As we head for the end of July and edge ever close to the big August festivals, it’s time to take a look at some of the best new music from bands set to tear up main stages the world over next month. Read on for more.
BRING ME THE HORIZON – HAPPY SONG (Stream)
Bring Me the Horizon’s transformation from brutal deathcore collective to stadium-ready hard rockers has been an admirable. Although new track Happy Song, taken from upcoming album That’s the Spirit, is a world away from the early Suicide Season-era tracks, it sees the band go in a new direction which perfectly suits their continued evolution as a band. Gone are Oli Sykes’ brutal growls and accompanying instrumental carnage, having long been replaced by clean vocals and polished instrumentation. “S-P-I-R-I-T; Spirit, let’s hear it” sings a group of cheerleaders in the background as a full-on riff takes the helm. According to Sykes, That’s the Spirit is “a way of making light of depression. It’s quite a depressing phrase when you think about it – the sort of thing you only ever use when you know there’s no positive answer to the situation.” Although the album centres around a depressing focal point, you can be sure that the future will be nothing less than exciting for the Sheffield quintet.
Catch them at: Reading & Leeds 2015, 28-30 August
CHVRCHES – LEAVE A TRACE (Stream)
Scottish trio Chvrches, unarguably one of the hottest bands around right now, have just returned with the announcement of sophomore album Every Eye Open. The Lauren Mayberry fronted three-piece’s debut album, 2013’s The Bones of What You Believe, made for so much hype that the band are on the verge of arenas in the US alone. Every Eye Open will look set to make this a reality on both sides of the Atlantic, especially if lead single Leave a Trace is anything to go by. Its pulsating electro pop rhythms and Mayberry’s sickly sweet voice combine effortlessly to create an effervescent end product which is equal parts dark and gloomy as it is massive and arena-ready.
Catch them at: Pukkelpop Festival, 20-22 August
FOALS – MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES (Stream)
Foals are currently gearing up to release their hotly anticipated fourth studio album, What Went Down. Its title track was put out at the start of July and saw the band at their most intense and fierce. Frontman Yannis Philippakis has been getting angrier and angrier as records go by, and What Went Down will be no different to what came before it. “I see a darkness in my fate” sings the frontman ahead of the chorus on new single Mountain at my Gates, his voice laced with depression, anxiety and 48 other shades of fear. Foals are one of the most exciting bands of 2015, and quite rightly so; Mountain at my Gates is just the right amount of intricacy, hedonism and anthemia that this world needs.
Catch them at: Sziget Festival, 13 August
GHOST – FROM THE PINNACLE TO THE PIT (Stream)
Anonymous doom rockers Ghost, fronted by brand new frontman Papa Emeritus III, are quite possibly one of the most intriguing bands around today. The sextet, whose five instrumentalists dress in identical black cloaks and (brand new) masks, spend most of their time preaching the good word of Satan upon the world by means of 70s-flecked hair metal and classic rock, both of which are combined with a chilling (yet thankfully sarcastic) message. From the Pinnacle to the Pit, the second track to be taken from upcoming album Meliora, goes down a different path to lead single Cirice, encompassing absurd melodies and gritty bass at a faster pace. Where Cirice dominated with doom and gloom, From the Pinaccle to the Pit reigns victorious in its effortless combination of anthemia and melancholy. Surely 2015 will be christened as Year of the Ghost, right?
Catch them at: Reading & Leeds 2015, 28-30 August
NECK DEEP – GOLD STEPS (Stream)
Pop punkers Neck Deep are currently flying the flag for their genre loud and proud, having been christened the newfound saviours of modern day pop punk. The Welsh quintet, who lean heavily towards an acidified version of Blink-182, recorded sophomore record Life’s Not Out to Get You with A Day to Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon, and new single Gold Steps definitely reflects on this collaboration. McKinnon, whose vocals feature towards the end, has taught the bend to step up to the plate and conquer with a hefty dose of full-on pop punk. Gone are the raw elements of Neck Deep’s debut, having been replaced by a polished rock sheen which throws an even more anthemic sound to the mix. If Neck Deep are truly the saviours of a genre which was on the verge of dying a few years back, then the future is in safe hands.
Catch them at: Reading & Leeds 2015, 28-30 August
THE MACCABEES – SOMETHING LIKE HAPPINESS (Stream)
Brighton-based quintet The Maccabees have spent quite some time working hard on new studio album Marks to Prove It, one of the most anticipated records of the year. Lead single Marks to Prove It built up and morphed into a massive stadium anthem worthy of festival main stages the world over, something which looks set to become a reality as they appear at Reading & Leeds next month. Follow-up single Something Like Happiness still bears all the hallmarks of a killer song, yet it doesn’t go the lengths which Marks to Prove It did. The song instead follows the balladry path, encompassing brass and chant-worthy vocals to an extent which emphasizes The Maccabees newfound status as world-beaters. Marks to Prove It has been a long time coming, and now the time is right for Orlando Weeks and co. to show the world how great they truly are.
Catch them at: Reading & Leeds 2015, 28-30 August
Check back in two weeks for our next roundup.
