Singles and EPs | Aural Aggravation

Archive for the ‘Singles and EPs’ Category

Watch: ‘Burning’ by ChumHuffer

Posted: 30 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Burning, ChumHuffer, Punk, Sharkcore, Single, Slaughterhouse Five, Stream, Video

New York Sharkcore punks ChumHuffer are back with a new track, ‘Burning,’ from their highly anticipated 7” release, Slaughterhouse Five. Fueled by raw energy and an unrelenting sonic assault, ‘Burning’ is a relentless dive into the struggles of stagnation and the battle for clarity in a chaotic world.

With lyrics that cut deep—“Burning in my head / Voices take control”—the song encapsulates the frustration of being stuck in a cycle of repetition, yearning for progress but feeling the weight of the past. The band’s signature mix of searing riffs, pounding drums, and anthemic vocal delivery make ‘Burning’ a must-hear for punk fans stuck in a rut or recently escaped from one.

“The song is about fighting the loop of insanity, realizing when you’re stuck in the same patterns and the frustration of breaking free,” says Shawn Refuse, singer. “It’s a reflection of personal battles but also speaks to the collective experience of anyone who feels trapped by their circumstances.”

ChumHuffer has built a reputation for delivering aggressive, thought-provoking punk anthems, and Slaughterhouse Five promises to be no exception. The 7” release will feature tracks that capture the band’s hardcore punk sound infused with metal and surf riffs.

Slaughterhouse Five will be available May, 2025 via their personal label DWY Records, and fans can get their first taste with ‘Burning’ streaming March 28th now on all streaming platforms.

Watch: ‘Too Many Ghosts’ by Sky Valley Mistress

Posted: 29 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: cruising, desert rock, Lyric Video, New Heavy Sounds, Post-Punk, Sky Valley Mistress, Stream, Too Many Ghosts

Returning with their first release since their debut album Faithless Rituals, Sky Valley Mistress have launched back into the sonic stratosphere with their brand new single ‘Too Many Ghosts’.

Recorded at The Nave Studios, Leeds with engineer Danny Blackburn (Adult DVD), it’s clear that the sound of the desert still fuels this band wherever they go as their latest cut is cactus needle sharp. From the moment the track picks up, Sky Valley Mistress drive you beyond the horizon and leave you hanging by the hook of the chorus ready to ride again. Or as the band explain:

“This song is meant for the open highway. Somewhere you have the freedom to put your foot down and still feel like you’re cruising”.

Watch the lyric video for ‘Too Many Ghosts’ now:

Now streamlined and stripped back to the two original members, refusing to conform to conventions, on the record Sky Valley Mistress have doubled down their studio sound and present themselves as a four-piece band. How the hearse rollin’, flare strollin’, speaker ‘splodin’ outfit recreate this in the flesh as a Duel-Drumming Duo however, has to be seen to be believed. Lead vocalist Kayley “Hell Kitten” Davies picks up the sticks and play one half of a drum kit, with former drummer Maxwell Harvey William Newsome III taking on the electric guitar and keeping one foot on the kick drum. No samples. No backing tracks. No click tracks.

No one is playing rock and roll the way that these two do.

With a new album recorded and ready to be released September 2025 on cult indie label New Heavy Sounds, just like an adrenaline shot in the hands of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, this band is ready to hit unsuspecting fans in the chest with a sound that will make them feel electrified, spiritualised and give them the overwhelming urge to stand in front of a mirror, grab their butt cheeks and exclaim, “ I AM ALIVE!”

TOUR DATES:

Sat 29th March – The Ferret, Preston

Fri 4th April – Our Black Heart, London w/ Bear Bones

More TBA

Protokoll 19 – When Will It End

Posted: 28 March 2025 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
Tags: EDM, electro, Industrial, Protokoll 19, Review, Single, Techno, Technoindustrial, When Will It End

28th March 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

Ahead of a new album release, Protokoll 19 have given us the single ‘When Will It End’. It’s a question I ask myself almost daily. Because fucking hell. Life. The world. Both seem to be an endless hell. You wake up, lug yourself to work, trudge home, you’re wiped, and it’s as much as you can do to eat food, maybe do some chores and get ready for bed again. You scan the news and it’s Armageddon, especially this last couple of months: the world is at war and the fascist agenda of the US ‘government’ sends tsunami-force reverberations around the globe daily. And it just goes on and on and on, forever the same. Here in the UK, our government has decided that mental health issues which [prevent people from working are being ‘overdiagnosed’. We’re all being spectacularly gaslit here. This isn’t a question of overdiagnosis: it’s a matter of how terrible, terrible times – we’re still not really over the effects of the pandemic, and everything since then has felt like the realisation of every dystopian fiction and the worst aspects of history recurring – affect people and send them into states of mental distress. When will it end?

