Upset, April 2021

** Plus ** Future Teens Closer Never Not Nothing SKEGSS Static Dress Touché Amore + loads more

upsetmagazine.com

Electric Century Jetty Bones

Citizen

SAY HI TO THE FUTURE OF POP PUNK

APRIL 2021 Issue 64

RIOT 4. CITIZEN 8. NEVER NOT NOTHING 10. SKEGSS 12. THE BLUE STONES 14. CLOSER 18. ADULT MOM ABOUT TO BREAK 20. STATIC DRESS FEATURES 24. MEET ME @ THE ALTAR 32. ELECTRIC CENTURY 36. JETTY BONES 40. FUTURE TEENS REVIEWS 44. EVANESCENCE TEENAGE KICKS 46. TOUCHÉ AMORÉ

Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alexander Bradley, Edie McQueen, Jasleen Dhindsa, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Phoebe De Angelis, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin, Tyler Damara Kelly Snappers Adam Parshall, Daniel Dorsa, David Herington, Lindsey Byrnes, Mary Boo, Michał Urbańczyk, Olli Appleyard, Sameer Jafar, Tom Barnes P U B L I S H E D F RO M

W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M U N I T 10, 23 G RA N G E RO A D, H A S T I N G S, T N34 2R L

All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.

HELLO. For the longest time, pop punk has been somewhat of a divisive art form.

The music so many of us grew up on, during those halcyon days it spawned some of the most iconic bands in recent memory. While so many have them have faded away, or evolved into something new, it’s hard not to hold on to the embers of nostalgia for the music of a genre that defined so much.

Meet Me @ The Altar are a band to turn all of that on its head. Pulling on the strings of those beloved acts, they feel like a fresh, positive force for a scene that’s in some severe need of something to believe in. The kind of people who

will have you rooting for them based on their can-do, positive personality alone, the fact their earliest offerings have that magic sparkle to them only adds to the magic. If rock music is to move forward, it’s bands like MM@TA that will lead the way. We’re delighted to welcome them to their first Upset cover. Hopefully, it won’t be the last.

S tephen

Editor / @stephenackroyd Upset 3

Riot_ EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK

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THIS MONTH IN ROCK

How do you build on a debut album that scored a Number 2 spot in your home-country’s album chart? Australian punks SKEGSS are finding out. p.10

Screamo from the East Coast of America, Closer are a cult band in the making. p.14

Adult Mom reveals some behindthe-scenes titbits from their new dealing-with-your-twenties album, ‘Driver’. p.18

“IT WAS TIME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW”

Toledo-based trio Citizen have stepped into 2021 sounding more assured than ever before; their new album ‘Life In Your Glass World’ a lesson in ambition, and trusting your instincts.

Words: Linsey Teggert.

“T

his record is about reclaiming control; it’s us venting our frustrations.”

Citizen vocalist Mat Kerekes is discussing the Toledo, Ohiobased three-piece’s decision to take full ownership of their creative destiny for their fourth full-length, ‘Life In Your Glass World’.

“People tend to expect a lot out of you, but also at the same time, you have to do exactly what they want you to do, which is frustrating when you’re always on tour, and the people that are sitting behind desks are yelling at you to do more. You kind of accept being pushed around for a little bit, but when you take a step back you think, wait, I’m the product here, I’m the one that is providing you all with this, and for some reason I’m lesser than you?

Urm, no.”

For Citizen, the solution to that feeling of being powerless was to become fully self-sufficient. With the help of his brother, Mat built a studio in his garage, allowing the band to take charge of every step of the albummaking process. The convenience of having a home studio also allowed the band more time to flesh out their ideas, rather than “hauling ass for 6 weeks”, as Mat puts it, in a professional studio.

“If we didn’t feel like recording, we’d leave it and come back to it. We started recording in the first week of December 2019 and didn’t finish until March 2020. When you’re doing something creative, as long as it’s flowing and feels good, it’s probably going to turn out to be something you’re proud of, but if you’re pushing and pushing and seeing it as a job, then it becomes less fun. If it took months to record with us stopping and starting,

that’s just the way it is; who really cares?”

‘Life In Your Glass World’ is the first Citizen record that wasn’t recorded with producer Will Yip, who is known for his work with alternative artists such as Tigers Jaw, Title Fight and The Wonder Years, to name but a few. Mat insists there’s no personal beef and that it was all part of Citizen’s desire to own all aspects of the record. “It was time to try something new, this time it was about us trusting our guts.

Sometimes when you’re doing the same thing all the time, you just want something new and fresh, and it felt good to be in a new environment.”

This self-sufficient approach to recording seems like the logical next step for a band who have always been unwilling to compromise when it comes to their sound. Citizen have always refused to be defined Upset 5

Riot_ by genre, following their instincts rather than other people’s expectations. This has seen them exploring a vast sonic landscape as they have evolved, from the post-hardcore and emo leanings of debut ‘Youth’, to the grungy noise-rock moments of ‘Everybody Is Going To Heaven.’ 2017’s ‘As You Please’ saw Citizen tread further into anthemic indie and pop territory, while still maintaining a sound that is unmistakably theirs. Unsurprisingly, this genre-hopping has polarised opinion along the way, though Mat remains steadfastly unapologetic.

“People like a certain version of you, and they just want that over and over again. At the end of the day, you get older, your influences change, and you’re also not the same person. It’s easy to pander to people and be accepted rather than take creative risks and do what you want to do and not be accepted. Citizen has always been a band where we grow the way we want to grow, whether a certain demographic likes that or not.

“I think a lot of people feel ownership over artists and bands when it’s really not their place. If you don’t like the new record, go listen to another one. Go listen to a different band; it’s totally fine. While it’s a wonderful thing that people really support the band, and I truly appreciate it, you make music for personal satisfaction.

If the band ended tomorrow because no one liked the new record, well... I like the new record.”

Of course, there will always be the naysayers, but with ‘Life In Your Glass World’, Citizen have created the most wonderfully liberating and dynamic record of their existence thus far. While ‘As You Please’ hinted at a poppier sound, ‘Life In Your Glass World’ takes this groove and runs with it to explosive effect.

Look no further than comeback single ‘I Want To Kill You’ for 6 Upset

“IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE NEW RECORD, GO LISTEN TO A DIFFERENT BAND; IT’S TOTALLY FINE” MAT KEREKES

evidence: a punchy and defiant return if there ever was one.

Second single ‘Blue Sunday’ is irresistibly slinky with hazy synths, and this rhythmic, beat-driven approach is on display throughout the rest of the record. The huge guitars and sing-along choruses are still there, just wrapped in danceable energy.

“The focus on rhythm was a very conscious decision,” explains Mat. “A lot of the music we were listening to was more upbeat, whereas Citizen has been known for being a notoriously mid-tempo band and kind of droney. So instead of writing with an acoustic guitar, I’d pull up a BPM and write a drum line first, a drum line I wouldn’t normally write to, then we would force ourselves to write to this new pacing. I didn’t want busy rock drums with big fills, I wanted to almost emulate the feel of a drum machine flowing and driving the song.”

Despite it being Citizen’s most upbeat record to date, Mat and his fellow band members, guitarist Nick Hamm and bassist Eric Hamm have stated that lyrically, it’s perhaps their angriest yet, though Mat points out that ‘I Want To Kill You’ is not a threat aimed at anyone in particular but something he named the original demo for a joke and it stuck.

“It’s funny because there’s never any discussion before any record about lyrical content - everybody trusts me to say whatever I want to say. But by the end of the ‘As You Please’

touring cycle, there was a collective feeling of being pretty burnt out and frustrated about a lot of things, and I started writing songs about that. It’s definitely an angrier record in terms of lyrics; it’s very straightforward and not too cryptic or introspective or anything like what I usually do.”

Listening to the lyrics of ‘I Want To Kill You’, as Mat acerbically spits ‘I’ll keep it coming if you want some more, I’ll keep on running, but it gets so tiring,” it certainly seems he is alluding to feeling sick and tired of being seen as a commodity.

This sense of disillusionment seems to creep into several of Mat’s comments. How does he combat that feeling?

“Time, it’s just about taking time. I was so tired of touring, so tired of being told what to do by everybody, and it was really frustrating; we went home, and I started doing other things and didn’t think about music for a while, then one day I felt like writing a song, and then, boom, I started writing more songs because I felt excited again.

After that none-stop touring cycle, it felt like the band was going to break up at one point because we were all just so over it. Music is something we really enjoy doing, and that’s never going to really change unless it starts to feel like a job, and it was starting to feel like a job.

Time is the best way to remedy that, so you can take a step back, and it becomes fun again.”

P Citizen’s album ‘Life In Your Glass World’ is out 26th March.

Download 2021 has been pushed back a year due to the ongoing restrictions surrounding COVID-19. The Donington Park event will now return on 10th-12th June 2022, with headline sets from KISS, Iron Maiden and recent Upset cover stars, Biffy Clyro.

Creeper have rescheduled their upcoming headline tour.

The band were set to perform around the UK throughout August 2020 in support of their latest album ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’, then it was set for March, and now it’s moved again to December - kicking off on the 15th at the Forum in London.

Manchester Orchestra have announced their new album: ‘The Million Masks of God’ is set for release on 30th April via Loma Vista Recordings.

It focuses on “the highs and lows of life and exploring what could possibly come next,” says Andy Hull.

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“WE’RE CONSTANTLY EXPERIMENTING”

F

ollowing the recent-ish release of their self-titled debut album, Never Not Nothing have cracked on with an interesting new project, kickstarting a series of EPs full of experimentation and new ideas. One half of the duo, Space tells us more about what they’re up to.

Hi Space, how’s it going?

Hey Upset! It’s going okay.

We’re staying busy in the studio, making things and inventing ways to continue being artists through a global pandemic.

Your new EP series sounds fun - where did the idea come from?

The Art Ritual EPs actually came from a lyric from our song ‘Me.TV’: “Make art like a ritual”. We wanted to do a series of short-format releases which embodied this line. Rituals at their most subversive are often about regaining a sense of control and agency from the ruling classes.

We wanted to make a start on manifesting a future we would like to inhabit.

One with empathy and altruism at the core of our culture. We also wanted the freedom to experiment musically before finishing our second album.

Is the first EP already done and dusted, or is there still more to do?

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“WE WANTED TO MAKE A START ON MANIFESTING A FUTURE WE WOULD LIKE TO INHABIT” SPACE

The first EP is completely finished and ready for your ears. We are now hard at work finishing the second Art Ritual instalment.

