6 Hot Bands to Check out this Spring

Spring has finally sprung for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, but depending on where you live, it may still feel like winter wants to hang on for a little bit longer. Here in Jersey, Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind about whether she wants it to be warm and sunny or cold and rainy – just like Jerseyans can’t make up their mind on whether they want pork roll or Taylor ham on their egg-and-cheese-salt-pepper-ketchup. (For the record, this writer believes it is called pork roll, despite being a vegetarian and not even eating it.) If you’re looking for some warmth right about now to really ring in the start of spring, check out these six hot bands who are really heating us up.

IDES

FFO: Screaming Females, SOUL GLO, A Global Threat

Jersey-based hardcore quartet IDES has been making “weirdo mosh,” as they describe it, since 2012. In 2020, they released their highly-anticipated second full-length studio album, Hikkikomori, to great reviews by alternative hardcore outlets WRFL, From Corners Unknown, and Tinnitist. Problem is, Hikkikomori was released in March of 2020, and…well, we all know how the rest of that year carried out. IDES didn’t just sit still after this release, however, and kept themselves busy and politically active by raising funds for Black Lives Matter – Paterson, the NAACP Bail Relief Fund, The Women’s Hospitality Network, and more through the sales of their music and the few in-person concerts they were able to safely play throughout the pandemic. In May of 2021, the band released a split with NJ-based sludgecore quintet Sunrot, which included two new IDES tracks and a cover of the Black Flag song, “Black Coffee.” Fast and thrashy as always, this split includes IDES’s signature darkly poetic lyrics tackling such heavy subjects as modern-day police brutality layered over their trademark hardcore sound. Here’s hoping 2022 brings us some more magic from IDES.

Sunrot

FFO: Acid Bath, Melvins, Deafheaven

Recently signed to the heavy music label Prosthetic Records, the Jersey-based quintet Sunrot describes themselves as “compulsive post noise power sludge.” On their May 2021 split with IDES, they released two new tracks critiquing the U.S. police state and white supremacy in addition to a cover of Black Flag’s “Fix Me.” Then, in February 2022, the band released their latest EP, 21%, just one day before they announced their signing to Prosthetic Records. Slow and sludgy, the heavy tunes of Sunrot seem a perfect complement to the higher BPM and more thrash-influenced sounds of IDES. Both bands showcase poetic lyrics in their work and lash out at the injustices they see in the world around them. The title track of their latest EP is certainly a standout from the band’s catalog, with lyrics detailing a cycle of death and rebirth in what is certainly a direct callback to the band’s 2020 release Dialectical. Watch out for the incredibly tasty beat shift at around the 2:30 mark.

Beneath Trees

FFO: The Strokes, The Doors, 13th Floor Elevators

Based in Fort Collins, Colorado by way of Georgia and originally hailing from New Jersey, the psychedelic/garage/punk rock trio Beneath Trees blends various genres together to create noisy and experimental tunes that make you want to jump around and hallucinate at the same time. Their previous releases “Bring Out Your Dead” and “Mountains” really showcase the group’s intention to seamlessly blur the boundaries between genres, and the group’s latest single, “Spores” (with B-side “Strangers”), is just another feather in their cap of psychedelia. The song details the group’s attempt to get away from a spreading contagion of spores without detailing what exactly these spores are – a pathogen turning people into zombies, air pollution from an overworked city, a metaphor for the ever-growing disappointment of everyday life, or a psychedelic shroom? Whatever it’s referring to, the track is slick and a joy to listen to. Watch out for the song’s fake-out ending about two-thirds of the way through its runtime. 

An Ocean | An Island

FFO: Muse, Radiohead, Silversun Pickups

The debut single from New Jersey- and Philadelphia-based indie musical collective, An Ocean | An Island, “Bruised Love,” fits in perfectly among the many indie artists the band clearly takes influence from. Released in late January 2022, “Bruised Love” tells a classic ill-fated love story complete with tragic ending. Blending classical instruments like the cello into the group’s etherial guitars and synths creates a layered sound that really hypnotizes you and keeps you in the track’s spell for its duration. If this is just the floor for An Ocean | An Island, we’re excited to see where the ceiling is. Keep an ear out for future releases from this promising indie outfit.

Von Lawley

FFO: kudo, kokoro, Sweet Medicine

Fairly new to the music scene is Von Lawley, who has been releasing lo-fi tracks via Spotify since 2021. Their latest single is the chill and relaxing “lucas.” This track features some staples of the lo-fi genre, including a strong reverb, slower tempo, and fugue-like synthesizers throughout. Von Lawley also ties this track into a city pop sound by including the familiar dings of a car’s “open door” chime into the mix. If you’re looking for something to just chill out and vibe to, Von Lawlet definitely has you covered. Check out their other three singles so far on Spotify: “chaga,” “nico.,” and “terry.,” each with their own different vibes – “terry.” is more melodramatic and moody than the relaxing summer sound of “nico.”

School Drugs

FFO: Black Flag, FEAR, GEL

Following up on their successful debut LP Modern Medicine in 2019, New Jersey-based hardcore outfit School Drugs has announced a forthcoming second full-length album, Funeral Arrangements, to be released throughout 2021 and 2022 in four parts. The first quarter of this upcoming release is the EP Visitation, featuring three fast, loud, and abrasive tracks that encapsulate what School Drugs is all about. Much like the afore-mentioned IDES and Sunrot, School Drugs has also spent some time during the pandemic to raise money for worthy causes, most recently playing a tribute show in conjunction with Light Brigade Collective and Shore Style Punk Night to raise funds for Udder Chaos Farm Sanctuary. No word yet on when the next portion of Funeral Arrangements will be released, but we are excited to hear what School Drugs comes up with next.