Cloud Rat – Pollinator

Matt MacLennan
Reviews
If someone were to force Cloud Rat into pop-culture comparisons, the resulting list would have to include the likes of Deafheaven, Wormrot, Mayhem, and Foo Fighters. That's a lot to take in, and even more to pi... Read More...

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Tap Into Public Policy’s Human Resource

Eden Kupermintz
News
Almost three years ago, we clued you in to a band called A Troop of Echoes, trading in the a noisy kind of post rock that was immediately appealing and engaging. Now, we're back with news from members of that ensemble and another project of theirs, namely Public Policy. This time around, the lads have turned up the noise rock influences, added in a dash of early Foo Fighters vibe, a vocalist and plenty of fuzzy and produced Human Resource, a bouncy and raucous album. It explores the spaces between pop sludge, noise and post-hardcore to an admirable degree, never forgetting to set its sights on approachable and enjoyable music. We're streaming it in full just below so get on it!

Release Day Roundup – 9/15/17

Nick Cusworth
Release Day Roundup
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 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!

Comeback Kid – Outsider

Bill Fetty
Reviews
The thing about old hardcore bands is that they kind of never really die. There is inevitably some festival or other, especially these days, that will invite X or Y legendary hardcore band to get the kids to circle pit and stage-dive one more time all while pointing to the sky and shouting along unintelligibly to, usually, lyrics about how important it is to stand on your own two feet, rise above some aspect or another of society, and be true to yourself. There is a reason for this, though, and it’s because of a certain timelessness to the cliches that present themselves in what we think of when we call something “hardcore”.