“The song is about going through life having to deal with anger. I compare my anger to Armageddon itself. An armada of ferocious craziness inside my head that almost overwhelms me completely,” says front man Thomas Prescott of the track.

‘Armageddon And Me’ is the third single from Suspects on Cool Things Records, and will be released on August 24.

Check out the video below.

Keep up with the latest on Suspects on Facebook and Twitter.

Guitarist and vocalist Gage McGuire had this to say about the track: “This was the first song we ever wrote as a band, albeit a lot different. We loved the chorus so much that we said ‘this has to be on our first full-length’ and saved it for 2 years. I wrote the lyrics to this in a car on the way to a show to play the song for the first time live. I screwed them up for sure, but the line ‘dig your own hole, I’ll pass you a shovel’ is one that has stuck out to me as one of my favourite lyrics we have penned.”

Appearing on a double A-side single released through Dog Knights Productions, ‘Fire’ is yet another epic, shimmering, energetic emo banger from the 5-piece from Malmö/Gothenburg. Fans of Algernon Cadwallader and Snowing will find plenty to love about this track, while the soaring riffs and pounding drums and bass are enough to make you forget about this winter weather and look forward to summer.

Following last year’s debut album ‘We Go Way Back’, ‘Touch/Fire’ will come as a welcome surprise to I Love Your Lifestyle fans. Bassist Jonathan Bjurbo said: “After our European tour in September, we have been taking things really slow. We have been focusing more on work and school (the boring stuff) and Lukas (vocals/guitar) is studying at acting school now, so the only time we have to play shows and rehearse is on the weekends. As an “emo” band in Sweden, though, you don’t get any shows anyway haha. We have just started to practice new songs and hopefully we can start recording soon, but I think we will tour this summer – it’s simply way too fun to tour”!”

Keep your eyes peeled for more from I Love Your Lifestyle later in the year, but for now check out ‘Fire’ below. You won’t regret it.

I Love Your Lifestyle will release ‘Touch/Fire’ on a limited pressing through Dog Knights Productions on March 17th. The first pressing is limited to 600 copies on ultra-clear vinyl with three different screen-printed B-side images. You can pre-order the double A-side single here.

“There is a central theme behind the EP, although we didn’t realise it until we’d compiled all the songs together,” says vocalist/guitarist John Jeacock of the release. “All the tracks tell different stories from the perspective of how I felt at that period in time, and in each instance put me through a process of maturing and growing. James [Stewart, guitarist] joined the band after we released our first EP ‘Sonder’, too, making the EP title ‘Regroup and Reform’ seem just perfect.”

Speaking of the track ‘Votary’, which you can hear below for the first time, Jeacock explains how the track the is about facing a fear of change head-on. “It’s a song about growing up in a small town and plucking up the guts to make a move to a city, so I could then support a lifestyle I’ve always wanted to have, especially with the closure of the most prominent local venues at the time,” he says. “But we all have our different levels of comfort and attitudes towards change. For me it felt like a big deal to make this move, and what really contributed to making me realise, was listening to other people complaining about their own lives giving me the push to do something about my own.

Merrick’s Tusk may tackle melodramatic issues in their heartfelt lyrical narrative, but above everything, they want to create music purely for the love of doing so. “Myself and Adam were part of another emo/rock band back in 2011/2012, which ended due to differing views on what being in a band meant to us,” explains Jeacock, discussing how the band started.

“After this we decided we wanted to start something new with our goal being to play plenty of live shows, which we both have a passion for, and enjoy the whole process as much as possible. This laid-back approach has followed us through to this day. We are determined to progress and build on what we’ve started as much as possible, but we’re always making sure we’re all on the same page and still enjoying the process behind our music.”

With ‘Regroup and Reform’ being released shortly, the band are already looking ahead to where they want the band to go, and have plenty to look forward to over the coming year. “The day our record is released we’re heading off on tour around the UK,” he says, speaking of the band’s humble ambition.

“Later in the year, at the end of September/start of October we’re planning on our first European tour which we’re super excited about. Once we’re back we plan on getting ideas for our debut album finalised and recorded. We’re hoping that the record is well received and we can make our first jump onto the festival circuit this year, play with more amazing bands, get inspired and continue to enjoy being part of a great music community.”

‘Regroup and Reform’ is released on April 1st, via Button Pusher DIY, and you can catch the band on tour throughout the same month. Have a listen to their excellent new track, ‘Votary’, below.

April
02 NEWCASTLE UPON LYME The Rigger
07 PLYMOUTH The Underground
08 NOTTINGHAM The Chameleon Arts Cafe
09 SALFORD The Crescent Pub
10 LONDON The Islington
14 ILFORD The Cauliflower
15 EDINBURGH Venue TBC
16 DUNFERMLINE Monty’s
17 GLASGOW Nice N Sleazey

However, Gillian Carter are not a new band. Formed around 10 years ago, they have been steadily making a name for themselves since their inception, marrying a brutally honest emotion akin to Elliott Smith, with ferocious metallic hardcore.

“Inspiration for the music & lyrics came from the cold person I became after experiencing constant let downs & allowing myself to become jaded, along with the passing of my dog Mazy,” says vocalist/guitarist Logan Rivera of the bands new album. “The title of the record comes from having dreams & goals in life that you set for yourself out of frustration & knowing that you can’t accomplish them, these dreams just suffocate you in the end.”

One of the stand out tracks on the album is ‘Rotting’, which you can hear below. It perfectly summarises the albums impassioned lyrical narrative, and equally powerful delivery.

