There's only one week or so left before the biggest pop-punk/alt-rock and metalcore meeting of the year, and I, for one, am excited about it. (I have been excited since I have recuperated from last year's edition, but, you know). Slam Dunk is one of these festivals I couldn't see myself missing for the world, and 2017 will mark my seventh year attending the event. Last year, I retraced my most memorable experiences, from impromptu first aid trips after Bury Tomorrow to meeting A Rocket to the Moon, from Jägerbombs to almost meeting Parker Cannon. This year, as I am, again, foolishly going to all three days of the festival, I shall share my favourite and unmissable bands.

One last hurrah : We Are The Ocean (3:30 - 4:10 on the Jägermeister Stage)

The London quartet has announced they were calling it quits in January, and they will be performing their last ever shows at Slam Dunk, where they have played a grand total of six times throughout their career. If you were madly into the Alexisonfire, post-hardcore vibes of Nothing Good Has Happened Yet, if you fancy crying a little bit (a lot) to Young Heart or shaking it to the classic rock inspired Good for You, it's now or never. 

(Another rule of their last sets is : if you spot me, give me alcohol in any way, shape or form. Your girl needs to drown her sorrows)

Social awareness : Stray From The Path (7:35 - 8:15 on the Impericon Stage)

Year in, year out, the heavier stages of Slam Dunk festival never fail to deliver the goods, and this year, the festival is offering us one of the finest bands at what they do/in this scene/ever/all of the above, Stray From The Path. The New Yorkers are known for giving explosive performances and having the capacity of turning any venue upside down in a minute, as well as being one of the most important and most politically engaged bands out there. Badge & a Bullet denounces police brutality, Outbreak is about the health industry, but it's D.I.E.P.I.G, calling out all the predators polluting the scene, that will get all my repressed anger this weekend.

Because Slam Dunk is the official start of the summer : With Confidence (5:20 - 5:55 on the Key Club Stage)

How shocking of me to suggest the Sydney lot that I have seen five times already, and that I will follow around the country before and after Slam Dunk. Real surprising of me. If you think about it, though, Slam Dunk is the official beginning of summer and of festival season, it's the closest thing we will ever have to Warped Tour, and summer, sunshine appropriate tunes in your mixtape are a must. Who could deliver them better than With Confidence, I ask? No one, that's who. Their début album Better Weather is tailor made for having a boogie in the sunshine with your friends, which is what Slam Dunk is all about. The fact that they are one of the finest pop-punk bands around is a lovely bonus, too.

Your annual dose of pop-punk : Seaway (7:20 - 7:55 on the Key Club Stage)

The pop-punk names never disappoint on the Slam Dunk line up, and this year, there are a few of them that I am very excited to see again, or finally see for the first time. The band I’m most looking forward to, though, is Canadian outfit Seaway. I’ve been listening to them for a couple of years but have never managed to properly, I’ve missed all their tours, for some reason, but not this time. I will finally get my moment to Your Best Friend, just you watch. (Or maybe don't)

Here's another rainy Monday night. It seems they're the best time for gigs.

Along with seven hundred other people, tonight, I will be seeing Pvris live (in Paris).

There is a French band I do not see, and then, there is Prides. Prides are from Glasgow, in Scotland, as they tell us in French, and Prides have been catapulted on the tour last minute to replace Fickle Friends, who had to pull out. Prides' sound is the perfect mixture between straight up pop and catchy pop-rock hooks. The keyboards give their music an eighties vibe that isn't outdated or over the top, and all these elements put together get the Trabendo happily dancing, and even jumping when asked. (I sure as hell got my best worst dance moves out, who do you think I am). After forty minutes of an electric set, Prides bow out and exit the French stage, and there is no doubt they have earned themselves some new fans in the city of love. On my end, it was a really good discovery, and I can see myself being on board in the long run, busting some more moves to their music.

There really is something in the air in Scotland, isn't there.

When I see Pvris live, I am not just there to hear some of the best pop-rock songs released this decade. I have signed up for an atmosphere, a general aesthetic, a universe. Pvris live doesn't just mean hearing some great songs played by an equally great band - seeing Pvris live is an experience.

Since the release of their magnificent debut album, White Noise, in the winter of 2014, Pvris have been making waves. Their unique sound is being praised left, right and centre, they have found themselves on the cover of several music magazines already, tracks St. Patrick and Holy have been featured in the MTV series Awkward., and tickets to their shows have been selling like hot cakes. They have made their way in the scene like a perfect storm, and considering tonight's show, I can see no sign of it stopping anytime soon.

