Upset, December 2018 / January 2019

* * S P E C I A L D O U B L E I S S U E * * YO U R E N D O F Y E A R M U ST L I ST E N G U I D E TO 2 0 1 8 ’S B E ST A L B U M S !

December 2018 / January 2019 upsetmagazine.com

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C REEPER CAN’T SWIM MEMPHIS MAY FIRE PALISADES

Featuring...

BLACK PEAKS BOSTON MANOR IDLES DREAM WIFE BLACK FOXXES +'more'

the last twelve m o fr s rd o c re e Th months you can’t miss!

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DECEMBER 2018 / JANUARY 2019 Issue 39

HELLO.

It's the end of another year, which means it's time for The List. We've rounded up some of our favourite records from the last twelve months - fifty of them in all - and talked to some of the people behind them to provide a must hear list of everything great from 2018.

It's not all good news, though.

This month saw Creeper seemingly draw a line under their big adventure as they appeared to split on stage at London's Koko during a 'final' gig. We're not sure if it's real, or if it's another of those immersive games they like to play with the imagery around the band, but until we hear otherwise, we're pouring one out to one of the very finest.

S tephen

Editor / @stephenackroyd

Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alex Bradley, Alex Cabre, Alex Thorp, Dan Harrison, Danny Randon, Dillon Eastoe, Jack Press, Jake Hawkes, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Katie Pilbeam, Linsey Teggert, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Frances Beach, Jennifer McCord Sarah Louise Bennett 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.

RIOT 4. CREEPER 8. YONAKA 9. THE BRONX 10. CAN’T SWIM 14. MEMPHIS MAY FIRE 18. PALISADES ABOUT TO BREAK 20. SICK JOY 22. POLISH CLUB 23. SOEUR

FEATURES 24. THE BEST OF 2018

FEAT. BLACK PEAKS, BOSTON MANOR, DREAM WIFE, IDLES, BLACK FOXXES, THE XCERTS, WATERPARKS, AS IT IS, AGAINST THE CURRENT AND MORE.

REVIEWS 56. THE 1975 TEENAGE KICKS 58. PUPPY

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THIS MONTH IN ROCK

EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK

RIP CREEPER?

CREEPER’s future is uncertain as the band ‘break-up’ onstage at London’s KOKO. Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

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Yonaka give us the low-down on their new EP ‘Creature’, and what’s on their minds as they go into 2019. p.8

Chris Loporto runs through the ins and outs of Can't Swim's new record, 'This Too Won't Pass'. p.10

Memphis May Fire don't claim to have all the answers, but they're laying themselves open in the hope it can help others. p.14

T

here’s a sense of finality surrounding Creeper’s one-off headline show at London’s KOKO.

The band have long spoken about The End of their little group, and they’ve been strangely quiet in the lead-up to tonight, save for a mysterious countdown leading to this show.

Billed asking the question “can the city withstand one more callous night in the city,” there’s no way around it, things will never be the same for Creeper after tonight.

“It’s here now. You better wake up,” warns a faceless voice as the curtain covered stage flashes with strobes. There are haunted house screams, that song from the X Factor (or ‘O Fortuna’ from Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ if you’re a little more classical) and a whole lot of anticipation before Creeper even take to the stage.

As the curtain drops, the band stands still for just a moment before Will throws his fist and they launch into ‘Suzanne’. The opening songs fly by in a flurry of scratched punk and unruly abandon.

‘Valentine’s pause of “I’ve been low,” is the first real moment to take a breath but it doesn’t last long.

The only story Creeper are telling for the first half of tonight is just how ferocious and unrelenting they can be.

There’s no theatrics, no drama, just locked hand escape as they bounce between their back catalogue. “Close your eyes, count to three, make a wish,” sings ‘VCR’ with a leading poignancy. Creeper did, and it’s still coming true around them.

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Riot_ With every song they burn through, the band become more emboldened. Big moves and bright swathes of colour, The Callous Heart has never beaten louder.

‘Crickets’ into ‘Black Rain’ starts the second act of tonight’s murder mystery. Fully embracing the emotion and drama of what they’ve created, ‘I Choose To Live’ trembles on the edge of control while ‘Astral Projection’ burns like a flare.

From the hair flick pace of ‘Darling’ to the restrained unfurling of ‘Into The Black’, tonight lets Creeper do things at their own pace, for the first time in a long time. There are no expectations, no hype, just excitement, admiration and intrigue. Untethered, tonight sees Creeper fully embrace the band they’ve always threatened to become, which makes Will’s announcement before ‘Misery’ that much more devastating.

“Of all the shows we’ve played in this last four years, this one will remain with us the longest. Because not only is it the last show of this album campaign, but it’s the last show that we’ll ever do,” he declares as cheers quickly turn into shock.

‘Misery’ has always felt timeless. Bigger than the band, it has defined everything they’ve done and become an anthem of enduring defiance for the cult that follows them.

Tonight it hangs in the air, coaxing, comforting and soundtracking this final goodbye. Lyrics are sung with lung-emptying belief, one last chance to dance before the band huddle at the back of the stage and, one-by-one, take off their signature jackets and lay them at the front of the stage. Ian and Will, the last ones standing, embrace before their turn and then it’s all over. P

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Yonaka

on...

Yonaka give us the low-down on their new EP ‘Creature’, and what’s on their minds as they go into 2019.

Yonaka on... the writing process

We try to keep it fresh when we write new music and don’t really have a formula that we stick to. Sometimes an idea will start from a vocal melody or guitar part; sometimes it will be a cool electronic sound or programmed beat/synth. We also try and write/record on the road and in hotels while travelling – it’s all about staying inspired. Everything has to come from the heart and be a real experience for us.

... touring with BMTH and Fever 333

This goliath tour is such a step up for us, and it couldn’t be with nicer people. We all love Bring Me The Horizon. When we saw

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their tour was coming up, we actually sent a message to Ollie Sykes asking to take us on the road, to which he said “yes” to! It was hard keeping it a secret.

... recording on the road

We have had an amazing summer playing a bunch of festivals all over Europe, which was a first for us as a band. It was a little hectic at times as we were recording loads of new material at the same time. This is how we recorded the majority of the ‘Teach Me To Fight’ and ‘Creature’ EPs. We travel with a portable recording rack. We can achieve sounds we are really happy with in hotel rooms and dressing rooms without having to record at big, fancy, expensive studios!

... essentials for a healthy mind on tour Being on tour, with late nights and lack of routine, can make you feel a bit run down and become a bit ill, so we like doing things to counteract that. If the hotel we’re in doesn’t have a gym, then we turn the green room into a little work out sweatbox for half an hour. We try and stick to a healthy diet on the road.

... women in rock music

Even though it’s growing, there’s still a lack of females in the industry, especially in rock music. We have got to make more noise! P

Yonaka’s EP ‘Creature’ is out now.

The Bronx play the Fireball - Fuelling The Fire 2018 tour with Flogging Molly, Face To Face, Lost In Stereo and DJ Matt Stocks.

DECEMBER 02 London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire 03 London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire 05 Glasgow, O2 Academy 06 Newcastle, O2 Academy 07 Bristol, O2 Academy 09 Manchester, O2 Ritz 10 Sheffield, O2 Academy 12 Birmingham, O2 Academy 13 Oxford, O2 Academy 14 Bournemouth, O2 Academy

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR FAVE BANDS TAKE ON THE ROAD. THIS MONTH... MATT CAUGHTHRAN FROM

My weed pen. It’s 4:20 somewhere. Our tour schedule is insane, and sometimes the stress of kicking so much ass takes its toll mentally and physically.

This little guy helps curb all the anxiety and stress that comes along with life on the road.

‘Scuse me while I light my spliff...

50 ft. Ethernet cable. WiFi is for pussies. If you want 100% pure, uncut, crystal clear internet, you gotta go straight to the source.

Plug into the main vain. Nothing like it.

A Florida magnet. This is to remind me that no matter how fucked things get, that it could always be worse. “At least we’re not in Florida.”

My passport. Travelling changed my life. I always bring my passport on tour to remind myself that I have the freedom to go anywhere I want in this life. There is so much of the world I have yet to see, but I’m gonna do my best to see it all.

My camera. It’s important to document your life. It’s also important to look at life thru different lenses. Not just a screen. Photography takes my brain to a different place creatively, and I love it.

THE BRONX

TAKING BACK SUNDAY ARE GEARING UP TO CELEBRATE THEIR 20TH ANNIVERSARY The band will release a career retrospective compilation featuring two new songs - ‘All Ready To Go’ and ‘A Song For Dan’ - on 11th January, with some tour dates in the works too.

‘Twenty’ will span all seven of their full-length albums; 2002's ‘Tell All Your Friends’, 2004's ‘Where You Want To Be’, 2006's ‘Louder Now’, 2009's ‘New Again’, 2011's ‘Taking Back Sunday’, 2014's ‘Happiness Is’ and 2016's ‘Tidal Wave’.

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DEEP

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CAN'T SWIM have built upon all the lessons from their debut album for an outstanding follow-up.

Words: Steven Loftin.

S

econd album, ‘This Too Won't Pass' showcases a more ambitious Can't Swim. Having begun project for bandtop as a lap 2016, leader Chris LoPorto in after things swiftly caught fire ords signing to Pure Noise Rec ut deb of ase rele with the ain', full-length, ‘Fail You Ag ed ult the following year. It res in a somewhat haphazard ling fee evolution that left Chris more as though there was a lot they could achieve.

I'm not "I'm not say ing that il You ['Fa um alb t tha of proud

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Riot_ Again']," he considers, "but that definitely wasn't thought of as a project. We just wrote a bunch of songs and picked our favourite ones. It's very all over the place, and it has a lot of contrast. Some poppy songs, some lighthearted songs - whereas this record, I think it's very dynamic. It has a bunch of different flavours on it."

Chris began demoing tracks almost immediately after ‘Fail You Again' wrapped up recording. Going in with a more assured line of thinking, it's elevated Can't Swim to the next level while retaining all the essential parts - dark aggression with delicate touches, Chris's painfully personal lyrics - that have kept them steaming forward over the past few years.

"This time was a little bit more focused, and we were very concerned about what our sound was, more so than what our favourite song was," Chris explains. "We had a lot of songs that we may have liked, but we were trying to pick the ones that sounded most like Can't Swim rather than picking ones that sound different from each other. Now it's been, what?

Three years of being a band? So we're starting to hone in on what we sound like, and trying to focus on making sure kids keep

“SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA TOSS IT OUT, AND WRITE ANOTHER SONG” CHRIS LOPORTO

following it," he chortles.

"Before anyone cared about Can't Swim it all started as something just to deal with certain things in my past. They always say ‘write about it and make it into a positive', and I still think it's coming from that place, but certainly, I'm conscious that a tonne of people are going to hear other than just myself. It comes from a therapeutic mentality."

How does it feel having to live in this darkened world consistently?

"It has its pros and cons!"

Chris laughs. "Reliving those stories every night can be draining at times, but now at this point, [it's] the job of the band. Like we had some sort of, I dunno, I don't wanna say image, but some sort of…" He pauses, thinking. "…identity that the fans can find solace in, and can relate to. If I made a record about happy, good stuff, people would be thrown off by it, so I

accepted it, and it's just finding different ways to portray and get creative. But yeah, sometimes it is quite depressing!"

