release radar '26: june

Wow, we are halfway through the year already? That's crazy. June was a lot more packed than I thought it. Would you believe me if I said there was a lot that didn't make the cut?!

In this issue: it's sad middle aged indie dad summer with Death Cab and Modest Mouse vs metalhead daughter winter with August Burns Red, Converge, Loathe, and Chelsea Wolfe. Also diving into new Olivia Rodrigo, Oscar The Wild, dodree, SHINee, and a brief foray into the shelved Deftones album, Eros!

I Built You A Tower - Death Cab For Cutie

If you're the type of person who is remotely susceptible to an emotional spiral brought upon by listening to Death Cab For Cutie then you might want to sit down for this one. Honestly, I've never been through a divorce in my entire life, let alone two, but this album made me feel so much anxiety, sadness and frustration.

Death Cab are one of those bands that have always made me wonder if people would be a lot less harsh on their releases had they not created such a genre defining legacy album like Transatlanticism, and that's an album I've spent countless hours with. But I think they've been rather consistent as a band over the years ever since.

Really lovely to hear that midwest emo/punk influence throughout on Punching The Flowers and How Heavenly A State, providing a rough contrast to the softer, indie-pop tracks.

Favourite tracks: Punching The Flowers, How Heavenly A State, The Flavor Of Metal, Trap Door

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1921456095/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/

An Eraser and a Maze - Modest Mouse

I can't remember the last time I listened to a Modest Mouse album, but when I saw this at my local record store I knew I had to check it out! Modest Mouse have always been known for their experimental sound that incorporates indie pop, post-punk and lo-fi whilst maintaining a consistent and unmistakable identity thanks to Isaac Brock's biting vocals and witty existentialism.

An Eraser and a Maze feels like a true return to form for the band, forgoing polished production for a rougher texture, and it really works for them. This is their first fully independent album in 30 years, and I wonder if the freedom of no longer being held under the expectations of a label finally pushed them towards a sound they could've experimented with as far back as the 00s.

Absolutely Necessary Never is one of the most addictive songs on this entire album and sounds like Arcade Fire at the height of their career, fused with Eurthymics and The Cure. The synths on this song are phenomenal, and the guitars sound breezy without compromising the bass and percussion. Probably one of the best 80s inspired songs this year.

I'm also gutted to learn that the band's founding drummer, Jeremiah Green, passed away a few years ago, and the band members' grief weighs heavily on this album. It's a really heartbreaking listen, but a very intimate and beautiful tribute to him as well.

Favourite tracks: Third Side Of The Moon, Speak 'n' Spell (Or Not), Rotten Fruit, Impossible Somedays, Absolutely Necessary Never

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1461922994/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/

Season of Surrender - August Burns Red

I wore out of metalcore pretty quickly in the mid-2010s because the sheer amount of identical djent bands became...tiresome. August Burns Red, however, have forever remained a cut above the rest for me due their heavy breakdowns infused with weird, prog-like time signatures, and of course, Matt Greiner on drums.

If you haven't tuned into August Burns Red since their genre-defining album Constellations, I'd say that Seasons of Surrender has plenty of material that would pique your interest. Seasons of Surrender is an intense album packed with aggressive riffs and classic metalcore breakdowns.

The band placed a lot of emphasis on collaboration this time, landing some heavy-hitter features such as Mike Hrancia from The Devil Wears Prada as well as two Australian metalcore giants, Polaris and Make Them Suffer. The highlight of the album for me was Den of Thieves. This is genuinely one of ABR's best songs in their 20+ year long career that captures the evolution of their sound without leaning too heavily on the nostalgia.

Overall a very solid recommendation from me for any fans of heavy music, but also an excellent starting point for those who are looking for something outside of their usual music taste too!

