Last week, after finally making some headway with our various inboxes, we received an oddly pleasant surprise: a message from a student at Kingston University requesting an interview about Fecking Bahamas. Nine times out of ten if not more, we’re the ones conducting the interview, so it was an interesting change of pace to talk about community, trends, and the various components of math rock we’ve observed over the years.
More on that soon hopefully, but in the meantime it made for a really great reminder. Yes, for a lot of people, it feels like the forces of Sauron are marching out of the woodworks to create a new world order of shit. But it’s important to remember that there are still really great people making really great art, and big or small, for whatever reason or no reason at all, art matters.
It’s a window into the depths of a unified field – it’s intimate and universal at the same time, incredibly specific but always up to interpretation. When you really think about it, it makes sense how much time, effort, and money are spent in efforts to obfuscate all the good stuff. Obviously, that’s where the Tuesday Music Dump comes in, so below you’ll find much needed proof of life in the math rock scene with new releases from A-Tota-So, CHONKY DOGG, Sum and Substance, and many more, many of which were scoured from inbox, but also found poking around on Bandcamp.
Keep fighting the good fight, legends, even if, or perhaps especially if, that means making art.
Chonky Dogg – “Panini’s Bridge”
If we had a dollar for every prog or math rock band with a cheeky little name like Chonky Dogg, we’d have enough to buy a new pedalboard. However, this York, UK project surprised the hell out of us with their punch and distinctly deep sound. Opening with this one seemed only right, as we know it’ll find purchase with a lot of our longtime readers, and luckily there’s more on the way in the form of their upcoming debut, The World is Quiet Here.
Hikes – “Persimmon” / “Feel”
One of math rock’s most enduring and cherished artists, Hikes has finally started teasing new music and ultimately a whole new record called Winnower due out March 27th. Of course it’s jaw-dropping, but perhaps what’s most notable off the bat is the direct, intimate nature of the sound. Even when there’s crazy effects popping off in “Feel,” it feels like they’re one’s innermost thoughts, not something made for any external reason other than raw expression. So yeah – we’re very much anticipating the rest when it’s out.
Trust Fund Ozu – ARTiCHOKE
Trust Fund Ozu is out here once again devouring boundaries with her absolutely massive new record, and if single “Die Hard” wasn’t obvious enough, take it from us – this thing is high-octane, and doesn’t blur lines between genre so much as blowtorch the edges off of them and assemble them in superior order. That is to say, it feels somehow very natural despite throwing tons of glitches, artifacts, and general surprises at the listener. At the end of the day, it’s probably TFO’s best told, most logically laid out story, even if you’re just here for the scope and sonic craziness of it all. Repeat listens are a must with this one, but worth every second.
Bicurious – “Papa”
Bicurious is finally be unleashing the Afterthoughts EP in its entirety this May, but that’s not so soon we could… you know… taste it. Actually, for now yes it is, because their latest single is a flavorful blast that somehow stays party friendly and dance-y, but also gets relatively tense and crushing as things go on. The hype is real for this band, and if you haven’t heard of them or heard them yet, now’s the time to hop on.
Maebe – “Brain Paint” and “lower case song title”
These mammoth-sized bangers massively deliver on Maebe’s promising output up to this point with nasty but catchy and smart guitar licks and a bombastic, feel-heavy rhythm section. Also, the songs sound great mix-wise, capturing a scale and dynamic more typical of post-rock while sticking firmly with math rock feel. Oh wait… is that Tom Peters in the credits? And Stephen Kerrison? Well, then – of course it sounds amazing. Anyway, between the production and the performances, it seems we’ve got a lot to look forward to whenever the whole thing drops.
IKAD – S/T EP
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, “there’s not enough Serbian math rock.” IKAD is here to finally show us it really does exist, and it’s got kind of a funky modern pop undercurrent to it, so it’s sure to go down easily with impending summer memories.
PÔLE NORD – “Plénitude”
The French collective put out a really interesting, vaguely ARcTanGent-adjacent pair of singles in 2024, and they’re back with more mystical strangeness on new single “Plénitude.” The song floats like a ghost between genres, almost like a collage, then dissipates completely. It’s minimal, but entirely satisfying, so we’re eagerly awaiting more in whatever form.
Part Carbon – “Blackout”
The D.C. prog and math rock outfit is back with another single and this time they’re teasing a heavier sound than what they’ve put out before, but not by so much that it loses what made them interesting up to this point. It’s almost more of a frenetic post-punk or post-hardcore thing, but whatever you call it, you’ll most likely enjoy it.