With lead single ‘sometimes you meet the right people at the wrong times' born out of words written on the back of a photograph left for Chris by an ex, he admits it's not a perfect way of working from his point of view, but it's just how it is.

"It's a vulnerable thing," he says, "but it makes up the band and it's what I always try to write about. It's a familiar thing."

The rest of the album continues this trajectory; 'Congratulations, Christopher Hodge' is an ode to a friend who recently became a new father, and even the numbers in ‘Malicious 444' - while primarily there because it "looked kind of cool" - are once again very personal.

"444 has been a thing between a few friends and I," Chris explains. "Just this number that's followed us for years that seemed to have bad luck to it. Something bad would happen, and I'd look over, and there would be 444 on the clock," he says with a suspicious air. "I always wanted to throw it into a song title. It seemed fitting for the record."

So what about the many songs that didn't make the cut for 'This Too Won't Pass'?

"It's tough because it's hard to write any song - it can sometimes take months to figure out, but it is important to keep some sort of theme going through your music ‘cause it can be very distracting or confusing for kids," Chris muses. "We were guilty of that a little on ‘Fail You Again'. I think kids were expecting one thing, and we just threw a bunch of curve balls at them. Sometimes you just gotta toss it out, and write another song." P Can’t Swim’s album

‘This Too Won’t Pass’ is out now.

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MEMPHIS MAY FIRE don't claim to have all the answers, but they're laying themselves open in the hope it can help others.

Words: Steven Loftin.

F

or their sixth album, Memphis May Fire frontman Matty Mullins found himself digging deep into his psyche and journey for inspiration.

‘Broken' was completed the best part of a year ago, but with their US tour with Atreyu fast coming around, now's the time for Memphis May Fire to make their way back into the world, and for the record to finally fulfil its purpose.

"It's never been about anything but what we can do to help people with our music," Matty begins over the phone

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from his home in Nashville.

"There's the bare bones part of being a band; that you've got to go out and make a living and sell merchandise and stuff like that, but we've always had a strong team that's handled things like that for us. Our focus has always been to write music that can genuinely help people."

Building ‘Broken' from the ground up while tucked away in the studio, Memphis May Fire wanted to pull out all the honesty they could muster.

What they've walked out with is an album that is most certainly fit to help those in their time of need.

"It's not that we feel we have some special gift, or ability to do that, it's just something that we're trying to do," he admits.

"And it does happen to feel lucky, and blessed, to be a part of that story in somebody life.

It's not very complicated; it's me sitting down and writing a song and saying, ‘you know, I'm exactly like you'. We are all human beings, and we're all struggling with the same things, you know? This is what I'm going through. Life's not easy, and life's not perfect but there is a beauty in the brokenness, and there is healing when you want it."

Even the album sat gestating

for the last twelve months or so offered itself a unique opportunity for Matty in the form of recognising his journey.

"It's amazing to think about all of the healing that has happened in my life and everything that I've learned since," he says brightly. "I think it's therapeutic to tell my story. The whole idea behind the record is that I wanted to share my story honestly so that people would feel like they're not alone; that's the first step of healing for anybody."

Matty's journey is the centre around which Memphis May Fire have constructed 'Broken'.

Touring, recording and having what can feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders takes its toll, sometimes amplifying underlying personal issues. "[Touring has] been a vital part of the last ten years of my life, just being on the road - it's tough!" He exclaims. "It's tough to be away from friends and family. We've all settled in as much as we can into the life of touring; where me and the rest of the guys are like family, and we do enjoy travelling together. What makes it worth it, [is] every single show that we've ever played, there's been at least one or two people that

have walked up to me to tell me about what our music means to them, and how it's helped them through something, and you can't put a price on that.

"It doesn't matter if we go out and make a million dollars, or if we go out and lose money and we go home broke, at the end of the day, that's a legacy.

That's something that really, genuinely matters. Human lives, you know? People that are struggling with things and are being helped by something that we got to create, that we were lucky enough to create - that's always been it for us. That's always been the focus and drive behind what we do."

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Riot_ Musically for Memphis May Fire, 'Broken' offers itself as an evolution, touching upon a new groundwork for the metalcore four-piece. "The last two records that we've put out have been a natural progression of us moving into this new season and re-birth of the band. This record is the furthest that we've ever gone away from our original sound that people came to know the band with. We had an idea of where we wanted to go, but we didn't know how it was going to turn out."

More importantly for the band; "There was never any moment during creating this record that we were like, ‘Oh man, what are we doing? Where are we going with this? How is this going to work?'"

"It's time in our career for us to redefine who we are as a band," Matty declares. "To start branching out; performing for people who've never heard of the band before and going on tours with bands that we've never toured with before. For us to continue being excited about being in a band, we knew we had to do something - a new vision and a new direction, so that's what this record is.

"It's a new Memphis May Fire, and anybody that's ever

"IT'S A NEW MEMPHIS MAY FIRE�

MATTY MULLINS

listened to us," he continues.

"When you hear our new record, it's still us; it's still my voice, and Kellen [McGregor]'s southern-influenced guitar riffs, but we wanted to do something that's new and fresh and exciting to us, and hopefully it translates that way to our fans as well."

It's aided by the musical smorgasbord of Nashville, the place that Matty has decided to call home.

"I've got such a wide variety of music that I listen to these days," he enthuses. "Nashville is the songwriting capital of the world; there's so much songwriting of all different genres happens here. I bounce around all over the place, I'm not so much focused on genres these days, like I used to be as a kid - ‘Oh man, that's not heavy, I'm not listening to it!' These days I want to hear great songs.

I want to listen to the craft of songwriting and appreciate

it for what it is. So, I listen to everyone from Ed Sheeran to Killswitch Engage!"

It's resulted in a record that has a timeless message, Matty explains. "Even if it were two years from now, it would be the right time to put the record out," he asserts. "At the end of the day, the records aren't about me. If it was about me, I would just write a blog and write emails to family and share my story that way, but we're writing music not for us, but other people. For the people that benefit. Our listeners who hear our songs and hear our stories and it helps them during their healing process and the journey that they're on.

I don't think it really would've mattered when this record came out, no matter what I'd been enlightened with. It's just genuine honest stories, and hopefully, they'll withstand the test of time."

Does Matty feel like he's made progress in understanding himself?

"I do, yeah. Throughout your life, you're going to peel back different layers of things that have caused issues within your life. Every time you peel back a new layer, you feel something else that needs to be worked on.

"I'm a work in progress, like anybody else, but I do feel like I am healed from the worst of it. From the worst of my panic attacks and anxiety to the deep dark hole of depression that I lived in for two years straight.

It's been a learning process and something, but it's been such an amazing thing for me to understand continually. It's allowed me to help so many of my friends and my family, and a lot of our fans through our music kind of walk through that process with them, so I'm different now, and I think I'll be different in two years, you know?" P Memphis May Fire's

album 'Broken' is out now.

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Q&A

“WE NEEDED TO PUSH OURSELVES FURTHER THAN EVER BEFORE” Move over Boxing Day, bugger off New Year's, there's a new post-Christmas event ready to take over the festive season: PALISADES' massive new album. Drummer AARON ROSA fills us in.

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ost-hardcore anthems don’t come much bigger than those from New Jersey heavyweights, Palisades. The band are back this Christmas with their fourth album ‘Erase The Pain’, and it sees them push themselves into a visceral new territory; early taster 'War' leading the way with all the hallmarks of a future classic.

Hey Aaron, how’s it going?

Right now we are having a blast finishing up the last couple of days on our War 2018 tour.

Tell us about your new album, ‘Erase The Pain’ - did you start work on it immediately after ‘Palisades’? It feels like a pretty swift follow-up.

Once the self-titled was done, we definitely started to already think about what the next one would sound like. We started writing demos and getting our thoughts together about a year and a half ago and didn’t stop writing until the album was still being tracked. We didn’t stop working until the very end.

What was your frame of mind like going into the record?

We went into that studio with the

mindset that we needed to push ourselves further than we ever have before. We knew our songs felt good but needed to refine them and hear them recorded.

Did you start the album with any particular goals in mind for what you wanted to create?

We just wanted to make the best songs possible and to experiment a little more with creating more textures and creating some more atmosphere in the songs.

Was there a specific incident that inspired lead single ‘War’?

I honestly really wanted to go in writing a song that was more aggressive than any other song that we had ever written. The song started with the riff, and it quickly started to develop to what it is now.

We do have a plan of how things are going to be released, but you never know what could happen.

Things can always switch last minute at any moment. As of right now, we are very excited to pull some surprises out and do some things we have never done before. So you’ll just have to be patient for now.

Do you have a favourite track?

It’s really hard to say, but for now, I’ll say it’s 'Shed My Skin' - that one goes hard.

Did many songs end up on the cutting room floor?

I’m pretty sure there’s about three or four songs that didn’t make it, but knows, maybe they will see the light of day.

Was that one of the first tracks you wrote for the record, or did it come later in the process?

Your release date is really unusual, what made you pick 28th December? Are you going to be working right through Christmas?

There are so many potential singles here, do you already have a plan for what you want to release, or are you going to see how it goes?

Palisades' album 'Erase The Pain' is out 28th December.

'War' was a song that actually came much later in the whole process. We worked on that one until we had about a week left.

We are working right up to the Holidays! We can’t wait to go on the road with Like A Storm this December and Nothing More and Of Mice & Men next year actually. It’s going to be a very busy couple of years for us. P

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THE BEST NEW BANDS. THE HOTTEST NEW MUSIC.

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WANT A NEW BAND CRUSH? CHECK OUT THIS LOT! >>>

PRESS CLUB Aussie punks Press Club have just signed to Hassle Records for debut album ‘Late Teens’, out in Jan. ‘Headwreck’ is a particular highlight.

GRANDSON grandson's Fueled By Ramen debut, the powerful ‘a modern tragedy vol. 1’ EP is billed as “provoking discourse [via] art and activism”.

FONTAINES D.C. FFO Idles and Shame, Dublin rabble Fontaines D.C. are coming out all-guns-blazing for 2019, with urgent, noisy punk and a ridiculous tour schedule.

SICK JOY SO HOT RIGHT NOW

Brighton bunch SICK JOY are on the up with their fuzzy, grunge-influenced heavy pop.

B

righton upstarts Sick Joy are one of the highlights of The Great Escape’s First Fifty showcase this winter, showcasing buzzy newcomers ahead of next year’s festival - and they’re playing Upset’s stage. Nice one, right? With a heavy Pixies influence, the trio - made up of Mykl Barton (vocals, guitar), Danny Piston (bass) and Drew Michael (drums) - are busy bringing back all the grungy best bits of the 90s.

Hey Mykl, what's up?

I'm good just sliding down some vegan bacon with a side of scrambled eggs because contradictions are everywhere.

So who's in the band then?

There are three of us. Danny plays bass, Martyn plays drums.

I met Danny back in Newcastle just through bands on the circuit, and we started playing together. Martyn was the same.

