Back in July, New Music Friday fell on the fourth, Independence Day, which is tough because new music coming out on a holiday is just almost always doomed to be missed. This week might honestly be even more challenging though…
Today is Taylor Swift day. The current reigning queen of pop has dropped her brand-new album, Life of a Showgirl, and it is going to dominate every chart it touches (and rightfully so… I don’t want Swift fans thinking I’m a hater. I’m absolutely not. Hell, she and I share the same high school alma mater. That’s twin.)
So, with this in mind, let’s explore some new music that is completely opposite…
“Sepsis” – Lamb of God
This is my new obsession.
Lamb of God just dropped their first new solo track since 2022 (though they have done some collabs in the past few years). The song is titled “Sepsis,” and it’s a fuckin scorcher.
It kicks off all grungy and sludgy, then eventually builds to this thrashy bridge, while frontman Randy Blythe delivers a menacing vocal performance with that uniquely wide range of his. The dude is like three vocalists in one.
Calling it right now, this is a top 10 of the year. No question.
“Laugh It Off” – New Found Glory
New Found Glory, after almost 30 years together, stands out from their peers as being, in my opinion, one of the only bands to emerge from the late ’90s/early ’00s pop-punk scene to never dull.
This week, the band dropped “Laugh It Off,” the first single from their forthcoming 14th studio album Listen Up!, their first with new label Revelation Records. The track is fun, edgy, and full of heart. It’s NFG at their best.
(Also, shoutout to Jordan’s Sanguisugabogg hat.)
“Wicca” – Bad Neighbors x Lil Tracy
Birmingham’s Bad Neighbors just released a new collab with Lil Tracy that is so fuckin’ good, and there’s just no way for me to talk about it without sounding like the 40-year-old dorky white guy that I am.
It’s probably no surprise that the title of the track being a shoutout to Wicca Phase Springs Eternal is what initially drew me in, but it’s undeniable that the whole thing just hits so hard. The beat being piano-driven is profoundly clever, right through the way it builds into a dark whirlwind of electronic gothica.
This will also make a perfect addition to your Halloween playlist.
“Ace of Spades” – Pennywise (Motörhead cover)
Legendary California punk band Pennywise just dropped a cover of Motörhead’s iconic track “Ace of Spades,” taken from the forthcoming tribute album, Killed By Deaf: A Punk Rock Tribute to Motörhead!
As a longtime Pennywise fan, I love the way they handle the iconic track, which would have gone completely off the rails in the hands of a lesser band.
“Switchblade” – Hexxx
Lastly… I came upon this song while I was clicking around YouTube, literally last night, and it just captured my attention.
I love the if-Snoop-and-Cyprus-Hill-made-the-Goosbumps-theme beat, and Hexxx is just an incredibly skilled lyricist, with confidence dropping from his fangs. I fuck with it.
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