Punk rock band JAGUERO (members of Slander, Regarde, La Fortuna) are releasing their first single “Mild Safari”.
The track dives deep into the end of a relationship, caused by an upcoming departure. Collectively processing the whole thing over a messed up week-end, the only solution seems to embrace all the emotions and actually appreciate what we had. Just speak your mind in a pure way, and move on towards new horizons.
“Mild Safari” is the band’s debut single, and drops on February 25th via Epidemic Records.
Produced by Maurizio Baggio at La Distilleria (Bassano Del Grappa, Italy).
Punk rock indie singer-songwriter Gab De La Vega was forced to cancel and postpone his upcoming solo tour due to the ongoing situation in Austria and Germany.
A few days prior to this decision, a part of the tour was already canceled because of the restrictions applied in the Netherlands.
After a call for help on social media, trying to save what was left of the tour and get some last minute shows booked in Germany, the tour seemed to be back on track with new shows to keep it going.
But things are changing very rapidly and sometimes news come overnight.
In the light of a new generalized lockdown in Austria (where the first show on the tour was supposed to happen, in Innsbruck) and the difficult ongoing situation in Germany, the only wise decision to make was to cancel and postpone the tour.
In a video message on social media, Gab De La Vega said:
“An update about the upcoming tour. After i had some shows in The Netherlands canceled, some very nice people got in touch with me to book some last minute shows in Germany. The solidarity was amazing and I’m very grateful.
But I’ve been following the ongoing situation in Austria and Germany.
Looks like things are getting worse and worse as days go by.
Unfortunately i have to make the painful decision to cancel and postpone this tour.
I don’t think people would attend these shows lightheartedly and it’s hard to have a good time when bad things happen around you.
I hate to cancel, especially after all the work put into this tour by the promoters and myself. But the good news is that most of the promoters agreed to just reschedule to better times, when hopefully things will be easier and touring Germany, Austria and The Netherlands will be fun and safe again.”
The musician has just released a new acoustic single which was served to promote the upcoming solo shows.
As soon as the situation will allow it, the shows will be booked again, along with new full band and solo tours.
644 days and a pandemic after his third album release, singer-songwriter Gab De La Vega has a new acoustic single out, called “We Could Be Anything”, an hymn to the importance of human relationships.
The song comes with a music video he personally created, directed, edited… ah, and filmed… in reverse!
He says: “I wanted to shoot a video myself, something simple yet effective, that matched the mood of the song. So I decided to shoot from the end to the beginning and then reverse, to give the footage a weird looking aspect and a bit of a twist to the simplicity of the video. I admit it wasn’t as easy as you might think to get all the sequence right!”
Gab De La Vega presents it as an uplifting acoustic song, which his label Epidemic Records is releasing as a digital single on all platforms, but it’s also going to appear on a vinyl compilation featuring other punk-rock-fueled singer-songwriters such as Jesse Wagner (The Aggrolites), Lenny Lashley (Street Dogs), Path, Finny McConnell (The Mahones) and Vic Ruggiero (The Slackers). The compilation is released by Italy’s Out of Control Produzioni and should see light in December 2021.
After going full band and releasing “Beyond Space And Time” in January 2020 (great timing!), Gab De La Vega got to play a handful of shows with this line up, to then stop… like the whole World did for a long time.
Plans, shows, tours were painfully disrupted but after a while he resumed his live activities with acoustic performances, which is a format he knows well, since it’s been his go-to thing since the early days of his solo career.
In this frame comes “We Could Be Anything”, written and recorded in a short span of time in May 2021. If the pandemic could have done anything good, it might be the spark of cathartic creativity that some musician found to process this event.
Gab De La Vega comments:
“I wasn’t sure if what’s happened in the last 1.5 years was going to affect my songwriting, especially in lyrics, but it made me realize how important human relationships are, once more. So that’s what this song is about. When I sat down to write the lyrics, these words came out flowing naturally. I think I had to let my feelings out. I tried to write an “uplifting”, simple and direct song. I like how English uses “could” both as past tense and conditional. Things that were and things in potential.
A single take on guitar and a couple of takes on the vocals. Very simple, natural approach both in the songwriting and in the studio. I needed this to be a natural release for my feelings, spontaneous and simple, maybe even a bit “naive”. After all these months of worrying, overthinking, etc, I needed something like this.”
Full band shows as Gab De La Vega and The Open Cages resumed in late September and more are coming; same for his acoustic performances, which are in fact going to take Gab De La Vega in Germany at the end of November / Beginning of December after a handful of shows in Austria in the beginning of October.
2022 should be the year of full band and solo tours at full speed, but the new year will also see a new album, for which Gab De La Vega is already working and paving the way.