Saw him playing at a show, we needed a drummer, so we got together. Sounds so simple written out. Martyn and Danny are both currently exploiting the world's fascination with coffee and all its guises working

Words: Sam Taylor at coffee shops in Brighton. I'm just here. Doing life.

What prompted the move from Newcastle to Brighton? That's a bit of a trek.

It fuckin' is, man. Whatever way you do it, it's long and expensive. Our poor mothers.

We just got seduced by all the rad bands going on in Brighton and the vibe of the place, so Danny and I got in a van and just went down. Lived in that for a while, got some jobs, got a house. Here we are.

How are you finding life at the seaside?

It's nice down here, man. It's like nowhere else. It's a melting pot, and a lot of it revolves around creativity and freedom, which is nice.

You seem to have been really busy this year, any notable highlights?

I mean, Brixton Academy was pretty decent, like. The tour we just finished, the EP and recording the single. It's all fucking good, right? Otherwise, what's the point?

Are you going to have a similarly packed 2019? Lots of

“EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T JUST ACTUALLY PLAYING CAN BE A REAL FUCKING DRAG” MYKL BARTON

festivals and stuff?

We just want more of it. We're greedy boys. Hopefully, we can get out and play more, get more music out, all the classic shit.

If we can, we will. What else is there?

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing new bands at the mo?

The business bullshit. I think everything that isn't just actually playing can be a real fucking drag. But if you wanna try and pay your rent or buy some food with your music, you've gotta work out how to do it without it sapping your life out. As long as you love it, you'll be fine. P

Sick Joy play Upset’s First Fifty gig at The Old Blue Last on 29th November, ahead of The Great Escape next year.

Upset 21

POLISH CLUB A POLSKI KLUB

POLISH CLUB are making their way across the pond from their native Australia; watch out 2019,here they come. Words: Sam Taylor

ussie up-andcomers Polish Club straddle the line between rambunctious, cheeky punk about partying and having a good time, and more groove-laden soulinfluenced rock’n’roll. The duo - David Novak (vocals, guitar) and John-Henry Pajak (drums) - are currently working their way towards a new album, due early next year, after their 2017 debut ‘Alright Already’ was nominated for the prestigious ARIA Award for Best Rock Album in their home country.

Fancy.

Hey David, when did you first realise you wanted to make music for a living, and is it everything you hoped it would be?

It’s always the goal really, but right now it looks like living at home with your folks (who are

22 Upset

rad) and living off free clothes from generous brands. Not complaining though, that’s more than I’d ever expected to achieve.

How have you found getting out of Australia? Is it tough to crack further afield?

It’s way more competitive, and people seem to be obsessed and tired of the whole twopiece schtick. Little do they realise that’s it’s not a big deal, and it’s the cheapest way to get shit done.

You've toured with some great acts, what have been the highlights of your time on the road so far?

We’re currently on tour with two German bands, Razz and Abay and we could not be more fishes out of water. It’s our first time on a tour bus, and I’m panicking about where I can shower and go number two. It’s hilarious.

“IT’S FELT LIKE THE LONGEST MUSICAL PREGNANCY EVER” DAVID NOVAK

It must feel good to have your album out, was it a long time in the works?

For international audiences, yes. We had it out in Australia for quite a while before we could get it released overseas, so it’s felt like the longest musical pregnancy ever. But def still not as bad as actual pregnancy.

Do you have big plans for 2019?

We just want to get our second album out so we can do a proper Euro tour of our own.

That would be swell, thanks. P

SOEUR F HYPE! HYPE! HYPE!

Bristol trio SOEUR balance math-rock, grunge and pop with electrifying results. Words: Linsey Teggert

rench for ‘sister', Soeur is an apt band name for this alternative Bristol three-piece on many levels. Not only does it represent the unity between Anya Pulver and Tina Maynard who share frontperson duties and flawless, intertwining vocal harmonies, but it also represents the experience of the underground British music scene that bounds the trio together. The appreciation of this scene brought them to James Collins, whose drumming glues Soeur's sound together.

"Anya and I lived in Droitwich in Worcestershire, and she convinced me to move to Bristol to start a band, as both of our previous bands had broken down," explains Tina.

"Anya met James at ArcTanGent.

He was formerly part of Maybeshewill, and he ticked all the boxes."

The beauty of Soeur is

“I LOVE THAT WE FIT ONTO LOTS OF DIFFERENT BILLS” TINA MAYNARD

in their unpredictability, swinging effortlessly between crunching noise, math-rock time signatures and sweet melodies all in the space of one song. Their previous EP, 2017s ‘What Separates Us' opens with the grungy, discordant ‘Put You On' with its riot grrrl style chorus, and ends with the mesmerising ‘Slow Days' where Anya and Tina's honeyed vocals take centre stage.

"I love the fact that we fit onto lots of different bills. We can go from the likes of the more niche ArcTanGent to Reading & Leeds," explains Anya. "I'm sometimes nervous that we

might not be accepted, but actually all of the different scenes seem to appreciate us."

Soeur have just released their ‘Fight' EP, with the tense title-track showcasing a more abrasive side. Though vocal duties are still shared, the harmonies are replaced by an aggressive, spoken word delivery. If Fugazi and Hole produced a musical baby, ‘Fight' would be the result. The anger channelled in the track is understandable given its subject matter.

"I bumped into a friend I hadn't seen since school who had been in the army, and we had an in-depth conversation," says Tina. "He fell in love with the idea of joining the army and protecting his country, but he ended up hating it and being completely disillusioned. It affected me to think that boys are still being shipped off to the army and aren't really told what they're fighting for.

"We like our songs to have a sense of ambiguity, and I think ‘Fight' could be about a lot of things. I try to write about society, and things I'm influenced by day to day. I don't like to get too personal – I find it quite difficult to do that, I get the most inspiration from thinking about the world and other people."

As Soeur finish off 2018 with a UK tour, it looks like the year ahead holds a lot of promise.

Though they're coy about the prospect of being signed, they're adamant that the band is something they want to do for a living. "We're really DIY and have done everything ourselves thus far," says Anya.

"We've wanted to have as much control as possible, but it takes up so much energy, it would be nice to just be able to focus on the music at some point. If getting signed is going to be part of the progression in the career we want, we wouldn't ever shy away from that." P

Soeur's EP 'Fight' is out now.

Upset 23

24 Upset

of albums have been released.

Over the last twelve months, hundreds through 50 of the very best.

Over the next 32 pages, we'll run you Introducing Upset's Best of 2018...

Upset 25

BEST OF

2018 #50

ZEAL & ARDOR STRANGER FRUIT

Zeal & Ardor’s ‘Devil Is Fine’ was held together with string. Six tracks, three interludes and a whole lot of ideas, it flirted with something a lot bigger but wasn’t quite sure what path to take. ‘Stranger Fruit’ sees Zeal & Ardor arrive. From the fizzing swell of the opening track to the aching collapse of ‘Built On Ashes’, the band embrace and explore every avenue. Powerful in every decision, deliberate in every move, the record makes everything count. Full of colour, and letting each shade run, ‘Stranger Fruit’ is a masterpiece of excess and control. P Ali

Shutler

#49

YOU ME AT SIX VI

If there’s one criticism of You Me At Six’s recent output, it’s that they seemed a band unsure of who they wanted to be.

On ‘VI’, they’re still refusing to stick to a single, easily identifiable template, but it no longer feels like they’re blindly chasing that arena rock trophy with no real plan. From deep grooves to giant riffs, variety truly is the spice of life. P Dan

Harrison

#48

CASEY

WHERE I GO WHEN I AM SLEEPING Casey’s ‘Where I Go When I Am Sleeping’ is a record of pain.

You don’t need to know the details of the afflictions that vocalist

26 Upset

Tom Weaver suffers from to feel the weight; the struggles are front, centre and scarlet-soaked.

Scratched vocals and furious colours run the show as the band point the finger, wallow in pain and try to find a way out.

Disappointment and frustration at their own shortcomings crackle like lightning before they lash out with thunderous rage.

It’s a record of pain, sure. But more importantly, it’s a record about wanting to be better. P Ali

Shutler

#47

FALL OUT BOY MANIA

While both ‘Save Rock and Roll’ and ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ stood proud with their singular purpose and ten-chapter story of reinvention and purpose, ‘M A N I A’ is as glitching and chaotic as opening track slash inspirational spark ‘Young & Menace’ suggests. Fall Out Boy are at home where the wild things roam.

From the whistling reggae dancehall of ‘Hold Me Tight (Or Don’t)’ to the soulful surrender of ‘Church’, ‘M A N I A’ draws influence from space and time.

Rather than parody, repetition or tired checklist of theme weeks from the X Factor, the record takes each new, robust flavour and owns them.

Sure, ‘Champion’ sounds like Fall Out Boy of recent old but the lyrics are more pointed, more direct and less guarded. The idea that they’re the champion of the people who don’t believe in champions is stitched into sleeves and worn across chests.

Stepping further away from the arena rock that’s defined their post-hiatus output and attitude, this record sees the band once again exploring pastures, new, old and undiscovered.

Impossible to peg down or box

in, ‘M A N I A’ sounds like Fall Out Boy enjoying being Fall Out Boy, and taking full advantage of all the freedom that offers. Catch them if you can. P Ali Shutler

#46

SWEARIN’

FALL INTO THE SUN After a five year break-up, Swearin’ have returned with a lo-fi delight of an album that may be their best yet. ‘Fall Into The Sun’ carries with it an air of someone looking back at their recent past and being surprised at how far they’ve come. By dialling the volume and angst down a notch or two, the American band (now a trio) have allowed space for a new sense of identity to shimmer to the surface. It is pure joy, forming a celebration of a band who have, somehow, survived against all the odds and emerged all the stronger for it. P Jamie

MacMillan

#45

UNDEROATH ERASE ME

They said it would never happen, but here we are. It’s 2018 and there’s a new record from Underoath. Always unpredictable, ‘Erase Me’ takes years of growth, exploration and adventure and weaves it all together. There’s still bite, but rather than screaming into the darkness, the band make sure every grievance and moment of self-doubt is heard. The best thing about ‘Erase Me’ isn’t just the simple fact that it exists; it’s that it sounds like Underoath in 2018. No, no one knew what to expect, but now we’ve got it, it makes perfect sense. P Ali

Shutler

Past Lives

CHRISSY COSTANZA has had a great year - here are her Top 5 highlights.

Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett.

Against The Current know how to read a room. For their second album, the three-piece have added polish on top of their already sheenily finished exterior, lending further evidence to the theory than genre boundaries are all but dead. It’s beneath those external walls where the true heart of ‘Past Lives’ beats, though. In ‘Personal’ frontwoman Chrissy Costanza shows a rawness that turns that shimmer into a full blown shine. P

RELEASING 'PAST LIVES' AFTER KEEPING IT A SECRET FOR SO LONG. We poured so much of our

souls into this record and held onto it for so long waiting for it to be ready. Learning to let go and put it in the hands of the fans was one of the biggest moments for us.

GETTING TO TOUR LATIN AMERICA FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS INCREDIBLE. We’ve been

very lucky to have toured so many places before so whenever we get to tour somewhere new it’s so special.

