FLOOD

The Belfast instrumental math-rock quartet hit their groove on their seventh LP, with the perfect balance of loud-and-quiet dynamics resulting in a positively affirming—and downright fun—listen.

With the aid of Mike Haliechuk’s ever-improving production, the hardcore-punk group’s punchy sound practically jumps out of the speakers on their ferociously live-sounding seventh record.

The Cardiff seven-piece feel more comfortable with their identity than ever before on their seventh LP, a culmination of all the band’s genre experimentation over the past two decades.

The Melbourne duo opt for the less-is-more approach to heartfelt lyricism and layered instrumentals to deeply affecting results on their all-too-brief second record.

On their second album, Josh Shaw channels the momentum of emotional turmoil into a vibrant, propulsive musical feat with a bigger, bolder sound than their debut.

After a five-year wait, the French blackgaze duo explore the gamut of human emotions as they clear the high bar they’ve set for themselves on their six previous post-metal releases.

More punk in spirit than in sound, the Chicago group’s lo-fi debut is endearing if also a bit impatient as they keep things loud, fast, and heavily distorted.

The Brooklyn shoegazers forgo an understandable sense of hopelessness for an open-ended, soulfully uplifting conclusion on their sonically eclectic fourth album.

The San Francisco quartet hits the perfect balance of intimacy and exhibitionism on their short-but-sweet third album of harmony-based indie pop.

The noise-rock outfit’s relatively brief final album features their tightest material in their three-decade career while capturing their most critical characteristic: contrarianism.

The Glaswegian chamber-pop quartet’s comeback record finds the group nestling back into its comfort zone, soothing the soul like the band used to.

After developing their confidence and honing their sound over the course of a decade, the Kentucky hardcore quintet pushes boundaries in a big way on their third full-length.

Following last year’s release of their debut album, the LA band continue to push forward their dreamy grungegaze romps on a six-song EP.

The Virginia sludge quintet’s fifth album exhibits their penchant for probing the innards of metal and reconstructing it into a seamless new visage.

The Toronto noise-punks’ fifth LP sees their familiarly angular guitars working through melodies that range from ear-sweetening to atonal, furthering the mystery that is the band METZ.

Their sophomore album sees the Leeds-based trio overcoming grief over instrumental flourishes that recall yesteryear while artfully resisting the lure of entering a time machine.

After a relatively long wait, Matt Pike’s sludge-metal outfit returns with their most adventurous, pigeonhole-smashing, and idiosyncratic release to date.

As they wrap up their current set of dates supporting their new album, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein discuss how their unique eleventh LP is the product of unique circumstances.

The Canadian punks’ Polaris-winning sophomore LP proved that hardcore could stray outside of its traditionally narrow confines without sacrificing the band’s reputation within the genre.

The Modesto lo-fi outfit proves there’s still plenty of life yet in the twice-retired project as they ambitiously venture into uncharted waters.