LISTEN ON BANDCAMP: https://epidemicrecordshc.bandcamp.com/album/grand-collapse-empty-plinths
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://bit.ly/GrandCollapseEmptyPlinthsSpotifyBristol hardcore punk band Grand Collapse release their new album “Empty Plinths”. The album follows two LPs and one EP and comes as a real masterpiece that finds the band in the best of shapes.Their signature hardcore punk sounds are enriched and enhanced with some thrash, mosh and rock influences, which create, along with their direct and smart politically and socially charged lyrics, an explosive mix for all fans of bands such as Propagandhi, Conflict and Bane.The album title refers to recent historical facts that happened in their hometown Bristol, which resonated and still keep resonating across the World. Cal, the singer, explains:
“In May 2020 the Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol resulted in protestors removing the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston from its plinth in the city centre and dumping it into the harbour. This is an important day in Bristol’s history and an action I was happy to witness. It sparked a reaction across the world which is still ongoing whereby people are affecting their landscape by removing these relics of tyranny. We called the album Empty Plinths on the back of that day and with a consideration of a cityscape without these farcical monuments. We began writing the record in 2019 and wrote most of it that winter into 2020 at a time where social tension in the UK was peaking. I think that mood is reflected in the record which is a lot darker sounding and a heavier album all round. We’re really happy with how it came out and have to give props to Lewis Johns for once again being great to work with and achieving the sound we wanted. The album takes a few twists and turns and hopefully keeps things interesting throughout. It’s an angry piece of music.”
The album is released by Epidemic Records, TNS Records, Don’t Trust The Hype Records, Mass Prod., Urinal Vinyl on vinyl and it’s available on all digital platforms worldwide.
The band is gearing up for a series of UK shows to promote the album and will get back to touring Europe as soon as possible.
A few weeks after announcing their third album “Empty Plinths” and sharing a first preview with the single “Panic Room”, Grand Collapse are back with a new sensational single, called “Without Let or Hindrance”.
LISTEN TO THE SINGLE:
Cal, singer in the band, explains:
“On the inside of a British passport it reads: “Her Britanic Majesty’s sectary of state requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
For a Country that is so actively hostile to anyone coming here, including refugees, I find this statement astounding.
British identity, which is steeped in Empire, is a pathetic shell of itself and watching these tossers hold on desperately to the tyranny of the past is cringe worthy.
This is a thrash monster, pure and simple. Full mosh mode!”
The song shows the thrash-core influences this new record has, among the many other references that should make fans of bands such as Propagandhi, Conflict and Bane very happy.
Empty Plinths, the band’s third full length album is coming out on August 6th via Epidemic Records, TNS Records, Don’t Trust The Hype Records, Mass Prod., Urinal Vinyl.
Preorders for a vinyl pressing with three different colours are being taken on the labels’ webstores.
Welsh hardcore punk band Grand Collapse has just announced their third full length album, “Empty Plinths”.
To give a taste of what they are about to release, they have just shared a new impressive single, “Panic Room”.
LISTEN TO THE SINGLE:
Cal, singer in the band, shares a very personal comment on the song:
“Panic Room is cool way to kick things off as it’s got a bit of everything; punk, mosh, thrash, rock… The album goes in all sorts of directions and this track mixes things up a bit.
The song describes the difficulties I’ve had coming to terms with a violent, abusive upbringing and losing my brother in extreme circumstances.
It’s a heavy burden to bear and expressing this publically is quite nerve wracking but I think it’s good to write from the heart about what affects you most.”
The band, formed in Cardiff in 2011, is well known for fusing Thrash, Punk and Metal at breakneck speed, for their intense political message and their raging live shows.
Grand Collapse lyrics and sounds are often said to be influenced by bands such as Propagandhi, Conflict and Bane; the band stands firmly against all forms of prejudice and promotes animal & human rights. They toured the UK and Europe extensively and they are now gearing up to take this new album on tour as soon as possible.
“Empty Plinths” comes after one EP and two LPs and it’s a masterpiece of killer riffs, banging drums and angry vocals spitting clever and ferocious lyrics. It’s official release date is August 6th 2021.
After releasing an explosive comeback EP last December, Locked In are back with a new chapter in their saga. The new addition to their discography is “The Solemn Leap” EP, out April 23rd on all digital platforms. It’s a ferocious beast of shredding riffs, angry vocal lines, banging drums and intense lyrics. It’s a balanced mix between hardcore punk and metal, personal yet direct in lyrics, spontaneous and reflective at the same time.
The 7 year hiatus they interrupted with the previous “Not Dead Yet” seem to be a distant memory and the band, with some line up adjustments (one of them being Tommy, former guitarist in the metal juggernaut Fleshgod Apocalypse), is in great shape.
The “Solemn Leap” features remarkable guests that enhance the quality of the songs on four out of five tracks: Samall Ali (from Slander), Lorenzo (from Hierophant), Josh (from To Kill and Galeforce) and Inno.
