The Amity Affliction have unleashed a new single, It’s Hell Down Here, and announced details of their upcoming eighth album Not Without My Ghosts. Detailing the inspiration behind the typically meaningful track, vocalist Joel Birch explains: ​“This song is a letter from myself and Ahren [Stringer], written by me, to our friends who have passed on to the other side. “I’m 41. I’m bipolar. And I’m pretty tired of it. That’s where lyrics like, ​‘Like a snake I tire / The cold dark clouds, they steal my light’ come from. The song is wrapping up how I feel daily ..read more

There’s always some kind of distance between art and life, purely because the former can never fully capture the latter. Whether a movie or a novel or an album or whatever, it’s an inherently impossible task. Art can be an incredibly accurate reflection of that reality, but it can never truly be that reality. This Is Crimewave – the debut album by Codefendants – comes incredibly close, though. A motley crew comprised of rapper/songwriter Ceschi Ramos, Get Dead frontman Sam King and NOFX​’s Fat Mike, Codefendants depict the darkest underbelly of human existence. And while that’s ..read more

Saint Agnes have announced their upcoming album Bloodsuckers. Due out on July 21 via Spinefarm, the record gave vocalist Kitty A. Austen ​“a reason to get to my feet at a time when I really wasn’t sure if I could”. Kitty continues: ​“I’ve tried to put everything I’ve been feeling into it, all the pain, the rage, the grief, even the unexpected moments of beauty and belief. I hope it makes you feel less alone. I hope it makes you feel bigger, badder and stronger. We might be damaged but that doesn’t mean we’re worthless. This is a record for the defeated, the ..read more

Following on from his recent Masked Singer win, Charlie Simpson is back with Busted for a massive 20th anniversary arena tour and reworked songs. Later this year the pop-rock trio – completed by James Bourne and Matt Willis – will hit 15 arenas around the UK in celebration of their first two albums, 2002’s self-titled LP and 2003 follow-up A Present For Everyone. And, as well as performing a whole bunch of those songs on the road, they’re also teaming up with some fellow pop-rock and pop-punk titans to rework their classics. While their full 15-song tracklist is yet t ..read more

With three weeks to go until horror-comedy Renfield hits cinemas, the final trailer has been released. And it continues to look absolutely awesome, with Nicolas Cage playing Dracula and Nicholas Hoult starring as titular loyal servant Renfield. ‘Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased,’ explains the synopsis. ​‘But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.’ This latest trailer is sou ..read more

The Darkness have announced the European leg of their planned 20th anniversary Permission To Land tour. The Britrock legends are set to celebrate their iconic debut album with a full global tour, with 13 of those shows confirmed so far. Tickets for these Euro dates go on sale this Friday, March 24. “When Permission To Land landed, 20 short years ago, we were bathed in shock and awe,” says frontman Justin Hawkins. ​“As if by magic, rock wasn’t dead! Fun wasn’t banned! And Spandex was almost acceptable again… “Well, guess what? Twenty years on, the same rules apply. So pleas ..read more

Breakout stars LØLØ and girlfriends have teamed up for new single 5,6,7,8. The Toronto pop-punk artist and rising Travis Mills-fronted group tackle ill-fated relationships on their new collab, with LØLØ explaining that: ​“5,6,7,8 is about dancing around the truth and avoiding the inevitable with someone you love, but don’t want to let go – even though you probably should. You know it probably isn’t going to work out between you two, and that fkn sucks – so you try to avoid it… but that only makes things worse.  “Although I am a terrible dancer, I love dancing, so I&nb ..read more

Punk rock legends The Offspring have announced details of a 24-city summer tour with Sum 41 and Simple Plan, kicking off in Washington on August 1 and wrapping up in Massachusetts one month later. “One of the best things about being on tour is traveling the world playing to great audiences, and it’s even better when you can do it with your friends,” says The Offspring’s Dexter Holland. ​“We had sold out international tours with Simple Plan and Sum 41, and we’re excited that they’ll be joining us this summer in America. It’s going to be great!” “We’re so excited to be back ..read more

Are the ​‘rawr-ing 20s’ truly in full swing? Just look around you: some of your all-time favourite bands are having a resurgence, there are new festivals dedicated entirely to nu-metal, emo and scene music, and Wednesday Addams is the new ​‘it girl’. We might only be three years in, but this decade is already rife with alternative culture on our screens, stages and beyond. Despite this perceived acceptance and mainstreamification of the alt. lifestyle however, a lot of people still don’t quite understand it. One thing that folks are particularly baffled by is the idea of g ..read more

RedHook have released a new single featuring fellow Aussie scene favourites Yours Truly. The two bands join forces for Imposter, which is taken from RedHook’s upcoming debut album Postcard From A Living Hell (due out on April 21). Says Emmy Mack of the song: ​“There’s no head-fuck quite like discovering that the person you love most, and who you think you know better than anyone else, has been lying to you and manipulating you the entire time. At first, it feels like death, you grieve for the person you loved as if they’ve died, and yet somehow they still exist. It’s almost as ..read more