Favourite tracks: Death Below, Den of Thieves, Whispers Like Splinters, Forged By Failure

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3521872420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/

Hum Of Hurt - Converge

Converge releasing two albums in the span of a year is absolutely crazy work! Hum Of Hurt focuses more on atmosphere and melody, often times reminding me of their collaboration, Bloodmoon with Chelsea Wolfe. It's amusing to me, though, that a less 'intense' Convege album is still one of the hardest, most aggressive albums you'll ever listen to.

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3431494629/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/

you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love - Olivia Rodrigo

Oh I absolutely adore Olivia Rodrigo and how she blends the worlds between alternative and mainstream pop in a fresh and exciting way much like Paramore's Hayley Williams! I really enjoyed the melancholic direction on this record and how much Rodrigo's musical influences have shaped her songwriting.

If you're a lover of 80s music, you'll hear so much of that inspiration throughout this album especially on tracks like maggots for brains and u + me = <3, plus landing a collaboration with Robert Smith from The Cure on what's wrong with me is nothing to sneeze at.

Favourite tracks: honeybee, maggots for brains, the cure, what’s wrong with me, expectations

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rt9tW3cMLhI?rel=0

Sunrise - Oscar The Wild

Oh this song is absolutely cheeky as hell, I really loved it! This one reminds me so much of the classic rock I grew up listening to - bursting with energy. I don't think there's anyone else who sounds like Ruby Gazzola whose powerhouse vocals and yowls really deliver on that big chorus the band was building up for.

I reckon this one has the energy of an endless summer night and sounds like a modern rock radio anthem! This is exactly the kind of music I want to hear when I'm driving on the highway with the windows down or doing donuts in an empty Bunnings parking lot1, which means its a 10/10 song, no exceptions.

Sunrise is my favourite out of the two singles released this year and Ghost was already so bloody good, congrats guys!

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=778863469/transparent=true/

Also, how bloody cool is seeing your friend in Rolling Stone Australia!

Song You Need to Know: Oscar the Wild, ‘Sunrise’

Check out the music video too! So cute and fun, also I LOVED the distinctive and colourful styling, it's giving the The Scooby Gang.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ucvf3R0Roek?rel=0

Fangs - Loathe

When I saw people talking about Loathe getting 'jazzy' on their new single, I thought, surely not? But it's Loathe we're talking about and by now we've all learned to expect the unexpected. As soon as I noticed the blurred out double neck guitar/bass in the music video thumbnail though, I thought, damn, these guys mean serious business. Loathe already sound so thick, how much more guitar and bass do they need?

Plenty more, apparently!

Fangs is the latest single from the band's upcoming album, A Stranger To You and is the most experimental out of the bunch. The song contains all the elements of that classic Loathe sound - that chunky low-tuned guitar, groovy bass, and that dreamy melodic fuzz which brings a warm tone to their music that sounds like the musical equivalent of stepping into the sun on a cool winter morning.

Fangs is such a weird song. It's moody, heavy and sensual. I'm at a loss for words here. It sounds like an r&b/funk song was put into a blender with some psychedelic/prog-rock, switching through off-kilter time signatures and transitioning into soft acoustics. Each new verse always leaves you on the edge of anticipation and I can't help but listen to it on repeat.

So far, Loathe are sitting at three for three with their new singles and I cannot wait to hear what else they have in store for us on this upcoming album. There really is no one else who would make a song like this!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8JefYd7TBck?rel=0

Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe just released two hauntingly beautiful singles! If you're looking for some gothic folk music, Chelsea Wolfe is always my go-to recommendation and she is one of my all-time favourite musicians. Her major inspirations span across classic rock, metal, folk, and experimental noise.

The Dark pulls from Wolfe's folk/country inspired background, stripping back gritty noise in favour of soothing acoustics and lyrical storytelling.

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1260097580/transparent=true/

Death Is Not The End, on the other hand, does what Wolfe does best with a slumbering build-up towards an explosive finale with loud, noisy guitars.