When you see Pvris live, you experience and witness something that can only be called a communion between the trio and the crowd. The band opens with You and I (from the deluxe edition of White Noise), and its chorus is instantly echoed by the audience. There is no time for a warm-up, and no need for it - from the very beginning, everyone is giving it their all. Frontwoman Lynn Gunn will ask the people in front of her to sing after her, will hand her microphone to the Parisians, and such requests will be met by an immediate, perfect singalong. There is such an easy communication and loving relationship between the band and their fans, though, that it makes no doubt that there was no need to ask the crowd to sing : they would have done it anyway.

The setlist, unsurprisingly very short (as Pvris have only released one album), is immensely dedicated to White Noise. If the album is arguably one of the best records released these past five years, its live rendition gives it another dimension. When songs such as Let Them In, Holy or Fire resonate between the four walls of a venue, they become larger than life, they are intensified, they take a whole new meaning and hit you in a whole new way. Title track White Noise, as well as Ghosts get the stripped back treatment, a way for everyone to be moved by Gunn's delicate high notes and to rediscover the Americans' stunning songwriting, to concentrate on the words once more.

This short European run (which has also stopped in London, Amsterdam and Berlin), is an introduction to a brand new chapter in Pvris' career. The band premieres their new song Heaven, one of the catchiest, yet darkest tracks you'll hear this year. Another song from the outfit's future sophomore album, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell (out on August 4th), gets played. Entitled Half, it gives us some sort of insight as to where the trio is going musically, and does a frankly great job at getting everyone excited for what comes next.

Closer track My House sees the audience jumping, bouncing, dancing and losing their voices one last time, the Trabendo is doused in bright lights once again, seven hundred people erupt into a joyous singalong to Queen's classic Don't Stop Me Now, and, you know what - it felt like I was about to combust with happiness. 

Thank you, Pvris, and see you in November. 

After Germany, I went ahead and tried out a new country for live music : Italy. I flew all the way down to Milan to attend the first European night of Enter Shikari's Take to the Skies celebration.

The evening, alongside the entire mainland tour, is opened by Cambridge boys Mallory Knox, whom I have seen quite a few times recently and whom, I am not going to lie, have greatly influenced my decision to do the traveling thing again. The five piece have only been to Italy once before (in support of One OK Rock in 2014), and, therefore, not a lot of people know who they are. But those who do, like myself, my friend Mia, a couple of people on barrier or the guy next to me who looks and sounds like he has waited to hear Beggars live his whole life, they are loud and into it, they open a little moshpit and they sing along, they headbang and they give it their all. 

On stage, as always, Mallory Knox are having the time of their life and look genuinely delighted to be here. Frontman Mikey Chapman will try his hand at Italian, and his couple of words will be rewarded by warm applause from the crowd. The band's performance is flawless and impeccable as ever, and I find myself in a position where, once again, I have run out of words. 

The setlist is mostly composed of tracks extracted from the band's latest record, Wired, in the form of the bouncy California or the electric Giving It Up. Asymmetry is well represented as well, and there is, as always, a nod to Signals with single and ultimate banger Beggars.

And that's it.

Lighthouse has disappeared from the setlist and I am pretty sure that the last time I saw Mallory Knox and they didn't play it, it was because the song did not exist yet.

Imagine my confusion.

The crowd's reaction and the amount of people waiting at the end of the show to have a chat with the guys tells me this set has been nothing short of a success, and when the band comes back to Italy next month (in support of Simple Plan in Milan and Padova), there is no doubt it should go just as brilliantly. 

Half an hour later, the crowd is absolutely ecstatic, and... Enter Shikari aren't even on stage yet. This is my first Italian gig ever and I don't really know what to expect. Most bands don't tour Italy and the crowds don't have that much of a reputation abroad.

According to my friend Mia, though, Italian crowds are known to be very passionate, and the least I can say is this is very true. From the first to the last second, the band aren't the only ones celebrating ten years of an album - they have an adoring crowd celebrating it too, celebrating the band they love.

It's Enter Shikari they have on stage, so, unsurprisingly, celebration comes in the form of joyous walls of deaths, circle pits (including one featuring the band's bass player, Chris Batten, who is either fearless or has a death wish, your pick), crowdsurfing and loud, very, very loud singalongs. 

The energy shown by the crowd is only matched by the one on stage.

