*** SHOULDERED exclusive song premiere ***

SHOULDERED

"Scarecrow"
exclusive song premiere

For fans of: Manchester Orchestra, Social Caterpillar, and Medications

Bandcamp

     I love me some Derek Allen, so when he asked me to premiere a new jam from a new band it was an automatic yes. This new project shows Derek (Lower Automation), Wade, and Nic (Frail Body) dipping into much calmer and accessible waters, ditching the chaos and unpredictability of their earlier bands. The EP straddles slowcore, post-hardcore, and shoegaze like they've been doing it for a decade, which kinda makes sense considering the members' past bands. Speaking of past bands, Derek's gorgeous clean singing has the occasional push from backing vocals, really removing him from the anxious yelps that escaped his lips in Lower Automaion while the instrumentation has lots of room to breathe but when everything hits that room is on fucking fire.

     The five-song 'Lapse' releases October 1st, 2026 on bandcamp and streaming with physical copies being available on the former. Drums and bass recorded at Electrical Audio in June 2026 by Lauren MacDonald while guitars and vocals were recorded by Derek Allen, and the entire thing was mastered by Nick Stetina.

     The band has a few upcoming shows that you should definitely attend if geographically viable:

9/25 - Davey's Bagels, Fort Wayne, IN
9/26 - Sanctuary, Detroit, MI
9/27 - The Run Off, Kalamazoo, MI
10/10 - EP release show at Empty Bliss, Chicago, IL

A few words from Nic about "Scarecrow":

"This song has been floating around in my head for years, but I never felt like I had the right project to bring it to life until Derek, Wade and I started Shouldered. Hearing a recorded version of it after all of this time has been really rewarding. It’s probably my favorite song to play live so far, and a good indication of the direction we want to take the band." 

(2026) SHOULDERED "Scarecrow" (from 'Lapse')

https://youtu.be/VOJ4TwBS004

ADDITIONAL LINKS & WHATNOT

buy the last Lower Automation 12"LP here and the cassette EP here

поступь

Band: поступь
For fans of: Aspergers, June Paik, Minaret, Black Nail, Lucidity, Cady, and Anodyne.
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Metalcore / Metallic Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence / Black Metal

Related artists: ?.
Country: Saratov RUSSIA
Years Active: 2025-present

Label(s): Emiva Records

     Sometimes I randomly come across something in my music folder that has snuck in there and has been hiding ever since. I recently uncovered one of these in my 2025 folder (yeah it was mid-2026 by this time) and it fucking floored me. I then checked out the band again for this review to see they have published a new two-song banger in 2026. Fuck yes.

     поступь are a four-piece from Saratov in Russia and play a dark, intense, and violent form of screamo not unlike Lucidity, Cady, and June Paik. It's fast, technical, and moody, making the experience that much more immersive. On their debut EP 'лица' they weave between crushing moments and softer subterranean sections, with a perfect example being opener "(не) любовь". Next is "кем ты стал?" which is a dancier version of the band that still comes in bathed in vitriol (and panic chords). My personal fave is "правда" which is an absolute beast and incorporates the biggest of the band's breakdowns amidst a flurry of panic chords and wicked stop/starts. I love the opening of the song as well, as the tremello guitar builds on itself using slight alterations placed with unique timing - it's kind of Aspergers light.

     The 2026 EP 'юдоль' is just two songs and although they go hard, they don't quite reach the level of the aforementioned banger "правда". The first track "опухоль (feat. ГРИН)" sees the band moving slightly more into the hardcore direction, but once the 45-second mark hits the breakdown everything falls into place and I get it. Awesome track. The second track "всё пройдёт" begins like a post-hardcore track with some nice guitar and screamed vocals before delving directly back into German-sounding emo-violence. Fuck to the yes.

     Very stoked to hear what comes next from this band!

________________________________________

DISCOGRAPHY

2025 - лица (stream/donate/download here)

2026 - юдоль (stream/donate/download here)

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(2025) поступь - "правда" (from 'лица')

https://youtu.be/pHrKqGO6EnQ

(2025) поступь - "кем ты стал?" (from 'лица')

https://youtu.be/2YjOFTAo9c4

(2026) поступь - "всё пройдёт" (from 'юдоль')

https://youtu.be/JOePmYI9ad8

________________________________________

*** WELLNESS exclusive song premiere ***

WELLNESS

"Countering"
exclusive song premiere

For fans of: Moments Of Being, Crowning and Ghola

cd/cassette/12" pre-order full release September 18th via Third House

Started in 2025, this band features members that have spent time in some incredible projects including Heavenly Blue, Kayo Dot, Liturgy, and Massa Nera. WELLNESS has their first seven-song, self-titled album releasing next week on Third House via cassettes, cds, and vinyl. I've got the honor of premiering their single "Countering" right now. Aeryn had the following to say about it.

"A lil about the context of the song - The lyrics are my own take on a protest song and finding the will to continue to fight back capitalist systems of oppression. We all deal with misinformation online, polarizing culture war bullshit/leftist infighting, and state violence that punishes people for speaking out...all while we're exhausted from work. But action has to happen regardless because ICE is abducting our neighbors off the street and our planet is being heated so rapidly that it will kill/displace even more people, and destroy agriculture and ecosystems that sustain life as we know it. We have to reach into ourselves and find what drives our own motivations and empathy for fighting back the system and accepting our own personal capacity to do so. We should also reach out to our communities to give/receive help because together we're stronger and we can start building the world we want to live in."

(2026) WELLNESS "Countering" (from 'Wellness')

https://youtu.be/Lh-Z5hQd2Ho

     This song is just 1:38 in length but holy shit it goes places. The stop/start instrumentals paired with anguished screams open the song and lead to some mathy/noodly goodness before diving into the deep end. By the one-minute mark the song has already run a few circles around the listener, mixing melody, drive, and screaming into a lip-smacking screamo soup - but those final six seconds are fucking catastrophic. Good lord that's some yummy stuff.

COUNTERING (lyrics):
Separated by false pretenses, a blur of misinformation. Worn bodies - mechanisms for labor, scraping by, rusting away. Tearing away, tearing away, tearing away our time. Tearing away, tearing away, tearing away our time, our lives. Smoke gets in your eyes: burning blue, shattered glass. Smoke gets in your lungs: gasoline scented air. Smoke gets in your teeth: broken bones, swollen tongues. Smoke gets in your lungs: chemicals cloud the air. Reach inward. Reach outward. Dismantle violent systems and take back our lives.