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3522835214/transparent=true/

Eros - Deftones

Never in my life did I expect to wake up to the news that Deftones' shelved album, Eros, would ever be leaked onto the internet. At first, I was skeptical about the legitimacy of it, but honestly no one could recreate Chino Moreno's vocals if they tried. Eros was shelved in late 2008 out of respect for bassist Chi Cheng, who was in a tragic accident that left him in a coma. Out of respect, the band shelved the album, focusing their efforts on raising money to support Chi's family and his ongoing medical bills. Chi eventually passed away in 2013, and by then, the majority of us had already accepted that this album simply wouldn't ever be completed.

Understandably, the mere existence of Eros is an incredibly sensitive and heartbreaking subject, and there is a lot of hot debate online about whether or not this leak is 'truly ethical' or not. I try to stay away from such discussions but I completely understand the sentiment behind those who don't believe in listening to it. I don't see the point in arguing about it or condemning others for satisfying their curiosity, though. Once it's online, it's there forever, and I can only assume we'll never hear this in any official capacity.

For me, this was a really sombre listen. Eros is a fascinating piece of music history, so hauntingly beautiful in a way that no other band could possibly replicate - not even Deftones themselves. Deftones have always sounded better to me when they sound like they're playing through the speakers at an airport, caked in layers of grime and distortion. Even in an incomplete state Eros sounds far better than at least a dozen albums I've listened to this year.

There are some really interesting concepts the band was experimenting with, and I wonder if the intention of this record was to sound far less 'polished' than Diamond Eyes, the album that was released instead which arguably saved the band from sinking. Trempest, Brianna, and Dallas in particular stood out to me and I like to imagine they would've become some of the band's best work.

Eros sounds like it was a major fork in the road for the band. It's impossible to say what would've become of Deftones had things turned out differently and Eros was completed, but now that some of us have listened to these songs, it doesn't remotely diminish the band's impressive discography and enduring legacy.

You can find Eros rather easily online, if you're curious enough.

RIP Chi <3

THE K-POP ROUND-UP

This month was surprisingly hectic. There was far to much to recap, so I picked only a small handful below. I managed to successfully hit my nugu quota this month as well.

HAWWAH (夏渦) - dodree

dodree are without a doubt the coolest act to debut in k-pop this year and probably the strongest duo since Irene & Seulgi. This is such a fresh and exciting concept, I really love the blend of historical aesthetics and traditional instruments. Their vocals are absolutely stunning as well! The structure of this song reminds me so much of Sunmi's earlier music such TAIL.

Hopefully they release an EP or album soon! In my opinion this is the group to watch (alongside NMIXX of course!).

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xsxaYT6gi-Q?rel=0

同谋者的默契Echoes Between Us - RENJUN (NCT)

Renjun's first solo is finally out! There are only three songs which is so incredibly Shakira Shakira small and humble of him. In all seriousness though, I wish Tencent weren't an outright nightmare to deal with, but thankfully you can find each of these songs on youtube since an official release on global platforms is yet to occur at the time of writing.

The title track, 同谋者的默契Echoes Between Us takes us right to ballad city on a cold winter's day. It's rather straightforward but I have no complaints.

Gentle Slumber (好眠), however, really blew me away and is by far my favourite of the three. I absolutely adore the imagery in the lyrics and the traditional instruments. This is exactly what I envisioned for Renjun's solo music and I'd love for him to do more traditionally inspired songs in the future.

Halo is an upbeat, synth-pop track highlighting Renjun's warmer vocal tones. Even though I am a certified ballad enjoyer (even though I'm quite selective about them), I'm glad Renjun had the chance to show off his softer side. If you like NCT Dream/Wish, Halo is definitely the song for you!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sUMFi4tbPBE?rel=0

那一刻心动 - Kun (WayV/NCT)

Producer, songwriter, professional skydiver, certified scuba diver, qualified pilot, motorcyclist, photographer, cinematographer, video editor, idol, probably a million other qualifications I have neglected to mention, full-time cat dad and who will probably be the first idol to ever go to outer space, Qian Kun!

那一刻心动 is so incredibly cute, I don't know what else to say really! It's warm and brimming with personality, making for an excellent follow up to WayV's First Time which Kun wrote and produced.