HEADLINING OUR BIGGEST UK/EU TOUR TO DATE WAS A WHIRLWIND. It still feels like

yesterday that we played our first show at the Borderline in London

so walking out onto stages like O2 Forum feels like a dream.

OPENING UP FOR FALL OUT BOY WAS UNBELIEVABLE. The

crowds were amazing but on top of that being able to watch and learn from a band that made the same transition we’re making now from one space in music to another was inspiring and validating.

HEARING THE MASTERS OF OUR ALBUM FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS VERY EMOTIONAL. This

album was quite a bit more raw than the last so hearing it in its final form after slaving away on it for the better part of a year was a rollercoaster of emotions. P

Upset 27

BEST OF

2018 #43

TROPHY EYES THE AMERICAN DREAM

Three albums in, and Trophy Eyes are a band with stuff to say. An album called 'The American Dream' by a bunch of Australians might seem like an oddity, but they pull it off with style. Springsteenesque storytelling from the very top drawer, it's a record that strides confidently towards bigger horizons. 'Something Bigger Than This' punches the air with genuine spirit, while opener 'Autumn' recalls The Gaslight Anthem at their finest. You can't offer better praise than that. P

Dan Harrison

#42

JOYCE MANOR

MILLION DOLLARS TO KILL ME Five albums deep and California’s Joyce Manor remain wideeyed protagonists of youthful exuberance. Sure, they’ve found a comfy niche of sorts – two-minute pop song bangers that dissect the human condition – but vocalist and lyricist Barry Johnson’s worldbuilding and story-telling continue to elevate Joyce Manor to exceptional new highs.

‘Million Dollars To Kill Me’ is no exception. P Rob Mair

#41

SHAME

SONGS OF PRAISE Labelled repeatedly as one of Britain’s most exciting new bands, punk rabble Shame make light work of living up to their reputation on a debut

28 Upset

album that’s as becoming as it is impetuous. ‘Songs of Praise’ is a statement of identity, carving out a space free from the socalled South London scene, for the five-piece to deliver exactly what it is they have to say. P

Alex Cabré

#40

NOTHING, NOWHERE. RUINER

Nothing, Nowhere has done a lot in a short space of time. On 2017’s ‘Reaper’, he built a graveyard world from his fears of loss, death and the unknown.

‘Ruiner’ tears down the expectations of what comes next, replacing that focused gloom with something more fluid.

‘Ruiner’ burns with a soulbearing honesty and the simple desire to connect. P Ali Shutler

#39

GHOST PREQUELLE

Ghost have always been an entertainment act. The stories, the outfits, their ever-shifting legacy exists for enjoyment. It’s something that ‘Prequelle’ embraces wholeheartedly. From the haunting nursery rhyme of ‘Ashes’ to the roaring disgust of ‘Rats’ until the closing serenity of ‘Life Eternal’, this record plays up to expectation. ‘See The Light’ marches with a shining celebration made for massive gigs, ‘Faith’ hits hard, and ‘Witch Image’ relishes the hellscape they inhabit. Ghost are storytellers, and as they’ve been thrust into the spotlight, they’ve realised there’s no hiding. P Ali

Shutler

#38

STATE CHAMPS LIVING PROOF

2015’s ‘Around The World And Back’ put poppunkers State Champs on a podium, flying the flag for America in the new wave of pop-punk. On its follow-up, ‘Living Proof’, they’ve revisited the straightup eat pizza, write songs mentality of debut ‘The Finer Things’ and painted it in the polish of ‘Around The World...’.

Much like All Time Low did on ‘Don’t Panic’ and ‘Future Hearts’, State Champs have entered a period of transition.

The Mark Hoppus-featured ‘Time Machine’ plays out like a post-Tom Blink-182 cut, while ‘The Fix-Up’ would fit perfectly in The Maine’s most recent work, an alt-rock sensitive sheen shining through. On ‘Living Proof’, State Champs sound bigger than ever, with a songbook of anthems stacked up higher than the Empire State Building. P Jack Press

From the firecracker fuzz of ‘Play’, through the electroshock of ‘Habits’ and off into the distance with the rolling credit score of ‘Run With The Rhythm’, Marmozets’ ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ bounds about the place with infinite enthusiasm behind every spring- loaded turn.

‘Insomnia’ lurches through the shadows, while the furious venom of ‘Like A Battery’ sees the band at their most vicious; it’s a fierce and defiant attack on the people who choose greed over equality while giving those “who ran out of luck” a voice.

Every track on ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ is a standalone wonder, but the record slots together, united and tightly knit. A mosaic of passion, excitement and wideeyes. It’s an album of belief, of trust and of following your gut.

From their insatiable need to create to their want for a better world, ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ is uniquely Marmozets. Excitement is front and centre, but there’s a driving desire to push the boundaries, to toy with what they can get away with.

Pulling the pieces together and tearing down walls, Marmozets are building something beautiful in the chaos. P Ali Shutler

KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW Upset 29

BEST OF

2018

#36

MUNCIE GIRLS Fixed Ideals

30 Upset

With a storming second album released earlier this year, we caught up with vocalist LANDE HEKT to find out her 2018 highlights.

WE WENT TO JAPAN IN APRIL AND HAD SO MANY AMAZING MOMENTS. My

favourite show from that tour was in a practice room in Nagoya. The people who organised it threw me and Dean [McMullen, guitar] a joint birthday BBQ on the roof and they bought us a cake that we sliced with chopsticks.

OVER A YEAR AFTER WE RECORDED IT, WE FINALLY RELEASED OUR ALBUM ‘FIXED IDEALS’ AT THE END OF AUGUST. The day before it came out we played a show with Camp Cope in Bristol, and then on the day itself we decided to celebrate big time - we went white water kayaking followed by a spa.

In the evening we went to spoons for chips and then to Odeon to see The Meg.

OUR UK TOUR IN SEPTEMBER WITH THE HARD ACHES FROM AUSTRALIA WAS GREAT.

Apart from our London show, which was one of the most fun nights, my favourite part of that tour was sitting in our favourite Buddhist cafe in Newcastle. P

Mixing punchy indie-punk hooks with the personal and political to significant effect, like its predecessor, ‘Fixed Ideals’ displays a deftness of songwriting that belies the heavy themes. There’s no sloganeering here, just sharply-observed lyricism that paints a colourful, sometimes trying, picture of life spent in opposition to fascism or dealing with mental health. P Rob Mair

#35

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE THANK YOU FOR TODAY

Now nine studio albums into their career, ‘Thank You For Today’ is the sound of a band calmly navigating a path forward through troubled waters and a changing world. Considering the background turmoil, it could have been a messy, half-baked return but, reassuringly, Death Cab For Cutie have barely skipped a beat. The future for one of America’s outstanding indie bands looks brighter than ever. P Rob Mair

#34

GOOD CHARLOTTE GENERATION RX

Good Charlotte return for the second time since their lengthy hiatus, but rather than attempting to retread the glory of their youth, this time they are delving into subjects of a far deeper and darker nature. With mental health, the Opioid crisis, mass tragedy and the death of musical icons, this is at times a world away from the bright and breezy pop punk of the past and at times feels like an entirely different band. 22 years down the line, ‘Generation RX’ may be the best album that Good Charlotte have made yet. P Jamie MacMillan

#33

DOE

GROW INTO IT ‘Grow Into It’ sees Doe stomp into the unknown.

‘My Friends’ dances on the edge of control, while ‘Labour Like I Do’ twitches

and repeats, dipped in honey, broken glass and fizzing frustration. Lacing every call to arms with unwavering belief, the band aren’t just another voice in the bubble: they’re leading the charge. P Ali Shutler

#32

PANIC! AT THE DISCO PRAY FOR THE WICKED

Brendon Urie’s time on Broadway has galvanised the performer within.

Live, he has always been the spotlight, but now the songs have that same showmanship. ‘Roaring 20s’ high kicks and heads for the big finish, while ‘Dancing’s Not A Crime’ is full of pomp, promise and feel good fanfare. Elsewhere, ‘High Hopes’ hits harder knowing Brendon has always been a dreamer, and ‘Dying In LA’ fast forwards to an unknown future.

Each song is fully realised, coloured in and celebrated. ‘Pray For The Wicked’ is about making wildest dreams a reality; there’s sadness in the victory, but resilience to what comes next. P

Ali Shutler

#31

HELLIONS RUE

Hellions don’t have time for boring. From the opening drama of the bite sized ‘(Blueberry)’, ‘Rue’ is a record that operates on maximum saturation at all points. With a flourish that would befit a My Chemical Romance or Panic! At The Disco, it’s a day-glo antidote to the angry, testosterone soaked norm.’X (Mwah)’ remains a ray of ridiculous sunshine - if only every band was this much fun. P Dan

Harrison

Upset 31

BEST OF

2018

#30

AS IT IS THE GREAT DEPRESSION

32 Upset

Bangers are brilliant.

While we could give you our favourite tracks of the past twelve months, instead we decided to ask AS IT IS what’s been floating their boat.

Read on as frontman PATTY WALTERS runs through his top pop tips.

A four-part collection of three-track movements based around a singular central figure (‘The Poet’), there’s a sense of the theatrical running through ‘The Great Depression’.

Whether observant, erudite, compassionate or philosophical, such descriptions are effectively moot: As It Is aren't prepared to sit back and ride the wave anymore. Are you?

P Dan Harrison

#29 ITOLDYOUIWOULDEATYOU OH DEARISM

Life can feel ‘a bit much’, especially for a generation becoming ‘adults’ in a world that feels helplessly unstable and beyond their reach. However, by embracing and addressing the confusion of existence, itoldyou provide the perfect antidote. 'oh dearism' teaches us to be ambitious and to learn to love ourselves and those around us. P

Katie Pilbeam

#28

CANCER BATS BILLIE EILISH - WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER

Without a doubt the best song of 2018, in my opinion at least. Basically, there’s nothing I don’t love about this song, enchantingly and heart-shatteringly beautiful in every possible way.

SASHA SLOAN - HERE

Sometimes, the right song finds you at entirely the right time in your life. This is one of those songs for me.

I’ll never forget where I was when I first heard this song, physically and emotionally.

NOVO AMOR - UTICAN

I’ve listened to Novo Amor more than probably any other artist this year. He always creates such a unique and stunning atmosphere, and ‘Utican’, albeit livelier, is no exception.

SIGRID - HIGH FIVE

This song just bops, end of discussion.

LANY - THICK AND THIN ‘Malibu Nights’ is a very serious contender for my

album of the year. LANY just nail it for me, infectious melodies blended with poignant, longing lyrics.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE YOUR HURRICANE

I’ll just let this song’s opening lyrics speak for me.

“Heaven is a hole in the sky.

The stars are cracks in the ceiling of night, and I just keep watching them for a sign that you’ll be alright.”

THE DECEMBERISTS SUCKER’S PRAYER

If our lyrics aren’t selfdeprecating or pessimistic enough for you, give this song a spin; easily my favourite song of theirs to date.

