Curated by Monk
My, my, time really does fly, especially when you spend as much of it listening to cracking new music as we do here at URHQ…which is kinda our way of asking how, in the names of all the gods of rock ‘n’ roll, are we almost at the end of January already? The British Isles may have been battered by a bit of a breeze earlier this week, but we continue to find ourselves on the receiving end of an absolute hurricane of new releases galore competing for that coveted inclusion either here on the main #SinglesClub playlist or as one of our #DailyPick selections. So, with that in mind, let’s crank the amps up to neighbour-annoying volume and dive straight into our latest selection, shall we? Well, OK… if you insist…
Air Drawn Dagger ‘Castle’ (Long Branch Records)
The fiesty Sheffield electro-emo, angst-pop trio get us off to a suitably energetic start with their blend of pop punk, metalcore, EDM, grunge and post-power pop:
Barber Q ‘Crack The Code’ (Self-Released)
After a year of re-releasing older songs, these Aberdeen alt-rockers kick off the new year with a new offering, blending grunge, ’90s alt and modern indie into an anthem of resilience as solid as the granite from which their home city is famously built:
Cloakroom Q ‘Substance’ (Self-Released)
We’re on home turf for our next pair of selections, who also last featured together in this very feature back at the beginning of December. First up is a slice of lo-fi acoustic lyricism that apparently went through multiple sonic and stylistic changes before being stripped back to its piano-led origins:
Final Thirteen ‘Golden Hour’ (Self-Released)
This Belfast power trio describe their fusion of metal, alt-rock and latter day indie as “m’indie-rock” and are another hometown band making a welcome return to our playlist, with this, their fourth-standalone single release:
Gypsy Pistoleros ‘Whatever Happened To The Old Town’ (Earache)
The once fun-loving flamenco rockers have taken on a darker, more gothic hue lately, as evinced by this revisiting of their childhood haunts on this latest sermon to be delivered from their upcoming new album, which see us pulling up a prayer mat in the ‘Church Of The Pistoleros‘ in April:
Hangman’s Chair ‘In Disguise’ (Nuclear Blast)
The French doom machinists aren’t donning any disguises as they present us with a haunting, slow-burning shoegazing track that drifts through layers of sorrowful distortion, its mournful lyrics unravelling the weight of depression, echoing the isolation and darkness that consumes the soul, and our aural memory cells as they prepare for the release of their new album:
Indifferent MonKeY ‘Astrostar 9’ (Dazy Records)
These trip-hoppers take us an old-school psychedelic journey to other worlds, and specifically a new world where the newly arrived human race get kicked off by the resident population, with this suitably “out there” offering:
Knuckle Puck ‘Nice To Know Ya’ (Pure Noise Music)
The Chicago pop punks are about to release just their third album in 13 years and are also heading back to the UK in May for back-to-back appearances at the Slam Dunk weekender:
Landmvrks ‘A Line In The Dust’ (Arising Empire)
The Marseille metalcore mob have teamed up with Mat Welsh of While She Sleeps for this latest ‘banging instalment from the tale that will be fully told on their upcoming fourth album, which will see them visit ‘The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been’ in April:
Matt Edible & Th Obtuse Angels ‘Dog Dirt’ (Inedible Records)
An anthem for the gaslit generation, this three-minute power pop tantrum is the latest taster to be offered up from the Hull lo-fi indie proponents’ latest album, which will see them making us an appointment with ‘The Optometrist‘ next month:
Mission Jupiter ‘Human Nature’ (Label 51 Recordings)
This is the second tasty course to be served up from the Belorussian alt metal trio’s upcoming third album, ‘Aftermath’, which isd due for release in April:
Nova Twins ‘Monsters’ (Marshall Records)
Continuing to constantly push creative boundaries and simultaneously defy descriptions outside of “wow”, the electrifying alt-rock duo are set for another ground-breaking year, kicking off with this intense exploration of mental health and a brief upcoming tour with Lenny Kravitz.
Oversize ‘Vacant’ (SharpTone)
Hailing from the fertile south-west of England, these alt-shoegazers will be exhibiting ‘Vital Signs‘ of why they demand our attention to their brand of post-grunge when they release their debut album at the end of February.
Pridian ‘Out For Blood’ (Century Media)
The third single to be served up as a taster for the Estonian industrial metalcore mob’s upcoming debut album, due for release in the Spring:
Self-Discipline ‘A Call To Observe’ (Coups de Couteau)
This French solo atmospheric metal project continues to demonstrate its name by further exploring the realms of meditative introspection, self-realization and spiritual connections, a journey which will continue with the release of a debut EP in May:
Slung ‘Laughter’ (Fat Dracula Records)
The lead single from the eclectic Brighton quartet’s debut album, scheduled for release at the beginning of May, and features collaborations with El Moono’s Zac Jackson, Mykl Barton from Sick Joy, Projector’s Lucy Sheehan and CLT DRP’s Annie Dorett to address issues as diverse as the sex trade, generational trauma and bullfighting!
State Of You ‘To The Core’ (Silent Cult)
The Londoners address what it means to be a “rockstar” in 2025 with this slice of unadulterated, down and dirty hardcore-infused riffage from their just-released new EP:
The Greater Good ‘Stupid Game, Stupid Prize’ (Self-Released)
The Welsh alt-rockers deliver a raw, unapologetic dive into self-destruction emotional turmoil, and the highs and lows of human vulnerability on this latest standalone offering:
Tumbleweed Dealer ‘Ghosts Dressed In The Weeds’ (Self-Released)
The psyched-out French-Canadian proggies continue their musical retelling of the origins of the mythical Swamp Thing, which will be fully extrapolated on new album ‘Dark Green‘ next month, by breaking new ground with their first ever vocalized offering:
Uncured ‘Bleed Me Try’ (Self-Released)
The opening track from the upcoming debut album by the New Jersey nu-metalcore quartet, due for release on 21 February:
Violent Vira ‘Saccharine’ (Mom+Pop)
Our final selection is far from sickly sweet but just downright sick (as the kids on the street apparently say these days) as this metalcore maiden builds up to the release of her debut album later this year:
So, there you have it, our latest dynamic and eclectic selection. Hopefully we’ve opened your ears to some new sounds, and pointed you in the direction of some fine tuneage to kick your year off in style… Until next time, remember: keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on Über Rockin’ in the free world \m/