Enter Shikari are one of these bands that, technically, don't have much to prove anymore. Everything they release is highly successful, every single one of their tours is met by a rare enthusiasm and a huge turnout, and they have one of the best reputations out of every band in this scene. Mention Enter Shikari to anyone who knows them and you will only hear praise - praise about their live show, praise about the quality of their music, praise about how down to Earth they are, praise about their political and human engagement. Enter Shikari aren't a band who has some sort of "hype" around them, like a fad that comes and goes. If they have any sort of hype around, it's been there for ten solid years. I got into their music in 2011, and for the past six years, the enthusiasm and excitement about them, their tours and projects has been the same. If anything, it has grown with them, it has improved with the amount of people who love them. 

They are only getting bigger and going more and more places. Since I started listening to them, they have headlined festivals, they have headlined the second stage at Download twice, they have done arena tours. Many a band would just rest on their laurels after that. I have been lucky enough to see Enter Shikari live fourteen times and every time, they play like a band who still has everything to prove. They play with the enthusiasm and conviction of a band on their first tour, a band who doesn't know what kind of crowd they are going to face. 

This tour is not just your average Enter Shikari tour (is there such a thing as "your average Enter Shikari tour", though? I don't believe so). It is the ten year anniversary of the band's début album, Take to The Skies. Released on the 19th of March 2007, the album has become a staple in our scene, a gateway into heavy music for a lot of people, and songs like Mothership, or Sorry You're Not a Winner, have become absolute classics. It's been ten years and God forbid if you don't clap at the right times during Sorry You're Not a Winner. It's been ten years and hearing any of these songs live still sends fans into an unmatched frenzy. It's been a whole decade of an album which stands the test of time and is still relevant to this day. As frontman Rou Reynolds remind us, the lyrics to Labyrinth, today, ring truer than ever. "We'll break the walls".

A thing I adored about this show is how Enter Shikari did not just play the album, leave the stage and come back for some sort of half arsed, greatest hits encore. Not that I expected them to. Still, it was a pleasant and welcome surprise to hear songs off different albums dotted here and there (Juggernauts, Torn Apart or Anaesthetist). It shows the band's evolution and how all their albums can be connected together, how they are not just four random collections of random songs. (Not that anyone would ever think they were, but it never hurts to be reminded of an artist's genius) And, without even thinking about the cohesion in Enter Shikari's music and career, Sorry You're Not a Winner into Juggernauts might have been one of the best, most brilliant things I have ever heard performed on a stage. 

Scratch that.

Maybe that show, as a whole, was one of the best, most brilliant things I have ever seen performed on a stage.

Rainy Monday night. I am in the upstairs room in East London, right in the heart of Shoreditch, lucky enough to catch The Winter Passing on their short UK run.

Fuzzy electric guitars, catchy tunes, 90s vibes by the truckload, long hair and plaid shirts, that's The New Tusk for you. Their grungy, college rock songs are efficient and of the "I'm going to stay stuck in your head for the rest of eternity" variety, they are ambient and moody at times, but mostly short, fast and urgent. The New Tusk was a name I had seen lying around for a while and, without a doubt, noticed on a gig poster or two around their hometown of Brighton, but I had never taken the time to put a sound to the name. The mistake has been corrected tonight.

Next time I go on a road trip in the summer, I want to listen to The New Tusk on full blast. It sounds like the dream.

You know how, sometimes, you will listen to a band, whether it is live or on CD, and you will only have one thought, one question in your brain : where has this band been all my life? There is not much that I love more than finding a band that becomes a piece to the puzzle, a piece I didn't even know was missing. I got one of those tonight, in the form of Southsea bound Personal Best. From the get go, I found myself on board. They have a sugary sweet aspect I seem to be madly attracted to these days, a vibe that says their songs could be the soundtrack to my new favourite film, filled with loveliness and sweetness, really. They have catchy, power pop tunes, also of the "I'm going to stay stuck in your head until the end of eternity" variety (Love Letter, please). Their vocalist sounds delicate and fits with the poppy vibe, but fierce and powerful enough to grab my attention and tug at my heartstrings. They were another band I had heard of in passing, whose name I had probably seen on gig posters or something and, once again, the mistake of not looking twice before has been fixed tonight.

(It should be mentioned that the interlude between Personal Best and The Winter Passing is filled with Paramore songs and that Hard Times into Still Into You is the pop dream you didn't know you had)

Let it be known, I absolutely adore The Winter Passing, and, after tonight's show, I just want to scream it on every rooftop.