This isn't officially released on global platforms yet, but hopefully when it does, I can replace this with a link to one with better audio.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0mNgM3mqpjo?rel=0

GRAVITY - XIA

Hailing from the bloodline of 'classic' SM powerhouse vocalists, XIA (Kim Junsu, formerly of TVXQ/JYJ) is one of my personal favourites for his bright timbre, diverse solo catalogue and natural all-rounder abilities. Even though musicals keep him busy, it's always a treat whenever XIA releases a studio album.

XIA stays true to his chameleon-like charm on GRAVITY, delivering a mixture of industrial influenced EDM, ballads and r&b. I love myself classic XIA ballad but I've sorely missed his husky r&b/jazz voice because he knows when to reign in the vibrato. XIA has that highly coveted, honey-like early 00s yearning-in-the-rain voice and really makes the most of it on Homage, which was my favourite song on the album.

Favourite tracks: Homage, Forest of Memories, eXtreme Love, Slowly

https://www.youtube.com/embed/N07TWlQvVBE?rel=0

If you're looking for a great entry point to get into his XIA's solo music, Tarantallegra is still to this day one of the craziest solo debuts for how groundbreaking it was at the time. The oriental and acoustic versions are interesting as well, bringing a different flavour to the track. This song went triple platinum on my ipod classic when it came out and I've been looking for an excuse to bring it up.

Ice Cream - SECRET

SECRET are one of my all-time favourite 2nd gen girl groups! You just had to be there when they released POISON and broke the internet.

Anyway, a SECRET comeback after years of inactivity certainly wasn't on my bingo cards for the year, let alone having a 5th gen idol officially debuting in the group as the new maknae.

Ice Cream is a mid-tempo whimsical horse-girl k-pop track built around a sample of Antonio Vivaldi's 'Spring'. I'm extremely curious about what this means for the future of the group and if this is the start of a brand new era for them!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eLC7M_8HQAI?rel=0

2:LOVE - STAYC

You can always trust STAYC to release a summer bop every year! It doesn't come anywhere close to being the strongest STAYC title track in my eyes but it's impossible not to groove along to this one and harkens back to their fresh, poppy sound from their Teen Fresh era! STAYC are one of my all time favourite groups so I'm always hungry for new music from them. Each of the members have a very distinct vocal tone but I especially loved J's lines on this track!

I'll be seeing STAYC for the first time later this year because they're coming to Perth (!!!) for a fanmeeting, which is crazy because k-pop groups (and honestly 99% of bands) never tour the west coast. I'm really excited because I missed out on their last visit here, and from what I've gathered online, it will be a very casual crowd with a lot of people eager to just turn up and support the show! My favourite thing about Perth crowds is everyone shows up for a bloody good time.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HgewvBTOJwU?rel=0

Ride or Die - EVAN

I literally only listened to this because I could not stop laughing at the #ENYHPENIS7 hashtag that occurred on social media when Evan (Heeseung) announced his departure from ENHYPEN which led to protest trucks, change dot org petitions and widespread hysteria amongst his fanbase. Very fascinating time to be observing from the sidelines.

And then I saw the photos of him wearing a pink The Smiths shirt and saying that his comebut (solo debut and comeback, stan LOONA etc) would be "inspired by NANA." Now we all know the golden rule here that "inspired by NANA" ≠ good HOWEVER I was not expecting this to sound like Kesha mixed with 2010s heavily auto-tuned MySpace scene kid pop music? Well now I have no choice but to be seated at this table out of sheer curiosity?!

I can't lie, I am deeply fascinated by this career pivot and would love to see some MySpace era crunkcore scene kid music. There are two wolves inside of you, one is a HYBE idol, the other is a scene queen rawr-XD'ing at the bars of her cage...#EVANescence is upon us.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CsGENgLpyaw?rel=0

Watta Day - VAYONN

Watta Day? Wattan Earth are these nugu boy group names and how do we pronounce them?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8w2dMBph450?rel=0

Atmos - SHINee

Saving the best for last, SHINee!