THE 1975 - IT’S NOT LIVING (IF IT’S NOT WITH YOU)

To be honest, the only thing more difficult than choosing my favourite eight songs of 2018 is choosing my favourite The 1975 song of 2018. It’s not often a band’s most mature work is simultaneously their most fun, but most bands aren’t The 1975. P

Want more? Find guitarist Ben Langford-Biss’ selections on upsetmagazine.com now!

THE SPARK THAT MOVES From the moment ‘Gatekeeper’ comes hulking out of the traps, ‘The Spark That Moves’ combines everything Cancer Bats have aced up to this point – transcending hardcore, punk rock, doom and grooveladen metal. On what is arguably their best album in a decade, Cancer Bats take the criteria for what an outstanding heavy band should be, and tick every box. P

Danny Randon

#27

TONIGHT ALIVE UNDERWORLD

‘Underworld’ sees Tonight Alive constantly change colour and shape.

Empowering realisations and small epiphanies still litter the record, but the band aren’t weighing themselves down with constant resolution.

Instead of trying to balance every moment of dark with a light, they accept the flickering uncertainty and dance in the strobe. P Ali

Shutler

Upset 33

BEST OF

2018

34 Upset

#26

THE XCERTS HOLD ON TO YOUR HEART

2018 has seen THE XCERTS go all-in on a new pop sound, play loads of buzzy live shows, and end the year with yet more new music - it's been a good 'un.

Words: Dillon Eastoe. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

I

t’s been a whirlwind twelve months for The Xcerts, announcing their comeback with the massive choruses of ‘Feels Like Falling In Love’, completing two headline tours and releasing ‘Hold On To Your Heart’, a triumphant album of romance, last chances and huge 80s anthems. Taking a breather after their busiest festival season, the three-piece dropped ‘Late One Night’, a collection of stripped down songs from ‘HOTYH’, all recorded in (you guessed it) one night. We caught up with Murray and Jordan to get the lowdown.

Your festival set is all ‘Hold on to Your Heart’, do you miss playing any of the old songs?

Murray: We’re always thinking about now, and the future…

Jordan: It’s a shame because the old stuff is great, but generally, yeah you get stoked on the new stuff it’s the only thing you wanna play really.

Murray: And we believe all the new stuff is our best material so if we can play as much of it as possible that’s great. It’s our fourth record so the fact that it’s more relevant than ever and people are enjoying the band

is a really big deal. We’re very fortunate that it’s our most successful record because it’s our favourite. We do try and cater for people who’ve been with the band a long time; we don’t want to shun anybody, so we throw in a few older songs.

Jordan: But then that guy that’s always yelling out that weird song from the first record, they’re always gonna be unhappy.

Did it take yourselves any convincing to come out from behind the shelter of being a rock a band and embrace these pop songs on the new album?

Murray: No, it came naturally.

It’s been going that way for a while; you could tell that ‘There Is Only You’ was going in a different direction. The three of us are obsessed more with being great songwriters than we are with making as much noise as possible. That was a lot of fun when we were younger.

Jordan: That was the goal when we were younger, as a threepiece to fill the stage, fill the sound as much as you could.

And sometimes that would be to the detriment of the song.

So when you have a bit more experience with it you can lay back let the song do the work.

Nearly a decade on from cementing their reputation for massive heartstringyanking choruses, The Xcerts have crafted a sound which is unmistakably their own - and after attaining the level of power-pop perfection on 'Hold On...', they deserve to be one of the biggest bands in the world right now. Try with all your might; there’s no use holding on to your heart – The Xcerts will only steal it.

P Danny Randon

Murray: You realise from watching Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, they’re just playing songs. Like when we supported Goo Goo Dolls, they don’t do anything special on stage, no special wild production it’s just amazing songs. And that’s what fills a room, the actual power of the songs. We’re very much in love with the idea of writing songs that connect with people and to make them as widescreen as possible. Rather than just ‘let’s spit on each other and

Upset 35

BEST OF

2018 throw guitars around’.

Why did you make this acoustic EP and why release it now?

Murray: We got the idea when we were doing the instore run, and we were playing the songs halfacoustic, half-electric, and a lot of people were saying they dug the alternative versions. We got a kick out of playing them. So we went into the studio after the UK tour with our friend Ryan who played second guitar, and we just wanted to do a throwback Dylan’s ‘Basement Tapes’ kind of thing. We recorded it live, filmed it, all done in the studio where we rehearse and demo.

This was just perfect timing for us to release something because we’ve got a gap. We have got another release coming, but because of the YMA6 tour, we’re gonna hold off on that. So that’ll be a new song that didn’t make ‘Hold On To Your Heart’.

Jordan: And it fits the season as well, [the EP]’s got a sort of autumnal sound to it, which came about very naturally.

Murray: Yeah we had a lot of fun that night, it was mellow, took a couple of takes on each song. We didn’t necessarily forget about it, but we put it at the back of our minds because we had so much going on. When our manager

36 Upset

said we should release the EP, it was like ‘Oh yeah! We recorded that! It’s all done’.

Were there any disagreements over arrangements when you were putting together these recordings?

Jordan: Immediately when Ryan started adding his parts everything just sounded great, we had no qualms about that. A few of them were ones that we played on the instore run, so we had rough arrangements.

Murray: We’ve always been fans of showing where the songs originate from. Cuz that’s normally where they start, from us playing something quietly, or me showing Jordan something on the acoustic. So it’s nice to show the song in its purest form because the record’s very polished.

Jordan: It’s a good rule of thumb, if you can play a song on the acoustic and it still sounds great, it speaks for the song.

You’re touring with YMA6 to close out the year.

Murray: They do an energetic rock show, and some of the new stuff they’ve done is a bit different to what we do, but we’ll just get up there and do what we do. If their fans like it that’s amazing, if they don’t

then we’ve just wasted half an hour and it ain’t no thing! We go out there and try and kill it as much as possible whether it be with Goo Goo Dolls or YMA6 or... Alice in Chains! Once you’ve supported Alice in Chains sounding the way we do, YMA6 is a breeze!

Jordan: Once you’ve heard THAT smattering of applause after the first song. In a sold-out Glasgow Academy. You can do anything after that!

What’s on the agenda once the YMA6 tour wraps? More writing? More touring?

Murray: Yeah, we’re gonna be out in February for a UK and Europe headline run.

Jordan: Try and fit some demoing in as well, we’ve been writing a lot so trying to fit all that in as well.

Murray: I think it’ll be quite a quick turnaround for having something out for the record, I think there’ll be something out next year from that new album.

Gonna try and capitalise on the momentum that we’ve picked up... because a lot of people think this is our first record. So we’ve got to follow it up with a “Difficult Second Album”.

Sophomore Slump! So we’re going to keep fighting the good fight! P

#25

DILLY DALLY HEAVEN

Dilly Dally’s ‘Sore’ was a raging burst of frustration and desire. It was on fire, and it was brilliant. Followup ‘Heaven’ is more centred. Selfhelp and radical realisations, the band don’t just find their voice, they want to scream from the mountaintop. From the breaking dawn snarl of ‘I Feel Free’, it’s an album full of spray paint love. Big, bold declarations erupt from within, repeated until they’re believed and held aloft for the whole world to see. P Ali Shutler

#24

SNAIL MAIL LUSH

Rarely has the drama of heartache or the struggle to find your place in the world sounded so palpable as it does on Snail Mail’s ‘Lush’. The product of 18-year-old Lindsey Jordan, ‘Lush’ brims with angst and broken hearts. There’s no distance of time to soften the pain, just raw and honest lyrics that pull on heartstrings with all of the power of a seasoned crooner. In this adolescent twilight, truths are precocious and profound – and the results are enchanting. P Rob Mair

#23

COURTNEY BARNETT

TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL Littered with wry lyricism, musically Courtney Barnett has stuck with what she knows; her grungy guitars and occasional

punk thrash don’t tread new ground, but then Courtney has always been more of a storyteller - and, judging by this latest effort, there are currently few songwriters who can match her. P

Alex Thorp

#22

TEENAGE WRIST CHROME NEON JESUS

Teenage Wrist have channelled the ghosts of yesteryear for their otherworldly debut, ‘Chrome Neon Jesus’ - a tour de force of shoegaze-addled grunge, soaked in emo-pop. The band ride a wave of influences that radiate rainbows as much as they illuminate the darkness. Their adoration for the 90s darker sonic territories and masterful command of distortion, fuzz, and crossover bravado has left Teenage Wrist riding off into the distance with a sound so powerful we may be seeing a post-grunge revival. P Jack Press

#21

PARKWAY DRIVE REVERENCE

If 2015’s ‘Ire’ was the crack in the ice, then Australia’s heavy metal flag-bearers Parkway Drive’s sixth album, ‘Reverence’ is the floodgates opening and drowning everything in sight, their newfound ability to write arena metal anthems dialled up a dozen. Much like Avenged Sevenfold and Architects before them, Parkway Drive have staked their claim for heavy metal ascendancy, and if the cycle for ‘Reverence’ doesn’t end with festival headline slots and arena tours, then there’s something very wrong with this world. P Jack Press

#20

GOUGE AWAY BURNT SUGAR

Gouge Away’s ‘Burnt Sugar’ is a brutally heavy affair.

Unforgiving, relentless and energetic, it vents and bears its anxiety-riddled self with a reckless abandon. Despite the weight, the record skips with a hard-fought freedom. Moments of glitter and grit stand side by side as the band scream into the void and smile at the fact they’re still standing. P Ali Shutler

#19

NERVUS

EVERYTHING DIES Nervus’ debut, ‘Permanent Rainbow’ shone; written by Em Foster when she was at her lowest it offered the release she needed and the four-piece a shimmering glow of promise. Nearly two years on, and the Watford upstarts take on a far more optimistic tone. The best thing about ‘Everything Dies’ is that it’s just the start of something brilliant. P Danny

Randon

#18

CAMP COPE

HOW TO SOCIALISE AND MAKE FRIENDS Camp Cope are a rare and beautiful gift. As one of the best bands to have risen up from down under in years, the Melbourne trio find poetic brilliance in straight-up refusing to hide behind metaphors. 'How To Socialise...' is an album which will grow on you to the point of obsession. P

Danny Randon

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2018

S K R A P R E T WA #17

ENTERTAINMENT

It’s not just Awsten Knight’s ability to connect on the widest possible scale that fuels Waterparks' rocket ship, but it sure has hell helps. It’s a presence that runs throughout second album ‘Entertainment’ - a record that sparkles with star dust at every turn. Take the Patrick Stump-esque opening blast of ‘Blonde’, the carefree whistles of ‘Peach (Lobotomy)’ and the carefully pulled heartstrings of ‘Lucky People’ - each lifted magpie-like, but blended into a cohesive whole. The parts used are only half the craft - it’s the way they put them together that supercharges their ascent.

Every sideswipe or piece of wordplay lands, every hook sticking like glue. True originality is great, but it’s far from everything. Waterparks understand their world well enough to build within it far more effectively than they ever could by leaving it behind. P Stephen

Ackroyd

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#16

#13

BAY DREAM

[UNTITLED]

CULTURE ABUSE

WATERPARKS frontman AWSTEN KNIGHT tells us all about his band's best bits from 2018.

WE RELEASED OUR ALBUM ‘ENTERTAINMENT’ and have been touring on it all year.