They have entered my life on one of the strangest nights I have ever experienced, and when things and people have left and disappointed, they haven't, not ever, and specifically not tonight. Their music and their live show, full of energy and enthusiasm, is reminiscent of a sunny day, is a ray of sunshine in the gloom of a desperately rainy Monday. I wish I had better, more musical words, technical terms, but every time I see them live, it feels like summer and it feels like sunshine in the best possible way, and that is the main thing my brain holds on to.

On stage, they are electric, bringing the songs from their newest EP, Double Exposure (released last week) and from their wonderful début album, A Different Space of Mind, to life. They are a band that is genuinely, tremendously delighted to be on a stage, to be playing a show, and in return, they are a joy to watch. Vocalist and keyboardist Kate Flynn bounces around the place with a bright smile from start to finish, often turning around to interact with the rest of the band, or cheerfully chatting with vocalist and guitar player Rob Flynn in between songs. One of the reasons why I love seeing The Winter Passing live as much as I do is because every song is an explosion, regardless of the theme or the lyrical content, regardless of its tempo. Their renditions never fail at being emotional, colourful and honest. I think that's what I love the most about them. There, we have it.

The Winter Passing will be back in the UK over the summer for 2000 Trees festival, and the thought of experiencing their music in a field, in a different atmosphere, outside of a small pub, is something I cannot wait for. In the meantime, I shall carry on having their song Daisy stuck in my head, and I can only recommend that you check them out.

Last Saturday night was metal central in Camden, it seemed. The Boston Music Room was crumbling under the riffs and enormous choruses of Sheffield natives While She Sleeps, and, at the same time, Southampton boys Bury Tomorrow were playing their biggest ever headline show at the Kentish Town Forum. That's where I was.

The evening started bright and early with the Germans of Any Given Day, the only band I wasn't familiar with on the line up. I was excited to see them, and I was pleasantly surprised. ("Surprised" might not be the best term here as I cannot think of a time when Bury Tomorrow had a bad support act, so I should have known what to expect, really). Any Given Day's music is straight up metal at its finest. There are riffs for days, the vocals are powerful and impressive, and whilst, to some extent, they might not exactly belong to the same sphere as Bury Tomorrow, they make a firm impression on the crowd. First song on, everyone is already headbanging, and it doesn't take the audience much longer to start moshing or throwing themselves against one another in one of the biggest walls of deaths I have ever witnessed for a first opening act. The band's cover of Rihanna's Diamonds gets everyone singing, and suddenly, everything makes sense. Bury Tomorrow often say they are not a metal band who take themselves seriously, and it's therefore not surprising they would bring on tour a band who has no problem playing a Rihanna cover to a crowd who doesn't know them.

Any Given Day's set turned out to be promising, and I'd go as far as saying that their first visit in the UK was very successful.

I very much like Black Peaks. There, I said it. I was taken to watch them at 2000 Trees, last year, as they were supposed to be "a life changing experience". I couldn't tell you if it made any drastic change to my life, but an explosive electric set followed by a surprising acoustic set (complete with saxophone, I mean, a saxophone, guys) gave me a new band to listen to and get excited about seeing live. I said about Any Given Day that they do not exactly belong to the same sphere as Bury Tomorrow, and Black Peaks don't either. Their progressive metal sound is much less accessible than the music of the other bands on the line-up, and it might be the reason why their greatness fell on deaf ears, at the Forum. Black Peaks are an incredible band, both live and on CD. Their work is intricate and technical, they are incredible musicians and fantastic live performers. They always sound grand and exceptional. Will Gardner's voice never fails at sounding extremely powerful.

On Saturday, there was nothing wrong about their set at all, and I might just go ahead and call it flawless because I can't think of a moment that did not sound impeccable. They probably had the toughest job of the evening, playing after the catchy, riff-tastic Any Given Day and their Rihanna cover, and it sadly seemed the London crowd failed at appreciating their work. I don't want to end this on a sad note, so I'll just go ahead and say that whatever the audience members' reaction, Black Peaks live is always a treat of the highest quality and I, for one, was delighted they were on the line-up.