I'll rip the band-aid off immediately and say the k-pop industry is deeply oversaturated by house music for years now, but this year especially it has become so prevalent, and SM's big name producers seem chained to the genre at this point. But if there's any group who should be experimenting with melancholic, house-inspired pop music, it's SHINee, and I'm really glad they didn't lose me with this one.

Nothing says SHINee's back like hearing them belt it out on a brand new title track! Atmos captures the nostalgic charm for their 'classic' sound whilst incorporating elements of modern electro-pop. It's impressive how Atmos is one of the most tightly produced title tracks in SHINee's discography spanning two decades worth of material. I really enjoyed the push-and-pull vibe of this track, and the careful balance between dreamlike ambience and glitchy electro-pop. I can hear echoes of Porter Robinson all over Atmos, but also the tiniest hint of Jane Remover as well (which is quite full circle, given they listen to SHINee and are a certified Shift enjoyer).

I knew from the song teasers prior to their live debut at SHINee World that we'd be hearing LDN Noise on HOURS and I'm so glad that was confirmed with that producer tag ringing out during the snazzy bootleg stream audio! I'm not sure how they do it but LDN Noise somehow manage to create songs that sound both cheesy and dated but you also can't help but dance along to it, and suddenly it's one of your favourite songs on the record. I really love how warm (and dare I say cute?) the synth chords sound, the funk-inspired groove and especially love how Key's vocals really slice through this song to give it a sharper edge.

Possibility has a straightforward UK garage beat, though SHINee really make it sound bright and refreshing, especially on the choruses. This one really crept up on me, and Taemin's signature airy delivery on the bridge 'every chapter, just break through it' is a stand-out moment for me.

Anti Believer is a real gem of a song that ended up becoming my favourite on the entire EP. It draws heavily on that 2010s electronic boyband sound that SHINee has championed all these years, but carries the gracefulness of their maturity and confidence as performers. I truly never would've dreamt of hearing Glad You Came by The Wanted interpolated on a SHINee track, yet here we are, and they really make good use of it! The unpredictable structure really takes you on a journey and also viscerally reminds me of Jonghyun and his style of songwriting as well, so perhaps that is why I adore this song so much.

Though there isn't a moment on this EP that is lacking with vocal production, Anti Believer brings out a lot of different texture to the member's vocals. Onew and Taemin are always good at providing subtle fragility to a song without overpowering the instrumentals when necessary, and before you know it, you're swept into an explosive post-chorus carried by Key and Minho. It's sheer boyband excellence and one of those songs that just make you think, yeah, this is SHINee's sound.

I also wasn't expecting the sudden delve into mellowed out r&b territory, but Still Raining was a pleasant surprise nonetheless! This song deserves one of those 'lo-fi beats study with me ft. ambient rain sounds' treatment. Minho sounds especially lovely on the the chorus, and the warmth in his voice provides a nice contrast to the melancholic atmosphere and the lyrics 'oh I don’t ask for eternity / within the fading passage of time'. The harmonies and ad-libs are impeccably arranged and it's always nice to hear Onew going off in the background.

Thousand Miles Away may be the obligatory closing ballad but there's no words to describe how emotional this song makes me feel. What a beautiful and fitting conclusion to a very well-rounded EP that keeps me coming back for more!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/1XFEtAx5i7E?rel=0

SHINee are to me, forever the group that really introduced me to a side of k-pop that existed beyond just listening to songs and watching music videos. Not only that, but I grew up with them too, so they defined significant parts of my life; childhood into early teens, teen hood into adulthood.

It's both cool and admittedly a little strange and melancholic to reflect on this with certain bands and artists who have remained a constant in my life and exist within a pocket dimension of all-time artists for me that I always return 'home' to, including the likes of Jeff Buckley and Bowie who most of my friends would associate me with. I don't need to keep up with SHINee because I just know they'll always be there.

for legal reasons this is a joke