THE ÜBER ROCK SINGLES CLUB – STONKING SEPTEMBER (PART ONE)

Curated by DJ Monk

Well, did everyone enjoy their summer? Such as it was anyway? Well, the sun may now be in the descendant and the nights starting to draw in, and there may be a definite chill returning in the air we breathe, but that doesn’t stop the rock ‘n’ roll action remaining hot, hot, HOT here at ÜRHQ, where we are proud to declare that the bar is once again fully stocked and the jukebox has been loaded with the hottest tunes to have come our way in the past couple of weeks…

And what better way to kick things off than with our favourite pop punk duo all the way from the city of angels… yes, The Dollyrots have a new single, taken from their ÜR-approved album ‘Daydream Explosion’, and once again Kelly and Luis are proving they definitely know how to party with this infectious slice of fun, which weirdly reminds us of a certain Andrew WK tune with a similar vibe:

Next, we travel north to Canada but stay very much in the party spirit a take to the ‘Rooftops’ with the new offering from Arcane Ghosts, who combine raw emotion and math skills to create a post-hardcore meets pop-punk sound that should strike a chord with fans of Dance Gavin Dance, I The Mighty and Movements. The single is taken from their excellent new album, ‘Human Interference’.

We return now to UR’s spiritual homeland with the first of two offerings from Wales. First up, Llandudno-based classic rockers Mad Haven ask if we’re ready (stupid question, really, lads) with the second single to be lifted from their forthcoming new EP, ‘Never Give Up’, which is being released on the 27^th of this month via those lovely people at WDFD Records. With a sound that sound boasts big riffs, catchy choruses, strong melodies and hooks galore, these Welsh lads certainly should be living up to that EP title:

Next up, one of our favourite Welsh acts, who consistently produce great songs, and that is Henry’s Funeral Shoe, who have just delivered us of a new single from their forthcoming album, the wonderfully titled ‘Smart Phone Rabbit Hole’, which is being released in a little under three weeks’ time. It’s a groovilicious slice of boogie that makes you move in a different way and feel like you should (you’ll get what we mean when you listen to the song:

Time for some ‘Country Music’ now, all the way from the wilds of Worcester, courtesy of the Bootyard Bandits. As soon as I hit play on this for the first time, The Dark Queen declared that she liked it… and, if it gets DQ’s seal of approval, then that’s good enough for me – and it should be good enough for you! Listen carefully and you’ll see why the band reckon they might not get too much radio play with this catchy little ditty:

A total change in mood and tempo now, as Swedish proggies Leprous take us down ‘Below’ with the first single to be taken from their forthcoming new album, ‘Pitfalls’, which is being released on 25 October via our friends at InsideOut Music. Vocalist and keyboardist Einar Solberg checked in with the following comment about the single: “[It] was the first song written for the album and it was composed in a period of denial of what was to come. It was a very spontaneous song, made first with only piano and vocals. ‘Below’ is a very emotional and melancholic track, and it means a lot to me personally – both musically and lyrically. Large cinematic string arrangements, electronic elements, very acoustic and organic parts – all combined. Very epic but at the same time very fragile!” Leprous will support the album release with shows in London (ULU) and Manchester (Academy 2) on 8 and 9 November respectively.

We stay in Scandinavia but totally change styles as we present you sleaze gods Crashdïet, who announce their return after six too long years with the title track from their new album, ‘Rust’ – their first with new vocalist Gabriel Keyes – which is due for release via Frontiers Records on the 13^th of this month. It’s a real diamond (sic) of a track which shows that the Swedes have lost none of their charm or cheekiness:

We’re still in Sweden but undertaking another genre switch, as goths Mister Misery seek to take up the crown left vacant by the departure of neighbours HiM from the international scene by inviting us to join them for ‘The Blood Waltz’, complete with a video crammed with copious amounts of the fake red stuff. Delightful! The track is taken from their album ‘Unalive’, which is being released at the beginning of October on Arising Empire.

We traverse both time and geography for our next offering, which comes from the ancient city of Sparta, where we find trad metallers Social Scream telling us the tale of the ‘Truth Divider’ with the first single to be lifted from their forthcoming third studio album, ‘Organic Mindset’, due to be released later this year. It’s a tasty slice of sub-thrash heaviness that definitely will blow those Sunday morning hangover cobwebs away:

We come hurtling back to the Über Kingdom next, where we find metalcore newcomers Creak and their debut single, ‘Recluse’. Despite having only formed at the beginning of this year, these kids are determined to make their mark, and the single impacts harder than a comet imploding on the Tyne Bridge. It is a defiant statement of intent, and bodes well for them winning plenty of fans when they head out of the road with God Complex in December:

Back across the pond now, to east Texas, where Whiskey Myers tell us that they are determined to ‘Die Rockin’ with this lively slice of blooze-fuelled country rock that makes you wanna dig out that dusty Stetson and kick up the dust with those battered ol’ cowboy boots that have been lying neglected in the wardrobe. The track is taken from their forthcoming self-titled album, which is due to drop via Snakefarm Records later this very month.

Next up, there’s not a lot we can say about this newbie from Municipal Waste, which is taken from their forthcoming EP, ‘The Last Rager’, except get in the fuckin’ pit when they blast their way across the UK later this year:

Another complete mood swing, both for us and the artist concerned, as Lauren Tate, best known as frontwoman with ÜR faves Hands Off Gretel, has just released her second solo single, the poignant ‘What About The Kids’, which in turn is taken from her forthcoming debut solo album, ‘Songs For Sad Girls‘. While the sound may different, Tate definitely has not lost any of her lyrical venom in this heartfelt and emotion-draining song:

Time to up the pace again with our penultimate offering for this iteration of the Singles Club, and we’re swinging back across to the West Coast of the USofA, where we find The Paranoyds, who have just released ‘Face First’, the third single from their forthcoming new album, ‘Carnage Bargain’, which is being released on 13 September (yep, you don’t have to wait too much longer for this glorious slice of schizophrenic power pop):

Our final offering sees us ‘Stray’ down under, where we enter Crash Valley (which, apparently, is located somewhere in the dank back alleys of Melbourne). This is a heavy-ass slice of doomy trad metal with an acerbic vocal and a menacing undertone which perfectly matches that of the approaching Autumn evenings:

So, that’s it for the latest edition of the Singles Club. You bastids have drunk us outta JD (again), but I have a secret stash of mead hiding in the cellar that I’m gonna uncork and enjoy… Astrocreep is back behind the death decks in two weeks’ time so, until then, in the best ÜR tradition, keep ‘er lit and keep ‘er between the hedges… and keep on rockin’ \m/