With the arrival of Archers New Rival and their single "Direction", I found myself tracing the jagged line of a crack in my ceiling, letting the melody dictate exactly how much that imperfection bothered me. The track initiates with a deception a clean, resonant melancholy that feels safe before suddenly mushrooming into a thick, distorted wall of heavy texture. It reminds me, oddly enough,...

Outside Pedestrian have spent a quarter of a century dismantling expectations, and their new instrumental single "Drawbridge" proves they still enjoy pulling the rug out from under us. The eclectic trio thrives on tossing familiar setups into the void just to see how they spin. https://open.spotify.com/track/5elBwrs5fHV9ajK4mbQMxJ?si=e95203d6ff6f41a9 Here, they intentionally subvert the physics of jazz-rock and modern metal. Heavy, distorted aggression suddenly fractures, clearing the floor for...