“The process behind “Rotting” came from anxiety,” explains Rivera. “It was one of the first songs written for the new album, and to me it means both anger and lack of hope.”

‘Dreams Of Suffocation’ is released on April 8th, and is available to pre-order via Skeletal Lighting in the U.S, and Dog Knights Productions here in the UK.

“The song is about trying to rescue breaking relationships,” said the band of their new single. “It was written halfway through the album session and ended up being a perfect mix of the softer and heavier material on the record. It’s one that we think represents the album as a whole and is also one of our favourites to play live.”

The heartfelt honesty in the narrative of ‘Save Me’ is soundtracked by subtle melodies, building into a huge guitar riffs during the stirring chorus. After only having a handful of tracks out so far, ‘Save Me’ shows a huge progression in sound for Pretend Happy, and one that was captured perfectly by Lewis Johns, handling recording duties at The Ranch Production House.

The highly-anticipated ‘Tired Eyes’ is released on February 8th via Tape Culture Records, and you can listen to ‘Save Me’ below.

Pretend Happy Facebook

Long time friends Tyler Giard, Matt Debellis, Matt Kupka & James Giles came together in Eugene, Oregon after being in cover bands, and members temporarily moving away. Eventually, they decided they wanted to take a band more seriously than before, and Southtowne Lanes played their first show at the beginning of 2012. Fast forward 3 years, the band is very much a more serious affair.

“Its a song about anxiety and self-fulfilling prophecy,” says vocalist Matt Kupka of ‘Deadlights’, and how it fits in within the context of the album. “The song happens towards the end of the record, and deals with the concept of the narrator becoming wrapped up in their own accusations. Throughout the record, the narrator references and sees these “ghosts” of their past, and at this point they start realising that they may have just exemplified the projections they thought they were seeing. The narrator stops seeing the ghosts as a separate world, and starts realising that the line between present and past may have been blurred.”

With the album having such a strong theme running through it, Kupka hopes that it helps people take a different view on their past. “I hope that people understand that it’s okay to fondly look back on the past,” he continues, “people you once knew, places you’ve been…as long as they stay there. I don’t mean to break off all ties with anyone from your past forever. I mean for people to take comfort and strength from the past that has gotten them to where they are, and keep on walking. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, regardless of how many ghosts are trying to hold you back.”

Following the release of ‘Give Up The Ghost’ next year, it will be all systems go for this young band, who want to reach as many people as possible with their visceral, yet melody driven brand of emotionally-charged music. “We’d really love to travel as much as possible, and naturally use the album to fuel as much of that as we can,” Kupka says of the bands future plans. “I mean we all love to play music, and that’s why we’re all here, but we would love to be able to travel more with it, and gain as many new experiences as we can.”

‘Give Up The Ghost’ will be release in January, and you can keep up to date with the band via their Facebook page. In the meantime, listen to the excellent ‘Deadlights’ below.

The music scene Sheffield has always been a fruitful one. From the Arctic Monkeys to Pulp, and Rolo Tomassi to Nai Harvest, the steel city has provided listening for almost any genre over the years. The latest band you can add to that list is indie-punks Pjaro, and today we are bringing you the first play of their brand new track ‘Foie Gras’.

“‘Foie Gras’ is a summary of Pjaro’s time as a three-piece band” say the band, who started life as a just a two-piece. “It’s also about Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Hulk Hogan squaring off at Wrestlemania 30. It’s also about insincerity. Whatever it’s about it speaks for itself and has been echoing around the halls of Tye Die Tapes in many forms for many years, we’re laying it to rest and it can finally pass on to the far plane.”

The track itself is featured on Pjaro’s forthcoming split 7″ with fellow Sheffield natives Radical Boy, which is due out on December 4th. Both bands have contributed two tracks to the split, and it will be the first vinyl release from DIY label Tye Die Tapes. Pre-orders are available now, and you can listen to ‘Foie Gras’ below.

Pjaro Facebook

With so much punk history rooted in our fair isle, it’s a great feeling that some British bands are able to keep the spirit alive. While they may not be decked out in safety pins, bondage slacks, and soaped up mohawks, Birmingham newcomers Wood and Nails certainly capture the raw, working class vibe of British punk rock, and today it is a pleasure to bring you the first play of their debut EP ‘The Night Before’.

Initially started as a solo project by singer-songwriter Paul Beaumont, this marks the real start of Wood and Nails. “We formed quite recently in regards to a fully functioning band” says Beaumont of the current state of play. “After a previous band my brother and myself were in split, I carried on performing acoustically during the middle ground, and Wood And Nails started to get going around March 2015 when my brother Steve and myself got back together to write and record for this EP. Elliot our drummer has just recently joined in June and our first full band gig will be in September shortly after the release of the finished EP”.

When asked about bringing ‘The Night Before’ to life “‘Crosses’ was a song I had in the works for quite a while, whereas ‘The Night Before’, ‘All We’ll Ever Need’ and ‘Bloodshot’ all came together really quickly in the studio” Beaumont muses. ” The whole EP has a theme lyrically of questioning faith in basically everything, from religious faith to politics to faith in yourself and trying to find happiness in spite of it all and just accepting yourself. So as much negativity there is on there towards numerous different subjects, I would say the overriding theme is about finding happiness”.

‘The Night Before’ is self released by Wood and Nails digitally iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual outlets from today (August 6th), and you can exclusively listen to the whole thing in the player below.