BACK IN MARCH, WE PLAYED OUR BIGGEST HEADLINE SHOW TO DATE IN LONDON. I

FaceTimed my mom from the stage.

WE PLAYED MAIN STAGE AT THE FINAL VANS WARPED TOUR. It was hot.

WE GOT TO PLAY THE MAIN STAGE AT READING & LEEDS

which is definitely the biggest festivals we’ve ever done. Deng.

WE’VE HAD A HANDFUL OF MAGAZINE COVERS AND ARE CURRENTLY ON OUR FIRST BUS IN AMERICA. Tangible

signs of success are really nice.

WE FINALLY GOT A LITTLE MONEY TO PUT INTO OUR MUSIC VIDEOS which has been

fun because we actually get to see storylines I’ve written become realised which is nice.

Nothing sucks more than carefully crafting a vision, and it’s poorly executed.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN NICE, thank you for making me think about that. P

”Be kind to yourself,” beg Culture Abuse on ‘Bee Kind To The Bugs’, as the track shimmies and sways. The band have followed up a debut record that found itself surrounded by broken glass, scorched earth and not a whole lot of light with a wild haze that oozes summer nights. As their dreams come true, the band throw themselves into every opportunity. Bold is an understatement. P Ali Shutler

#15

OF MICE & MEN

MEWITHOUTYOU As weird as ever, Aaron Weiss’ instantly recognisable vocal is the glue that holds ‘[Untitled]’ together. Drawing from all corners of their sonic universe, opener ‘9:27 a.m., 7/29’ opens at pace, while lead track ‘Julia (or ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses)’ finds a hugely satisfying groove. This is mwY at the peak of their powers.

P Dan Harrison

#12

ROLO TOMASSI

DEFY

TIME WILL DIE AND LOVE WILL BURY IT

“I defy this hopelessness,” reverberates around your eardrums on the titular opener of Of Mice & Men’s fifth album, their first without Austin Carlile.

Bringing back the blend of brisk brutality, raucous riffs, and arenaready choruses, ‘Defy’ showcases a band who’ve been to the brink and fought every inch of the way back, bigger and better than ever.

P Jack Press

In what could prove to be their most pivotal release since 2010’s Diploproduced ‘Cosmology’, Rolo Tomassi’s fifth album teeters ever so masterfully on that line between beautiful and blisteringly heavy. They continue to be one of the UK’s most unpredictable bands; it’s about time for them to have their moment of greatness. P Danny

Randon

#14

#11

MIRE

BLACK FLAME

CONJURER Initial promise following the band’s second EP back in 2016 has turned into a tsunami of attention - every bit of it deserved. Metal that paints itself in varied hues, the sheer creativity shown on 'Mire', for a band on their first album, is astounding. That it still feels like there’s further potential to be realised is nothing short of stunning. P Dan Harrison

BURY TOMORROW On ‘Black Flame', Bury Tomorrow make the leap from wallpaper veterans to institutional superstars. From the arena-ready hook of the title track to the twominute knockout of ‘Knife Of Gold' which threatens to drift off into melodic death metal territory, its ten tracks are of the finest vintage, sounding evermore important after each and every listen. P Jack Press

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2018

IDLES #10

JOY AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE

IDLES have had a bloody great year, haven't they? Their Top 5 album, 'Joy as an Act of Resistance' surpassed all expectations. Words: Jake Hawkes. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

I

t’s always hard to tell which bands are going to have a breakout year.

Going into 2018 there were a few contenders, but if you’d pointed at the socialist, shouty, cult appeal of IDLES and proudly declared “these guys will be on Jools Holland within 12 months” you’d probably have been laughed out of the room.

That’s not to say their ascent has come entirely out of nowhere. Their debut ‘Brutalism’ got appreciative nods from all the right places and garnered a good following for its uncompromising postpunk flecked sound and equally hard-hitting lyrics. Most acts would’ve doubled down on a formula that was clearly carving a niche, but instead IDLES decided to embrace the positivity in life, releasing the aptly titled ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’ at the tail end of August.

“Knowing we had a guaranteed audience definitely changed our mindset going into the second album,” lead singer Joe Talbot explains.

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IDLES have never minded showing their scars, and on ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’, any remaining fourth wall crumbles to dust at their feet as they celebrate their stark intent to thrive, held up by the support of their community. It’s the sound of a band who want to use their voice for a greater good, and if joy is indeed an act of resistance, then this is the band you want at the helm of the new age. P

Jenessa Williams

“But then we had to go back and unchange it because that’s bullshit. You need to be aware of your situation and explore yourself honestly. That means you have to be appreciative of your ascent and appreciative of being more successful or popular, but you can’t let it affect your output.

“We started writing songs, and we got about a year and a half in and it all just felt... weird, not right at all. We sat down and talked about it and realised it felt wrong because we were doing what we did when we first started as a band. Writing all these songs that didn’t quite fit because we were trying to please people, rather than because we wanted to write them. So we started again, and we talked about joy as an act of resistance in our own lives, what we were going through and why we all needed to be a bit more honest.”

He pauses, searching for the right words. “It’s a lot like being a DJ; if there’s no-one there, you can play whatever the fuck you want, but it’s better to have an audience because you get a reaction from them and can use that to be more mindful of your output.”

If it’s better to have an audience then the band must be chuffed to bits, as ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’ went straight in at number 5 in the UK charts, a reaction none of them were expecting. “It’s been strange, but it’s been reassuring,” Joe says. “We don’t go in with any expectations, but what you end up with is something that the audience helped build, and they’re making us feel very safe and special."

With a bigger profile and better sales comes a bigger audience, but Joe isn’t worried about attracting people that don’t fully embrace the viewpoint put across in the new album. “You know, I actually want the narrow-minded to come along to our shows,” he says, and you can tell by his face that he isn’t joking. “I want them to come along, not listen to the lyrics so much but be infatuated with the music. And when they turn up, they’ll meet people from different backgrounds and people that are open-minded, and maybe then they’ll say ‘you know what, I’m a bit of a cunt sometimes’. That’s what happened to me. I’ve been surrounded by people

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BEST OF

2018 that are so much better than me, and I’ve thought ‘I’m an arsehole and I want to be better.”

“The new album was made as a conscious act of vulnerability,” he continues when asked how the band are hoping to build the kind of open community they talk about.

“We discussed it amongst ourselves and asked what vulnerability is for a band. And it’s putting yourself out there, being vocal and making statements that aren’t binary but are instead plural. The vulnerability comes from how easy it is to be misconstrued: We have a violent tone, but we aren’t violent men. We sound like a punk band, but we’re not a punk band. I believe in the left, and I am fucking left, but that doesn’t mean I can’t speak to someone on the right.

Some people don’t understand why I don’t just hate every Tory, but I don’t fucking know them all, and everyone has reasons for everything. I despise Tory policies with a passion, but that doesn’t mean I despise everyone that votes Tory. Things aren’t black and white.

As he explains his worldview, there’s a knock at the door, and a toddler walks in. Joe immediately breaks into a grin and beckons him over. “Hey! Come in, we’re doing an interview,” He says, before introducing us to Winston. It’s not entirely clear which crew member’s kid Winston is, but judging by the fact he calls Joe his best friend, it’s obvious the two are pretty close.

After a quick chat, Joe gives him a banana and some bubble wrap, and he toddles back over to his mum.

“Sorry about that,” Joe says, still smiling.

“Where was I?” He asks, turning on an e-cigarette and blowing a cloud of strawberry flavoured smoke. “The thoughts behind the album… Well, it should be in tune with what’s going on in the world for one, because we’re trying to be as transparent about what we’re going through as possible.

As much as the album was about my own progress, it was also about being aware that loads of people are feeling similar losses and isolation

42 Upset

as me, just for different reasons. I wanted to use my experience and my counselling as an example of normality. It’s about making people feel comfortable in being isolated, and getting everyone to open up and talk about it. If we can do that, I’ll be happy."

Throughout the interview, he’s stifling yawns, and he apologises.

“I’ve had about four hours sleep,” he explains. “I can’t wait to have Christmas off and spend some time with my partner.” Is he hoping for anything special this holiday season?

“Cocaine,” he says, with a completely straight face. “No, no, I’m joking.

I keep saying it as a comedy answer, and I hope people realise.

What would I want for Christmas? I’m not gonna say anything profound, because that isn’t what you get for Christmas.

There’s this beautiful concrete, brutalist espresso machine, it’s about a grand, and it’s absolutely stunning.”

There’s a sense that, while you definitely don’t get anything profound for Christmas (thanks for the socks, mum…) even if you did, Joe wouldn’t be able to think of much that could make 2018 any better. When asked about his favourite moment of the year, he’s got a few contenders.

“Band-wise I don’t know; it’s all been so amazing. Primavera was incredible; everything seemed to align. Then there was Jools Holland, which was an absolute dream, I’ve always wanted to do it.”

If it’s tough to pick the best experience IDLES had this year, in his personal life he’s quicker to answer. “My fiancé proposed to me,” he says with a smile. “Nothing’s gonna beat that.” P

#9

PETAL

MAGIC GONE From the outside world to the thoughts in our own heads - it can feel like it’s best ignored, at least until it catches up with us.

That’s the point we arrive at with Petal’s latest full-length. Split into two sides, the first, ‘Tightrope Walker’, consists of the songs recorded before Kiley Lotz entered treatment for major depressive and panic disorders, while the second, ‘Miracle Clinger’, is comprised of those written in recovery. Across the divide comes everything from defiant anger and determination to the movingly introspective, its ten tracks detailing a journey facing down demons and discovering a hidden strength.

It’s a remarkable, personal account of finding a way through.

P Dan Harrison

#28

BASEMENT BESIDE MYSELF

“WE SOUND LIKE A PUNK BAND, BUT WE'RE NOT A PUNK BAND" JOE TALBOT

As the title suggests, much of ‘Beside Myself’ follows Andrew Fisher searching for purpose and identity, but, actually, Basement’s fourth outing is their most assertive and definitive statement yet.

The album is unmistakably Basement; no one can do raw emotion like this. As always, the centre pieces are Andrew’s vocals and lyrics. The passion is unwavering, and the singer’s ability to dissect his darkest thoughts makes this album their most personal work to date.

Basement have set their sights high in this album. The goal seems to be alongside rock’s elite and, in ‘Beside Myself’, they’re not far off. P Alex Bradley

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2018

BLACK FOXXES #7

ReiDi

44 Upset

BLACK FOXXES kicked off 2018 in blinding style with their new album, ‘Reiði’.

Words: Dillon Eastoe.

Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

B

Full of adventure, wildly confident and carefully constructed, ‘Reiði’ dances as Black Foxxes have fun showing off just how far they can explore, making it clear they’re so much more than a fuzzy rock band.

Their second record is wild and untamed, swerving in any direction it pleases but at no point does it feel unruly. Black Foxxes know what they’re doing, and they do it well. P Ali

lack Foxxes’ second album ‘Reiði’ continued to mark the Essex trio out as really fucking special; frontman Mark Holley tells us about his recent solo tour, and explains that with any luck, we might not be waiting all that long for the band's third record…

go down, an avenue I wanna explore.