What kind of experimenting have you been doing?

We have been allowing ourselves to treat each song as a work in its own right. Following the song to conclusion before moving on. This has led us down different paths, sonically and stylistically. Then there is constant usual studio experimentation. Plugging that into that, sampling that and reamping through this, sticking a mic there and singing like a pygmy choir.

In all seriousness, we are constantly experimenting with our songwriting and production. Seeing how much or little we can get away with as a two-piece.

Has your work so far

helped inform what you want your next album to sound like?

Yeah, we like to build our own language and culture into the vibe. Though what we have done so far may also define how the album won’t sound. There is a constant temptation to rebel against your last work. For us, it tends to be a constant tussle between our optimism and despair.

Should really try to level out! Haha!

When do you think the second EP of the series will arrive?

We will start revealing the songs from the second EP right after the first. They are really serving as a yellow brick road bridging the first and second record.

How have you found creating during the pandemic, has it impacted you much?

Ironically it has been

hard finding a mental and physical space to be able to create. Space is something that we’ve all come to cherish over the last year.

The uncertainty, change and challenges this end have been pretty constant.

But we are determined to use our creativity for positive ends.

You’ve been working on a film score for The Owners too, right? Can you tell us a bit about that project?

That was such a fun and intense experience. We isolated ourselves in a really remote barn in Dartmoor for two weeks to compose the score. Pretty much only seeing other humans on screen. The film has a small cast and is set in an isolated house, so it felt right. We always like to push things to the nth degree. We call it method music!

What else do you have coming up?

We have developed a socially-distanced show called Sonic Shock Therapy which is kind of wild. As soon as the world allows it, we are hoping to send it out to connect with people.

We are also collaborating with lots of visual artists to create works to raise money for small regional charities and causes. P Never Not Nothing’s ‘Art Ritual 001 EP’ is coming soon.

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Photo: Tom Barnes.

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WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP

How do you build on a debut album that scored a Number 2 spot in your homecountry’s album chart? Australian punks SKEGSS are finding out.

A

ussie surf-punks SKEGSS have a bit of a task on their hands when it comes to following up their debut album ‘My Own Mess’.

Released back in 2018, it peaked at Number 2 in their country’s album chart after building a swell of nationwide support. Jonny Lani (drums) introduces their second full-length, ‘Rehearsal’.

Is Australia doing ok at the moment? What’s your dayto-day like mid-pandemic?

Everything’s pretty well under control at the moment. Living in a small town, away from the city, if you don’t check in on the news you would hardly know the pandemic is happening.

Guess we are pretty lucky over here compared to some countries.

Day to day, I have just been doing a little stone work here and there. I was a stonemason before the band, so I’ve been getting back into a little bit of that.

Going to the pub, cooking lots of BBQs, haha.

Has it impacted the process of putting

Photo: David Herington.

“YA DON’T REALLY WANT TO BE RELEASING AN ALBUM AND NOT BE ABLE TO TOUR IT” JONNY LANI

together your new album much?

Not really, we finished recording in January last year, so shit hadn’t really hit the fan yet. It’s had more of an impact on release dates and planning touring, though. Ya don’t really want to be releasing an album and not be able to tour it.

Looks like we will hopefully be able to get something going in Australia at least by mid-year.

What did you set out to do when you started work on ‘Rehearsal’? Did you have any specific goals?

Nothing too specific; we knew we were going to live record a lot of it, so we

did a fair bit of practice before actually going into the studio. We wanted it to sound good; that’s a goal, I guess, haha.

How quickly do you guys put songs together? Do they come easily, or do you spend ages agonising over them?

Benny [Reed] writes most of the songs; he usually works on them over a fairly long time, then sends iPhone recordings so we can learn them and usually demo them again and go from there. Once they are at the demo with the whole band, we usually don’t agonise over them too much. It’s good having demos and

just listening to them a lot; it gives you an idea of any changes that need to be made.

Were there any lessons you learnt from your debut that came in handy?

Not too much; the process was pretty much the same, it was the same studio too, so it all felt pretty familiar.

Personally, I practised a lot more before the second album. Didn’t want to waste everyone’s time doing thousands of drum takes.

Still ended up doing a fair few though.

‘My Own Mess’ obviously charted really well in Australia, what was the impact of that? Did it spark any unexpected opportunities?

We got a gold record in a frame for one of the singles; it looks pretty cool. Still not 100% sure what a gold record means or how exactly ya get one.

If you end up at Number 1 this time, what will you do to celebrate?

Coupla beers for sure! P SKEGSS’ album ‘Rehearsal’ is out 26th March.

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Photo: Sameer Jafar.

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THE BLUE STONES TRACK x TRACK

‘HIDDEN GEMS’

Canadian alt-rock duo The Blue Stones are back with their second album, ‘Hidden Gems’.

It’s a record that sees them explore personal topics like insecurities, relationships and addiction, via songs influenced by both their time on the road, and wanting to make a step up. And cowbell, obviously.

LIGHTS ON Felt that it was fitting to open the album up with this one. So many people want to be everything but themselves nowadays. It’s like they’re afraid of a harsh light exposing all of their short-comings or insecurities and cherry-pick which aspects of their life they display to everyone else. It’s normal, but it’s not the whole truth. ‘Lights On’ is about not being afraid of the spotlight - imperfections, demons and all. It’s about the liberating feeling of having nothing to hide anymore.

SHAKIN’ OFF THE RUST Admittedly, there were times where we got caught up in the “sophomore slump” anxiety. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to put out material that was as good, or better than our

debut. Luckily, ‘Shakin’’ dawned on me one day, and may have been one of the most natural songs I’ve ever written. I think no matter what “slump” you’re going through, whether it’s personal or creative, you’ll find your confidence and come through with something great. In my case, it was simply a product of sticking with it, and trusting the process.

ONE BY ONE A song about getting caught up in an addictive cycle: it’s too good to break, but it tears you apart from within. I think a lot of people associate addiction with a substance, but addiction can form to a process or a person. The feeling of reaching for an outstretched hand, and it only ends up pulling you down deeper.

CARELESS We were a little hesitant to include this song in the album. It was so different to anything we had recorded or released before. When our fanbase first heard this song, we saw that it was a little polarising, but we expected that to happen. ‘Careless’ has a lot of my musical DNA within it; being a big fan of RnB, Pop and Hip-Hop. We needed to showcase that we were more than just a genre, or a single lane of music. We make music that we enjoy.

Lyrically, it’s about a love

affair that is very wrong, but although you’re aware of that, it doesn’t matter to you.

GRIM I think if anyone was unfamiliar with our band, and were to ask me, “What should I listen to first?” I’d recommend this song. Raw, unabashed music and lyrics speaking to your inner ego.

This song is about not giving a fuck whether you’re the bad or good guy because they’re going to like you anyway. The entire world could collapse around you, and you’d be fine.

LET IT RIDE This song has cowbell in it.

I don’t really know how else to promote it other than saying it has cowbell in it.

We set out to record a 2021 rock anthem, and feel ‘Let It Ride’ fits the bill. Reminiscing of time on the road; missing home while still yearning to roam free.

L.A AFTERLIFE We were sound-checking at Brussels’ Le Botanique during our European tour in late 2019. We started messing around with a riff that had some serious bounce. Luckily, I ended up capturing it all on the audio recorder app in my iPhone.

That same recording made it onto the eventual track that is ‘L.A. Afterlife’, add some beautiful Paul Meany production and a few hours

of solid performances, and we had a vibey track we were confident in. Lyrically, I was inspired by Jay-Z’s ‘03 ‘Bonnie & Clyde’. Criminals, in love, and on the run.

SPIRIT Our rock and roll roots really came out on this one.

‘Spirit’ is an energetic take on wanting some goddamn time to yourself. It’s dark, and aggressive, and touches on themes of self-inflicted loneliness and imposter syndrome. Apart from the grisly details, we’d sincerely hope you’d play it very loud and headbang.

MAKE THIS EASY It’s hard to take the first step in any break-up, but, unfortunately, someone has to do it. This song is about cutting the cord, recognising that there are irreconcilable differences and taking the leap on behalf of a more indecisive party.

OCEANS I’d like to think that love can last over long-distances, but most of the time, that’s just not the case. ‘Oceans’ is a song inspired by anyone who’s experienced the difficulties of maintaining passion from a distance.

Wrote this song while in Miami, FL. Fun city. P The Blue Stones’ album ‘Hidden Gems’ is out 19th March.

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ONE

STEP CLOSER CLOSER CLOSER Screamo from the East Coast of America, Closer are a cult band in the making.

Words: Rob Mair. Photos: Michał Urbańczyk, Mary Boo.

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“I

‘ve been trying to write the perfect pop record for the last 14 years. I’ve not yet succeeded, but the next Closer record will be Taylor Swift quality,” laughs Closer’s guitarist Matthew Van Asselt.

It feels a lofty claim from the songwriter, especially when his bandmates take great delight in discussing their lack of choruses or whether they should leak the ‘pop mix’ of second album, ‘Within One Stem’.

But, while they joke about their pop credentials, there is an undeniable love of melody that finds its way insidiously into the group’s

from a band whose members include acclaimed artists and poets. Reference points abound, particularly from the world(s) of science fiction, including ‘Alien’, ‘The Expanse’ and ‘Blade Runner 2049’.

For example, take the line “Hold us up / A two-body problem” from ‘Pawning A Laugh’. On the one hand, it ties into a principal of astrophysics and is a play on the title of the science-fiction novel ‘The Three-Body Problem’ by Chinese author Liu Cixin. More tellingly, it’s a nickname given to a 1930s strike in a Michigan car factory, where workers took two body moulds of the cars to prevent production.

“THE NEXT CLOSER RECORD WILL BE TAYLOR SWIFT QUALITY” MATTHEW VAN ASSELT

work, softening the abrasive post-hardcore edges. The hooks may be twisted and rusty, but they serve as an appropriate gateway to Closer’s dense postmodern screamo.

And, although Matthew may strive to make the perfect pop record, it’s unlikely he’ll ever be involved in a project where quite so much care is taken over its output. You see, Closer – completed by vocalist/ drummer Ryann Slauson and bassist Griffin Irvine – are a band that revel in subtext.

On ‘Within One Stem’, the group have delivered a masterpiece of misdirection and allegory, where every lyric could have a double or triple meaning. In short, it’s just what you’d expect 16 Upset

The fallout from the protest led to the unionisation of the United States automobile industry.

