Recovering from the flu on this last day of the month, it seems fitting to pause and recap what the blur of February entailed for Depth Magazine.
Incredible New Releases
Is February too early for Album Of The Year lists to begin? This month felt like a surge of ignition determinedly driving music forward in 2018, with The Plot In You, Thornhill, and Endless Heights releasing impressive collections of music; each distinctly their own unique flavour and also individually pushing their boundaries.
“To me, Dispose represents the attempt to creatively drain oneself of emotion from dying relationship(s), with each track being another angle of that. The product of that ’emotional exorcism’ is ten tracks of vulnerable, raw, honest, creatively free, massive, and pushed toward experimentation. Dispose feels like a satisfying exhalation into freedom, after being tied up and stuck for so long.”
“This EP is breathtaking, with collective energies of the hardworking five piece poured into the six tracks. It’s a mission for the listener of trying to keep up with the sonic adventure that we’re taken on, courtesy of Thornhill pushing boundaries of genre and expectations. Butterfly is an impressive and intense ride.”
Endless Heights – Vicious Pleasure
“I thoroughly loved Vicious Pleasure and feel warm and full from this experience. The guys of Endless Heights have collectively created something honest and vulnerable, along with a sense of creative experimentation. They truly have pushed their boundaries with this album. At times moving and at times overpowering, this goes beyond my expectations and is an undeniable reminder of why Endless Heights are positioned at the peak of the scene.”
As well as these stand-outs, this month we reviewed releases by:
- Black Foxxes – “raw, honest, and breathtakingly beautiful”.
- BAILER – “sharp and unpredictable rhythms”.
- Sanctum & Solace – “a breath-holding ride from end to end.”
- To Hell With Paradise – “stance of encouragement and overcoming challenges by not giving up”.
The New Age
New to us, but keen from first listen, we spent some time getting to know Ohio based genre-blurred band The New Age as well as reviewing their album Placebo which released in February. We interviewed vocalist Justin to learn about the history of the band up to this point, as well as about the break they’ve had between releases.
When it came to the twelve tracks of Placebo, we considered it as being “end-to-end ache and open-ended questions, with each attempt to unfold and smooth the crumpled and anguished experiences done beautifully and with unbridled creativity. The resulting emotional ruinment for the listener is the consequence of absorbing this gorgeous sonic story of toxic homelife.” If you missed it, our full review is here: http://www.depthmag.com/the-new-age-placebo/
Stuck Out
Getting to know Melbourne’s Stuck Out was a very cool thing about February for us, with their EP You Won’t Come Home earning top marks from us. The fresh signing to Greyscale Records sparked our curiosity in the band, as well as the storytelling woven into the EP, so we were gratefully able to interview vocalist Joshua Walker this month too. Catch that HERE, if you missed it.
Aburden
Aburden also announced their signing to Greyscale Records this month, and revealed their stunning new sound, with fresh track “To The Sky”. We spoke with pianist & vocalist Mason Forster about the track as well as the evolution of the Melbourne five piece.
Heavy Shows
..And we mean heavy. I (Kel) got to work on honing my skill of reviewing heavy music in February, when over the month we caught: Skorched, Blklst, Daybreak, Honest Crooks, Alpha Wolf, Justice For The Damned, Fit For An Autopsy, Emmure, and Thy Art Is Murder, courtesy of the Alpha Wolf Mono Australian tour and Thy Art Is Murder Dear Desolation tour. Our main man photo-guy Rowan Donohue was there with us at Northcote Social, and when it came to the Thy Art show, he snapped the bands in Brisbane.
We also got to know Skorched band a little better, interviewing the masked band about their own fierce image as well as their views on image in general when it comes to music. Read the full interview here: http://www.depthmag.com/skorched-behind-masks/
Less Heavy Shows
It was a culture shock seeing Corner Hotel without all the black clothes and moshing, when we caught Waterparks, Between You And Me, and The Maine, snapped by Bree Wallace.
And Ellie Johnson was there to capture COIN in action for us in Florida, with The Aces as support.
Hellions!
After getting a live taste of “X (Mwah)” at Unify last month, it was great to celebrate its vibrant and bouncy release this month, as well as gush a little more about Opera Oblivia in our interview with Matt Gravolin. He teased about touring, and I can’t wait for that!
New Music Galorrree
As a former member of the “there is no good new music anymore” club, I can’t tell you how much joy it gives me to check out new music and find tracks that I love and adore, from artists new or longstanding. This month’s standouts were:
Speakeasy – Amy Street: “Gorgeously layered, searching and genuine.”
Faze Wave – Suburban Boy: “This warm expression of curiosity and confusion of why she likes him, and why he’s now feeling shut out plays out with crashing drums and questioning riffs.”
She Cries Wolf – Cultist: “An aggressive throwing of responsibility into another’s face, which is brilliantly expressed by all band members in chaotic unison.”
Sometime Sonny – Like Everybody Else: “Gorgeous layers of sound, ethereal as well as soberingly real.”
Incentives – Flicker: “The crushing and confrontational track questions a friend’s self-treatment and attitude to life”
Statues – Defiance: “As far as heavy songs go, this is poetry.”
Forgetting Yesterday – Engram: “an emotionally moving piece of regret as to the special connection that seems to have been lost.”
Undercast – Let Go: “high vibing beats and melodic sound belie a blanket of misery hanging over him.”
Holding Absence – Everything: “another addition to the Welsh band’s impeccable sonic resumé.”
Casey – Phosphenes: “Casey know how to write songs that rip to a painful emotional core.”
Underoath – On My Teeth: “is fittingly electric, and contagiously amped up. Vein inhabiting riffs and collective driving forces express a determined stare of confrontation.”
Good Songs That Got New Music Videos This Month
Don’t you love it when a favourite track gets some video love? February was good for that:
The Gloom In The Corner – Witch Hunt: “Hits as hard as you’d expect, and is oppressively aggressive in sound and lyrics.”
Death From Above – Caught Up: “A very cool way to visually present the fear of losing themselves to the attraction they have.”
Counterparts – You’re Not You Anymore: “Amplified by Counterparts’ heavy escalation and ache through the track, we watch as the aliveness that the man immerses in soon turns to violence.”
Resolve – Binarity: “powerfully moving, and the importance of the connective experiences they’ve had over the last 12 months hits hard.”
Spotify Playlist
We cover so much new music, we thought a Spotify playlist for new music we cover over the year to be a great way to capture what we’ve been up to. So we created The Depth List: 2018, and you’re welcome to follow it and share it!
Looking to March
With fresh new music waiting for my non-influenza-influenced ears/brain, and our names already included on media lists for shows ahead, we can’t wait to see what March is like for Depth Mag. Not to mention DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL!
Side note, another giveaway would be cool sometime soon!
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