It's the last night of your solo acoustic run, how has the tour been?

Was there any apprehension about getting up there without your band mates around you?

Pretty good, it's all been a bit eye-opening for me. It's the first time I've done anything like this at all, anything acoustic or stripped back. We did some in stores with the band for 'Reidi', but this is completely different, people are paying for tickets to come to see me. You just feel completely naked out there; I'm getting a lot of my chest. They're very dark, personal songs. But it's been amazing; the first one was a bit rough around the edges because I was so anxious and it was kind of tough to get through.

But it's such a high, once you finish the highs from it are nuts.

It's something I really wanna

Shutler

It's one of those things where you're kind of talking yourself out of it for a long time. I've been writing songs by myself for years, I've got a back catalogue of songs that nothing happens with. I'd have a show, and my anxiety would take over. I forced myself to do it, the first one was terrifying, it was years of building it up in my head, and once that one was done I've been enjoying it.

Where are you at with the next Foxxes record?

We've got 15 tracks with Foxxes for the new record already. I can imagine us making a couple

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2018

“WE'VE GOT 15 TRACKS FOR THE NEW RECORD ALREADY” MARK HOLLEY

more before recording the album. The plan is, demo ten of the best ones and then start shopping that around to labels, or seeing if the label that we’re on want to put out our third record. It's a weird position we’re in at the moment; we’re not doing the numbers of a Biffy Clyro, but we’re also doing really good numbers for where we’re at. We’ll see, I don't know yet, but I've just got a feeling there might be a different label for this album.

How are the new songs comparing to 'Reidi', musically?

It’s just a constant progression; it’s more mature. We never set out trying to sound like anything ever, we’ll get in a room, I’ll have a body of work,

46 Upset

and then it turns out like Foxxes.

Interestingly with the new stuff, there were a few songs that I recorded myself acoustically, and I had the intention of them being very stripped back, almost ‘Bends’-era Radiohead. And then we got in a room, and they turned into like shoegaze-y dream pop, almost 1975-esque and we were like ‘Woah!’ We had no intention of sounding like that, but that's great, we’ll run with that.

Looking back on 2018 what were your highlights?

All the European festivals were amazing. Opening for Billy Talent was wicked as well, unbelievable.

2018 was the worst year of my life, but I almost needed to have that, to grow. I realised I was

very sheltered before with life in general, so I feel like I needed that to happen. Band-wise it's been a really good year, we had an album which came out to huge praise. The tour was fantastic; we went to a load of places in Europe for the first time.

Healthwise I showed that I could be away for like a month on the road and still not want to come home, and that's great.

I'd like to have until Christmas to finish writing and then look to record January, February, March and then release next summer. That'd be perfect for me, but there are just so many moving parts. We’re ready to go though, we want to be a band that releases a lot of music, we don't want to be a band that just waits around. P

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2018

#6

DREAM WIFE DREAM WIFE

D

ream Wife’s self-titled debut isn’t just a collection of fierce, empowering anthems or coming-of-age heartburst.

It’s a platform that the group intend to make the very most of.

Following a non-stop summer of festivals that’s pushed them into the spotlight again and again, Dream Wife have quickly learnt how to play with attention. “Most of the people that are watching us don’t know who we are, and it’s fun because they’re ready for any interaction. It’s

48 Upset

Fighting the masses of boring boys with guitars, DREAM WIFE are the future.

Words: Ali Shutler.

Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

so fun to play to those crowds that are wanting to be entertained. You have to prove yourself,” grins bassist Bella Podpadec. “And then at the end of the show... I think we’ve usually proved ourselves.”

Despite playing multiple festivals every weekend, summer was Dream Wife’s holiday.

They had the luxury of going home for a few days; autumn hasn’t been as forgiving. There’s been headline tours of UK, Europe and America. Their calendar is full until Christmas, and then it’s time to think about album two. “We’ve written a few songs, but we’ve got no time.” There’s no rest for the wicked, but there’s even less for those trying to do something positive. And Dream Wife have entered this final run of shows with the determination to do more than ever.

Bella, Rakel Mjöll, and Alice Go asked for female-identifying and non-binary artists to send them their music for a chance to support them on these shows. They got 435 responses, and they listened to every single one. “There’s just so much talent out there.”

“It’s totally a practice-what-you-preach sorta

#5

TWENTY ONE PILOTS TRENCH

Dream thing,” explains Alice.

Wife’s “We fly that flag live, eagerly and it’s taken us some anticipated time to realise, why self-titled don’t we have more debut decision over who record is ablaze from start to opens up for us? If finish. Mighty in words and we can, let’s do it and music; angular guitars are why didn’t we before? paired with ethereal dream You want to be able pop harmonies that create to show solidarity an unmistakable sound. and feedback into the Every track is as big, bold community.” and beautiful as the last; a “It’s opening concoction of high spirited up about that confidence and selfconversation too,” awareness, chock-full of continues Bella. “’Why hooks and zealous do we need to do this? instrumentation. P Why is this something Jasleen Dhindsa that shouldn’t be the norm?’ That’s another conversation that any band, any promoter, any festival can be speaking about right now. It’s not just the major festivals that need to be looking at this; it’s also your small town scene.

"That’s why it was important for us to collaborate with Girls Rock as well. Hopefully, they will grow and continue to support young women to take up an instrument and find their own community. It’s so important to have that out there, rather than just Dream Wife looking for a band to go on tour with them.

"There’s inequality happening, and it’s important to open that conversation up. We need to make time for this because this matters.” P

‘Blurryface’ made Twenty One Pilots one of the biggest bands in the world.

Already a cult phenomenon, their unique blend of excess and refrain was a surprise sensation. ‘Trench’ sees them take back control.

Refusing to do the expected or the safe, the fourteen tracks rage, snarl, cry, bleed and build. There’s a world to interpret across the album, all secret societies and breaks for freedom, but it’s just a vessel for the band to play. The fire-laced ‘Jumpsuit’ is about pressures, ‘Levitate’ shrugs off expectations while ‘My Blood’ and ‘Smithereens’ pledge mind, body and soul to the connections they’ve made. ‘Daring, fearless and vulnerable, it’s another masterpiece from a band on TOP. P Ali Shutler

#4

THE WONDER YEARS SISTER CITIES

The Wonder Years have a habit of telling the unflinching truth and from the downpour of ‘Raining In Kyoto’, they’ve gone and done it again. The spirit of The Wonder Years remains unmoved - a celebration of humanity and strength in unity - but ‘Sister Cities’ sees the band invigorated. They plough forward into the big, wide, unforgiving world, bubbling with excitement. Over the past decadeand-a-bit, The Wonder Years have built something special in telling stories and taking chances. ‘Sister Cities’ is their crowning achievement. As all the pieces fall into place, they’ve created something worth following and to believe in. P Ali Shutler

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2018 #3

ARCHITECTS HOLY HELL

‘Holy Hell’ sees Architects pick up the pieces following the death of brother, bandmate and creative driving force Tom Searle.

For album eight, not only have the band had to rebuild the way they write music, but they’ve also had to deal with the added pressure of being bigger than they ever dreamed.

Rather than echo what’s come before, they’ve taken the baton and run with it.

This is the story of what comes next.

‘Holy Hell’ finds the band focused. Rather than toying with sonic flourishes and bending genre lines, the record rages, rallies and cries out at the abyss. A testament to perseverance, an exploration in grief, ‘Holy Hell’ tries to find some sort of sense in suffering. The answer is a hopeful one, but rather than simply showing both sides of the coin, Architects send it spinning.

There are moments of uncomfortable bluntness, terrifying admissions and resolute promises to continue across ‘Holy Hell’. It’s deliberate in everything it does, and everything it shares. In being open, vulnerable and unafraid, Architects haven’t just lived up to their legacy. Forging unity and encouraging power in the absence of any, they’ve taken the difficult next step. P Ali Shutler

50 Upset

#2

BOSTON MANOR

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

BOSTON MANOR frontman HENRY COX runs through his band's immense second album, track by track.

Welcome To The Neighbourhood

This serves as sort of an opener to the record and its themes. It’s a little different than the rest of the album; we wanted to flirt with the electronic elements of the record a little more and blend in elements of hip-hop.

Flowers In Your Dustbin

Taken from Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’ this song is about the disenfranchisement and misrepresentation of today’s youth by a baby boomer generation. Also a riffy tune, we wanted something to get people off their feet.

Halo

This track was very nearly cut from the record. It was initially this really slow, punishing song that wasn’t working. It’s a song about addiction in its many forms. Blackpool has a big heroin problem; I wanted to acknowledge that and use that imagery, but it’s not specifically about smack. It’s also about cultural addictions & obsessions we’re not even aware of.

England’s Dreaming

This is one of, if not my favourite track on the record. Super dark, kinda sleazy. It’s about waking up one day and realising you’re surrounded by strangers that don’t share your values.

Funeral Party

This is one of those songs that sort of stayed the same from its initial incarnation. We wrote it early on in the writing process.

I love the guitar tones & evil sounding synths on this track.

We were listening to Mechanical

There’s a bunch of exciting British bands waiting for that moment where it all sparks off. For Boston Manor - that place is here, that time is now. ‘Welcome To The Neighbourhood’ pulls and pushes between ideas and genre, turning the bleak into something more.

Not so much a step up but a leap into the unknown, it’s a brutal, difficult and yet endlessly rewarding endeavour. P Stephen

Animals a lot when we wrote this song.

Digital Ghost

This was the first song we wrote that ended up making the record. There are things I wish that I could change about this song, but I do like it. We’re yet to play it live. It’s a song about people who evaporate into the internet forever.

Tunnel Vision

I wrote this song on warped tour last summer. I think it’s possibly the closest track on the record to our earlier stuff. There are a few nods to some of the artists that influenced the album; this song has one, see if you can find it.

Bad Machine

This is another favourite of mine. This was one of those songs that just takes on a life of its own; we wrote it in its initial incarnation in about an hour.

I think thematically this song sums up the album’s themes best. We shot the video for this ourselves and had a bunch of fun doing it.

If I Can’t Have It, No One Can

This track has another cheeky nod on it. It’s about toxic masculinity, and that know it all, testosterone-fuelled wanker that everyone’s met at some point. I got bum-rushed by a bunch of police in the middle of the night at the studio - funnily enough, while we were working on this track. They pushed me up against a wall with my hands behind my back and illegally searched me and our apartment.

Needless to say, I rewrote a lot of the lyrics the next morning.

Ackroyd

Hate You

Just a straight up rage track.

Features my favourite bridge on the record, which was achieved using several vocoders and layering the vocals.

FY1

We had a lot of crazy ambient dissonant stuff we’d created while in the studio; we wanted to give the record a chance to breathe, but also create something really unsettling.

FY1 is the central Blackpool postcode FYI.

Stick Up

We wrote this fairly late in the writing process. We just wanted to write a big catchy chorus, and this has become a really fun one to play live.

The Day That I Ruined Your Life

It might seem like a bit of a weird song to end on. This song isn’t actually anything to do with the theme of the record.