Sum and Substance – “Mighty”
This quirky Québécois emo-prog caught us by surprise with its heady narrative, but also its classy execution. Rather than center itself around chorus, guitar solo, or hook, “Mighty” employs all of those things, and they all feel like they have this natural context the more you examine / listen to the lyrics.
La Petite Mort / Little Death – DISCO II
Hype is one thing, but when it comes from a trusted source, sometimes you’ve got to jump in before you even know what’s happening. Such is the case for La Petite Mort / Little Death, who came heavily recommended from Avec Plaisir, so we had a feeling we were in for something special when tuning into DISCO II, and all we can say is “damn, those guys were right.” It’s cathartic progressive post-hardcore that takes us back to the days of Billy Talent and Tubelord, but with hints of Closure in Moscow and God.Alone. Just get into it ASAP and thank us, as well as Avec Plaisir, later.
A-Tota-So – “DEATH RATTLE”
A-Tota-So is one of those bands that conjures strong mental imagery for us – ever since their debut, they bring us a distinctly appreciated somberness. It’s weird, but in a way they’ve come full circle with this new single, because it gives us the same vibe, but souped up in a way it’s never been. It feels more personal, but also more epic at the same time like a rocky-er HEALTH, a faster Tool or sludgier The Armed, all of whom we love. Not every band that starts instrumental and incorporates vocals later adapts so quickly, and you’ve got to hand it to these guys for finding their element and continuing to expand.
Chalk Hands – “Rewired Eyes”
Chalk Hands have been teasing their third LP for a bit now, and “Rewired Eyes” shows the band leaning hard into the melodic post-hardcore of the early 2000’s a la As Living Arrows or even Defeater, which it’s safe to say we can all easily appreciate.
At Home With Monsters – Vol. 2
AHWM is back at it already with another volume, including what is possibly our favorite song of theirs to date with “COLD,” featuring Jason Sherman. Both tracks offer a lot in a small amount of time though, with “Feathers” carving out a raw, low-key dynamic the project isn’t known for, but should definitely explore more of.
Circuit of Suns – Anathema
Speaking of Jason Sherman, Circuit of Suns is his other band, and it fucks undeniably hard if you’re looking for something heavy, complex, and progressive. It hovers on and around mathcore, but it’s almost closer to experimental tech death. Whatever it is, if you’re looking for something nasty between BTBAM, Car Bomb, and Revocation, Anathema is one hell of a debut.
Cope Acidic – Houses of Trade
This noisy, post-punky, downright acerbic dip into madness comes out of Omaha, Nebraska, and while at first that comes as a surprise, eventually it all clicks into place. There’s a very Midwest post-hardcore feel to it, but it’s supremely organic, and we already know the riff for the title track is going to be stuck in our head for days.
People Eating Plastic – Tried//True.
Tried and true is indeed a phrase that comes to mind with Rhode Island’s People Eating Plastic – they’re reliably math-y and post-hardcore-y, and they’ve got a level of quality control that speaks for itself considering it’s their debut. The EP has a thick but razor sharp edge to it in terms of production as well, which was handled by Nicholas Fiederlein (who did mastering as well) and Christian Seda aka Manimekhala, who also makes an appearance at both ends of the record.
El Grande Ogro – S/T
This Brazilian wonder world of a record skirts all kinds of prog, math rock, noise, and experimental music, gathering dynamics from each and making something totally reckless from it. The record is split into two chunks with both being a single song so you know you’re going to be on a journey, but they keep it fun.
Odradek – Horror Vacui
Also out of Brazil is Odradek, a band we’ve we’ve had our eye on for a long time with their insane mix of styles and video game references. On this EP, it looks like it sounds – they took things to the abstract edge of what they’ve put out before, making it weirder and wobblier. We’re not surprised that we love it.
Laser Beam – Jealous Zealot
This down and dirty post-punk-meets-math joint oozes with a sort of theatrical confidence without overselling it in a way that almost reminds us of GUCK or UK’s squid, but stronger noise rock influences and even darker fascinations.
終末回路 – MOキュMENT
To close things out, here is one of our favorite recent releases out of Japan, and we actually have a pretty hard time describing it’s sound. It’s like… grind-y, cathartic bass music that defies conventional structure. If you’re into extreme or experimental music, you’re sure to love it, even if you too struggle with what to call it when showing your friends. Just show your friends and let them thank you later.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)