AM Radio: November 2023
The best new hardcore and community-made music, updated monthly for Anti-Matter.
As the year winds down, so does the release schedules of most labels, but this month’s adds to AM Radio still serve up a blend of new and classic artists that range from melodic (Calling Hours, Spiritual Cramp, Crime in Stereo) to metal (Dying Wish, Darkest Hour) to the more traditional ends of the hardcore spectrum (Force of Denial, Stifled)—with lots more in between.
Also, a quick reminder: Presale for the Anti-Matter Thanksgiving Merch Drop will close at the end of day Tuesday November 28, so if you’ve been planning on picking something up, time is running out. If you’re a paid subscriber, there’s an exclusive design and discount code already in your inbox. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, this is a great way to show your support and contribute to keep Anti-Matter going. You can check out the entire collection here.
As always, AM Radio is not a running list of every new release, but a running list of select songs that I have personally handpicked to share. This is what I’m actually listening to; no one else influences what gets added. A few of my favorites are highlighted below.
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THE HOPE CONSPIRACY “Confusion/Chaos/Misery” (Deathwish, November 2023)
This month’s out-of-nowhere surprise comes from The Hope Conspiracy, who dropped this four-song EP only a few days ago. “Confusion/Chaos/Misery” takes a little bit from each word in its title to create the sound, but the song’s sharp execution belies their fourteen-year absence.
LAURA JANE GRACE “Hole In My Head” (Polyvinyl, November 2023)
The former Against Me! singer returns with the title track from her upcoming album, due February 16, and it’s a pulsing, post-punk banger that could have seamlessly fit on Transgender Dysphoria Blues. This music video, directed by Danny Trejo’s son Gilbert Trejo, could not be a better visual mindfuck for the song.
HAVE MERCY “Alive” (Rude, November 2023)
Baltimore’s Have Mercy have been through it. They’ve made records for Topshelf and Hopeless. They lost their drummer to an extended illness. They made a choice to get healthy themselves. As far as lead singles for upcoming albums go, “Alive” hits every optimistic note they needed to hit. It’s an incredible survival song.
FORCE OF DENIAL “Times of Strife (featuring MAGNITUDE)” (DBNO, November 2023)
There’s a lot about this record that feels meta to me: It’s a song that heavily recalls the band Strife called “Times of Strife” and it’s a band that heavily recalls Magnitude featuring Magnitude’s Russell Bussey on guest vocals, but absolutely none of that takes away from the fact that this is still the kind of well-played ‘90s-styled straight-edge anthem that is always going to move the crowd.
MANY EYES “Mystic Cord” (Perseverance Media Group, November 2023)
I know it’s not a contest—really, it isn’t—but Many Eyes’ second single is really two for two in the post-Every Time I Die canon. It’s almost unreasonable to expect anyone to keep it up at this level, but this is still the debut album I’ve got the highest hopes for in 2024.
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I am excited for that Laura Jane Grace album. I have been lukewarm on her solo stuff so far, but I love that new song.
I just an entertainment industry question. Why do record labels slow down their releases schedule towards the end of the year not increase it like the Hollywood studio system? I know that “Studios have traditionally released so-called prestige films in the fall and winter so that they would be fresh on the minds of Academy and guild members during voting season.”