July’s playlist is running a bit longer than usual, which is a sound indicator that this has been the strongest month for new releases of 2017 so far. What a month! Sheer Mag lived up to the hype on their eagerly-anticipated debut Need to Feel Your Love, The Xcerts returned with an extra coating of sugar on their sound and Matt Caughthran of The Bronx confirmed he can still handle a bowlful of razorblades for breakfast on ‘Sore Throat’.
Converge returned with two new tracks after an agonising five-year break, and a new single from Annie Clark confirms rumblings in the St. Vincent camp – will we see the follow up to 2012’s eponymous album this year? Let’s hope so. Oh, and new Waxahatchee, unsurprisingly, is fabulous.
Sadly, the music community was also rocked with the news of Chester Bennington’s suicide. Linkin Park hold a special place in the hearts of millions of fans, a position hard-earned through their work to evolve the nu metal genre with Hybrid Theory and their early output, and years of precision-engineered bangers that took them into the mainstream. Chester’s talent, personality and inimitable voice were instrumental to their rise. He made no secret about his haunted past, but Chester had the strength to turn his pain into art that has no doubt helped countless listeners with their own struggles over the years. He shall be missed. RIP.
Cover Image – Waxahatchee – Out In The Storm