A mid-July weekend in the Cotswolds is fast becoming a near-religious experience for thousands of festival-goers. The beautiful Upcote Farm hosts a weekend of chaos known as 2000 Trees Festival (or Trees if you’ve been before), cutting off the real world (in the literal and figurative sense) for punks, indie kids and the hardcore faithful. […]
Photo: Dom Meason (@DOMMEASON)
A mid-July weekend in the Cotswolds is fast becoming a near-religious experience for thousands of festival-goers. The beautiful Upcote Farm hosts a weekend of chaos known as 2000 Trees Festival (or Trees if you’ve been before), cutting off the real world (in the literal and figurative sense) for punks, indie kids and the hardcore faithful.
Read our full review below.
Vinnie Caruana has announced a new EP “Aging Frontman”, which is out on 4th October via Big Scary Monsters. The Movielife frontman has also announced a UK tour and released the first track from the release, “Better”. “This is as personal as I’ve ever been with the listener. The people who listen to my music know […]
Vinnie Caruana has announced a new EP “Aging Frontman”, which is out on 4th October via Big Scary Monsters. The Movielife frontman has also announced a UK tour and released the first track from the release, “Better”.
“This is as personal as I’ve ever been with the listener. The people who listen to my music know me. I’ve personally met most of them at shows and we have a relationship. This is just another layer. I’m still looking for answers. We all are. We have to keep finding the beauty in life, no matter how hard life can sometimes make it for us. I want to keep being the best version of myself until I die.”
The EP was produced and mixed by Brett Romnes and recorded at Barber Shop Studios in New Jersey.
Check out “Better” from the release and his UK dates below.
The Hamburgers were a pop punk band from Appleton, Wisconsin that I recall existing between the years 2004 and 2005. My high school band, Social Classics, often played locally with them at coffee shops and VFW halls; in basements and fast food joint parking lots. For me, at sixteen years old, they filled a void where […]
The Hamburgers were a pop punk band from Appleton, Wisconsin that I recall existing between the years 2004 and 2005. My high school band, Social Classics, often played locally with them at coffee shops and VFW halls; in basements and fast food joint parking lots. For me, at sixteen years old, they filled a void where no energetic, melodic, and slightly juvenile music existed anymore in the Northeast Wisconsin region. They encompassed the idea of fun and did it without an air of pretension. They seemed almost like a cartoon strip in band form and I think managed to make an impression on a lot of young minds in spite of themselves. As the years have passed, Walt and I continue to evolve into such different people, but I still consider him one of my closest friends; a madman at the wheel that somehow manages to continue to steer himself toward his own personal success. He’s released two solo albums on Lagwagon front-man Joey Cape‘s record label One Week Records, crosses the ocean yearly to play for international fans, and finds purpose at home running his own non profit organization dedicated helping animals in need. This weekend, The Hamburgers are reuniting at Appleton, Wisconsin’s Mile Of Music Festival for their first performance in nine years.
-Amos Pitsch, July 2019
Check out Amos and Walt’s interview below!
London’s Break-Ups have sneakily released their self-titled album via Everything Sucks. The album features 11 searing punk rock tracks FFO Gaslight Anthem, The Menzingers and The Attika State. The album’s been in the works for three years and is fresh off the press in a good streaming service near you. Check it out below.
London’s Break-Ups have sneakily released their self-titled album via Everything Sucks. The album features 11 searing punk rock tracks FFO Gaslight Anthem, The Menzingers and The Attika State.
The album’s been in the works for three years and is fresh off the press in a good streaming service near you.
Check it out below. [Read more…]
Joy Opposites are a supremely interesting band, formed after the legendary post-hardcore act FACT disbanded with the only non-Japanese member of the band, Adam Graham, at the helm. Joy Opposites are now down to a two piece, with Imran Saddiqi formerly of The Amity Affliction rounding out the duo. After the incredible Find Hell from […]
Joy Opposites are a supremely interesting band, formed after the legendary post-hardcore act FACT disbanded with the only non-Japanese member of the band, Adam Graham, at the helm. Joy Opposites are now down to a two piece, with Imran Saddiqi formerly of The Amity Affliction rounding out the duo. After the incredible Find Hell from two years ago, new music from the band was certainly an exciting prospect, and now Bad Phase is here.
The EP name came from a discussion the two were having regarding the band, with Imran describing them going through a “Bad Phase.” Despite this, the band kick back into high gear as soon as the EP starts with “Holy Smoke.” The track beeps in with a sense of urgency, a bouncing and rolling electronic section brings us into Adam’s aggressive and frantic delivery. “I don’t think so, I don’t think so,” catches in the mind as the track beats down in-between calmer, brooding segments. There’s even a bit of guitar work towards the end reminiscent of a more post-hardcore sound, mixing quite well with their style.
The synthesizers and programmed drums the band experimented with on Find Hell make their way back in this EP, but they go deeper and explore more with what they can do. The second track, “Bad Phase,” is this dark, sonically ebbing and flowing piece that finds some fantastic earworm moments. The quiet, almost threatening and foreboding whispered lyrics, coming as almost a distant chant, elevate this track to an incredible place. Ending out the original tracks is “Whatevvver.” As the spelling of the track may imply, it has this drawn out style with the vocals that spikes with the guitars. This track feels like something that could have been on Swim, their debut album, though skewed in their new direction more. It’s a good track to space out to, bobbing your head along to the tide of urgency that runs in and out.
Ending the EP are four covers, four tracks that the band considers near their hearts. Covers of “Lovely” by Billie Eilish, “Weeds” by Life in Agony, “Down In A Hole” by Alice in Chains, and “Smoke Signals” by Phoebe Bridgers close out Bad Phase. It’s pretty great to hear Joy Opposites covering artists that have influenced them, and they’re quite competent and interesting takes on them, though they are a bit like a fun filler, with the 3 original tracks at the start coming as the most impressive side of this EP.
