IN CASE you weren't already aware, Belfast crossover outfit Skymas have just released another banging collision of repetitive beats, angry guitars and protest vocal proclamations in the form of their catchy new single No Easy Way Out.
Based around what sounds like a dirty old Therapy? riff, the song bumps and grinds along in fine fuzzy style, lifted occasionally by breakbeat breakouts and wooshy synthy bits to help get your hands in the air while moshing.
From the few tracks which have escaped their world HQ over the past three years, Skymas duo Martin Corrigan and Nick Todd have hit on an intriguing formula with their groups's line in agitated retro futuristic electropunk, which has elements of everyone from PIL and New Order to PWEI, Prodigy and Chemical Brothers in its sonic DNA.
Apparently, the band have another new tune coming at us in December, but in the meantime check out No Easy Way Out at FB.com/Skymas.band and three previously released tunes at Breakingtunes.com/Skymas.
If you're particularly fond of their newie, you can even buy it on MP3 at Amazon.co.uk for a quid.
On the subject of new singles, Malojian are readying the first fruit from their eagerly awaited new LP, This Is Nowhere, which will be officially released on October 7.
The single I'll Be Alright is a deceptively jaunty ditty featuring a cheerful chorus of "it's funny to see you lost completely, you cry and I know I'm gonna be alright", suggesting that this bouncy strum 'n' drummer from Stevie Scullion and co is laced with a certain amount of schadenfreude.
As it's also our first taste of the new batch of Steve Albini-recorded Malojian material, it's clear that their trip to Electrical Audio in Chicago hasn't radically altered the group's sound – a very good thing, in my book.
Suck it and see at Tinyurl.com/malojian, where you'll be able to watch a video featuring footage of the band at work and play in the USA.
Stevie and co are playing a couple of shows around the release of the new album: the first, at Saints Cafe & Deli in Saintfield on Sunday October 9 is already sold out, but tickets for the previous night's gig at No Alibis in Belfast were still available at time of press for £12 via NoAlibis.com.
Now, do you miss Fighting With Wire? Are you bored waiting for more new music from Goons?
Well, in that case you'll want to drink deeply from the musical well of New Pagans, a new band featuring FWW/Goons leader Cahir O'Doherty (guitar/vox), his partner Lyndsey McDougall (vocals), Claire Miskimmin (bass) out of Girls Names and Balkan Alien Sound's Conor McAuley (drums).
Their first two tunes by this veritable supergroup, Lily Yeats and I Could Die, are damn promising indeed and are available to stream and/or buy right now via NewPagans.Bandcamp.com.
The former offering is an ode to Lily Yeats, sister of Jack and William B and a key mover in the world of Irish arts and crafts back in the day along with her younger sister, Elizabeth.
Why, then, have they titled it Lilly Yeats rather than 'Lily Yeats'? My money is on some sort of keyboard fail on the part of the uploader – but that has absolutely no bearing on the quality of this atmospheric, agitated indie rocker.
Featuring emotive girl/boy vocals from Lyndsey and Cahir, it's got kind of a Sonic Youth vibe thanks to the chiming/squalling guitar sounds and a driving, shaker augmented groove.
As for the queasy clatter of I Could Die, with its swooping My Bloody Valentine 'glide guitar' effects, Lyndsey's cooing distorted vocal and late onset rock-out, it lurches along like some sort of totally awesome hybrid of PJ Harvey and Babes in Toyland.
Yes, New Pagans are seriously good and their first two songs are seriously worth £2 of anyone's money – but particularly the hard earned coin of anyone who enjoys the aforementioned musical reference points.
Pray for gigs and more new music to be announced soon.
