Charlottetown power-pop trio Absolute Losers launched their sophomore album, “In The Crowd,” by way of Having Enjoyable Information, the brand new imprint from Toronto label We Are Busy Our bodies. Produced, engineered, and combined by Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck, METZ) at Palace Sound in Toronto, the document captures a significant leap ahead for the band — increasing their sound with out shedding the scrappy appeal and urgency that made their 2023 debut “At The Mall” a cult favourite.
With early airplay on CBC, a wave of U.S. school radio assist, and UK tour dates on the horizon, Absolute Losers are quick turning into one in all Atlantic Canada’s most promising underground exports. The place their debut leaned into wiry post-punk power, “In The Crowd” stretches out into jangly, harmony-soaked territory — evoking Huge Star, Superdrag, and Sloan’sOne Chord to One other period. The guitars shimmer, the hooks land arduous, and the performances really feel unfastened but locked-in — an ideal stability of storage grit and melodic polish.
“We simply stopped worrying if what we have been writing was ‘cool’ or not,” bassist and vocalist Sam Langille mentioned. “This time round, we let our instincts lead, and what got here out was one thing freer, extra melodic, extra private. And far more enjoyable.”
For the primary time, all three members — Sam Langille, Josh Langille, and Daniel Hartinger — commerce off lead vocals, weaving their voices into character-rich harmonies that deepen the document’s emotional core.
“The group is everybody round you,” Sam mentioned. “Associates, household, companions, exes, your inside baby… all of them make up that crowd. And being in a crowd is humorous, you’ll be able to really feel linked and completely remoted on the identical time. That paradox runs by means of the entire album.”
Buying and selling the existential fringe of “At The Mall” for one thing hotter and extra human, “In The Crowd” explores connection, nostalgia, and the push-and-pull between youth and reminiscence. It’s a vibrant, hook-filled assortment that bridges East Coast coronary heart and basic power-pop craftsmanship — and proof that typically, being a loser actually is one of the best ways to win.
Stream “In The Crowd”: https://ffm.to/k3oynx8
Canadian punk/post-hardcore outfit Midnight Peg unleashed their ferocious sophomore album, “Skinning,” on October 3, 2025 by way of Thousand Islands Information. Recorded by Rob Lawless and Cody Blakely, combined and co-produced by Blakely at Half Stack Studios, and mastered by Stuart McKillop (Rain Metropolis Recorders), the album options the blistering singles “Swallow,” “Thirstland,” and “The Hag.”
Following the breakout success of their debut “Horn Colic” — which earned over 20,000 streams and reward from DIY Conspiracy, Cups N’ Muffins, and Reverie Magazine — Midnight Peg have carved out a spot in Canada’s underground scene as one in all its most provocative, genre-defiant voices. They’ve toured Western Canada with Pussy Riot, shared levels with punk pioneers D.O.A., and constructed a fame for explosive, art-damaged stay reveals that blur the strains between chaos and catharsis.
Described by RANGE as nodding “to the fury of early ’90s grunge greats like The Gits whereas racing forward on a futuristic bullet practice of their very own design,” “Skinning” pushes that depth to new extremes. Throughout twelve tracks, the band fuses noise, post-punk, emo, and experimental grit, exploring themes of sexuality, survival, ritual, and violence with each fury and finesse.
Design by Raquel Mann
“‘Skinning’ is the apotheosis of our songwriting type; it takes frenzied, however refined dangers throughout the board,” guitarist Eric Neilson mentioned. “[…] Melodic themes recur and reference one another, in order a complete, the album resolves its personal chaos. It’s meant to be listened to entrance to again.”
Vocalist Rocky Mann added, “We actually wished to push what we have been doing within the first album. It appears like an thrilling time proper now in heavy music, and bands are coming out on a regular basis right here; the range is thrilling. ‘Skinning’ grew out of that experimental, cross-genre second the place all of it feels a bit unstable however completely alive.”
Darkish, unstable, and unflinchingly human, Skinning finds Midnight Peg tearing deeper into the uncooked nerve of contemporary punk—and discovering one thing important beneath the noise.
Stream “Skinning”: https://bfan.hyperlink/skinning
After practically a decade away, Pennsylvania alt-rock artist The High quality of Mercury — the moniker of Jeremiah Rouse — has returned with “Heaven’s Gate,” a hovering and cinematic new single from his forthcoming sophomore album, “The Voyager,” out October 24. The observe marks a triumphant return for Rouse, whose 2016 debut Transmission established him as a craftsman of expansive, emotionally charged space-rock.
Balancing muscle and melody, “Heaven’s Gate” merges starry-eyed shoegaze and pop propulsion right into a euphoric journey by means of sound. Written, carried out, and engineered totally by Rouse, the track captures each the pull of the cosmos and the ache of human longing.
“[It’s] impressed by the real-life cult of the identical identify, nevertheless it’s not a track about tragedy; it’s a track about longing,” Rouse mentioned. “I noticed myself of their story: the limitless seek for one thing past this world, the gaze mounted on the celebs, ready for an indication, a savior, an escape.”
Just like what followers may discover on “The Voyager,” the track channels Rouse’s fascination with connection and transcendence by means of vivid, cinematic soundscapes. Drawing affect from Hum, Failure, and Sunny Day Actual Property, The High quality of Mercury crafts music that feels each galactic and grounded — meticulously layered but deeply private.
With a background in movie manufacturing and a love for sci-fi, Rouse builds every observe like a scene from an interstellar film — equal components grandeur and intimacy.
Stream “Heaven’s Gate” on: Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Los Angeles melodic punks Stoke Indicators are again with “Making Enemies,” a four-song burst of sweat-soaked arriving October 31 by way of Hey! Fever Information.
Following their acclaimed 2024 debut “Make Dying Enjoyable” — which Punk Rock Concept praised for delivering “all of the power and melody you’ll be able to ask for, delivered with a wholesome dose of grit”— the band sound louder, rawer, and extra unified than ever.
Tracked totally of their Culver Metropolis lockout area, the EP finds Giuliano Messina, Chris Perez, Jordan Calhoun, and Michael Nusbaum embracing full DIY chaos: amps dimed, drum mics pointed at a bathroom for reverb, and gang vocals shouted behind toilet doorways. The outcome, mastered by Paul Miner (Thrice, Demise By Stereo), captures the raucous power of their stay reveals.
Lead single “rockville winters construct character”— a defiant anthem for neglected blue-collar underdogs — is out now, accomplished with a video directed by Tucker Bennett.
It’s a gritty assertion of intent for a band shortly making waves throughout California’s punk underground, with current units alongside The Lawrence Arms, Dillinger 4, and Heartwells, plus a standout slot at Camp Punksylvania 2025.
If “Make Dying Enjoyable” launched Stoke Indicators, “Making Enemies” proves they’re right here to remain — uncooked, melodic, and prepared for the following spherical.
Stream “rockville winters construct character” on: Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Pre-save “Making Enemies”: https://present.co/vscbbKg
Seattle-based artist AudioGust (AKA Chris Evans) returns with “Simpler,” a gripping exploration of the psychological pressure that comes with residing in a world drowning in unhealthy information. The observe serves because the second single from his forthcoming third album “Falling From Down” — his most unflinching and emotionally charged launch but — following the post-grunge opener “Isotope.”
Opening on a quiet word of introspection, “Simpler” wrestles with the strain between staying knowledgeable and defending one’s peace. Its refrain — “Some days, it will be simpler if I didn’t know” — hits like a mantra for contemporary burnout, earlier than erupting right into a pop-punk bridge that imagines a fleeting escape from the noise.
“I wrote ‘Simpler’ out of frustration with how overwhelming it may be to soak up all of the unhealthy information each day,” Evans mentioned. “There’s a fantasy within the track about how easy life may really feel if you happen to simply tuned all of it out — however in the long run, you’ll be able to’t actually look away. The world all the time pulls you again.”
Recognized for his emotionally direct songwriting and muscular melodic rock, Evans has spent current years crafting a prolific catalog that bridges basic alt-rock with trendy sensibilities. A finalist within the 2024 USA Songwriting Contest, he’s launched a number of albums and EPs — every balancing uncooked guitar power with reflective storytelling.
Due out November 7, “Falling From Down” guarantees a darker, harder-edged evolution of the AudioGust sound, merging post-grunge grit with cinematic scope. “Simpler” stands as its emotional centerpiece — an anthem for anybody struggling to search out stability in an age of fixed noise.
Stream “Simpler” on: Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Brooklyn-London indie duo The King Canutes have made their long-awaited return with “Seymour Stein (for Earle Holmes)” — their first new music since 2008’s debut EP “Final Callers and Losers.” The only marks the primary glimpse of their debut full-length “Japanese Seaboard, Good Summer time,” arriving November 21 by way of New Jersey’s Magic Door File Label.
Fashioned by Keir Woods and Richard Alwyn Fisher, The King Canutes mix Northern English people heat with scrappy Midwestern indie rock grit, a dynamic solid in Brooklyn’s early-2000s pop scene and honed throughout continents. Written by Woods after relocating from New York to Paris, “Seymour Stein (for Earle Holmes)” channels the exhilaration and unease of inventive reinvention — half liberation, half worry that this is likely to be so far as it goes. The track additionally pays tribute to Earle Holmes, a Paris membership proprietor who gave Woods his first reveals there.
Produced, recorded, combined, and mastered by Ray Ketchem (Guided by Voices, Luna, Gramercy Arms) at Magic Door Recording Studio, the observe incorporates a stellar lineup together with Mac Gollehon (David Bowie, Duran Duran) on horns, Dave Derby (The Dambuilders, Lloyd Cole) on bass, Kevin March (Guided by Voices) on drums, and Jessie Kilguss on backing vocals. The result’s a radiant, bittersweet burst of skewed pop — someplace between The Go-Betweens, Belle and Sebastian, and The Postal Service.
“Everybody all the time talks about what an upbeat track it’s, however after I first performed it at one in all Earle’s reveals he got here proper as much as me and mentioned ‘Man, you write the saddest fucking songs,’” Woods mentioned.
Fifteen years within the making and three in manufacturing, “Japanese Seaboard, Good Summer time” is a testomony to endurance and inventive kinship, that includes visitor appearances from Kendall Meade (Sparklehorse), Mike Dillon (Rickie Lee Jones), David Nagler (Joan Baez, Rosanne Money), and extra.
Stream “Seymour Stein (for Earle Holmes)” on: Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Pre-order “Japanese Seaboard, Good Summer time”: https://thekingcanutes.bandcamp.com/album/eastern-seaboard-perfect-summer
