The top four tracks brand new from the week of September 27-October 3.
Marrow – Cardinals Pride
Canada’s own Cardinals Pride prove why they deserve your attention on this new song, bringing the riffs, the rawness, and the really good music. Marrow comes out of the gates blistering with guitar work on the same level of Every Time I Die, with powerful vocals to match. This is the first full length album featuring a new vocalist Alex after Matt left a year and a half ago. Despite this hiccup, CP are better than ever, ready to take on the world. Lyrically, this song is about standing up for what you believe and not being afraid to speak up about it, Alex says. That’s a strong emotion to write a song about, and the instrumentals match, going from heavy and fast to soft and slow, always naturally. This band is gifted, and are just waiting for the right album to blow them up. Maybe this will be the one.
RIYL: InDirections, Every Time I Die, The Holly Springs Disaster
Colourblind – Movements
Emo is back, and it’s actually good this time. Movements are leading that (black) parade with their great music and lyrics. The chorus really is the best part of this song. Some well-chosen harmonies really add to the melancholic feeling, paired perfectly with the lyrics “Save yourself, I’m not worth the time.” Though at times it can be viewed as cheesy, this is what emo is supposed to be. Lyrics about not fitting in paired with brilliant instrumentals. The guitar work is so subtle and timely, and this is a song where THE BASS ACTUALLY HAS A DIFFERENT PART THAN THE GUITARS THAT IS NOTICEABLE. The bridge brings it home, verging on La Dispute territory while not being quite that annoying. Movements are on the cusp, and I think this album makes them the new leaders of the emo revival. Brace yourselves and grab your eyeliner.
RIYL: Brand New, Balance and Composure, Citizen
Flypaper – My Ticket Home
I’ll be honest, I haven’t really dug the past few singles these guys put out. I wasn’t really looking forward to this album or anything. But then this single dropped, and if there’s more bangers like this on the album, count me in. This song has that 90s grunge music they’ve been going for since their shift in 2013, but it still has the riffs and the heaviness that I loved them for. This song is riff-heavy. The obvious comparison in this song is Deftones, especially in the clean vocals and guitar work, but there’s elements of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and a myriad of Nu-Metal bands, all while infusing some metalcore in there. Like Linkin Park if they didn’t have a rapper and a DJ. This song goes hard, and I really dig it. This song deserves to be played in an arena, with the soft and heavy, the quiet and loud, all with a huge chorus. If it was still the early 2000’s, this song would be on a radio, and I’d be headbanging while my parents question how they raised me.
RIYL: Deftones, Korn, Refused
Window – Sleep On It
Though this will be Sleep On It’s debut full-length, you’d never guess it by how mature and talented this song sounds. They’re bringing that more polished sound of pop-punk, heavy on the pop side, to the scene. It’s verging on the powerpop days of the mid 2000’s neon phase, but not quite as cheesy. The difference between the lead vocalist and the second vocalist adds that section dimension to this band because the two sound so different. This emotional song about the passing of a loved one shows that these guys are more than just a band singing about a girl. They engage with the real emotions, and offer hope in the wake of grief. These guys are poised for a bigger stage, especially with people like Derek of State Champs helping produce their album. Keep your eyes on these guys, and their new album dropping November 3rd.
RIYL: The Maine, Grayscale, In Her Own Words
As always, you can listen to all of the TetraT songs at this playlist here:
Alastair Heinrichs 