pottawatomie Creek, with the mixing and mastering shaped by Niko Hasapopoulos. You can hear the hands-on approach in the rawness that spills through the record. Nothing feels over-tailored. It sounds like three artists making the kind of noise that keeps them sane while outlining a worldview many listeners quietly share. It is an LP for anyone who has stared at the state of the world and thought the same question the title poses.

So what good does living do me? is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Bandcamp. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Max Diaz Sharpened the Needles of Sanity with CBT’s Frenzied Alt-Punk Whiplash

Posted on 18 May 2025

While most new artists who appear on my radar disappear into the ether of my memory almost instantaneously, I can still recall the exhilarated, ‘What is THIS?!’ moment listening to the sophomore LP METATONIA from Max Diaz. His latest rancorously kinetic track, CBT, digs into the volition of hardcore punk and tempers it with snarling, scuzzed, relentlessly rhythmic alt-rock.

If you step into the pit while this track is played live, you’d better hope there’s an ambulance outside. It’s an annihilation; the absolute epitome of cataclysmic catharsis as it screams through the frustration of being affronted with a medical system that’s in no way equipped to deal with the mental fallout of existing within a mind-twisting society. As a therapeutic tool, CBT may not help, but my fucking god, as a track, it slaps the disorder and disdain right out of your synapses.

Spitting fury from the cross-section of realism and nihilism, Diaz has garnered reverence by rupturing expectations with an unpredictable sonic signature that never stays shackled for long but always retains its cerebrally sardonic sting. Fresh off a sold-out 40-date North American tour and already primed to headline the Bullseye Tour this summer, Diaz’s DIY ethos doesn’t waver under the pressure of a growing spotlight. Before he hit the coast-to-coast grind, he was already commanding festival stages across Texas, colliding hardcore with alt-rock on his own terms.

CBT is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Toronto’s Premier Alt-Rock Outfit NAKEDBURN Entered the Post-Hardcore Pantheon with ‘Jaded’ ft Liam Cormier

Posted on 29 November 2024
NAKEDBURN

Electrifyingly frenetic emo-rock furore pierces and pulsates through the latest sonic juggernaut from Toronto’s premier post-hardcore outfit, NAKEDBURN.

‘Jaded’ featuring Liam Cormier is enough to put the generalisation that Canadians are placid to perpetual rest; the onslaught of intensity starts with an intro which wouldn’t be out of place on a Rocket From the Crypt LP before NAKEDBURN intravenously injects modernistic hypersonic power into the Post-Hardcore installation of angst that any fans of Dillinger Escape Plan will want to devour.

As a precursor to their debut EP, Drowning, which is set for release in early 2025, Jaded is a blistering statement of intent from a powerhouse that will show the alt-rock scene no mercy as they prepare to enter the post-hardcore pantheon.

Jaded will storm the airwaves on November 29th; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

For more ways to listen and connect with NAKEDBURN, visit the band’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Head Wound annihilated the airwaves with their electro-punk hit, D.B.V.T.Y

Posted on 24 November 2024

On November 15th, Head Wound stormed the alt-punk scene with their joint EP with the local act Soft Exit. Head Wound’s contribution to the Split EP will undoubtedly cause plenty of people to check if Mike Patton has spawned another moniker.

The frenetically electric opening track, D.B.V.T.Y, is a rollercoaster of transgressions, from the seductive electronic opening salvo which throws back to the salacious appeal of Alec Empire to the prowling basslines that echo Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster to the Fantomas-esque outburst of sheer insanity which chews up typical time signatures and spits them out as relentless attacks of glitchy garage punk.

As the ferocious synthesis of punk, post-hardcore and math rock veers to its outro, you realise you never knew the true definition of aural intensity until you witnessed the juggernautical power of Head Wound. The Kuwait-based powerhouse isn’t just pushing boundaries, they’re launching an all-out assault on them until they’re bruised, broken and barely distinguishable.