Concerning the topic of the tracks, Adam has decided to explore societal issues and the state of the world rather than the deeply personal and mental focus of their previous albums. On this shift Adam had to say: “Lyrically, these songs deal with societal issues more than personal ones. Both of us have been strongly affected by how the world is changing and how things are spiraling out of control… Honestly, it was quite a challenge for me to write about a certain subject rather than about a feeling since my lyrics are generally quite stream-of-consciousness, so this was something new.”
All in all, Bad Phase feels like a stepping stone in a way, but definitely not in a bad way. With the band coming down to two members, and considering their broad appreciation for music and flexible abilities, they’ve felt out a great fluctuation of their Find Hell brilliance to continue experimenting and bringing a dark atmosphere to well built and catchy alternative rock tunes. This release may even be the most post-hardcore leaning of the band’s, mixing the electronica and pounding rock with rises to an almost hardcore peak. Joy Opposites are a band to watch, ever impressing with their sound and style, I’m eagerly awaiting their next full length project in the vein of this EP.
Bad Phase was released on July 10th, via Hostess Entertainment. You can listen to Bad Phase here.
Here’s a treat: some really great straight-forward pop punk out of Belfast the likes of Descendents, Screeching Weasel, and Millencolin. No Matter has a new 8-track EP on the way August 2 via Umlaut Records (their second Umlaut release) and man, is it a smasher! It’s full of witty lyricism, harmonizing vocals and that back-to-basics […]
Here’s a treat: some really great straight-forward pop punk out of Belfast the likes of Descendents, Screeching Weasel, and Millencolin. No Matter has a new 8-track EP on the way August 2 via Umlaut Records (their second Umlaut release) and man, is it a smasher! It’s full of witty lyricism, harmonizing vocals and that back-to-basics no-hesitation punk rock playing that has consistently drawn the faithful back to those three trusty chords. “What’s the point in doing anything if nothing’s worth the while. Is it ok just to crack up when it’s hard to crack a smile?” – That’s just a sample of the ample head-turning smile inducing phrases you may catch yourself repeating throughout the day after listening to this album
Excess Baggage is up for grabs here ,with Cd + T-Shirt bundles available as well. You can stream Excess Baggage in it’s entirety below, two-days early and exclusively on-site for no other reason than that we love you. Excess Baggage is a total banger that’s going to take you on a nice little trip you can listen to on repeat again and again. I don’t want to call this No Matter’s Dookie for fear it might jinx them, but somebody somewhere definitely took a shit and something absolutely beautiful popped out.
Be sure to catch No Matter at Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia which they will be visiting for the second time. Previously, No Matter has also toured Europe, made a stop at Pouzza, and played with Anti Flag, Gnarwolves, RVIVR and D.O.A.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Die A Legend is back after a six-year hiatus that followed the band’s quick rise in the Tromsø Hardcore scene. Their critically-acclaimed 2012 S/T debut launched Die A Legend towards the direction of playing every major Norwegian festival and providing tour support for the likes of Converge as well as Norwegian […]
Earlier this year it was revealed that Die A Legend is back after a six-year hiatus that followed the band’s quick rise in the Tromsø Hardcore scene. Their critically-acclaimed 2012 S/T debut launched Die A Legend towards the direction of playing every major Norwegian festival and providing tour support for the likes of Converge as well as Norwegian Grammy-winning band, The Good The Bad and The Zugly, before they went MIA into the lost oblivion or Valhalla… or community college or whatever.
Well, they’re back, and that’s great news for anybody who likes blistering hardcore punk rock with venom-spitting vocals and mean noisey breakdowns. Their newest release, WINNING, is set for release this September 6 on Loyal Blood Records which promises to be “an awkwardly titled 10-inch audiovisual spectacle” containing “a hardcore and contemporary commentary on the state of things.”
If that’s not enough to get you excited about new Norwegian Hardcore music then check out this quote from the band: “BLOODTHIRST is the second single off our new ten inch release titled WINNING, and it’s a blatant burst of hardcore energy. A contemplation on vengeful emotions – the track embodies our firm roots in both hardcore punk and post-hardcore and is a vibrant precursor of things to come.”
Guess who’s got it! Die A Legend is streaming Bloodthirst for you here first at Dying Scene. Give that track a listen below, and order the new shizzz here.
Hans Gruber and the Die Hards are streaming their new song “Furbaby,” which comes from their upcoming album Hans Gruber and the Die Hards 2, which will be released later this year on Paper + Plastick Records. It is the follow up to their self-titled 2017 debut. You can give the song a listen below.
Hans Gruber and the Die Hards are streaming their new song “Furbaby,” which comes from their upcoming album Hans Gruber and the Die Hards 2, which will be released later this year on Paper + Plastick Records. It is the follow up to their self-titled 2017 debut.
You can give the song a listen below.
Serbian gruff pop punks Shoplifters are to release their new album Secret Free World via White Russian Records on August 16th. Pre-orders are up on Bandcamp now, with advance track “Everybody’s Nobody’s Fool” available for streaming. Have a listen below.
Serbian gruff pop punks Shoplifters are to release their new album Secret Free World via White Russian Records on August 16th.
Pre-orders are up on Bandcamp now, with advance track “Everybody’s Nobody’s Fool” available for streaming. Have a listen below.
New Jersey punk act The Cryptkeeper Five have released a cover of the Fugazi classic “Waiting Room”. They’ve released the track now on Spotify. You can have a listen below.
New Jersey punk act The Cryptkeeper Five have released a cover of the Fugazi classic “Waiting Room”. They’ve released the track now on Spotify.
You can have a listen below.