This single, they tell us, ‘sets the tone of what can be expected from the album as a whole. When we find ourselves in a dark place, it often feels like there is no way out. The longer it goes on the more difficult it becomes to engage in anything. We isolate ourselves and see these thoughts as a burden. We’re haunted by these thoughts because they’re always lurking in the shadows.’

With this single, Protokoll 19 deliver a full-throttle stomping technoindustrial blast of skin-prickling tension. The vocals are mangled and gnarly and are more toward the black metal end of the spectrum, a demonic rasp that splutters gasoline and broken glass over the clean surface of hi-NRG synths and a pumping beat. Intense is the word. There is no snoozing through this.

Listen: ‘All of You’ by The Birthday Massacre

Posted: 28 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: All of You, Dark Pop, Metropolis Records, Pathways, Single, Stream, The Birthday Massacre, US tour dates

Canadian dark-pop act The Birthday Massacre have released a new single today (28th March) entitled ‘All Of You’. It coincides with the opening night of a North American tour to promote Pathways, the forthcoming new album by the group that will be released on 11th April via Metropolis Records.

The powerful ‘All Of You’ “explores the emotional weight of death and the profound sense of being lost in its shadow,” the band explain. “It speaks to the hopelessness of trying to find peace when the heart is still caught in the echoes of absence.”

‘All Of You’ is the second single to be lifted from Pathways, following the release of ‘Sleep Tonight’ at the end of February.

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2025

28th March NEW YORK CITY, NY (le) Poisson Rouge
29th March PITTSBURGH, PA Crafthouse
30th March DETROIT, MI Small’s
31st March CHICAGO, IL Reggies
2nd April MINNEAPOLIS, MN Fine Line Music Hall
3rd April KANSAS CITY, MO RecordBar
4th April DENVER, CO The Oriental Theater
5th April SALT LAKE CITY, UT Metro Music Hall
7th April SEATTLE, WA El Corazon
8th April PORTLAND, OR Dante’s
10th April SAN FRANCISCO, CA Bottom Of The Hill
11th April LOS ANGELES, CA EchoPlex
12th April LAS VEGAS, NV Backstage Bar
14th April SAN DIEGO, CA Brick By Brick
15th April MESA, AZ Nile Theater
17th April HOUSTON, TX Warehouse Live
18th April DALLAS, TX Granada Theater
19th April AUSTIN, TX Come And Take It Live
21st April TAMPA, FL Orpheum
22nd April ATLANTA, GA Masquerade
23rd April ASHEVILLE, NC The Orange Peel
25th April VIRGINIA BEACH, VA Elevation 27
26th April BALTIMORE, MD Soundstage
28th April WASHINGTON, DC Union Stage
29th April MECHANICSBURG, PA Lovedrafts Brewing
1st May BOSTON, MA Paradise Rock Club
2nd May PARSIPPANY, NJ Dark Force Fest
3rd May TORONTO, ON Velvet Underground
4th May MONTREAL, QC Foufounes

A 13 date autumn UK tour commencing on 24th October has also been confirmed.

Watch: ‘Bug Out Bag’ by Barren Womb

Posted: 27 March 2025 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
Tags: Barren Womb, Bug Out Bag, Chemical Tardigrade, Groove, Noise Rock, Punk, Single, Sludge, Stream, Video

Nordic noise-rockers Barren Womb are back with a brand-new video for ‘Bug Out Bag,’ taken from their critically acclaimed fifth album Chemical Tardigrade, which got a thumbs up from us here at Aural Aggravation.

The video premiered at Decibel Magazine, who praised the band’s sound as “angular and pulsating electronic rock/noise/hardcore that lands somewhere between Refused, Daughters, and NoMeansNo on one end, and the ‘Bigs’ (Business and Black) on the other.”

A chaotic burst of gritty visuals and manic energy, the video perfectly mirrors the band’s twisted blend of punk defiance, sludgy grooves, and raw minimalism. Watch it now here:

Their latest LP, Chemical Tardigrade (Fucking North Pole Records / Blues For The Red Sun), dives deeper into melodic and emotional territories without losing their unhinged core. Tracks like ‘Campfire Chemist’ and ‘Dung Lung’ showcase their evolution while retaining the band’s punchy edge and signature offbeat humor (‘D-Beatles,’ anyone?).

And they’re taking it back on the road with the newly announced More Chemicals 2025 European tour, check out the confirmed dates below.