Committed anti-fascists, Closer want to ensure all these ideas – the subtext behind science fiction and the blurring lines between the personal and political – flow through the narrative.

Unsurprisingly, these themes are so dense and interlinked that lyricists Ryann and Griffin are producing an annotated lyric ‘zine, which will dig into the meaning behind the songs. Promising extensive footnotes and endnotes, as well as a comprehensive discussion of all the supplementary materials that helped flesh out the ideas on ‘Within One Stem’,

it will provide a fascinating insight into the machinations of a beautifully unique act.

“I feel like doing that has really helped me think about the content of the lyrics, and how you can view it through another lens, so really diving deep into what we wrote,” says Ryann.

“I think, also, there’s the idea that science fiction isn’t really about the future or other worlds,” continues Griffin. “It’s about how we interpret the world we live in and how we feel. It’s a different epistemological approach to understanding what it means to be alive in the present, or what it was like to be alive when it was written.”

Such dedication to the craft is emphasised by the

inspiration they’ve taken from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel ‘Pale Fire’ – part of which was used in ‘Blade Runner 2049’ to check the emotional baseline of Ryan Gosling’s character, ‘K’.

At this point, it’s pertinent to explore the concept of ‘Pale Fire’. A landmark of postmodern literature, it is a novel based around a poem written by the fictitious writer John Shade, and the editor’s notes made by his equally fictional colleague, Charles Kinbote.

Fittingly, it means much of the narrative takes place in footnotes and endnotes, with the onus on the reader to figure out what’s going on.

It feels suitably meta – and appropriately postmodern – when set against Closer’s

plan for an annotated lyric ‘zine, where the idea of politics and society can be explored in the margins of the songs.

Not that Closer haven’t always had this political edge, more they’re now looking to explore it in much more subtle and interesting ways: “I always look back to this lyric on ‘Dust’ from the first album [2018’s ‘All This Will Be’] – ‘Let the dust from your goldmine choke you’.

To me, that’s very political,” says Ryann. “And I thought, ‘OK, I want to write more like that, but in a softer, more didactic way’. So, several of the songs on this record are just pointing things out or questioning things.

“These questions,

they’re not directed to a single person or group of people, but to the void: ‘Who has the power?’, ‘Who is deciding this?’, ‘Who is more important, and why?’”

“It has to have enough going on that it refracts properly,” says Griffin.

“Otherwise, it’s like looking through a window compared to looking through a kaleidoscope. You can see very clearly through a window – but what can you see? Here’s the party program or the ideology that we want to lay out. Great, but that’s not necessarily as interesting as seeing it presented it in other ways.”

“It allows people to interpret it on their own, rather than it be us simply saying ‘we hate fascists’,”

says Ryann.

If this all sounds heavy, fear not. ‘Within One Stem’ is also a fantastic posthardcore record that stands up to scrutiny beyond the politics or clever lyrics. Filled with urgency and passion, it’s a quintessential screamo record, propelled by Ryann’s desperate vocals. With nods to In/Casino/Out era At The Drive-In, emo mainstays Rainer Maria and screamo heavyweights Circle Takes The Square, they’ve found a way to marry cryptic lyrics with staccato music to great effect.

And, just as there’s exceptional detail in the lyrics, such care has also been taken over the music.

‘New Refused’, for example, went through more than

20 iterations before being finalised. Even now, having finished the record and sat on it for 12 months, Ryann says there is plenty they would like to change – highlighting how much of ‘Within One Stem’ is merely a snapshot of where Closer are at a moment in time. Constantly evolving and pushing the envelope, it’s nevertheless a high watermark for a band that refuses to compromise on their vision.

It also feels like a pivotal moment for the group, as they look to build on their debut’s success. Indeed, there’s an argument that they’re looking to make up for lost time – and not just because of the inertia caused by the pandemic.

Shortly after the release of ‘All This Will Be’, Closer were forced to cancel an extensive US tour after just one date due to ill-health.

Such a setback was hugely frustrating for the group, having already met the approval of Jeremy Bolm (Touché Amoré), Jordan Dreyer (La Dispute) and Geoff Rickley (Thursday).

Endorsements from the world of hardcore don’t come much better – and for a band with few discernible choruses, it highlights the strength of the songwriting on display. If ‘Within One Stem’ breaks out – and if there’s any justice in the world, it would be regarded as a beacon of heavy music in 2021 – then what happens next could be intriguing.

“I have been working on new stuff,” attests Matthew – no surprises, given the lag between the release of ‘Within One Stem’ and the delay caused by the pandemic. “I haven’t shown the others yet, but it’s gonna be cool. It might even be poppier,” he laughs. P Closer’s album ‘Within One Stem’ is out now.

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Photo: Daniel Dorsa.

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ADULT MOM’S Everything you need to know about

new album

‘DRIVER’

Adult Mom reveals some behind-the-scenes titbits from their new dealingwith-your-twenties album, ‘Driver’.

THE MOVE In very early 2017, I moved back into my childhood home, leaving a relationship, a job, and city behind. I was immediately devastated by the things I chose to lose, and deemed the move back home a failure of massive proportion. It felt off - I was back in the bedroom I grew up in, the doors still scribbled with emo lyrics and teenage aspirations. 23 going on 16. The space felt liminal and never-ending. At first, I was writing to that space, and to the feeling of being in-between stages of life. I felt that I couldn’t progress or move forward or progress while living at home, despite it ultimately being a very important and transitional time in my life.

THE CAR Living in the suburbs left me with few time-killing options, so I turned to aimless long drives to fill the gaps. Getting my license later in life, after I turned 21, it was a newer talent and felt very liberating. My car became a type of home itself, and one that provided a lot of room for emotional breakdowns and some emotional highs.

Being able to bring myself places, and be in control in that sense was and continues to be something very important to me.

THE TITLE Taking from the idea of being a “passenger” vs being the “driver”, in both the literal and metaphorical sense. The

word “driver” felt apt to my experiences while writing these songs. The album title is attempting to highlight being the driver instead of the passenger, wherein being the driver means having agency, having direction, having navigation and control while still having those definers questioned and developed throughout the record.

THE INSPIRATIONS One of my favourite things about building this record was compiling who I wanted to reference in the music. I love the eclectic confidence of R.E.M., their jangly guitars and tight air drums and bass lines that hook. I love the songwriters who sing from the heart, like Joni Mitchell and Taylor Swift and Sheryl Crow. I love dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen and scream-singing to Paramore. We all wanted to pull from the things we loved as much as we could sonically, while still hopefully maintaining a cohesive thread.

THE COLLABORATION Another favourite thing about building this record was getting the chance to collaborate with extremely talented musicians. I have always been a bit coveted about my process, always wanting to do things all by myself, and I soon realized that opening the door to collaboration is a gift. I got to co-produce for the very first time, and push as far as I wanted because of the wonderful people that helped make this album a reality.

With this record, I hope that people take away the true complicated nature of coping with things in their aftermath. For me, this record was all about trying to put the pieces of my life back together, and the very nonlinear navigation of that. I’m thankful that the pieces finally found their place. P

Wolf Alice have debuted the first song from their upcoming third album. Comeback track ‘The Last Man On Earth’ is a teaser from ‘Blue Weekend’ - the follow-up to debut ‘My Love Is Cool’ and follow-up ‘Visions of a Life’ - due 11th June via Dirty Hit. Check it out on upsetmagazine.com.

Waterparks have revealed details for their new album.

After a period of teasing, the band have let slip their fourth studio record is set to arrive on 21st May, and will be titled ‘Greatest Hits’. They’ve shared another single from it too, in the form of ‘Snow Globe’.

The Great Escape will not be hosting an IRL event in Brighton this year, instead moving online. From 13th-14th May they will instead air artist performances, keynote speakers, panels, talks and debates virtually.

19 UPSETMAGAZ COM Upset 19

About Break_ to

EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK

20 Upset

FOLLY GROUP Newly signed to So Young Records, London collective Folly Group have just dropped their debut single ‘Four Wheel Drive’, and it’s just the beginning...

SPRINTS Gearing up to release EP ‘Manifesto’, Irish bunch Sprints’ opening gambit - recorded with Girl Band’s Daniel Fox - is a statement of intent and a half.

STATIC DRESS Leeds four-piece Static Dress are one of the boldest, most interesting new bands around.

Words: Tyler Damara Kelly. Photos: Olli Appleyard.

“I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY WAY OF GETTING ATTENTION NOWADAYS IS EMBARRASSING YOURSELF” OLLI APPLEYARD

“I

‘m extremely calculated, but to an outside perspective, it looks like an absolute shitstorm,” Olli Appleyard says nonchalantly as he discusses his meticulous state of mind when it comes to curating the artistic vision of his post-hardcore band Static Dress.

Fumbling around for something off-screen, he likens his thought process to that of walking into someone’s room and being taken aback by what you perceive as a mess, but in actual fact, is controlled chaos. “It’s all on here,” he continues, revealing a palm-sized

hard drive. “You wouldn’t be able to understand it or translate it because as far as I’m aware, from when I’ve tried to show people before, it’s basically like hieroglyphics. There are obvious themes and other things going on, but I’d say honestly, the next two years are pretty much planned out.”

It may come as a surprise to hear of such precision from an artist whose band has only been in existence since late-2019, but the further you dive into the world of Static Dress, with its cinematic and cryptographic undertones, it becomes apparent that there is a mastermind creating a narrative Upset 21

within both the music and their visual counterparts.

How, then, does one become adept with a world that is so rooted in mystery?

The first step would be to try and put yourself in the shoes of its creator – though it might be a little difficult to try and keep up with someone as manically productive as Olli. Our Zoom conversation’s initial moments are spent with him filling us in on the relentless work schedule that he’s currently undertaking in the lead up to the band’s second livestream of the year. As a jack-of-all-trades in the creative media industry, and the ringleader of a fully independent DIY band,

band…” he sighs before revealing how unhealthy his passion can get: “I saw eating as a waste of time, and it got kind of dangerous.

I think with all of this being closed off from friends, you don’t realise how bad it is, and I don’t think anyone saw how bad I got because I was in my room on my own. You can fixate on something so much that you can end up ruining it so easily by not taking that step back.”

Static Dress aim to create worlds in which the listener can escape the cacophony of their daily lives. With a frenetic sound that is rooted in late 00s post-hardcore and emo akin to Underoath, Emery and My Chemical

“I WANT TO BRING BACK THE PEOPLE GETTING INVOLVED WITH A RECORD” OLLI APPLEYARD

you begin to wonder if he ever truly has moments of downtime, as it seems as though these processes are simply as important as breathing for him.

With the need to constantly be creative permeating his existence, Olli often finds himself racked with guilt if ever he happens to stumble into a moment of stillness. With a hand over his mouth, he chuckles to himself as he realises that everything he does somehow links back to creating art. “Switching off and coming out of it isn’t really an option yet,” he explains. “I don’t think I’ve ever gone a whole day without thinking about the 22 Upset

Romance, they take familiar elements of that catharsis and transpose it into an entirely new means of escapism that focuses on the intrigue of the unknown.

They desire to be an amorphous identity that has the ability to shift into whatever it needs to be for that given moment, hence there being no distinct meaning behind the name.

“When you hear ‘Adidas’, you don’t immediately think of it as a sportswear or clothing brand – it doesn’t identify as something,” Olli says. “That for me was the biggest thing because if we ever wanted to evolve into a clothing brand or a media outlet, we fully could do that because it’s

not a solidified thing.”

This nebulousness seeps into all creative aspects of the band. Olli admits that he hates listening to just one type of music at any time, and enjoys that they have two completely different spectrums of sound between the classic posthardcore realm of ‘clean’ and the James Blake/The 1975-inspired synthesised melancholia of ‘DSC_301’.

This feeds into two distinct timelines that run through everything that they do, and for those unassimilated with their world, it will begin to make sense once more easter eggs are revealed in their future releases.

With a creative process that is described as throwing many different influences into a blender, you might find yourself watching the band’s music videos and feeling as though you’ve entered a time-warp world akin to The Matrix or The Shining. Olli, who also looks to Quentin Tarantino and horror movies from the 70s and 80s for inspiration, finds himself drawn to the mystery of art.

“A lot of it is about escapism between real and fake and being able to pull yourself between different worlds,” he says. Between esoteric lyrical content and secret binary messages embedded within the visuals, Static Dress invite their listeners to assimilate themselves into a world that embraces art for its longevity and authenticity.

Expressing disdain towards TikTok culture while acknowledging its ability to catapult someone into the spotlight, Olli is impassioned when contemplating the hyper-consumerism of art in the context of social media. “I want to be able to provide a platform and something that can change this because I don’t believe that the only way of getting attention nowadays is

embarrassing yourself,” he says. “Imagine you’ve just seen Keanu Reeves in John Wick, and you’re thinking that it’s the coolest thing ever but, on the way out of the cinema, there’s a billboard of him doing some kind of dance – it’s immediately ruined any type of perception!

“Breaking character is a short way to success, but your longevity will be completely eradicated,” he continues. “So much disposable music is now made, that the longevity of these apps will just outlive the art that you make. I’d rather do it the other way around and make art that will forever surpass any type of social media. People still look at Michael Jackson’s albums, or they go through hip-hop from the early stages, and NWA are still one of the best rap groups of all time. No app, no social media, no iPhone that comes out, will ever eradicate those albums from existence.

I want to bring back the people getting involved with a record.”

Does Olli ever worry that he might forget to enjoy the journey if he’s so immersed in the process of having a two-year plan? He’s adamant that such a thing isn’t a possibility. “I feel like getting lost in the process isn’t so much a thing when you’re doing the entire process on your own, because you are so involved in it, and you’re so hands-on with it,” he says.

“I think if this was any other project, that could be the case, but this isn’t about being the biggest band in the world, or being the biggest thing on Spotify, or having the most numbers or the most likes on Instagram.

For me and the other guys, it’s very much about creating something which will inspire other people to do better.” P Upset 23

POP PUNK W MEET ME @ THE ALTAR COULD WELL BE THE NEXT ICONIC BAND FROM A GENRE THAT DEFINED A GENERATION. TIME TO SAY HELLO...

Words: Tyler Damara Kelly.

Photos: Lindsey Byrnes.

24 Upset

WILL PREVAIL

Upset 25

N

ot all stories of meeting people on the internet come with happy endings. Any child with computer access would’ve been met with warnings from their parents about talking to strangers online and trusting any tales that would come from a person without a profile picture. From Habbo Hotel to Chat Roulette, through to Myspace and eventually Instagram, the art of the internet is its ability to provide anonymity and an escape for those who seek it.

While we may have all been aware of the ability to be deceived by a stranger online, with the debut of MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show in 2012, this idea really took off.

As the series revealed, it takes meticulous planning to conjure up another identity and live a double life without getting caught.

But why were we all hooked on watching these events unfold? Was it because there was an element of relatability within these stories, or were we perhaps fascinated by the drama that ensued?

Even though there is a lot of toxicity surrounding internet culture and even more scaremongering when it comes to the limitless nature of what you can discover through the internet, there’s also a lot of good that it can do for selfdevelopment, confidence and creativity. As American pop-punk band Meet Me @ The Altar can attest, finding communities of like-minded strangers online can actually be serendipitous.

It’s a fairy-tale story of sorts. One that involves three young women coming together from three different parts of the East Coast to sign with their

26 Upset

“IN POP PUNK, YOU REALLY SEE HOW IT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER”

- Edith Johnson

dream label and make a conscious effort to be faces of representation in the alternative music scene.

Some people might say right time and place, but Meet Me @ The Altar don’t believe in that kind of thing.

They’re incredibly confident and self-aware, and they think that if you want something done properly, you’ve got to do it yourself.

So, from the beginning then, how did this fortuitous internet meeting take place? Let’s cast our minds back to 2015 when the internet was rife with budding musicians posting covers on YouTube…

ADA JUAREZ’S FATHER WAS A DRUMMER. When he immigrated from El Salvador to the United States in his late teens, he had to leave his passion behind, get a job, and adjust to his new world. When Ada was six, she learned of her father’s musical history and inherited his love of all things percussion.

They bonded over Pink Floyd and Linkin Park, and almost as though she was making up for lost time, Ada recalls “drumming non-stop ever since”. From the age of nine, her father would post her drum covers online – perhaps innocently, perhaps hoping that she would be discovered – but

it wasn’t until she turned 16 that the stars would align for her.

As a 14-year-old guitarist, what better way is there to spend your time than trawling on YouTube videos for inspiration?

There’s something so optimistic and innocent about the mind of a teenager where anything is possible, and nothing can get in the way of your idealistic fantasies. So, of course, when you stumble across a drummer who you think is sick, you’re going to message her and ask her if she wants to be in a band.

There’s nothing that could stop you from fulfilling your lifelong dream of making music, right? Not even the 1,000-mile journey between Florida and New Jersey.

“When I told them that I found this 16-year-old girl on YouTube, from New Jersey, and I wanted to be in a band with her, and I wanted her to come down to meet me, they were like, NO! But they did eventually come around,” laughs Téa Campbell as she imitates her parents’ naturally dumbfounded reaction to the news that she had made a musician friend online, and after bonding over bands such as Twenty One Pilots and Paramore, had decided to start their own pop-punk band.

“It sounds so ridiculous

– I would panic if my kid did that!” jests vocalist Edith Johnson. “It helps having a supportive family and a musical family when you’re trying to do this because when I joined [my parents were so cool about it]. I was

like, why were they so cool?

It could’ve been a creepy old man!”

When Ada and Téa had committed to being in a band together, despite the logistical difficulties of living in different states,

they soon began to realise that they were missing one thing – a vocalist. As they had found each other online, it made sense to use the same DIY method in scouting their missing piece, so Ada created a

video asking people to send in their audition tapes. “I was on YouTube, and on the algorithm, the first video on the list of recommendations was the video that Ada posted on her channel,” Edith says,

before Téa interjects: “It was fate!” Edith sent in a video of her covering ‘All I Wanted’ by Paramore, but unfortunately, the duo had decided to go with another singer.

“I knew it wasn’t going to work out,” Edith brazenly admits, an element of that self-awareness coming through. “For some reason, when I didn’t get in, my brain didn’t process it. I was in full-blown denial.

Mentally, I was thinking, I’m still in the band, and if it’s the last thing I do, I will be in this band – period! I got in contact with Téa, and I bothered her for two years.

I prayed about it every single day for two years; I texted her for two years until she was like: ‘Yeah, why not!’ I’m sure one day she was just like: ‘Shut the fuck up, leave me alone’ – I’m very persistent!”

This persistency was fed down through Edith’s family on her father’s side, who are all singers, but it was her mother who laid the foundations down for her music taste. Growing up in Georgia and listening to Stevie Wonder, Alabama Shakes, Alanis Morissette and Dave Matthews Band, Edith eagerly describes herself as singing since she came out of the womb and attributes this eclectic mix to her variegated vocal style. Still, there’s no denying that at heart, she is firmly rooted in the poppunk style.

Shortly before Edith joined Meet Me @ The Altar, they released the ‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’ EP. Alongside a few collaborators, it showcased how fully formed Téa and Ada’s creative relationship truly was. Inspired by subtler elements of poppunk made famous by early releases from Mayday Parade, Knuckle Puck and Panic! At The Disco, Téa’s Upset 27

“WE’RE TRYING TO CHANNEL THE WHOLE ESSENCE OF 2008 INTO OUR MUSIC NOW”

- Téa Campbell

raw vocals and unpolished riffs were perfectly complemented by Ada’s drumming style as they romanticised ever-relatable tales of how simple, yet complicated, life can be in your teens.

‘I Made This Title Really Long Because Ada Asked Me To’ is perhaps the earliest indicator of where Meet Me @ The Altar would eventually end up sonically, but it’s still laced with insecurity. “They say fake it ‘til you make it, but honestly, I always hated not being brave enough to stand up to the truth,” Téa sings. It’s only a few years later that Edith echoes her sentiment from a tried and tested perspective in ‘Tyranny’ from the 2019 EP ‘Bigger Than Me’ – “I dream it every time I sleep, I’ve come so close but still so far. I’m not there yet, but I’ll make it.”

It is instantly apparent from meeting with the band that while they are each self-assured in how they see their futures panning out, strength in numbers is also at play because they truly shine when they’re together. Effervescent and occasionally sarcastic, the trio are more like sisters than friends. Giggling as they speak over each other and finish each other’s sentences, they exude warmth and the kind of 28 Upset

charismatic relatability that can only come from a group of people who believe in community spirit and creating safe spaces for those around them.

It’s this spirit that drew them to the world of punk in the first place. “For me, it’s the beauty of live shows,” Edith says. “I used to go to shows every day of the week, and I loved how tight-knit everyone was because of the music.

Everyone loved the music, and everyone had that in common. In pop-punk, you really see how it brings people together.”

Téa echoes this statement, noting that the particular energy of shows like Warped Tour is what she enjoyed the most. “In their circle pits, and with crowd surfing, you could do all of it without getting punched in the face – that’s what I really love because I have glasses, and if I got punched in the face, it would suck,” she laughs.

“We try to incorporate that into our songs because we want it to be fun.”

Where Meet Me @ The Altar used to take influence from pop-punk staples such as Paramore, Green Day and Blink-182, Edith and Téa have a trade-off as they explain that they’re quite simply taking inspiration from themselves at the moment. “We’re trying to

channel the whole essence of 2008 into our music now,” Téa says.

“It has such a big influence over us, and I feel like obviously, inspiration comes out, but it’s not really at the forefront of our brains anymore when we write. Subconsciously as an artist, you make what you like, and other artists come into play,” Edith continues, before Téa finishes her train of thought: “Because all of our influences over time have led to this, but now it’s just us!”

FINDING YOUR OWN IDENTITY IN MUSIC IS

ALWAYS A DIFFICULT TASK. For a trio of young women from underrepresented backgrounds in the alternative scene, it was about finding the confluence between making great music and making safe spaces for people trying to discover themselves with the help of music and its community aspect.

Ada mentions that the band have always subconsciously prepared themselves to be role models because of how self-aware they were in terms of the messages they were spreading in their

“WE’RE THE PERFECT PEOPLE TO BE IN THIS ROLE BECAUSE WE ARE SO PERSISTENT AND CONFIDENT”

- Edith Johnson

music. ‘Changing States’ was the first official EP that Meet Me @ The Altar released with Edith as a vocalist, and beneath the classic buoyant guitar is despondency and angst directed at all angles. After its release, the band vowed not to include profanities in their lyrics so that they would be inclusive for all ages and so that parents would be able to support their children listening to the songs.

If kill-them-withkindness could ever be personified, then Meet Me @ The Altar are advocates for the cause.

Their mission statement is to be the representation that was missing from their lives as women of colour growing up in the early 00s – especially in the punk scene. Were they were aware of such power imbalances in music at the time? Téa responds without hesitation. “Definitely!

Especially for Edith and me. We know exactly how it feels to be the only black person at a show in that scene, and it still kind of is that way,” she says, referring to moments where they have received side-eye glances even at their own shows. “It’s just

very disproportionate, the amount of straight white dudes [that there are] compared to any other person,” she says.

“People ask us a lot if we feel pressure [to be role models], but this role feels very natural to us. I think that we’re the perfect people to be in this role because we are so persistent and confident,” Edith adds.

This harkens back to the subconscious preparation that Ada mentioned. If you’ve been predisposed to an idea that you’re the underdog before you’ve even begun to show what you’re capable of, then, of course, you’re going to have built up the determination to prove people wrong.

And despite only being in their late teens and early twenties, Meet Me @ The Altar have numerous stories to tell about the kinds of judgements they’ve been subjected to, from people who have doubted their ability as musicians.

When Edith, Ada and Téa realised that they shared the same mindset about shouldering the responsibility of making

pop-punk more inclusive, being unapologetic in all of their efforts, and in the process, becoming the biggest band in the world, that’s when everything clicked for them. They realised that there was indeed strength in numbers and that they held all of the power in their own hands.

“We have pretty much been right about everything. We really do put a lot of work in as a band, and it has paid off tremendously,” Téa boasts with well-deserved pride.

“There’s something about learning to trust your first instinct, for real,” Edith admits. “I’ve learnt that it’s not a bad thing [to be persistent and particular] when you’re an artist because your art matters.

That’s why I get along with them [Ada and Téa] so well; we’re all that way.” Both Téa and Ada nod in agreement and emphasise that they’ve learned to assert their opinions and to not let anybody walk all over them.

It wasn’t an easy path to get to this point, as they never had anybody they could really look to for answers. They’re an Upset 29

“IT’S MORE THAN JUST THE MUSIC; IT’S CREATING A COMMUNITY WITH THESE PEOPLE”

- Ada Juarez

anomaly of sorts on the pop-punk scene – if you hadn’t already noticed, 99% of their influences are men. There was only really one woman who was able to infiltrate the sausage fest of the 00s. “Hayley Williams was that person.

She was pretty much THE woman in pop-punk killing it out there,” Téa enthuses.

“There weren’t any women of colour that we had ever heard of. We had to take that lack of representation, do something with it, and just keep going. If there are any pop-punk bands out there that exist and have women of colour, hit me up, please, because I want to find you!”

IN A TIME OF LIMITED HUMAN INTERACTION, the internet has been a saving grace that has provided escapism and catharsis – especially from a musical perspective. “The internet was everything! I don’t want to say backbone…”

Ada begins – “It really was, though, because we wouldn’t be a thing without it,” interrupts Edith – “It was something that we really paid attention to. Social media is a really big part of being a band because it’s the best way that you can build your fanbase 30 Upset

and be there for them. It’s more than just the music; it’s creating a community with these people,” she continues.

Even though they’ve recently moved into a house together in Florida, the internet is so inextricably linked to the ways that Meet Me @ The Altar work that they still often write songs over the phone and send voice notes to each other. Despite all of the good that the internet has done for them, Téa is quick to acknowledge that it still feels bittersweet sometimes because they were used to their music being buried beneath everything else. “It was a blessing and a really bad thing at the same time because, after George Floyd and everything that happened last summer, there was a surge to support black music over the internet,” she says. “It really helped us because it kind of gave us a platform despite us being there all along, but it was behind something that was really bad. We don’t really know how to feel about it…”

It’s difficult to potentially have so many of their lucky stars attributed to being spotlighted as the POC artists to take notice of in the wake of the Black Lives

Matter protests, but Meet Me @ The Altar know that they worked incredibly hard to even be noticed as one of these future spotlighted bands in the first place.

They retain humility, but they’re unashamed to admit their awareness that hard work pays off.

In June 2020, they were announced as winners of Halsey’s Black Creators Fund, which was a massive boost for an unsigned band at that point in their lives.

Téa’s dry sense of humour comes out to play when discussing how Halsey’s support had benefitted

them. “We got money… That was great because before then, we were kinda broke!” she laughs. “We were able to pay for photoshoots and music videos. It was really awesome to be able to talk to Halsey on a human level.”

To have another queer POC ally in Halsey was a significant game-changer for Meet Me @ The Altar, and little did they know, there was another surprise waiting around the corner.

After discussions with a few record labels, the band decided to stay independent for a little while longer, saving

Lindsey Byrnes, sees the band in their uniform-black punk outfits, rocking out amidst a sea of flowers that occasionally rain down in slow motion amidst a colour palette of neons. It’s personality in abundance and highlights the euphoric spirit of a band who are currently revelling in a path that is seemingly full of open doors.

themselves for when the perfect deal came along.

“I think we really needed to go through that process because it made us realise what we did and did not want. We know our worth, and we didn’t want to get signed to a label, then get shelved and not do anything,” Téa says. “We were perfectly content with staying independent for as long as we needed to until we got the deal that we wanted,” she continues, her breath quickening with excitement, “and then we signed to Fueled By Ramen and got the deal

that we wanted! It worked out perfectly. This is what we would’ve been working towards on a smaller label, and we’re already here, which is awesome.”

For a band of 14-16-yearolds who grew up idolising Paramore, Twenty One Pilots, and Panic! At The Disco, Fueled By Ramen was always going to be the pinnacle. To be able to say they’re on their dream label was mind-blowing enough for Meet Me @ The Altar, but the fact that they are the first all-female, POC band that the label has ever signed – that is what

dreams are truly made of.

Their self-awareness and hard work have paid off at a rate that they can barely keep up with, but it aids the perpetual excitement and passion they exude. “It feels great to finally find a team that sees your worth – Fueled immediately saw our worth,” Edith gushes, with Téa adding: “They put us to work right away, and we wanted to work! We didn’t want to just be sitting…”

‘Garden’ was their debut single with the label, and it truly captures the distinctly dynamic energy of the trio.

The video, directed by

AS CAN BE EXPECTED, Meet Me @ The Altar are currently working on new music, but they’re tight-lipped on spilling any details; what they do reveal is that there may be a surprise element that they’re yet to showcase. “It’s 2008, but modern,” Téa jests. Now that there are crowds of people waiting for them to release new music, the pressure is on, but it’s not something that they’re putting too much of their attention into because the band are confident that it will be well-received. “We’ve been writing for a while now, so we have songs that we’re sitting on. It kind of makes that pressure [almost like] it doesn’t even matter because they’re gonna like it when we put it out,” Ada says.

So, what’s next? Of course, it goes without saying that live shows are top of the list. Ada is desperate to play overseas, while Edith is aiming for The Grammys. Téa, on the other hand, wants to dabble in TV and has her sights set on starring in Netflix’s musical comedy-drama Julie and the Phantoms.

Whatever is truly next for Meet Me @ The Altar, just know that they’ve set themselves the goal of being the biggest band in the world, and given their ability to manifest their dreams so far, they really could get there. P Upset 31

P P Mikey Way and David Debiak have teamed up once more for a new Electric Century album, and accompanying graphic novel.

POWER UP POWER UP Words: Alexander Bradley.

POWER UP POWER UP

P P

F

rom deals with the Devil to Fabulous Killjoys, and even Gerard’s Britpop Bowie in ‘Hesitant Alien’, the Way brothers have never compromised when it comes to storytelling. And, for the return of Mikey Way’s Electric Century, the story is

his most ambitious yet.

Consisting of an album written with Sleep Station’s David Debiak, produced by fellow Chemical Romancer Ray Toro, and a full accompanying graphic novel designed with the help of Toby Cypress, their self-titled second album is Upset 33

an invitation to step into the world of Electric Century.

Few albums come with a synopsis, but this one reads: “Johnny Ashford, former sitcom-star, drives drunk through a storefront and gets arrested. His aspiring actress girlfriend bails him out, and he begins seeing a hypnotherapist. Dr. Evers sends Johnny to his “happy place”: 1980s Atlantic City, where he relives his childhood on the boardwalk, hardly noticing shadowy spectres all around.”

Sonically, ‘Electric Century’ continues the bands love affair with 80s / 90s New Wave and Britpop but, as Mikey expands on the storyline, it’s evident that romanticism isn’t completely rose-tinted.

With the story pivoting on a demise which Mikey saw time and again growing up in the 1980s where child actors would fall from grace; many turning to drugs and their untimely grave, the lead role was a chance for him to explore the bright lights and seedy underbelly of his childhood love, New Jersey.

“I always felt sad for them [child actors] because they’re so important to you, and then they’re almost disposable at some point,” Mikey begins.

‘This fictional character was your best friend growing up, and then when they get to a certain age, the industry can just toss you aside. That always made me sad, and I was just always a little fascinated with that subject.”

His sentimentality for that time when he was growing up, he admits, does look different in retrospect.

“We always romanticise about periods of time in our life, and we’re like, ‘oh that was really great’. Maybe it was really great because we don’t have it anymore.

Maybe, right now is really 34 Upset

great; that’s kind of the concept that I wanted to put there. I do the same thing; I romanticise about the 80s and 90s, and I think it was so cool, but the world was kind of in the dark about a lot of things, and some of the things we did were irresponsible and led us to some of the issues the world has now. But, I have a soft spot for the 1980s.

It was when I have some of my greatest memories, and it’s probably where I hit some important milestones in life.”

That wanderlust also brings a lot of the influences from which both the graphic novel and music draw. There is a geeky giddiness that illuminates from Mikey as he talks about his love of horror, dark Henson films like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, Universal Monsters, Dune and Twin Peaks, with elements of all of them creeping into the graphic novel.

But, the biggest influence on the story behind ‘Electric Century’ is Mikey’s own turbulent past. The formative ideas for the project begin in 2014 following the end of My Chemical Romance, his rehabilitation for drug addiction and subsequent hypnotherapy treatment.

Like quicksand, the idea of hypnotherapy was something TV made you believe you’d have to navigate a lot more as an adult- especially in the cartoons of that time.

For Mikey, the trip to the hypnotherapist didn’t make him dance like a chicken as he had feared. It instead inspired his story about going to another place when hypnotised and also changed his own perspective on how he could go back to a time “before drugs and alcohol, before pressure, before the real world” and still be creative.

He is upfront about not

wanting to tour with Electric Century; instead, inspired by his love for Damon Albarn, he had hoped this band could be fictional like Gorillaz.

“That was the last thing I wanted to do,” he admits, talking about the idea of touring after he first left rehab. “I still wanted to make amazing stuff and world-build and be creative, but at the time, I didn’t want to go through touring; I didn’t want to do interviews.

I didn’t want to do that whole thing. So, Electric Century was the perfect outlet for me. It was very low pressure; we weren’t on a record label. It was like a hobby for fun. I always wanted to make Brit-rock songs, Britpop songs… I just wanted to make great songs and use what I had learned in my professional career to do so. I used some of the tricks I learned in my other band, and I wrote those type of songs.”

“I HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR THE 1980S” MIKEY WAY

Ultimately, through ‘Electric Century’ (particularly in the graphic novel), you can see Mikey Way in the storyline; not necessarily like a mirror being held up to himself but more of a kaleidoscope casting shapes of his past.

As for the musical aspect of the project, Mikey stresses that it can live independently of the graphic novel and vice versa. However, the ideal conditions for absorbing “Electric Century’ would be if you “if you hit play when you open it,” according to him.

“I try to make it as simple as that, and you know, if you’re still reading it when the album is done, just start the album over again,” he encourages.

Independent of the graphic novel, the music manages to tell its own story. Like a musical

soundtrack with ‘Till We’re Gone’ working as the scene setter and ‘Someday We Will Sing Again’ as the driving off into the sunset, credits rolling, ukulele shining closer they manage to bracket the production.

The main narrative contains the sort of theatrical storytelling that has become Mikey’s “natural instinct”, his own words, after his years in MCR. Songs like ‘I’ll Be Fine’ boasts a dramatic arrangement that opens with textured acoustic guitar and tasteful piano notes before swelling on the strings to raise it up before the skyscraper guitar solo bleeds out and, in turn, imitates transformation and movement within the story.

Structured like a story, the most dramatic moments come in the album’s final chapters, with ‘Oh Mary’ and ‘Free To Be Ok’ bringing the most devastating moments.

‘Oh Mary’, with its ‘Pure Imagination’-like synth line is “the moment of catharsis” and pays homage to the big gothic churches in New Jersey, which Mikey still holds dear. And, as for ‘Free To Be Ok’, it’s the gospel choir singing feel-good moment that follows after redemption.

“I only knew how to do this big idea, to put it through a theatrical lens; that’s our sweet spot. So if some of that bled into Electric Century, [in] all my professional career that’s what we did every day,” he comments, innocently unaware and understating that his “professional career” contributions get mentioned in the same breath as Andrew Lloyd Webber or Danny Elfman for their impact and influence.

Marrying the sound and vision, the synthladen new wave with dark fantasy and horror, wasn’t much of a worry either for Mikey. Taking his love for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Phantom of the Paradise for his theatrical direction, combining that with the new wave and punk influences of soundtracks to Nightmare on Elm Street, The Crow and The Lost Boys, you get the idea of how the different elements of ‘Electric Century’ manage to live independently of one another.

“I really didn’t even think about if it was gonna fit. I was like, ‘I’m gonna go for it, I’m gonna do this regardless’. I wanted to do it in a brave way. If you look at a lot of 80s movies, and you look into the soundtrack of the 80s movies, they don’t necessarily fit the tone of the movie,” he reasons, allowing ‘Electric Century’ to become a time warp for all the senses.

So seven years on from

rehab, from hypnotherapy, from the essence of an idea, both Mikey and David Debiak are offering a hand into the world of Electric Century. This project is the first foray, and it’s almost certain not to be their last.

Mikey sees the potential for Electric Century to become “almost Twilight Zoneesque,” he suggests.

“I think that people go there, and it doesn’t have to be a hypnotherapist; it could be something else. But I feel like this the perfect landscape to tell a story that has very dark undercurrents but maybe has a hopeful chord,” he adds.

And seven years on from the person who absolutely did not want to tour with Electric Century, it seems changes in the last year might soon mean the duo can bring their fictional band to life.

“In all honesty, one of the positives that came from the pandemic is now technology has made it so a stream is palatable. I feel like the perfect way to consume this band is online; being able to control what it looks like at every step of the way, for this project, it’s probably beneficial. So we’re actually talking about doing an online show,” Mikey teases.

So, with a live show looming and the release of a graphic novel and their second album, the story of Electric Century continues.

And, as for Mikey, sober and with the pressure off, he has created a love letter to everything that shaped him growing up in Newark, New Jersey, in the 1980s.

It’s easy to assume Mikey lives in the shadow of his older brother, but, as the scale of Electric Century’s second album shows, the spotlight is big enough for them both. P Electric Century’s self-titled album and corresponding graphic novel are out now.

Upset 35

T B O Y

THE BONES OF YOU Billed as “a contemplative journey of imposter syndrome and mental health,” singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Jetty Bones’ debut is unflinchingly honest.

Words: Steven Loftin.

Photos: Lindsey Byrnes.

“A

lot of people are very upset that I’m not a metal band,” Jetty Bones mastermind Kelc Galluzzo reckons.

That’s because she’s releasing her debut album on Rise Records, home to bands you’re more likely to find skulking around the darkest corners of the earth than throwing incandescent shapes on a dancefloor. With that, Kelc knows that she’s going to rustle some feathers. But, really, what’s more metal than facing up to the demons you live with?

“I should probably have more guitar solos on the record though,” Kelc laughs in agreement.

Edging even further away from the

Upset 37

alt-pop of her past EPs, her debut outing ‘Push Back’ is instead a frenetic clash of genres that are present all in the name of humanisation.

“It’s a mess! It’s a mess, but the whole point is I want to humanise myself,” she joyously declares.

Kelc is someone who has the exterior of a disco ball; glitter falling, never passing up a chance to dance, and is more likely to wind up discussing her cat, but beneath the blindingly bright pop and the corn-chewing country lies the thick, dark honey, basis of truth.

Pop music is often treated as a throwaway – the McDonalds of the music genres – but unlike the golden arches, there’s more than meets the eye. Softly sitting above the languid trot of a drum or the determined, eyes focused pop beat, comes a deftly exposing nature - her truth - though “hopefully you’re not finding too much beneath the surface in your McDonalds!”

“I think a lot of people denigrate pop music by saying it doesn’t have as much meaning to it, but for me... it wasn’t necessarily easier to write, but it feels more authentic to me,” Kelc says.

“I think me as a person, I kind of encapsulate struggling with heavy mental issues while always wearing glitter and a smile on my face. The music sounds like the person people perceive me as on this record more than it has in the past, you know, a very sad message with a very sparkly package.”

Few packages glisten more than Jetty Bones. As the shimmering, twilight bound notes ring out across her debut – an album that’s been kicking around for the best part of a year now, mind you – the introspective journey she’s had to embark upon comes sparkling through, brighter than even 38 Upset

any diamond reckoned by Rihanna.

Hiding the truth in plain sight comes from Kelc’s understanding that “sometimes you can’t necessarily exorcise all the demons that are in your head, or your body, you know? I mean that in a metaphorical sense or the literal sense.”

If, like Kelc, you too have been binging Supernatural then the latter may apply, but for all the joking, sometimes when the darkness encroaches, it can feel like there is indeed a little demon knocking over bookcases and smashing glass inside of you.

‘Push Back’, and its design to be a human representation of Kelc’s journey so far, certainly doesn’t come without its hefty elements, which she solemnly acknowledges.

“It’s scary looking inward sometimes, especially if you don’t like what you see.”

“I wrote a whole record about not liking what I saw, but I hadn’t started doing anything to fix it. So when I was about to show those thoughts and that selfperspective to other people, I realised I really needed to start changing it.”

Noting she went through a “pretty low depressive period, as many people did” over the last year, Kelc’s situation was made slightly different by the fact the album that captured so many of these feelings, while all well and good that it was finished, the journey had actually only just begun.

“I felt like I got in a really bad place where ideas and themes on this record started feeling prevalent again,” she recalls. “And then, as soon as I started coming out of that space, it was time to start rolling the record out. So, I was reconnected with the ideas again but also still living in a

motivated place to get out of that headspace.”

Being given the time to process just how she was going to explain any of the album she so wildly gestures to throughout ensuing interviews, and the purposefully personable Instagram posts, was a gift from whatever deity you may subscribe to, according to Kelc. It also helped her realise how she wanted to double-down on the grander scheme at play for ‘Push Back’.

“I haven’t verbalised this [because] I think in images a lot. So, I apologise for the

messy verbalisation on this,” she laughs. “I kind of like how some of the songs you could dance to in a car ride with your friends, but they’re surrounding messages that could actually start a conversation in the midst of that dance party. I like having that image in my head of two dancing crying teenage girls having a good time. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Certainly, Kelc is someone who wears her heart on her sleeve. Throughout her house, signs are dotted around – notes to “channel your rage into absurd

“IT’S A VERY SAD MESSAGE WITH A VERY SPARKLY PACKAGE” KELC GALLUZZO

kindness” and “don’t keep your eyes closed” – opening herself up to questioning whenever anyone comes over. Being someone so open and honest is all part of her masterplan, to start up that dialogue. Something that, if you’ve ever managed to catch a Jetty Bones lives show, you may have noticed.

“I’m notorious for randomly starting to cry on stage,” she laughs again.

“We used to have a sign at our merch table that said ‘crying is normal’, and not just for the people watching the show but the people performing as well!

“It’s a cathartic experience writing the songs, but you’re still leaving those feelings in isolation, and taking them to a show and seeing people respond to it. Seeing people sing along the lines that I’ve written about the hardest things I’ve been through, it is healing because it’s a constant reminder that I’m not alone.”

As it stands, the exorcism of Kelc is only half completed. This batch of songs may have packaged the demons neatly into an album befitting both crying and dancing, but it’s not

until the world opens up and ‘Push Back’ can hit the road will the ritual be complete.

Right now, however, it would seem that Kelc’s possibly in the best place she’s been in yet, and what better way to kick off this new chapter of her career?

“When this record was almost done, and I was putting the songs together, I realised how it sounded.

I want to be able to move forward being honest about that,” she says.

“Especially with how bad things were when this project was starting, and hiding that from everybody

made me feel fraudulent for a very long time. People at first listen may think it sounds like I’m shitting on everybody who supports this project, and calling them stupid for caring about me, but really I hated myself so much for not being the person I wanted to be for them that I thought they should hate me. Which I haven’t actually said out loud yet.”

It’s hard to face up to your truth, especially when it’s one you’ve been living with alone for so long. With the album’s closing track consisting of a suicide note Kelc had penned, finally all her cards are on the table. ‘Push Back’ is simultaneously the most exposed she’s been while also the most determined.

Kelc’s looked into the mirror, and she now understands her reflection, well, at least enough to deliver some weighty truth bombs.

“So, I think that’s what the record [really] is about. I paint myself as a deceptive monster because that’s how I felt. Even though I wasn’t trying to, [it’s] all because I couldn’t talk about a private, vulnerable thing that most people wouldn’t talk about.

The fact that most people don’t talk about that, I think, is kind of a problem in itself.

Can’t nobody can grab your hand and pull you up from the bottom if you don’t reach it out first!” P Jetty Bones’ album ‘Push Back’ is out now.

Upset 39

Riot_

TEEN IDOLS

40 Upset

Exploring some of the darkest corners of mental health (consider yourself warned), Future Teens’ new EP ‘Deliberately Alive’ is another poignant effort from a truly special band.

Words: Rob Mair. Photos: Adam Parshall.

Upset 41

“A

couple of people have already messaged us asking for Amy’s handwriting of the words ‘Deliberately Alive’ to get tattoos… it’s pretty cool,” says co-songwriter and vocalist Daniel Radin.

Music is an art form built on connection; how one person’s lyrical honesty can imprint a thought or feeling on the listener.

Boston’s Future Teens are experts at the craft – able to bottle lightning with a swift and smart turn of phrase, creating relatable music that is inspiring in its beauty and profound in its message.

This was especially true on second full-length ‘Breakup Season’, a collection of songs about the challenges of dating, heartbreak, and resilience.

Songs like ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Frequent Crier’ are the sort that get taken to heart for their lyrical pull, where the stories of crying at a restaurant or losing a beloved pet tug longingly at the heartstrings.

On ‘Guest Room’, the lead single for new EP ‘Deliberately Alive’, the stakes are raised, with co-vocalist Amy Hoffman addressing some serious mental health struggles.

At the time of writing, the single has barely been out a fortnight, but considering the success of ‘Breakup Season’, it’s no surprise that this message has also been taken to heart.

Indeed, removed from the poppy, celebratory sheen, there’s unquestionably a serious message to Future Teens’ lyrics, and ‘Guest Room’, which culminates in the call “I’m not sure which one I fear worst (going young or getting old)” feels especially poignant.

42 Upset

Even the title of the EP, ‘Deliberately Alive’ alludes to this battle to live and to thrive, as Amy explains.

“I think it’s a phrase that speaks to a lot of different people in a lot of different ways,” they consider. “For me, it’s about when the harder choice is to stay here – like when you really don’t want to keep on living, but for whatever reason, you decide to anyway. I’m someone that has had a long-term struggle with that choice and not wanting to make it a lot of the time.

“But the pandemic has been a time when I’ve taken a lot more responsibility for my mental health. I’ve faced up to a lot of stuff, and I’ve learned a lot about what’s going on in my brain and what that choice means for me when I don’t want to be here.

“And I am a person that has battles with that choice often. I’m never going to be thankful that there was a pandemic because this is horrific and traumatic, but there are a lot of things that wouldn’t have happened for me without it. If there hadn’t been a pandemic, I wouldn’t have lost my job. If I wouldn’t have lost my job, I don’t think that I would be sober. If I hadn’t made that choice to get sober, I don’t think I would have pursued more higher-level mental health care. If I hadn’t done that and gotten the medication that I needed, I might not be here.”

Such testimony means ‘Guest Room’ – a typically preppy slice of Future Teens indie-rock – becomes an anthem of survival and tribute to the strength of the human spirit. While there’s always been an element of this in Future Teens’ songs, it radiates throughout ‘Deliberately Alive’, making it a perfect example of how the quartet – completed by Colby

Blauvelt and Maya Mortman – can make ‘bummer pop’ that is also celebratory.

Indeed, it’s an incredibly pure thing to witness the bond between the group, and with all four members on the interview, they rally around their bandmate during the discussion. Amy says that Future Teens talk a lot about empathy and compassion, and it’s clear from how they interact and the fondness they have for each other that these are not just buzzwords but the tenet by which the group functions.

Similarly, they’re open to discussing the idea of reinterpreting song

meanings. For example, Daniel has reevaluated the meaning behind ‘Guest Room’ in light of his bandmate’s disclosure, highlighting that yes, it may be downbeat lyrically, but it also speaks of hope and resilience.

“That lyric, even though it’s about Amy’s journey, I feel like it’s just as true now as it was when they wrote it. But, if anything, it now has a more positive spin on it, which is kind of cool.

Like, when I listened to that song the other day, the connotations had changed from when I first heard it, in an interesting way.”

Equally, Amy can

“THE WORLD IS EXPERIENCING COLLECTIVE TRAUMA” AMY HOFFMAN

pinpoint the guidance and support of drummer Colby and his mantra that “our trauma is not our fault, but it is our responsibility”, which they say is something they fall back on. “The choices that I made during the pandemic to take

responsibility for myself and my own struggle with substance has had a lot to do with Colby’s words ringing in my head.”

While Future Teens can in some way credit the pandemic for leading to the steps towards

self-care, the flipside is that the band’s regular activities – like thousands of others – has ground to a halt. Traditionally hard touring, the pandemic brought a premature end to a short East Coast tour with Proper. and Pronoun. Simultaneously, an extensive spring run with Spanish Love Songs – arguably the biggest band to break out of the DIY/punk scene over the last two years – was shelved.

The possibility of a debut UK tour – now looking more likely after signing with a UK booking agent – was also halted. Daniel describes the opportunities as “a dream”, with Amy calling the cancellations a “colossal kick in the pants”. However, they’re philosophical about the need to put on the handbrake.

“The thing that has been helpful for me is knowing that this year didn’t happen because of our own failure,” says Amy. “It’s something that’s happened to everyone, and we have to do something different because the world is experiencing collective trauma. The band’s not the most important thing right now.”

Fortunately, ‘Deliberately Alive’ will ensure Future Teens don’t fall off any radars any time soon.

Recorded in a solid eighthour session, it captures the verve and energy of one of America’s finest up-andcoming indie-rock acts, even if the actual chemistry of playing together was literally a snatched day and a half in a barn in New Hampshire.

“The most collaboration we had was when we all met in that barn in August,” laughs Maya. “It was like this super-condensed version of what we usually do, where we played for

eight hours solid.

“But it felt so good to get to do that, and it felt like it normally felt after so many months of not playing together – like, it was comfortable and normal, and I still knew how to collaborate with my bandmates. I’m so proud of what we did with the resources that we had.”

This sense of pride is hard-won but richly deserved. ‘Deliberately Alive’ is a deep EP of four originals and a tender take on Cher’s ‘Believe’ – yet another striking cover after the equally brilliant ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘All Star’. But it’s an EP that has clearly pulled the group closer together, despite the physical distance currently between them.

It feels somewhat trite to call a band ‘special’, but having witnessed Future Teens live, nothing can prepare you for the delight of seeing dozens of grinning faces screaming ‘BOSTON SUCKS!’ during ‘In Love Or Whatever’.

Indeed, such joy shows the power of these human connections, and Future Teens’ ability to draw people into their world. It’s a magic formula, making the intangible into something real and electric.

Yet, for all the adulation that may one day come their way, it’s equally powerful to see that Future Teens care just as much for each other as they do about the possibility of breakout success.

“These are the three people I love most in the world. And this is the thing I love doing most in the world,” says Amy. For a band that understands the power of connections, it’s a more than fitting endnote. P Future Teens’ EP ‘Deliberately Alive’ is out now.

Upset 43

Rated_

Adult Mom Driver eeeee

THE OFFICIAL VERDICT ON EVERYTHING

Evanescence The Bitter Truth

eeeee

BEAUTIFULLY DARK AND MYSTERIOUS, ‘THE BITTER TRUTH’ IS A MAGNIFICENT RETURN THAT WAS WORTH WAITING FOR 44 Upset

Titans of goth rock return; with their first album of original music in a decade. ‘The Bitter Truth’ feels like a familiar friend; it is every bit classic Evanescence.

Although this album may seem like a time machine to 2003, the content is still fresh and exciting.

Amy Lee’s powerful voice brings raw emotion to each track. Her rich, unique vocals are unlike anyone else’s on the scene. This angelic voice often contrasts with the ripping instrumentals backing her. ‘Broken Pieces’ is a prime example of this; with blistering guitar and hard-hitting drums, it’s like headbanging to an angsty choir. High praise is in order for Will Hunt’s stellar performance on the drums; he smashes every song.

Despite the ten year

gap, the band continues to create massive anthems. Like the lip sync, air drum worthy ‘Wasted On You’ and the empowering fight song ‘Part of Me’. An industrial influence is hinted at in songs like ‘Feeding the Dark’. Whilst the eerily ethereal ‘Blind Belief’ is the perfect ending to a killer album.

“I’m a queen resurrected just as messed up as before” declares Lee in ‘Yeah Right’. This statement shines true, like a phoenix from the ashes, Evanescence has recreated all of the raw power that makes them one of the most beloved bands of the genre.

Beautifully dark and mysterious, ‘The Bitter Truth’ is a magnificent return that was worth waiting for. Kelsey McClure

Adult Mom’s third album, ‘Driver’ delivers a thematically complex and emotionally intelligent collection of songs, neatly tied up with recurring themes and quietly important motifs. Dancing between bluesy indie music, Americana country heartache and the buzz of synths and drums, the album deals in thoughtful images of driver/passenger dynamics, exploring the way this functions in relationships with others as well as yourself.

It provides a reflective and provoking emotional transformation, charting their slow-build of confidence to step into the driver’s seat and take charge of their own life.

While glittering with gorgeous vignettes, it is its cumulative effect that provides lasting impact; arresting in its placidity and emotional depths. Edie McQueen

The Blue Stones Hidden Gems eeeee

Big, brash, ballsy bar room rock will never lose its magic - that’s the spirit that runs throughout ‘Hidden Gems’, the new album from Canadian duo The Blue Stones. Sticking true to the adage that a guitar and drums can make enough of a noise all on their own, their second full-length has genuine swagger. ‘Shakin’ Off The Rust’ drips with assured confidence, while ‘Careless’ adds the sort of laid back beat that proves The Blue Stones aren’t a band stuck in another time. It’s when they really let rip that the pair really hit their

stride. ‘Let It Ride’ in particular hitting the mark.

These hidden gems aren’t keeping quiet for anyone.

Stephen Ackroyd

Citizen

Life In Your Glass World

eeeee

Taking the creative reins firmly in hand, ‘Life In Your Glass World’ sees Citizen working towards reclaiming their own identity. Another significant move forward, they’re already adept at taking risks, exploring impassioned posthardcore, raw noise rock, shimmering indie-pop, anthemic alternative, and more - and this album is no stranger to that, directing their focus away from their monumental guitar riffs, and refocusing on rhythm, paying particular attention to drums.

As a result, many of the songs feature undeniably danceable beats along with grooving guitar lines, making for their most confident body of work to date. Phoebe De Angelis

Closer

Within One Stem

eeeee

”Everything is politics”, said the novelist Thomas Mann.

Never has such an argument felt as fitting as it does with Closer’s second album, ‘Within One Stem’. Superficially, it’s a record inspired by sciencefiction that also tackles themes of grief and isolation – ideas which don’t necessarily lend themselves to political discourse. But Closer are as much driven by the subtext as they are by what’s happening on the surface. It means much of ‘Within One

Stem’ is operating on different levels, discussing social ills through allegory and simile, all propelled by vocalist Ryann Slauson’s desperate yell. Due to the complexities, it’s not a stretch to call this postmodern screamo; a heady mix of political discourse, misdirection and art-school smarts. Rob Mair

ERRA ERRA

eeeee

Five albums in and ERRA are as powerful as ever.

Machine gun breakbeats, howling screams, guttural growls - it’s all packed into a self-titled album that is bursting with riffs. Darting about mercilessly, the rabid guitars flurry, eyes wide, into the euphoria of singer and guitarist Jesse Cash’s vocals.

Certainly, there’s an expected aspect at play here - all those hard-worn, classic tropes were always going to feature on an album that delves into the darkness - but it’s the moments that swing left that really makes this an encapsulating listen, including ‘Remnant’ which morphs into something positively groovy with a hip-swinging guitar solo that completely subverts the brashness of everything before it in the best way possible. ERRA is a defiant step forward into a crunching and rage-filled chapter.

Steven Loftin

Future Teens Deliberately Alive EP

eeeee

Boston’s Future Teens exist in that moment of late 20s/early 30s post-

adolescence where the pains of youth are replaced by the anxieties of growing up and getting old. This is reflected in the oh-so-short ‘Deliberately Alive’, a bittersweet stopgap followup to break-out ‘Breakup Season’. Only five songs long, ‘Deliberately Alive’ sticks rigidly to the formula that previously brought the ‘Teens so much success.

Amy Hoffman and Daniel Radin continue to share lead vocal duties to great effect, mixing personal stories of heartbreak and loneliness with aplomb.

And the quality doesn’t drop. Whether that’s Hoffman finding a reason to live (‘Guest Room’) or Radin’s take on failing relationships (‘Play Cool’), ‘Deliberately Alive’ works as Future Teens’ most cohesive set of songs to date. Rob Mair

GHLOW

Slash and Burn

eeeee

SwedishRussian duo GHLOW (formed of Emille de Blanche and Nikolay Evdokimov) have birthed a dark and sticky bundle of noise with their debut record ‘Slash and Burn’.

Both members are multidisciplinary creatives, a notion reflected sonically through a busy multiplex of beats, staticity and fuzz.

Hollow vocals utter chants through gurgling flickers of nu-metal (‘Mess With Me’), haphazard post-punk (‘Hollow’) and ambient drones (‘Holding On’).

Locked together by an industrial soundscape at its core, ‘Slash and Burn’ is all doom and raw to the bone, albeit a plateauing first act.

Jasleen Dhindsa

Kali Masi [laughs]

eeeee

Honing their sound and leaning into their midwestemo sensibilities, on ‘[laughs]’ Kali Masi tackle their demons head-on. A punchy release, it’s packed full of witty lyricism, and maintains a high-energy from start to finish. ‘Guilt Like A Gun’ builds and retreats to really resonate, declaring “it seems like nothing ever changes these days”. Touching on issues like emotional abuse, tense friendships and feeling comfortable in misery, such self-awareness and realisation encourages brutally honest reflection.

Having delivered poignant and empowering anthems of identity and self, finale ‘The Stray’ is the ultimate letting go of inhibitions as we see the band really dig their heels in. Kali Masi are breaking down boundaries and truly taking no shit. Phoebe De Angelis

SKEGSS Rehearsal

eeeee

There’s something quite loveable about SKEGSS. Their second album, ‘Rehearsal’ takes you on a road trip with the top down as it relays sun-kissed narratives of love, friendship and youthful musings.

Unapologetically laid-back punk, on the riotous ‘Bush TV’ their rebellion is contagious, with songs like ‘Picturesque Moment’ readymade for festivals. Watch this space. Phoebe De Angelis Upset 45

EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE BANDS AND TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, JEREMY BOLM FROM TOUCHÉ AMORÉ TAKES US THROUGH SOME OF THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO HIM DURING HIS TEENAGE YEARS. WITH... JEREMY BOLM FROM TOUCHÉ AMORÉ

DEFTONES Around the Fur

I never knew if it was just a California thing, but there was a deeper love and pride for Deftones than there was for other bands of their ilk at the time. For example, when say Limp Bizkit’s ‘Three Dollar Bill Y’all’ (same year as ‘Around the Fur’) came out, loads of people liked it, but it felt like a trend as opposed to a lifestyle. I remembering buying Adrenaline after seeing the music video for ‘7 Words’, but when ‘Around the Fur’ came out, they were IT. The lyrics were all of a sudden at the forefront in a way they weren’t before.

FAR Boring Life

If you were a fanatic for music, you had to find everything your favourite bands loved.

If you did the most minimal of research on Deftones, you found FAR. They’re the second corner in the Sacramento, CA Trifecta of bands. ‘Tin Cans With Strings To You’ was produced by Brad Wood (who we would later recorded ‘Is Survived By / Stage Four’ with) and it has the snare sound of the era.

This record dipped closer to what we’d come to know as emo as but some no doubt aggressive moments. Far quickly became my favourite band because they weren’t commercially popular and felt like a secret.

WILL HAVEN I’ve Seen My Fate

Here we have it, the Sacramento trifecta. This, 46 Upset

without me knowing, was my first toe-dip into hardcore.

Deftones sound was the meeting ground between Far and Will Haven. This record came out on Revelation, which has always been fascinating to me. A lot of the material on this record all kinda sounds the same, but oddly that’s the charm. They’re songs that make you want to stomp the ground so hard to that you’ll no doubt bust your heel. I was sold the first time I heard the words “I inherit hell, I inherit the world”, as if Travis Bickle himself was fronting this band.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN Suite-Pee

I was a latchkey kid, raised by a single mom who worked to keep food on the table and a roof over our head, so with that came a lack of attention on my social life.

As long as I told my mom I was doing my homework and going to school every day, I

had freedom. The legendary venue The Troubadour in West Hollywood, would have $3 shows if you were under 21 on Monday nights that were all the local nu-metal local bands. I had a crew of friends that would go every week to see bands like System of a Down, Hybrid Theory (later Linkin Park), Static-X, Papa Roach, Alien Ant Farm, and more. It was fascinating watching which bands broke and which ones didn’t. System of a Down had a lot of pride behind them in my area because they’re an all-Armenian band from Glendale, CA, which is the neighbouring city to Burbank, where I’m from. When the self-titled album came out, it was as if they were handed out to any resident of the surrounding area. Watching their career explode was incredible.

SLIPKNOT Surfacing

If you were 15 and ever loved Korn, there was no way you were going to escape Slipknot’s reach. The gimmick worked perfectly.

On paper, this shouldn’t have worked, but holy shit, it did.

9 members and they wear masks and have aliases. I saw them open the small stage at Ozzfest in ‘99 and was hooked. The lyrics perfectly spoke to an angsty adolescent kid. This song in particular’s chorus was the prime example of “don’t play this loud when Mom’s home”. This album is where my love for nu-metal tapered off because I never owned a copy of ‘Iowa’; soon thereafter, I found hardcore and emo officially and learned they had a name and a scene attached to them. P Touché Amoré’s album ‘Lament’ is out now. Find Jeremy’s full playlist on upsetmagazine.com.

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