CALVA LOUISE - "LO QUE VALE" (Mascot Records)

It really can't be understated just how formative a creative force Jessica Allanic is. The innovative core of Calva Louise, the songwriter and visual director of the project continues to exceed even the wildest expectations with the kind of output that is both prolific and profound - cutting no corners and still producing at a rapid clip. On the latest preview of the pending full length, Edge Of The Abyss, Allanic handles the composition along with keys, guitars and a vocal performance that shifts from screams a delicate melody all in a 3-and-a-half minute torrent. Oh yeah, she also directs the video for the track.

Pay attention - Calva Louise is on the brink of blowing up.  

FIT FOR A KING - "NO TOMORROW" (Solid State Records)

Imagine securing a front row seat to the end of existence. Rather than living out your remaining time trying to stave off the inevitable, you revel in the remaining time with the person that matters most. THAT is the emotional weight that anchors Fit For A King's latest banger. Unloading the band's precision-based pummel, guitars and percussion work in lockstep on a track that leads the dance in the wake of pure destruction. Complete with an anthemic chorus and a walloping breakdown, FFAK score big. 

SLEEP TOKEN - "DAMOCLES" (RCA Records)

Here is the reality of Sleep Token... it takes serious balls to flout the tropes of heavy music with this kind of sweeping melody. Whether you love it or hate it, there is serous merit in the musicality of Sleep Token that should be prioritized over the mystique of Vessel and the elusiveness of the project overall. "Damocles" is a pure ballad that eventually peppers in distortion, though the star remains the play between Vessel's vocals and the piano melody that anchors the track. Heavy-hearted, rather than heavy-handed, it's evident why Sleep Token seem to be leading the charge of a cultural shift in rock music. 

THE TOXHARDS - "CRUEL, ALL THE WAY DOWN" (Hopeless Records)

Hailing from California's San Fernando Valley, The Toxhards take on the bewildering combination of prog and indie rock with the kind of fluidity that suggests maybe the two worlds were never as far apart as we thought. On "Cruel, All the Way Down," the band's theatric sensibilities shine through on a single that shifts from lively, darling indie to powerful prog rock, bridged by a trippy psych break that makes for a memorable crescendo. When a track can deliver not one, but a handful of WTF moments, you know it's worth the spin. 

DROUGHT - "WE'RE THE FLORA" (Iodine Recordings)

Bay area collective Drought introduce their Iodine full length debut, Souvenir, with the help of Pat Flynn of Fiddlehead and Have Heart on the powerful lead single, "We're the Flora". Working from a slow build, guitarists Eric Nakano and RJ Rabe eventually erupt as the song progresses from melancholy to madness - fueled by the urgent delivery of vocalist Viggy Ram. Rife with emotion and loaded with potential, contemporary hardcore has a promising new prospect.