MORE CHEMICALS 2025
01.05 – CZ Pilsen, Družba
02.05 – DE Leipzig, Zwille
03.05 – DE Bielefeld, Drum Hard
04.05 – BE Licthervelde, PrintbaAr
05.05 – FR Strasbourg, Le Local
06.05 – BE Antwerp, Antwerp Music City
07.05 – DE Osnabrück, Bastard Club
08.05 – DE Braunschweig, Spunk
09.05 – DK Odense, Ilter Festival
10.05 – NO Oslo, Desertfest Oslo
16.05 – NO Trondheim, Pøbelrock
26.07 – NO Hønefoss, Malstrømfestivalen
01.08 – NO Horten, Kanalrock
03–06.09 – SE Örebro, Live at Heart
18.09 – FI Turku, TBA
19.09 – FI Tampere, TBA
20.09 – FI Helsinki, TBA

Chess Smith – Drama King

Posted: 27 March 2025 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
Tags: abuse, Bounce Back, Chess Smith, Drama King, narcissism, Pop, Recovery, Single Review, Top of the Pops

27th March 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

Chess Smith, the self-styled ‘Queen of the High Held Head Walk’ continues her return to the musical fray after four years out, having split from the band she fronted and become a parent, and follows the energetic pop statement of intent that was ‘Bounce Back’ with ‘Drama King’. Writing about it here feels a shade incongruous, given Aural Aggravation’s commitment to all things as far away from the mainstream as it’s possible to conceive, because as was the case with its predecessor, ‘Drama King’ is a tightly-packed and meticulously delivered slice of pop that’s overtly commercial and as mainstream-orientated as it gets. But Chess hasn’t broken into the mainstream consciousness yet, and having grown up and discovered music by watching Top of the Pops and listening to the Top 40 on Radio 1 in the 80s, I am never going to be snobby about pop music as a thing, and reckon I know a decent pop tune when I hear one. And this fits the bill nicely.

Time have changed since the 80s, of course, and technology and production values have evolved significantly, and his singles then would be considered demo quality now. Suffice it to say, Smith has it all absolutely nailed here.

‘Drama King’ three-and-a-half minutes of stirring, soulful and incredibly slick pop. The production is smooth, clean, crisp, and everything is ironed to wrinkle-free perfection on this uplifting, buoyant tune. But she balances style with substance, as she navigates the difficult terrain of narcissism and abuse:

You chase

Manipulate

Create

participate

Erase

And if word escapes

You retaliate

Interrogate

Deny ever to participate

Proof overtakes

And It escalates

It may be easy on the ear, but this is strong stuff. That she’s drawing on experience and processing through art is powerful. That she speaks for so many is a grim reality. Calling this shit out is really only the start, but a start it is. Chess is back, alright, and her voice needs to be heard.

Listen: ‘Drömtorp’ by Korean Cars

Posted: 27 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: #1, Drömtorp, Korean cars, Mas-Kina Recordings, melodic, Post Rock, Single, Stream

Norwegian post-rock outfit Korean Cars are set to release their debut mini-album “#1” on May 23 via Mas-Kina Recordings — and the leading single ‘Drömtorp’ is now available.

‘Drömtorp’ sets the tone for the record — a haunting yet powerful track that captures the emotional intensity and melodic depth at the heart of Korean Cars’ sound.

Listen here:

Korean Cars · Drömtorp

Blending melancholic post-rock with melodic post-hardcore, Korean Cars create a dynamic soundscape where atmospheric depth meets raw emotional release. Drawing from the alternative and post-hardcore scenes of the ’90s and 2000s, the band’s sound fuses soaring melodies, jagged noise, and unpredictable shifts into a captivating experience.

Formed by members of Rumble in Rhodos, Infidels Forever, Arms on Fire, and Insense, Korean Cars combine seasoned musicianship with a shared passion for layered, emotionally charged songwriting. Their sound echoes the cinematic textures of Explosions in the Sky and the emotional punch of Trail of Dead — a beautiful chaos of melody and intensity.

Watch: ‘Valojuovat’ by Ceresian Valot

Posted: 26 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Albert Camus, Ceresian Valot, dystopian, news. alternative, progressive rock, Prophecy Productions, Single, Stream, stress, Uumen, Valojuovat, Video

CERESIAN VALOT release a visualiser for the next single ‘Valojuovat’ (‘Tracers’) taken from the forthcoming debut full-length Uumen (Depths). The first album of the Finnish heavy alternative band has been scheduled for release on May 23, 2025.

Wille Naukkarinen writes: “The new advance single ‘Valojuovat’ is one of the most recent songs that I wrote for Uumen and my personal favourite on this album”, the guitarist and main songwriter reveals. “I don’t have much to tell about the composition process, because this was one of those rare cases where the song basically wrote itself. The instrumental version was completed pretty quickly. It’s a mix of prog and melancholia, showcasing both our quieter and heavier side in a very melodic way. I recommend to listen to ‘Valojuovat’ with your eyes closed.”