The content of these songs is incredibly intense and this particular moment in history we are all living makes this record even more meaningful.
The band comments: “In the last year we had the chance to experience confinement and fear. Awful times came in conjunction with the chance to meet ourselves.
This extraordinary event put a strain on several people and some of them unfortunately did not make it. We decided to dedicate our thoughts to those who couldn’t have faith or take one more step to save themselves and avoid misery.
It is not a matter of religion, nor a matter of self-determination. What we mean by “faith” is a moment of lucidity when we trust in what we can do as human beings and what we can do as individuals with their own limitations.
The awareness that sometimes we need to make a change without conditioning nor second thoughts. Sometimes it all really comes down to a precise moment. It is a moment of quietude, a moment of clarity, a solemn instant when we can make a choice that will keep everything up and change everything at the same time”
“The Solemn Leap” sees a renewed collaboration with Epidemic Records, which is considering a limited vinyl run for these two EPs in the near future.
The Italian hardcore five piece LOCKED IN returns after a 7 year hiatus with a new EP called “Not Dead Yet”.
The band teamed up with Epidemic Records, which is taking care of this digital release as well as another EP to be out in 2021.
LISTEN TO NOT DEAD YET EP:
Locked In were quite active between 2007 and 2013 and played Italy and Europe extensively before coming to a full stop. But some love stories are not meant to be over. The desire to play together and to express personal feelings with loud, sharp riffs, banging drums and screamed vocals found its satisfaction in these five tracks, which include elements that all old time fans will recognize and appreciate as well as innovations to catch the attention of listeners that haven’t fallen in love with this band yet.
The result is an explosive mix of hardcore, punk and metal. Honest, straight to the point, emotional. Nothing is fake here, it’s pure adrenaline, passion, sincerity.
Five tracks, five different episodes in a monolithic, yet multifaceted EP, which the band started unveiling with the first single “Dying City” last week.
Locked In comment:
“We owe the sound of “Not Dead Yet” to the new lineup. We put a lot of each of us into it. We remained firm on our references, but we also let ourselves explore new territories. This EP transcends everything we’ve done before and it denotes our fierce desire to come back. In fact, we were surprised by what we were able to come up with right off the bat, because if we think about our lives now, it might not be easy to feel inspired, to put in the necessary anger and to make sometimes bold choices, but once we got into the practice room together, everything seemed to work effortlessly.
In some ways this EP (as well as the next one) is our lifeline. In such a dramatic year we were looking for answers and tried to give vent to our negativity as well.”
Not Dead Yet is out on all digital platforms at this link: www.smarturl.com/NotDeadYetEP.
Locked In is looking forward to better times, when shows will be possible again, to play their old anthems and their new songs and share these moments we all miss with all of us.
Some flames do not go out. Incandescent embers continue to burn under the ashes and just blowing a bit of air on them can restart the fire.
This is the case with LOCKED IN, a hardcore punk / metal band from Perugia, Italy, which returns after several years of silence and inactivity, showing us they still remember how it’s done, after grinding miles and consuming stages throughout Italy and half Europe between 2007 and 2013.
A few weeks ago they announced their return with two new EPs in collaboration with Epidemic Records.
It is precisely from one of these two EPs that the preview single “Dying City” is taken; a furious and energetic song, which reveals the excellent shape in which the band presents itself at the first test with this new chapter.
The first EP of this new era is titled “Not Dead Yet” and will be available on all major digital platforms from December 25th, 2020; a Christmas present to friends and longtime fans, as well as those who have yet to fall in love with this band; a group of friends and musicians with a huge heart and a 101% genuine approach, playing hardcore made with blood, sweat and tears, as it should be.
Choosing a song just to represent a new phase in the life of a band is no easy task, so we asked Locked In why they opted for this track:
“We chose “Dying City” as the first single out of this new EP because it represents the most intimate and personal part of our sound; choosing another track of the EP that could have more of a classic structure and give a known feeling would have maybe misrepresented this new chapter in our lives.
This track definitely represents a bridge to what could be our sound in the years to come, if we ever want to release more material.”
Christmas Day of this difficult year 2020 will be one to remember, with the release of “Not Dead Yet” EP; a title that encapsulates the spirit with which the five piece is once again entering the scenes, blowing hard on the embers and thus rekindling a flame that was just waiting to burn again.
7 tracks from their recent livestream show on twitch, recorded, mixed and mastered by La Distilleria – produzioni musicali. All songs are from their album “The Blue And You” released by Epidemic Records and Through Love Rec in January 2020.
The EP is on all digital platforms. Their two LPs are available on vinyl at: https://bit.ly/RegardeEpidemic
Please share, send love and support Regarde (and all the good bands and artists out there) in these crazy times. Buy their merch and records at: https://regarde.bandcamp.com/merch
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