Label: Rise Records
Press release: Today, Angels & Airwaves have officially announced their highly anticipated sixth studio album, LIFEFORMS, that will be released September 24. They have also announced a world tour, that will go into 2022. Both of these announcements were first made from space, when the band partnered with Sent Into Space to launch a renewable hydrogen capsule which played an out of this world premiere of the entire album along with displaying the tour and album information.
My thoughts: It had been nearly 7 years since Tom Delonge released any music and I honestly expected more out of these 10 tracks, the first 2 singles released last year without an album announcement had me excited but it's been a mixed bag since then and the unreleased songs were as well unfortunately mixing in grandiose themes over barely there guitars that are drown out by synths with catchy hooks. Rebel Girl is probably still the highlight of the album but Automatic and No More Guns were the best deep cuts but I miss old Tom. Maybe his next material (New blink???) will be better.
Label: Roadrunner Records
Press release: Turnstile have announced a new album, ‘Glow On’, which is their first in three years. The Baltimore hardcore outfit shared details of their third record on a billboard in their hometown. It’s due for release on August 27. The LP follows the group’s previous two records: 2018’s ‘Time & Space’ and their 2015 debut ‘Nonstop Feeling’.
My thoughts: Kudos to Turnstile for following pop song structure but layering every kind of instrumentation possible. Still hardcore at it's core but with every genre around the sun surrounding it. Wild Wrld is probably my favourite of the deep cuts but overall it's hard to beat the burst of energy that T.L.C. provides.
Label: Sharptone Records
Press release: Boston Manor will be releasing a five-track Desperate Times Desperate Pleasures EP on October 29 via SharpTone. Discussing the EP as a whole, frontman Henry Cox shares: “We made this record just coming out of lockdown. We’d tried to write throughout 2020 but nothing was coming out; everyone’s mental health was suffering – it was just a really frustrating time. “And then, as soon as January this year hit, just like that all these songs started flooding out of us. It was a really great opportunity to exorcise all of the frustration and pent-up emotion of the previous year and really process those thoughts and feelings.
My thoughts: In case the above didn't convince you this was a pandemic project than the lyrics certainly do. Feelings of isolation and loneliness is played throughout. Pre-released songs Algorithm and Desperate Pleasures are definitely the highlights but this record is enjoyable from front to back showcasing what Boston Manor is capable of doing and I think I even like it better than the record they released at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020's Glue.
