November has seen some awesome bands pass through the United Kingdom, not least Against Me! whose Electric Ballroom headline performance was simply astounding. Nothing brought their shoegaze revival to the Green Door Store in Brighton amongst other venues across the nation, while New Found Glory were joined by a whole host of exciting pop-punk talent for the aptly named Pop Punk’s Not Dead Tour.
November also saw the start of festival announcement season – slowly ensuring festivals are on our radar year round. Download shouted about the return of Slipknot, with Muse and Kiss joining as headliners, while Groezrock packed a punch with a Refused and Social Distortion double whammy. Reading and Leeds Festival weren’t far behind with their announcement of Metallica as headliner, and a cheeky addition of Refused further down the bill.
That’s not it! November also had its fair share of excellent releases, all of which couldn’t be featured on this playlist. That being said, here are 16 songs that had our tails wagging during the thirty cold days.
Pacer – ‘Awake’
Rejoice because Pacer have released an album full of punk rock that makes you get up off your feet and dance, which at the end of the day is what we all love best right? ‘Awake’ closes off ‘Mechanical’ and is all gruff vocals, catchy choruses and you can just vision Dave House doing a jump (or ten) whilst playing it live. Just what we all needed as the weather gets cold and shit gets dark. [Maryam Hassan]
The Brokedowns – ‘Born On The Bayou Too’
It’s sort of weird isn’t it? It’s the type of sound that feels like a comical Burglary gone awry mixed with the intensity of a bulldozer going through a small home. All the while ending with an endearing outro that tugs just a pinch at your heartstrings. The Brokedowns’ ‘Born on the Bayou Too’ is pretty much what the Midwest feels like on its better nights and I can’t wait to see what this band has in store for their upcoming full length. [Mike Petruccelli]
Elvis Depressedly – ‘No More Sad Songs’
The wonderfully named Elvis Depressedly are the latest signing to the ever expanding roster of bands over at Run For Cover Records who will release their debut album ‘Alhambra’. In the meantime though, the first taste of the album is the lo-fi pop genius of first single ‘No More Sad Songs’ which is haunting, heartbreaking, and fragile while maintaining a pop sensibility about it. The perfect soundtrack for lonely winter nights. [Glen Bushell]
The Gospel Youth – ‘Kids’
Punktastic favourite Sam Little is back. He’s giving it a huge go this time round fronting the newly formed The Gospel Youth. The lead single from their newly released EP ‘Kids’ is huge, it’s absolutely brimming with potential and shows off the huge talent we already knew Sam and his bandmates have. The chorus will stick with you for days, think of modern day Deaf Havana mixed with a bit of Mayday Parade and you’re on the right track. An incredible debut. [Chris Marshman]
Don Broco – ‘Money Power Fame’
Don Broco are back with a bang – specifically, the sound of an exploding car in the wonderfully OTT video for ‘Money Power Fame’. Produced by the legendary Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World), this one-off track takes the Bedford boys’ formula of infectious hooks and groove and marries it to a riff the size of Kanye West’s ego. Welcome back, gentlemen. [Rob Barbour]
Axes – ‘Junior’
Remember when you were little, and you used to put the hood of your cagoule over your head and sprint home from school, coat flying behind you like a superhero’s cape? Axes are the musical equivalent of that. Coming under the loose banner of math rock but covering a miasma of genres, their debut album ‘Glory’ dropped earlier this month and one should prepare oneself for its playing opening a veritable Pandora’s Box of colour and glee. ‘Junior’ gives a feel of the fist-pumping euphoria this album induces, an aural assault equitable to being festooned by a cavalcade of kittens. [Ollie Connors]
The Xcerts – ‘Kick It’
Taken from The Xcerts’ third, and most immediate record to date, ‘Kick It’ demonstrates the band’s hook laden pop song-writing on ‘There Is Only You’. Still led by Murray Macleod’s distinctive, note-perfect vocals, their new material builds upon the foundations laid by both debut ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’ and 2010’s ‘Scatterbrain. What the trio have sacrificed in complexity and experimentation, they have replaced with abundant upbeat melody. ‘Kick It’ in particular showcases their juxtaposition between uplifting melody and downtrodden lyrics – a theme of the entire full-length. [Ben Tipple]
Devil Sold His Soul – ‘Devastator’
After the departure of Edd Gibbs, many were dubious about how well Paul Green would do – he did, after all, have a massive pair of shoes to fill. However, the release of their first single ‘Time’ erased such fears, and ‘Devastator’ only confirms the talent that Paul possesses. It’s packed with colossal riffs that burn and blister with raw power, while the thunderous drum work is a force to be reckoned with. Put simply, this track is one of the main reasons why their new EP ‘Belong ╪ Betray’ will allow Devil Sold His Soul to expand upon their already huge fan-base, whilst allowing them to explore new opportunities that await them. [Jess Tagliani]
Slaves – ‘The Hunter’
Yet another belter from one of the UK’s quickest rising bands. Fresh from opening for Jamie T, ‘The Hunter’s’ release strikes whilst the irons hot. Starting with a simple scuzzy guitar riff, and a spoken word chant, before descending into pandemonium, Slaves have released another class tune. Over the past few years, 2 piece bands have become a more common phenomenon and Slaves prove they’re up there with the best. [Adam Rosario]
Fort Hope – ‘Plans’
Despite the fact they’ve recently lost a member, Fort Hope have come out of it all guns blazing with new track ‘Plans’. With a throbbing bass line, crashing drums and Jon Gaskin’s vocal taking on a harsher tone, it certainly seems that Fort Hope are going down a heavier route for the self-titled EP, which will be released next year. The track has already gone down a storm with the crowds on the Mallory Knox tour and it looks like this trio are gearing up for an exciting 2015. [Tamsyn Wilce]
This Legend – ‘Life Pushes Hard’
This Legend have some serious pop-punk pedigree in their line-up and it shows as ‘Life Pushes Hard’ is the very definition of a pop-punk gem. It’s less than three minutes long, is packed full of musical hooks and positive lyrics, and has a typically anthemic chorus. Taken from their début album ‘It’s In The Streets’, it’s a refreshingly uncomplicated addition to the genre and a nod to the days when all bands wanted to do was give you something fun to bounce off the walls and throw your beer around to. [Chris Hilson]
Nothing – ‘Chloroform’
‘Guilty Of Everything’ was a stunning debut full length from Philadelphia band Nothing earlier this year – one of those albums that makes you nervous for what the band will follow it up with and just how they’ll top it. Here, the band delivered some of the best songs they’ve written to date housed on split-12″ with their best pals Whirr. ‘Chloroform’ has all the engulfing shoegaze sound set to simply beautiful melodies and a video which reveals its dark edge. [James Fox]
PVRIS – ‘My House’
This month saw the release of the mighty PVRIS’ debut album ‘White Noise’. If you haven’t heard them yet, prepare to not want to listen to anything else ever again. ‘My House’ is the most recent single from the album and it boasts glorious vocals, a stupendously catchy chorus and the ability to make you feel like you might explode. YES. [Lais MW]
XTRMST – ‘Coward, Bow Your Head’
Davey Havok’s hardcore side project comes running at you at a million miles an hour, and before you realise it, it’s gone again. With the same angst, frustration and anger as ‘Songs to fan the flames…’ era Refused, Havok has cranked it up a few notches and we were pleasantly surprised how he has looked back at his hardcore roots and produced this little gem. [Mark Gadong]
Lemuria – ‘Foggy Smoke’
Indie-punk tinged starlets Lemuria have been slowly dropping hints of new material all over the place this year, and ‘Foggy Smoke’ see’s the band deliver a taster of what should be soon to come. A poppy, bumpy song, ‘Foggy Smoke’ is Lemuria at their simple best, harking back to debut album ‘Get Better’ days. Ahhh it’s good to have them back. [Joshua Wroath]
The Decemberists – ‘Make You Better’
Having kept quiet over the last few years since keyboardist Jenny Conlee’s diagnosis with breast cancer, The Decemberists are back with the first single, ‘Make You Better’, from their upcoming album, ‘What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World’. Their previous effort saw an album rife with country and traditional folk influences. While characterizing a The Decemberists album based on one song is nigh impossible, there is a noticeable return on “Make You Better” to the electric driven instrumentation seen on 2006’s ‘The Crane Wife’. Meloy’s characteristic, lofty and descriptive lyrics are a welcome presence and vocally, he sound as goods as he ever has. It seems like the time off did the band a lot of good and hopefully this song is an indication of how good the rest of the album will be. [Mat Stokes]