Stream D.B.V.T.Y as part of Head Wound’s debut LP on all major platforms, including Spotify, Bandcamp and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Topdown – I Feel Everything: An Intense Alt-Rock Odyssey Through Empathetic Angst

Posted on 17 November 2024

Topdown’s eponymous debut LP is a hit-after-hit tour de rancorously evocative force, starting with the scathed opening salvo, I Feel Everything, which will make a bruisingly vindicating impact on anyone who knows how much of a curse empathy can be.

With frenetic frustration coursing through every hook-decorated progression of volition, I Feel Everything is a candid outpour of the desperation to chemically numb yourself to the weight of the world that bears down on the psyche as it conflates with introspective scars.

It’s impossible not to draw thematic comparisons to Dinosaur Jr’s ‘Feel the Pain’, but there is no refuting that Topdown are blazing their own trail through their eagerly anticipated LP which fuses the ferocity of post-hardcore, the emotive intensity of pop-punk and the aesthetics of 00s rock anthems.

I Feel Everything is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cutting Through Nostalgia: No Edits Ignite Modern Angst in ‘Faulty Intuition’

Posted on 14 November 2024
We All End Up The Same by No Edits

In their latest single, Faulty Intuition, the powerhouse, No Edits, pushes past the boundaries of Seattle’s alt-rock legacy to deliver a visceral post-hardcore anthem, sharp enough to pierce right through the psyche.

With angular riffs that feel more like sonic daggers, this track forges a path unburdened by any homage to the city’s signature sound. Instead, Faulty Intuition lands like a volatile fusion of influences, crafted with an almost calculated abandon that lets it flirt with post-hardcore dissonance while staying grounded in an alt-indie aesthetic.

As a freshly rechristened trio, No Edits—formerly known as Fixtures—make it clear they’re uninterested in nostalgia. They nod to a lineage of greats like Burning Airlines and These Arms Are Snakes, but the group’s energy leans into the future rather than mining the past. The jagged guitar lines and shifting time signatures evoke the genius of Porcupine Tree and the raw force of Alexisonfire, without feeling tethered to any one genre. This sonic experiment channels the modernistic intensity of Royal Blood, creating an angst-driven that straddles chaos and control.

Taken from their debut LP, We All End Up The Same, the track’s dynamic riffing, emotive vocals and blistering rhythm section are primed to resonate with fans who crave immediacy in alt-rock. Faulty Intuition slices through convention, capturing a modern, digitally distorted existential angst that’s less about reviving the past and more about reimagining rock’s present.

Faulty Intuition is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Insomnia – Fleabag: Demonically Distorted No-Wave Grunge

Posted on 15 October 2024

Insomnia’s latest onslaught, ‘Fleabag’, is a ferocious synthesis of no-wave grunge and unrelenting hardcore punk rhythms. The standout on their LP ‘Idiosyncrasy‘, is a caustic celebration of noise, embodying the spirit of grunge pioneers with a fresh, chaotic twist. The guitars screech with electrifying distortion, while hardcore punk drums thrash out a beat that pummels listeners into submission, offering no respite from the band’s sonic fury.

In the eye of this storm are the vocals—raw, unfiltered, and dripping with disdain, they transmit a message of ‘we’re all mad here’ vindication for anyone wrestling with the chaos of the human psyche.

Undeniably, Insomnia, hailing from San Diego, has mastered the art of avant-garde obscurity. With the cultivated approach of Glenn Branca’s compositions fused with the brashy energy of Napalm Death, the breakthrough band injects listenability into their sound while ensuring their deliverances of no-wave are unfeigned, unfiltered and unafraid to descend into the sonic abyss. Imagine what Pavement would sound like if they were demonically possessed and you’ll get an idea of what is in store when you hit play.

Stream the Idiosyncrasy LP in full by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kuwaisiana – Gentrification: A Sonic Molotov Aimed at Cultural Erosion

Posted on 27 September 2024
https://soundcloud.com/kuwaisiana/gentrification-aug-mix/s-GGnNrQ0jOK2?in=kuwaisiana/sets/mishriff-ep//s-hQHummCrWZD

Seattle-based trio Kuwaisiana aren’t pulling any punches with their latest release, ‘Gentrification’. From the opening Arabic howl of angst, the band tears into the cold, clinical destruction of cultural roots with brutal fury. As the track shifts gears into English, it doesn’t lose an ounce of its venom. Instead, it hammers home the visceral reality of gentrification – not as a polite reshuffling, but a full-scale assault on heritage and identity.