Panu Perkiömäki adds: “This song has strong dystopic vibes”, the vocalist opines. “The key idea of the song is inspired by the writing of Albert Camus. It’s a song about wars and other manmade disasters. It is also a song about solving problems by changing the channel, if the news get too stressful. ‘Valojuovat’ does even contain some doubts about religions and their infallibility.”

Watch: ‘Grief’ by Divide and Dissolve

Posted: 25 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Bella Union, Divide and Dissolve, Emotive, grief, Insatiable, instrumental, Single, Stream, Video

Helmed by Black and Cherokee composer and multi-instrumentalist Takiaya Reed, Divide and Dissolve will release their new album, Insatiable, on April 18 via Bella Union.

The 10 track album run the gamut of doom metal – from the ear-splitting depths of lead single ‘Monolithic’, to contemplative, softer moments on the aptly titled song ‘Grief’, released today. Like all of Divide and Dissolve’s music, Insatiable is almost entirely instrumental.

While the album’s sheer grandiosity represents an evolution in Divide and Dissolve’s sound, it also marks the very first time that Takiaya has ever lent vocals to a D//D song. On ’Grief’ her distorted voice echoes atop a vibrating bass tone, repeating the lyrics: “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do/ I’m so lonely without you.” Takiaya explains, “The voice is such a mysterious instrument. This album feels different, and I wanted to honour that”.

The director of the music video, Sepi Mashiahof, adds; “The music video for ‘Grief’ is an ode to the feelings of empowerment, resistance, and sadness that Divide and Dissolve weaves into our bodies. It’s an expressionist diary made up of dissonant and revelatory memories. Grief eclipses everything around us, innocuously lingering in the functional movements of our daily lives, then aggressively literal in the reflective silence behind our eyes. Grief is inherent to our existence, knowing that a better world exists for all of us and its potential is boundless, yet we’re made to suffer the atrocities of greed and exploitation instead. We can honor Grief as a passage of life, but we must resist the forces that impose it as a numbness to injustice.”

Divide and Dissolve live dates (so far):

18-05-2025 Desertfest London – London
30-08-2025 Supersonic Festival – Birmingham

Photo credit: Brandon McClain @eathumans

Watch: ‘Trick of the Light’ by Charming Disaster

Posted: 24 March 2025 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: chance, Charming Disaster, goth-folk, lore, Nature, oracle deck, Single, spooky, The Double, Trick of the Light, vampires, video stream

Ahead of the release of their new album, The Double, Brooklyn-based goth-folk duo Charming Disaster have unveiled a video for the track ‘Trick of the Light’.

The Double invites listeners to step across the border of an alternate reality, where spells are cast, time travel is possible, plants are taking over civilization, and vampires lurk in the shadows. Adventures in the darkness lie beyond the threshold.

The album’s ten songs include ‘Black Locust,’ a lullaby about mortality; ‘New Moon,’ a magical nature ritual; ‘Trick of the Light,’ a reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula; ‘Time Machine,’ in which Charming Disaster change the past and start over again; ‘Scavengers,’ a walk in the woods with vultures and bones; ‘Beautiful Night,’ a defiant response to struggles with depression; ‘Vitriol,’ a tribute to artist Thomas Little, who turns guns into ink; ‘Haunted Lighthouse,’ a swashbuckling sea voyage; ‘Gang of Two,’ a true crime adventure; and ‘Green Things,’ a love letter to what grows between the cracks (and its inevitable takeover).

The album features an array of talented collaborators. Co-producer Don Godwin, who has worked on Charming Disaster’s entire discography, contributed bass, drums, and horns as well as engineering and mixing. ‘Haunted Lighthouse’ features Broadway percussionist Mike Dobson along with circus composer Peter Bufano, who played piano and accordion and engineered the track at Cirkestra World Headquarters in Boston, MA (with additional tracking at Tonal Park). ‘Scavengers’ features cello recorded by Kate Wakefield of the duo Lung, who also created the string arrangement for ‘Beautiful Night.’ Stefan Zeniuk of Gato Logo contributed saxophone to ‘Green Things.’

In conjunction with The Double, Charming Disaster is releasing the second edition of their “oracle deck” (similar to a Tarot deck). The Charming Disaster Oracle Deck contains 72 cards (including 12 new cards for the second edition), each representing one of the songs from Charming Disaster’s discography. The cards feature illustrations commissioned from more than thirty different artists. The deck can be used as a divination tool, or as a visual accompaniment to Charming Disaster’s music. The duo themselves use these cards in their live performances to determine the set through the element of chance.

Aural Aggravation

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories