The V13 Fix #003 w/ Profiler, Ihsahn, Carpark and more

Welcome to the latest The V13 Fix our weekly round-up of some of the best albums, singles and EPs to drop in our laps/inboxes this week. From pop to black metal to experimental pop to punk rock, there is something for everyone in this mix of new music. Check out and support all the bands and labels if you like what you hear and if there is a particular album you like, make sure you head over to Spotify and check out one of our specially curated playlists where there is more great new music added daily.

Alternatively, if you’re in a band or want one of your bands considered for inclusion get in touch. While we can’t guarantee every album or EP we receive will be included, there are still plenty of other ways we can support you.

So, without further ado, sit back, plug in your headphones and get this week’s V13 Fix of new music…

Crawlers
‘The Mess We Seem To Make’
Polydor Records

I remember crossing paths with Liverpool alt-rock newcomers Crawlers when they opened from My Chemical Romance on their UK stadium tour a couple of years ago. I also remember thinking that this band were heading in the right direction and, in vocalist Holly Minto, the band had a star in the making. Well, now the band are about to drop their eagerly-awaited debut album and, for the legions of fans who’ve taken Crawlers to their hearts, The Mess We Seem To Make won’t disappoint. Addressing, amongst others, themes of sexuality, racism, and social media through Minto’s emotionally charged lyrics, these slices of alt-rock meets pop meets stadium-friendly anthems show that, while TikTok may have brought the band to our attention, this album shows that the UK band are very much the real deal.

Pick up your copy of The Mess We Seem To Make here.

See You Next Tuesday
‘Relapses’
Good Fight Music

The beauty of extreme music is when artists flip their music on its head spinning off into an entirely new direction while still retaining the core brutality of their sound. Experimental crew See You Next Tuesday are the latest to push their boundary-smashing sound into new worlds. Taking their 2023 album Distractions, band multi-instrumentalist and producer Drew Slavik has ripped up their blueprint aided by a group of collaborators including Bodysnatcher, The Sawtooth Grin, Thotcrime, ZOMBIESHARK!, John Cxnnor, Black Magnet. The result is brain-frying and, while it took 15 years to release Distractions, with the release of Relapses, SYNT have not waited as long to continue to annihilate the boundaries of extreme music.

Pick up your copy of Relapses here.

Ihsahn
‘Ihsahn’
Candlelight Records

In extreme metal circles, Ihsahn will be familiar as the frontman of Nordic black metal legends Emperor. However, away from the epic fury of his main band, the vocalist has forged a solid career as a solo artist in his own right. With a solo career spanning now eight albums, this self-titled release sees him push his creativity to even greater heights. A grandiose, epic composition of work, the self-titled offering mixes more traditional heavy metal, progressive passages and classical tones all finished off with a dash of that black metal rage. Combined with his stunning range of vocals, this self-titled album is a powerful, dramatic piece of work which ebbs and flows throughout the 11 tracks. Completing this double album, an orchestral almost movie-like score provides an altogether different perspective to the stunning work of one of the most influential characters in heavy music.

Pick up your copy of Ihsahn here.

Every Hell
‘The Watcher’

Featuring former members of Black Peaks among their ranks, UK newcomers Every Hell are already making a noise in all the right rock circles with their dirty brand of “doom pop”. Only two singles in, the second of them is a slow-burning, brooding offering which builds into a galloping, thundering rocker. Packed with filth-covered guitar riffs and vocals straight out of the gutter, “The Watcher” is the sound of a band who have now comfortably found their groove. Two tracks down and an EP due to follow later this year, if big, dirty, anthemic rock stacked with hulking great grooves is your bag, Every Hell are soon about to become your new favourite band… if they aren’t already.

Pick up your copy of “The Watcher” here.

Pet Needs
‘Intermittent Fast Living’
Xtra Mile Recordings

If you’ve already heard the recent single “Sleep When I’m Dead” by Essex punks Pet Needs, you’ll be fully versed in their live life to the max energy. You’ll also be pleased to hear that the rest of their third album follows a similar path all frantic guitars, breathtaking energy and loads of massive singalong sections. Inspired by a lifestyle which races along at a million miles an hour or, as they put it, “Sex, drugs, booze, snooze.”, frontman Johnny Marriot also talks about sitting constantly at home with his wife, his new puppy, and a beer. The reality of their life crashes between the two as the Essex lads hurtle around the dives of this world with Intermittent Fast Living documenting that world in gloriously drunken, frantic and punchy punk rock style.

Pick up your copy of Intermittent Fast Living here.

Paloma Faith
‘The Glorification of Sadness’
RCA Records

One of the most glamorous women in British pop, Paloma Faith’s sixth album, The Glorification of Sadness is the tale of one woman’s experiences of a long-term relationship break-up. Played out in chronological order, The Glorification of Sadness kicks off with the acoustic “Sweatpants” where Faith offers up the line “Nobody is perfect. Least of all me” while further down the album, “God In A Dress” finds the British pop superstar in unapologetic mode. A journey to empowerment and controlling your happiness, “The Glorification of Sadness” is an honest, unfiltered exploration into her experiences and, as the likes of the blunt “Eat Shit and Die” demonstrates, Paloma Faith may be scarred and heartbroken but she has come out of the other side ready to take on the world.

Pick up your copy of The Glorification of Sadness here.

Blackberry Smoke
‘Be Right Here’
3 Legged Records

Georgia band Blackberry Smoke are back with their latest slice of authentic, straight-from-the-heart Southern rock. Be Right Here wears its roots proudly on its sleeve like a badge of honour as every single moment on this album bleeds tradition. A simple, uncomplicated listen, Be Right Here is a delicious blend of rock and roll, Americana and straight-up Southern rock. Aiding in the authenticity of the ten tracks, Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb has coated each track in a raw, organic production while frontman Charlie Starr’s Southern twang is the cherry on this particular cake. Tracks like opener “Dig A Hole” are soaked in smoky bar room haze while “Little Bit Crazy” further down the album is a wonderful country-tinged romp. In an era where TikTok followers trump talent, its albums like Be Right Here make you realise there is still some hope left for fans of real music.

Pick up your copy of Be Right Here here.

Carpark
‘Born To Be Average’
Saviour Music

It’s been a whirlwind three years for indie three-piece Carpark since they performed their first gig in a friend’s garage. Since then the band have gone on to support the likes of Lauren Hibberd, Kelsy Karter and Beth McCarthy, and, following the release of this EP, will be opening for indie stars The Libertines. Listening to the EP, it’s easy to see why the three-piece is quickly becoming everyone’s favourite new band. Their blend of indie, dream-pop and a bit of dance make for a more than palatable musical dish. Amidst this collection of hypnotic earworms, the current single “Happy On Mars” is described by the band as “a rock ballad and Elon Musk diss track all-in-one” which, even if the rest of the EP didn’t match up, is more than enough of a reason to love Carpark. Thankfully though, the group are promising to rewrite the rock band rulebook with this impressive EP making a decent effort of it.

Pick up your copy of Born to be Average here.

Bloom
‘Maybe In Another Life’
Pure Noise Records

As Maybe In Another Life slams from the dreamy intro into the title track, it quickly becomes obvious what Aussie melodic metalcore/hardcore quintet Bloom is all about. Now, while it would probably be fair to highlight that there isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking on their new album, what the five-piece has in their favour is that they write a banging set of songs. All of the melodic metalcore traits are there and packed into each song. Harsh/guttural/clean vocals? Check. Galloping guitars? Check. Big soaring melodies? Check. Elsewhere, lyrically the band explore themes of anxiety and loss but they do so with emotion and passion. Melded together, you find yourself listening to an album which, musically, comes from a similar place to many other albums however, emotionally, Maybe In Another Life comes straight from the heart.

Pick up your copy of Maybe In Another Lifehere.

GVLLOW
‘Twin Flame’
Sumerian Records

Have to admit I was expecting some Lorna Shore type deathcore malarky for this one but was presently surprised to find an album that took me right back to my days frequenting dodgy Goth clubs in the late 90s. Inspired by the likes of Sisters of Mercy and Bahaus amongst others, the mysterious GVLLOW mixes post-punk, new-wave and goth together slapping in a few well-placed creepy samples. Tracks like “Pray To God” are pure 90s goth, the likes of which would have packed out those sticky, smoky dancefloors in the 90s. GVLLOW’s voice adds a sombre air to the whole album, and while the pace picks up on tracks like “Die By Your Hand”, along with the claim of a SoCal punk rock influence, it’s hard to see this as anything other than sombre, black eyeliner and a tonne of hairspray Friday night fodder for the goth rock undead.

Pick up your copy of Twin Flame here.

Far Beyond
‘The End of My Road’
Prosthetic Records

Hailing from Germany there is something wonderfully over the top about the third album from Far Beyond, the German solo project of Eugen Dodenhoeft. Gloriously pompous, The End of My Road is littered with moments which could have been lifted from any fantasy movie score. Those are woven around some galloping heavy metal to create a sound that is equally parts fantasy and muscle-loosening melodeath. With the four tracks on offer weighing in at over eight minutes each, the aim of The End of My Road is to take the listener on a journey. Racing along at a breakneck pace that journey is peppered with dramatic interludes, soaring symphonics and, at times, just pure unadulterated pomp. The musicianship is outstanding, the songs are wonderfully crafted and the execution is simply flawless.

Pick up your copy of The End of My Road here.

Profiler
‘A Digital Nowhere’
SharpTone Records

For those of us who grew up in the middle of the early 00s UK grunge/nu-metal scene, the sounds of Bristol three-piece Profiler will sound very familiar. Abrasive as fuck, there were plenty of bands doing this kind of thing back in the 00s scene but very few of them executed this quite as well as Profiler do. Crafted from the mind of vocalist and guitarist Mike Evans, A Digital Nowhere is an album which, underneath the melodic vocals, pulses with an almost twitching energy. However, it’s when the Bristol band channels that energy and drops in those turntables that they come alive. Displaying the rage and frustration that comes from living in Britain in 2024, when Profiler let loose and lose their shit, step back because things get truly explosive.

Pick up your copy of A Digital Nowhere here.

Kris Barras Band
‘Savages’
Earache Records

Sometimes you just need a good slice of balls-to-the-wall rock in your life so when this new single from the Kris Barras Band dropped into the inbox, that box got ticked. With a chorus that could fill every nook and cranny of even the most soulless arena, “Savages” is a super slice of fist-pumping, foot-stomping arena rock. Taken from their upcoming new album, Halo Effect, set to drop in April, “Savages” is a booming rock anthem which perfectly packs the right amount of grit and melody much of which comes from Barras’ own heartfelt, powerful vocals. Dripped into the mix the band have added a few electronic elements here and there but, far from sounding out of place, they give the whole thing a nice modern feel and leave you hoping that the rest of the album can keep up the pace with this appetiser.

Pick up your copy of Halo Effect here.