The main reason why everyone and their nan knows about Crossfaith is because of the high quality of their live show. Mention them to anyone who is remotely interested in this scene and you will, for sure, end up having a conversation about that one time you saw them live, and probably about something crazy their keyboard player and electronic bits wiz Terufumi Tamano did on that occasion (As a proof, while I was queuing, a group of people ahead of me ended up chatting about "that one time they saw Crossfaith and Tamano crowdsurfed whilst chugging Jägermeister"). They are extremely awaited by their fans (from London, but also, from what I can gather, from France, Switzerland and even Japan), and it's safe to say they wreaked havoc in the Forum. From start to finish, they get everyone jumping, moshing, opening walls of death and crowdsurfing. There was no down time.

I may have seen Crossfaith a fair amount of times, and every single time, they have blown my mind. At times, it becomes hard to understand how one band can produce constantly brilliant live shows. There is not one night when I have thought they felt under the weather, and Saturday was no exception. From the first to the last second, they throw a hundred and fifty percent of their energy (at least) into giving London the best performance possible. 
All the songs they will play, from the newer ones (extracted from last year's New Age Warriors) to the classics (notably their cover of The Prodigy's Omen, Monolith or Jägerbomb), get picture perfect renditions, and a set like they played on Saturday is yet another proof, if we ever needed one, that Crossfaith are not just in this for the party or throwing whiskey in the crowd (as you do). They are one fine, extremely talented group of musicians with charisma that is out of this world and a collection of songs bigger than the planet.

After half an hour of waiting with pop tunes, as is often the case when you're seeing Bury Tomorrow, the Southampton lot grace the stage with their presence, ready as can be to embark on their biggest ever headline show. From the get go, just based on the reactions of the crowd and the look of utter bewilderment on the band members' faces, it's easy to tell that this is a very, very special night.

It is almost mid-2017, and yet this is the band's first headline tour in support of their fourth full-length album, Earthbound, released in January 2016. It makes sense, then, that a good half of the setlist is dedicated to the album. Title track Earthbound or singles Cemetery and The Burden get an incredible reaction from the Londoners - a proof that the wait for a headline tour didn't stop the fans from adopting the album and making it their own. As a massive, massive fan of the band myself (the Forum show marked my thirty-first time seeing the five piece), and as someone who has followed them on two full headline tours during the Runes era, it was odd not being at more headline shows. It also, somehow, created more excitement, more longing - it took almost a year and a half, but I would finally see Bury Tomorrow properly bring to life the album they worked so hard on, and in the end, it was a treat.

The rest of the setlist consisted in old favourites - Bury Tomorrow have never been a band to forget or hate the music they have made in the past, and every one of their full length albums is represented tonight. Of Glory and Watcher (from Runes) are being brought back, a singalong is heard to the sound of some of The Union of Crowns' main singles (An Honorable Reign and Knight Life), and even material off the band's début, Portraits, gets the live treatment in the form of Her Bones in the Sand and Waxed Wings. The encore, composed of Bury Tomorrow's two best known songs, 2014's Man on Fire and the anthemic Lionheart, sends the Forum moshing one last time. 
(This tour was still not the tour during which I got to hear Vacant Throne live, but a) I get it because it's an old song and not even a single and b) I want to believe I'll get there someday). 

The Earthbound tour (at least, what I got to witness of it), was a proof that Bury Tomorrow are a band with the ability to write incredible metalcore songs. (I'm not sure we still needed it, but, you know, it's always nice being reminded) The harmony between Jason Cameron's impeccable clean vocals and Dani Winter-Bates' screams knows no match, and every single one of their tracks manage the feat of being in your face metal and technically unique at the same time, of being very heavy and catchy all at once. Big shows like the Forum one are a chance for fans to rediscover their favourite songs and the music that has made them fall in love with the band in the first place, to notice things they hadn't paid attention to before, to be struck and amazed by new elements. For me, it came in the form of Kristan Dawson's guitar abilities. I found myself in awe at some of the riffs more than once.

In this day and age, a lot of metal fans (or elitists, depending on where you stand) rate metalcore and metal in general in terms of heaviness, breakdowns and moshing material. Other technical elements, such as the lyrical content or the musicians' talent are rarely taken into account anymore. Bury Tomorrow manage the whole package. They're heavy, their music almost demands crowd activity (it's a wonder the building is still standing as we speak) and at the same time, all five of them are brilliant, clever musicians and lyricists who should be regarded and respected as such.

In my opinion, other than their great musical qualities, the main reason why Bury Tomorrow are steadily climbing the ladder of metal the way they are is because of how humble they are. During the hour and a half their set will last, they use any down time they get to thank the crowd for being here and for supporting them throughout the years. They will even dedicate closing track Lionheart, written about their friends and supporters from back home, to the "people who had their backs from the start", as a nod to the lyrics. Before Lionheart, again, they remind the thousand and five hundred people in front of them that if there is one thing they hate in this music industry, it's the concept of paid meet and greets, and that if your favourite band asks you to pay to meet them, then they are exploiting you. The gig is barely over when brothers Dani and Davyd Winter-Bates head to merch to meet a lot of their fans, never saying no to a picture or a signature. Earlier in the evening, Black Peaks' frontman Will Gardner had said he hoped everyone would get to meet the Southampton boys, before adding "and I'm sure you will, because they are some of the kindest people ever".

I have mentioned how much I love Bury Tomorrow time and time again, I never mind going the extra mile for them, and it's not bound to change any time soon. They are, indeed, some of the kindest people I have ever met, and every time I meet them, I am still blown away by how lovely they always are to me. I know this is just an added bonus. When I pay for a gig ticket, whatever the band, I do not pay for the right to meet them or anything else. I pay for a live performance, several bands on a line up, and the rest is a bonus. With Bury Tomorrow, you always get the bonus, whether they play at your local pub or in Brixton Academy. I feel like that's one of the main reasons why they are becoming bigger with every album. Of course, there is the music, but they are the living proof, in this scene, that a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

It's hard to believe it's already the end of April, where does time go? 

This month was quite eventful when it comes to music - a lot of bands have come back, announced new material and tours, and teased new things to come.

This month, we're opening with The Maine's fifth full length record, Lovely, Little, Lonely. I'll just go ahead and say it the way I feel it : it's a wonderful album that perfectly encompasses what The Maine are all about. Some of the themes favoured by the American five piece are brought back - nostalgia, loneliness, sadness, growing up, and balancing all those feelings with a life that wants to be lived fully and in the here and now. Lovely, Little, Lonely feels like a reminder of the fact that despite growing old, despite growing up, despite the passing of time, there's still fun to be had, there's still new things to experience and there are still nights to spend drunk with a girl in the back of a taxi or in a bar. (Would it be an album written by The Maine if there wasn't a tale of inebriated boy meets inebriated girl?) This album is incredibly positive and uplifting, it's full of optimism and comfort, especially with closer How Do You Feel, a reassuring, feel-good track about how we all have our moments of heartbreak, some of us are depressed, but we're never alone about how we feel. Lovely, Little, Lonely is the logical, perfect follow-up to American Candy with its indie-rock sound, its perfect pop moments and the themes it talks about, but where American Candy could leave you feeling blue and was dark at times, Lovely, Little, Lonely has more light and is a incredibly positive album, and I'd go as far as saying that with it, The Maine have signed one of the best, finest albums we'll hear in 2017.

If you start your album with a gritty, unique voice and a line that goes "She yelled 'Tell Jesus he's a fucking loser'", you have a shot at getting my attention. Add to that the catchiest tunes from their side of Australia and the ability to make me feel like I NEED to see you live from the first song, and you probably have my attention for as long as you need. From the first notes of Forrest until the end of the stunning, nostalgic and delicate closer Laughing (Or Pretending to Laugh), The Smith Street Band and their newest record, More Scared of You Than You Are of Me, have grabbed my undivided attention, which is not too shabby considering I had never listened to them before. I think I found in there everything I could possibly want from an album. It has a rare, extraordinary potential for singalong and, in that regard, it feels larger than life, and at the same time, the themes dealt with in most of the songs are bittersweet to say the least. Death to the Lads is about growing up and owning up to your mistakes, 25 is about ageing and comparing yourself to everyone else (don't we all), and, sooner rather than later, you realise that More Scared of You Than You Are of Me is the kind of album that will, ultimately, make you feel less alone with your growing pains. It's a record full of beautiful moments - the intimate beginning of Passiona ; the intense vocal layering in Run Into the World ; the bridge in Shine ; the general songwriting, which concentrates more on storytelling and included long words or adverbs that you wouldn't find in most songs of that genre. I feel like there was a metaphore in the abrupt ending. I'm not too sure. I just know I adored this record, and I've already checked their social media for future gigs I could attend.


Earlier this year, Sheffield natives While She Sleeps announced they would self-produce their third full length record, You Are We, and that it would be funded by their fans through a Pledge campaign. From this moment on until the release of said album, the excitement was growing amongst the fans and in my own person - I had absolutely adored Brainwashed and I was more than eager to listen to its follow-up. Needless to say I have not been disappointed. I have been furiously blown away, song after song, and by the end of it, I was genuinely annoyed at the fact that one single band, one single group of humans can produce something THAT good. You Are We is a true metal record at its finest. It's been tailored for the moshpits, it's made to be played live and it sounds its best as loud as you possibly can. It's the kind of record that makes you want to headbang, to mosh, to crowdsurf, and moments like the bridge in Hurricane, the breakdown in Empire of Silence or the guitar solo in Silence Speaks are bigger than anything that has been made this year so far. What makes You Are We stand out the way it does, though, goes beyond its metal elements, and lies in the fact that it has genuine, ginormous pop choruses. Huge choruses, gang vocals and singalongs have always been While She Sleeps' trademark, and their ability to make them has been pushed further in this third record. (And, by now, you now my love of choruses and singing along, you know I'm a hundred percent on board with that). Lyrically, You Are We denounces the evils of our world and points out the disillusionment and the disappointment most of us feel with the world around us, and with our governments. There is still a beacon of hope, somewhere, out there, because we all feel that way, and from that was built a sense of community that is more present in While She Sleeps' music and career than it is with any other band. On Friday, it's been announced that You Are We ended up number eight in the official charts, and for a metal album that has been self produced, fan funded and recorded in a studio built by the band themselves, I'd say that's pretty damn impressive, and entirely deserved.


New Found Glory came back with their ninth full length record, and if I had liked Happy Being Miserable, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by Makes Me Sick as a whole. It's an alright album, don't get me wrong. It's your traditional early noughties sounding pop-punk record, with a regular mix of catchy tunes and cringeworthy lyrics (Party on Apocalypse, Call Me Anti-Social), and it does its job well. By all means, really, it's okay, it has some decent tunes, and there's a nice little key change in Call Me Anti-Social, but... It's a pretty forgettable record, and I don't think it'll go down in history as New Found Glory's best.


I couldn't exactly tell you how I came across New Yorkers Charly Bliss, but I could tell you their album Guppy is one of the reasons why they are becoming one of the best bands I have discovered this year. The best way to discover Charly Bliss is perfect pop with a whole lot of nineties influence, sugary sweet 90s garage rock with a twist, and maybe the band tiny me who was obsessed with every sitcom's battle of the bands episode would have loved to be a part of. Every song is extremely catchy and feels like the soundtrack to a film I'd love to be the heroine of, and from start to finish, Guppy is a delight to listen to. Underneath the bubbly exterior, the catchy music and the fuzzy guitars, still, you'll find darker lyrics, break-up songs (Black Hole), words about frontwoman Eva Hendricks' therapist (Ruby) and about those times when, in a relationship, you feel jealous and insecure (DQ). The album's closer, Julia, the least poppy track of the record, is bittersweet and deals with Hendricks' boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, and it makes you realise how sad that record can be in places. Guppy is the perfect balance between sugary sweet and darkly relatable, and if I can give you one tiny piece of advice, it's maybe, just maybe listen to it. Now would be a great time.


I've talked several times about how much I love The Winter Passing, and April has given me another reason to, in the form of their newest EP, the lovely Double Exposure. I have a feeling everything this band does is a joy to listen to and a joy to experience, and Double Exposure is no exception. The opening track, Paper Rabbit, is very catchy, and the harmony between Kate Flynn's and Rob Flynn's vocals is as wonderful as ever. Slower, more intimate tracks Like Flowers Ache for Spring and Escapism delicately touch upon the subject of mental health, with the latter being a tender, sweet, yet haunting love song dedicated to a significant other who has stuck around through thick and thin. Overall, Double Exposure brilliantly embodies The Winter Passing's spirit and what this band is all about.


Last but not least, Brighton based Evertim and Fruitcake have recently released a split EP, and both sides of things are excellent. Evertim's two tracks, Knots and The Shots You're Missing (Bed & Brexit), are somewhere in between pop punk and emo, and mostly ridiculously catchy. Fruitcake also qualify as ridiculously catchy, and their fuzzy guitars give them an alt rock sound I very much like. It's all on bandcamp, you can even pick it up on cassette because that's what the cool kids do, now.

We're having quite the extensive playlist this month, as I've scoured various websites, tried to keep in touch with everyone's new material, and enjoyed a lot of new artists I'd never really listened to before.