KITE - "HEARTLESS PLACES" (Dais Records)

The tandem of Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Hutchinson continue to thrive as some of Swedish synth-pop's most forward thinking sound architects. Earlier this year the duo delivered a commanding sold out set at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden in front of 16,000 adoring fans. Among the highlights was a special appearance from Nina Persson of The Cardigans for the track, "Heartless Places". Along with a new music video and a remix from Alessandro Cortini or Nine Inch Nails, the single soars a danceably-dark, stylishly-sinister synthpop. 

THE BUDOS BAND - "OVERLANDER" (Diamond West)

Among Staten Island's finest, second to only the Shaolin swordsman of the Wu, The Budos Band has been pioneering the world of funk, soul and afrobeat with their doom metal DNA and proto-metal posture for the last two decades. "Overlander" ushers in the first new full length campaign for the band since 2020's Long In the Tooth and kicks off the run up to the May 30th release of Budos VII. Equal parts Black Sabbath and The J.B.'s, Budos embodies their banner of evil funk in a way that is memorable and infectious. 

EMPLOYED TO SERVE - "BREAKS ME DOWN" (Spinefarm)

Set to deliver their fifth full length album, the UK outfit of Employed to Serve are churning out some of their finest work thus far. Sammy Urwin consistently delivers as bith a songwriter and a guitarist - piecing together tracks that hit hard and steer clear of becoming dull and repetitive. As for Justine Jones, her vocal presence is crafty and at times, chaotic - complimenting the frenetic energy of each preview of the album thus far. Need more?  Read our feature on the band - HERE

TEN56. "PIG" (Out of Line Music)

French deathcore unit Ten56. has completed their PIG EP rollout that began with last year clobbering introduction, "Good Morning". Fueled by the band's swift song dynamics and a downright menacing performance from vocalist Aaron Matts, the title track is near four-minute beatdown that asserts pummel and precision in heaping, equal amounts. 

XIAO - "WRONG" (Twelve Gauge Records)

Swedish powerviolence standouts Xiao have not missed as they barrel towards the May 2nd release of their debut full length, Control. Previewing the title track and the follow-up in "Wrong" - the explosive, unhinged performance is raw and purely convincing. Vocalist Liv Astrid is an absolute powerhouse only adds to the fury of the band's unpolished sonic assault that shifts seamlessly from d-beat to blast beat and back again.