Editor’s Note: Do you think we “missed” an album this week? Click here.
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure trove, others find themselves drawing a blank at the end of the month due to the breakneck pace needed to keep up to date with what’s been released. Which brings us to this Heavy Blog PSA: a weekly roundup of new albums which pares down the week’s releases to only our highest recommendations. Here you’ll find full album/single streams, pre-order links and, most importantly, a collection of albums that could very well earn a spot on your year-end list. Enjoy!
Top Picks
Wormrot – Hiss (grindcore)
You don’t see many grindcore bands shaking up the genre’s tried-and-true formula, which is why Voices (2016) came as such a pleasant surprise. After two albums of blistering, crusty grind, Wormrot returned from a 5-year hiatus to deliver a collection of tracks that were frequently melodic and downright…catchy? They didn’t quite usher in a new era of “melodeathgrind,” but the prominent themes of emoviolence and melodic hardcore further enhanced the band’s take on grind. Now, after another decent hiatus, the band are back with a continuation of that sound, and I’m stoked to strap in for another 20+ song helping of among the best contemporary grind has to offer.
See Also: Party Dozen – The Real Work; A couple years ago, this duo dropped one of the most left field, exceptional “jazz-ish” releases in recent memory. Pray For Party Dozen caught me off guard in the best way possible, as saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet unleashed noisy-yet-catchy blasts of avant-garde goodness. Now they’re back with their well-deserved debut on Temporary Residence Ltd., which I’m stoked to dive into today.
See Also, Also: Viagra Boys – Cave World (post-punk, dance-punk); One of the best named bands in post-punk is back. While Viagra Boys dropped an absolute banger with Welfare Jazz in 2021, they had the unfortunate timing of releasing an oddball rock/punk record the same year as Black Midi, Iceage, and Black Country, New Road (shoutout to Horsey and Squid, too). Hopefully Cave World is just as good as Welfare Jazz and earns Viagra Boys some well-deserved attention.
–Scott