SOFT PLAY have announced details of their first new album in six years. Entitled HEAVY JELLY, the record follows Acts Of Fear And Love from 2018 and is due out on July 19. And as its name suggests it’s all about not taking things too seriously. “We’re not gonna be the band that leads your protest march really eloquently, but we might be the band that motivates you to go down the gym or start doing something productive and that’s important, too,” explains Laurie Vincent. ​“What we can do is sing about relatable things and share that with people.” “Don’t try and be like everyone else ..read more

Slipknot have at long last confirmed the identity of their new drummer! It’s something we all suspected for a good few weeks now anyway, but a new post on their Instagram account of all nine members has notably included a tag for former Sepultura sticksman Eloy Casagrande – so it’s definitely official now. Eloy himself hasn’t yet posted anything about joining the masked legends, but of course he’s been pretty damn busy these last few days playing his first shows with the ​’Knot: initially there was the tiny Pappy + Harriet’s comeback gig last Thursday, and then over t ..read more

Despite a title that suggests they’re embracing their inner degenerate, the fourth album from Atlanta’s Microwave – the band’s first in five years – is anything but a riotous affair. Having taken their time in crafting their next move, the trio have returned a more thoughtful and contemplative proposition, armed with a 10-track collection of mellow songs that fall somewhere between shoegazy emo and ambient indie-pop.  Portals – sung by frontman Nathan Hardy’s girlfriend – opens proceedings with some beautiful, hymn-like vocal melodies which set the serene stage i ..read more

Bryan Garris knew it was going to be one hell of a flight. Climbing the steps onto a rickety old airliner and staring out the box window at a swirling storm, a feeling of dread about crossing North America had lumped in his stomach. Ashtrays plugged into seat-backs, haunted by the scent of decades-old cigarettes did little to assuage concerns about the airworthiness of his ride. Neither did the realisation that his own seat was broken, contorting him into a permanently reclined angle. Then a flight attendant demanded all headphones be removed until cruising altit ..read more

It’s been more than five years since Chelsea Wolfe last performed in the UK. And that was as an opener, on tour with A Perfect Circle at the tail end of 2018. In 2020, an intended acoustic run of cathedrals and concert halls for the previous year’s stripped-back Birth Of Violence album became one of the first to get nixed as COVID rose up. It’s a long wait – long enough to make an album that stands on the podium of her finest work in She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She – but the rarity only makes this return in all its graceful glory so much more incredible.  Even ..read more

Lacuna Coil have released a brand-new single featuring Ash Costello. The band have teamed up with the New Years Day vocalist for new tune In The Mean Time, explaining that it’s ​“a reflection on how much our society has generally ​‘lost the plot’.  “We are living in really mean times filled with unhappy people: lonely, anxious, depressed, destructive. The pressure that crushes from the outside doesn’t allow to see things with the right clarity. This song is like group therapy: not a lamentation, but acceptance that once broken, it’s hard to put oneself back together a ..read more

Yes, it’s actually happening – beloved post-hardcore firebrands letlive. are reforming for a series of farewell shows across the world next year. Breaking the news on social media earlier today (April 17), the band announced – along with a new, remastered version of landmark album The Blackest Beautiful – they would be coming back in 2025 to say goodbye in style. “To our friends that we never got to say goodbye to – we’ll see you next year to do so.”  Seemingly with no concrete plans in place, letlive. are encouraging fans to contact their local promoters to help ..read more

ratbag has just kicked off a brand-new live video series. Following the release of her debut EP why aren’t you laughing? last year, the musician is inviting listeners into her world by giving each of the record’s songs – dead end kids, exit girl, rot in love and rats in my walls – an accompanying performance video that showcases ​‘her monstrous bandmates’ natural habitat’ according to a press release. And this first look is for rot in love, which is set in a place called Slug’s Glove… “For these performances, each video was shot inside the home of the band member I&nb ..read more

Following last month’s single MAGNETIC, Florida titans Wage War have unleashed another new track and announced their fifth album STIGMA. The quintet – vocalist Briton Bond, guitarists Cody Quistad and Seth Blake, bassist Chris Gaylord and drummer Stephen Kluesener – have today unveiled the heavy and experimental NAIL5, and revealed that it’s a ​“tribute” to their upcoming record. “NAIL5 is a tribute to our fifth album and continuing to push the envelope in every way, and in this instance, the heavy side,” reads a collective statement from the band. ​“We took the elements t ..read more

Gwen Stefani has revealed in a new interview that, while there aren’t any No Doubt plans beyond this month’s reunion shows at Coachella, she isn’t against doing more stuff with the band in the future. The legendary ska punks – completed by Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Adrian Young – will return to the stage in their home state of California this weekend for their first proper gigs since 2015, and speaking with Nylon, Gwen enthuses that these dates are ​“going to be a really nice bow to tie on the relationship”. “I already know what it’s going to feel like because we’re just ..read more