Release Roundup: 3/27/26

Top Pick?

Don Broco – Nightmare Tripping (nu alt/pop-metal)

Just because Nightmare Tripping isn't the nu metal banger of 2026 that I had hoped it would be doesn't mean it doesn't still contain all of them anyway. When British genre-benders Don Broco announced their return with the video for "Cellophane" it suggested two things: that they'd continued the trajectory of only becoming heavier as they become more popular, and that they're really be leaning into the nu metal vibe that had been bubbling under the surface of their previous releases. Both of these things are true. ...to a degree.

As its title suggests, Nightmare Tripping is the darkest Don Broco release to date. Along with "Cellophane", the Nickelback-featuring title track might just be their heaviest song yet, starting off sounding like early System of a Down by way of Limp Bizkit, before its overwrought, Chad Kroeger-led chorus comes crashing in out of left field and you get a voiceover on the breakdown section that sounds like it's right out of the Where's Wally cartoon theme. It's an abrupt change to be sure, but the chorus itself is both huge and memorable, and ultimately makes for one of the more successful and daring moments on the record. "Euphoria Live Forever" is another, more conventional, highlight, which sounds like something Issues might have come up with, and sees them making the most of their secret weapon, bassist Tom Doyle's surprisingly understated talents, while also cheekily lifting the iconic drum fill from Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight". "Swimming Pools" is cool brooding, dark dance track, though it feels somewhat out of place at the end of the record, rather than setting the tone for what's to come.

While these tracks are strong enough to stand alongside similarly standout cuts from their preceding albums, there are also a lot of of times on Nightmare Tripping where Don Broco sound somewhat unsure of themselves. It's an odd fit for the uber-confident, braggadocios band, but they spoke about struggling to finish the album when I saw them live in Melbourne late last year, and listening to it now I get the feeling that some of the songs on this record were a bit of a struggle to get out, if not exactly uninspired. None of the songs are particularly bad, but a lot of them fall pretty flat, especially compared to Don Broco's previous triumphs. Perhaps most disappointing is that the tantalising build-up at the end of "Cellophane" simply leads into already-released single "Disappear", which—while built around an underlying, drum and distorted bass throb and climaxes big breakdown—is unfortunately much more on the Love Island side of things, and something the Callous Daoboys did it a lot better on their latest record. While one of Don Broco's greatest strengths has been the breadth and aplomb with which they mix disparate styles, here they are consistently at their best when they lean into the more energetic, nu metal-drenched side of their sound, and it's tempting to wonder what a whole album of "dumb broco" might have sounded like.

Similarly, while their previous two records have been brimming with originality, some of the songs feel like retreads or only minor iterations on previously-explored templates. As enjoyable as it is, it's also easy to write off "Hype Man" is "Gumshield Part 2" and, again, feels oddly placed so late in the record—especially with only the somber "Corner" to come, ending the album in oddly uneventful fashion. Likewise, "Ghost in the Night" feels like a superfluous second take on the "Minerva" formula they previously perfected with "One True Prince" playbook, and "Summersaults" sounds like it could have been written by any of the Deftones-aping artists currently littering the alt-metal landscape and doesn't go nearly as far as the similarly sounding "Swimwear Season" from their previous record. "True Believers" also sounds a lot like like "Bruce Willis", but with a momentum-sapping indie rock build-up in the middle, before Architects' Sam Carter comes in with his trademark "Blegh!"—it's a promising collaboration, but one that probably could have been deployed a lot more effectively.

It's perhaps unfair to begrudge Don Broco for settling into a comfortable, even trademark sound after two records whose tracks don't really sound anything like each other, let alone anyone else. At the same time though, they often sound like they're more in need of a hype man than their gumshields on this album, and also surprisingly tentative to dive headfirst into the confronting nu metal sound that obviously suits them so well.