The track’s aggressive blend of grunge, hardcore, and post-punk catapults Kuwaisiana to the frontlines of protest music. Forget the half-hearted rage of your typical punk track; this is pure, unadulterated chaos. With riffs that cut like jagged glass and rhythms that hit like a riot, ‘Gentrification’ feels like a sonic Molotov hurled at the forces that reduce communities to dust. The gnarled vocals alone could level cities, calling back to the uncompromising energy of Bad Brains and Dead Kennedys.

The lyrical narrative is equally ferocious, painting a vivid picture of the hollowed-out ruins left by gentrification. The reference to ‘Disneyland nose jobs’ alludes to how Kuwaisiana aren’t just on the money, they’re holding the monopoly in the punk scene.

The haunting opening image sets the tone for a journey through displacement, exclusivity, and transience. +Aziz’s Kuwaiti-American identity bleeds through every note, making the track a gut punch for anyone who’s watched their cultural landscape get obliterated by the greed of the powerful.

Gentrification will reclaim the airwaves when it officially releases on September 27; stream the single on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Suffer The Evenue – Compatible Blood: A Rabid Anthem of Nu-Metal Revival

Posted on 28 June 2024

If you gave Korn’s nu-metal hooks rabies, they still couldn’t come close to the rancorous grooves in Suffer the Evenue’s driven-by-infectious volition anthem, Compatible Blood.

The track broadsides you with hardcore brutalism as the vocals chameleonically prowl between bruising rap verses and Mike Patton-style ferocity, putting the fourpiece at the vanguard of the nu-metal resurgence.

The four-piece may have honed their sound since their last EP, but you’ll still want to give your speakers a tetanus shot after they have slammed out the cataclysmic discordance that will have every alt-90s metal fan kneeling at the mercy of these inexorable antagonists.

Suffer the Evenue has injected their own brand of tensile electricity into the genre, creating a sound that finds a refreshingly chaotic way to pull at the roots of alt-metal nostalgia while implanting something new into the razed ground of the airwaves.

Whether you were in the pits for the first wave of nu-metal or you’re discovering it for the first time, the raw energy and relentlessly aggressive pushing of boundaries in Compatible Blood make it a standout hit in the alt-metal underground.

Compatible Blood is now available to stream on Spotify with Suffer The Evenue’s Vol 2. Superdeader EP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Join Haunting Ghosts in the shadows of their Jungian post-hardcore release, Falling

Posted on 22 May 2024

The evocateurs in NYC’s most cerebral alt post-hardcore outfit, Haunting Ghosts, have written themselves into the legacy of the genre with the heart-in-throat visceralism and stylistically expansive uninhibition caged within their debut LP, Shadow Work, which unnerved the airwaves on May 12th.

Inspired by Carl Jung’s shadow work, the album delves into the labyrinth of the unconscious, unearthing the hidden recesses where repressed desires, fears, and instincts dwell. This journey into the shadow mirrors a fictional protagonist’s descent into darkness, confronting the raw and primal aspects of his psyche. As he traverses this inner abyss, he grapples with his darkest impulses, seeking to embrace and integrate these fragmented parts of his soul. Through this harrowing yet transformative voyage, Haunting Ghosts follows the protagonist as he moves towards self-discovery and wholeness, revealing the profound beauty and strength that arise from confronting inner shadows.

Fans of Motionless in White, Asking Alexandria, and Sleeping With Sirens will instantly feel the efficaciousness of the exhilarant hooks within the standout single, Falling, which carries the quintessential components of post-hardcore within the augmented earworm which defies the genre constraints to occupy unchartered territory. Haunting Ghosts went in for the kill with their technical skill and their ability to reflect the most untamed facets of the human experience to deliver resonance at its rawest.

Stream the Shadow Work LP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast