AM Radio: February 2024
The best new hardcore and community-made music, updated monthly for Anti-Matter.
IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING NOTE: As many of you know, in addition to Anti-Matter, I also play in the band Thursday. We just finished a five-week U.S. tour with Rival Schools and Many Eyes that was truly incredible, and somehow I managed to keep publishing without interruption at a pretty high level while I was away! But for the sake of protecting my mental health and coming back strong, I’ll be taking a short break next week to recover from tour and catch up with some behind-the-scenes work on Anti-Matter. I’ll be back on March 5, but in the meantime, there’s a lot in the archives to catch up on! Find an interview you missed here or get some food for thought with an essay here. Thanks again for all your support.
— Norman
This month’s AM Radio adds another ten new songs to the canon, and I’ll be honest: I’ve listened to a lot of new records this month and paring it down was brutal. But it’s important for me to be able to stand behind the songs on this playlist and sometimes that takes a little bit of time and love. Such is the case for my favorite song from The Chisel’s excellent new album, an incredible new single from Glitterer‘s latest, or the newest from Leeds hardcore mainstays Higher Power, among others.
As always, AM Radio is not a running list of every new release, but a running list of handpicked songs that I am personally excited to share. This is what I’m actually listening to; no one else influences what gets added. Another batch of standouts are featured below.
FOLLOW & LISTEN TO AM RADIO: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
HOT WATER MUSIC “Menace” (Equal Vision)
Earlier this month, the ever-dependable Hot Water Music announced a new album, Vows, which is set to feature guest turns from recent Anti-Matter alums like Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and Calling Hours’ Popeye Vogelsang. The band also released two new singles with that announcement, including “Menace”—a melodic excursion that surges with both raw power and veteran craftsmanship.
PLANET ON A CHAIN “Cocalero” (Revelation)
If you’re going to be a traditional hardcore band on Revelation in 2024, I expect to hear zero hesitancy and palpable angst, among other things. Planet On A Chain’s “Cocalero” fits the bill and scratches that itch with total authenticity; this is the kind of hardcore that got me into hardcore in the first place.
HEAVYHEX “You Can’t Stay Here” (Bridge Nine)
I’ve had my eye on Long Island’s Heavyhex since first hearing the excellent “Constant War” in late 2022. Since then, the band have signed to Bridge Nine and are set to release their debut album this spring. The first single, “You Can’t Stay Here,” lives up to the promise I heard a little over a year ago: This is raspy, melodic, and instantly memorable hardcore that gives you both something to sing along with and something to believe in.
BUY IT: Bandcamp
L.S. DUNES “How Dare You” (Fantasy)
A venerable “supergroup” is what the bio will tell you, but the latest one-off single from L.S. Dunes transcends the pedigree. Anthony Green’s melodic scream is as idiosyncratic as the way the song weaves in and out of itself before coalescing into a peak-energy chorus and giving you all the fuck-you vitality of a brand new band.
BUY IT: Bandcamp
COLLATERAL “Me Versus…” (Fortress)
For the number of times I’ve read their name in other people’s interviews lately, Collateral might very well be Your Favorite Hardcore Band’s Favorite Hardcore Band right now—and with good reason. If you’re the type of person (like me) who invokes the Raw Deal or Altercation demos as hardcore high-water marks, “Me Versus…” is going to fulfill you in a way you forgot you needed.
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makes so happy to see collateral here. sfl represent!