It’s just a song about saying goodbye, felt fitting to end the record with. P

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2018

BLACK PEAKS #1

All That Divides

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BLACK PEAKS have delivered an album which threatens to redefine the boundaries of modern rock, so it's no surprise it's our record of the year. Frontman WILL GARDNER explains more.

Words: Linsey Teggert.

Photos: Jennifer McCord.

"B

lack Peaks is a freight train. There's no time to look back, only forwards."

Frontman Will Gardner is explaining that there's been no chance to reflect and pause for breath since the release of their triumphant second album, ‘All That Divides'. Granted, the blistering powerhouse of a record was only released at the beginning of October, but such is the Black Peaks whirlwind that it will be a long time before the dust even begins to settle.

"We push ourselves until we're like ‘I can't speak to you or look at you anymore', but that's just the way we do. We do things intensely and then suddenly find ourselves exhausted, but that's literally a year and a half away from now," he laughs.

Will may make light of the exhaustion and the relentless touring cycle for their first record ‘Statues' now, but it was a cycle that almost broke them. ‘All That Divides' was born from a place of uncertainty and fragility within the band, something that is referenced by the multi-faceted title of the album. Yet, it somehow seems it was necessary for that to happen for Black Peaks to get to where they are now: teetering right on the brink of rock superstardom with one of the most accomplished, meticulously fleshed out albums of the year under their belts.

"If anything this record has brought us together as a unit to become stronger and more powerful than ever," says Will. "It's unified us with a lot of our fans. Seriously though, I can't even

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BEST OF

2018

From the anxiety riddled opening of ‘Can’t Sleep’, Black Peaks’ second album takes the expected difficulty and toys with it. There are moments of shining, mass hysteria. Big choruses and bigger conviction, but there are also times when the band go fully off the deep end. Weird, wonderful and winding, ‘All That Divides’ manages to feel concise in loads of wondrous chaos.

Excitement is king. The band take the loud/quiet dynamic that tumbled through ‘Statues’ and push it to each and every edge.

They fill in the blanks with new textures, new colours and reckless adventure. A call to arms entwined, it’s a record of struggle and resistance. It doesn’t have the answers, but it knows they’re out there. It wants to find them together. P Ali

Shutler

tell you how much pressure was released once the album was out, it was like a pressure valve being released in the back of my head. The response has been amazing, it was the emotional response we had hoped for, and we hope it's something that keeps growing and people want to interact with more over the next few months."

For most bands, a touring cycle doesn't begin until an album has been released, but the unstoppable Black Peaks freight train seemed to steam ahead months in advance as they toured throughout summer 2018, including a period on the road with

Marmozets. Since the release of ‘All That Divides', they jumped headfirst into a UK and European tour, and will stop for a short break before heading out with Enter Shikari at the beginning of 2019. It all seems mighty intense, but Will insists lessons have been learned.

"Being on tour with a band is one of the most fast-track ways of learning. You learn so much about yourself and the people you're with. We've got certain things in place now to ensure we don't burn out.

We were doing so much stuff on our own before, travelling insane distances without the ability to properly sleep and constantly on the move. Now we have somebody to babysit us properly!"

He's referring to their tour manager and overall saviour, Max. "We've always done so much ourselves it's been difficult to alleviate control, but Max is a very valued member of our team, he's the big missing link that's taken away areas of stress – you don't realise how much one extra person doing those things helps."

Touring the tracks from ‘All That Divides' has brought a whole new dynamic to the songs, and a whole new appreciation of the more ambitious tracks. When the record was teased with singles ‘Can't Sleep,' ‘Home' and ‘Electric Fires', there was the sense that Black Peaks were about to embrace the colossal, but it was tracks such as ‘Aether' (which Will refers to as the ‘big guy') which truly showcased what they were capable of. The band are damn proud of those tracks, and rightly so.

"I feel like we're still just getting our teeth into ‘Aether' and ‘Eternal Light', and there's still three tracks we've never played live. Personally, I'm particularly proud of 'Fate I & II' because we hashed that

"SOMEONE ASKED ME IF I WOULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE ALBUM, AND IT FELT AMAZING TO BE ABLE TO SAY ‘NO’” WILL GARDNER

out so many times and there were so many versions that it's so good to hear it as it was supposed to sound.

"Someone asked me the other day if I would change anything about the album, and it felt amazing to be able to say 'no'. That record is perfect for us at that moment in time. I wouldn't touch it again. I don't think any of us would change anything; it's the best thing we could have done in December 2017 being us four dudes."

Although ‘Statues' was epic, ‘All That Divides' has truly cemented the fact that Black Peaks can sound astonishingly massive. Though Will states that they "still feel like an underground band", it's not too far a stretch of the imagination that we'll see them headlining festivals and playing arenas at some point in the not so distant future.

"We're waiting to get our Freddie Mercury trousers and cool jackets to walk out onto those arena stages! We prefer larger stages; our music is best played super loud. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe we just have huge egos that need to be massaged by arenas. Imagine Black Peaks with lasers! All we have at the moment is a little smoke machine and some strobes that don't work."

Though there's nothing booked in just yet for after the Enter Shikari tour, it's fair to assume that the whirlwind will continue. It truly does feel like Black Peaks have so much more to come. ‘All That Divides' is still the beginning of that long freight train journey. P

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Rated_ THE OFFICIAL VERDICT ON EVERYTHING

T THE 1975

A BRIEF INQUIRY INTO ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS eeee e

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he 1975 love being The 1975. It's hard to think of band so excited by making music as this lot. Their debut was a naïve soundtrack to life in the city, wanting to get out and be noticed while it's followup, ‘I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' took them around the world as they proved there was life after the escape. ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' was meant to be the third and

final part of this trilogy, but across it, The 1975 are full of life. Determined and fearless, they're not going anywhere but up.

From the sloppy hyper whirl of ‘Give Yourself A Try', through the dancehall jig of ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME' and out through the big, unabashed ‘Love It If We Made It', The 1975 refuse to do what's expected of them. Across the fifteen tracks, ‘A Brief Inquiry…' doesn't worry about style, genre or anything that's come before. The band do a

CAN'T SWIM

THIS TOO WON'T PASS eeee Some things don't pass. For Chris LoPorto in particular, the storm clouds are starting to draw in. If last year's debut 'Fail You Again' felt like a cry of defiance, then this rapid follow-up's themes of evil and malevolence seem more like an admission of defeat.

A powerful and energetic record that deals in universal truths rather than cliches, it doesn't say that everything will be ok in the end. It promises something more important instead. It promises that this band and this record will be there with you through thick and thin, feeling every single part of the same pain. P Jamie

MacMillan

MEMPHIS MAY FIRE BROKEN eeee

lot, and they do it quickly. It's 2018, and there's no time for anything else but being bold.

‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' isn't a crusade against Twitter, or a celebration of Instagram though. That would get old fast, and The 1975 are too busy with new. Instead, it's a record that looks at the face-to-face connections that surround us. There's hope for the future, frustration that things have got this bad and determination to enjoy every moment.

‘I Couldn't Be More In Love'

is the band admitting they were wrong ever to consider killing The 1975 off. It means too much to them. Normally this is where a The 1975 album would end but with a new outlook to be as truthful, vulnerable and honest as possible, the sunburst admission of ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)' brings these brief inquiries to a close. Polaroid reflection and breaking dawn realisations burst and decay, as The 1975 find a reason to carry on in the darkest of places. P Ali Shutler

Memphis May Fire return once again with 'Broken', which as its title suggests, finds the Texan rockers sifting through the fragments of a turbulent period. It is patently a struggle of both the mind and body. Tracks like ‘The Old Me' reference struggles against anxiety, while the muscular ‘Watch Out' presents a call to arms and a promise that scores will be settled. It is the sheer adaptability of the band that set them apart.

Just as comfortable in its harder metalcore moments as it is shifting to stadium rock, sometimes doing so even within the same track, it is like a highlights reel of rock in 2018.

'Broken' sees the quartet produce a winning mix of punch-the-air anthems, and whiplash-inducing mosh moments that will surely help to rebuild the most shattered of souls. P Jamie MacMillan

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WITH... PUPPY Everyone has those formative bands and tracks that first got them into music and helped shape their very being. This month, JOCK NORTON from PUPPY takes us through some the songs that meant the most to him during his teenage years.

The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby

When I was a kid, my Dad would constantly play The Beatles in the car, and they were just the only music I really knew. This track had such an impact because it was so sad and had this whole implied narrative that totally captured my imagination. It was also one of the first things I learnt on a piano when I was about 7 or 8, much to his joy.

Oasis - Wonderwall

After being super into the Beatles, I expanded my musical knowledge to two bands, and 'What’s The Story?' was probably the first album I had on cassette. Again, I learnt it on piano and played it constantly. I was annoyed it didn’t sound exactly like the record but didn’t really understand what a band actually was at that age and that a piano wasn’t the sole instrument used to record it. Still, it was pretty cool at the time.

Korn - Freak On A Leash

A family friend a few years older than me played this to me when I was about 10, and I lost my mind.

I don’t even think I really liked it, but I thought it was so cool and actually quite scary. I was into Spawn and stuff at the time too, so I loved the Todd McFarlane artwork. It was probably the first

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time I became aware of the worlds of artwork and clothes and music kind of coexisting in the way you do when you really get into music as a teenager.

AC/DC - Hell’s Bells

After my nu-metal trip, I got really into old classic rock, and AC/DC were my absolute jam. I’d just started playing guitar around that time and got the tablature book for 'Back In Black', so 'Hell’s Bells' was the first one I started with. When I learnt to play that intro with distortion on I had that real electrifying moment where I realised I could make music that sounded like the music I listened to. It was amazing.

Pantera - Domination

I remember clearly telling my friends with glee that I’d found a band even heavier than Metallica (which seemed insane at the time).

I think I had their best of, and this was track two. Me and my friend spent ages trying to work out the solo, and now he plays guitar for Frank Ocean, so needless to say he nailed it first. In fact, I have still not nailed it. Super hard.

Weezer - In The Garage

After trying to be a tough metal dude who secretly painted Warhammer in his bedroom, hearing Weezer’s first album totally changed my worldview.

Here was a band who were playing rock guitar and not trying to pretend they were anything more than dorks. It’s pretty on the

nose lyrically on this track, but it made me feel it was ok to try and write music that was honest, and that celebrated who you were rather than trying to aspire to be something you’re not.

Grandaddy - Now It’s On

This was a big song for me in helping expand my interests out from being purely rock and metal and into more general alternative music territory. It still had distorted guitars and stuff, but it was a lot sweeter and more gentle in its delivery, which I really connected with. Jason Lytle was and is a huge influence on me from a songwriting perspective, and also someone I really tried to emulate when I started singing in bands too. I briefly even tried playing synth as well, but that sort of fell by the wayside.

Dinosaur Jr - Freak Scene

Dinosaur Jr are my all time favourite band, and this was the first song I ever heard of theirs. J Mascis’ guitar playing sounded like nothing I’d ever heard and married this classic rock world I’d grown up with, with an artier, noisy element present in other bands I loved like Sonic Youth and Husker Du. It really set the blueprint for what I wanted to try and do musically with my own stuff and remains a constant source of inspiration. P

Puppy's debut album 'The Goat' is out 25th January.

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