(1)_edited.png)
It's the last week of June for 2024, and you'd better believe some stone-cold bangers dropped this week. Welcome to The Soundcheck's Sound Check, featuring 5 x new tunes that dropped this week to check out.
This week Tom Morello and his son Roman teamed up for a huge new track, Slowly Slowly are back, Yours Truly drop a sunny earworm, Magnolia Park level up their genre-bending goodness, and Banks Arcade continue their run of innovative modern heaviness.
Tom Morello & Roman Morello - Soldier In The Army Of Love
What happens when you add Rage Against The Machine guitar lord Tom Morello with his equally talented son Roman Morello? Let's just say that the rock gods are clearly smiling on the Morello clan, with the pair's new single Soldier In The Army Of Love an instant fiery rock classic.
Taken from Morello senior's impending first ever full length solo album, due for release later this year, Soldier In The Army Of Love is a straight up raw meat rocker; an anthem complete with some 70s hues, Southern swagger, Biblical and more modern topical lyricism - and, of course, riffs aplenty. But the real cherry on top of this brand new track is undoubtedly the addition of Roman's influence, with the teenage prodigy penning the riffs and the gleefully ornate solo.
Soldier In The Army Of Love is out now, with the, as yet untitled, solo album due out later in 2024.
For more Tom Morello info, head here.
Slowly Slowly - Gimme the Wrench
The trademark gloss rock of Melbourne's Slowly Slowly has risen to new heights via their brand new single, Gimme The Wrench, which dropped this week. A track that simultaneously feels like a nostalgic heartbreaker and a fresh-faced anthem, Gimme The Wrench is vulnerable and cinematic, with the effortless and affable Slowly Slowly charm on full display.
The group's first new music since their 2022 album Daisy Chain, during which frontman Ben Stewart joined season 2 of The Soundcheck's podcast, this latest release also marks Slowly Slowly announcing their signing to Nettwerk Music Group. Catchy, buoyant and charmingly relatable, Slowly Slowly can't seem to put a foot wrong; watch this space, there's undoubtedly big things yet to come from Slowly Slowly land in 2024.
Gimme The Wrench is out now.
For more Slowly Slowly info, head here.
Yours Truly - California Sober
Sydney trio Yours Truly have unleashed yet another slam dunk this week, with the infectious and effervescent new track California Sober offering an additional peek into their upcoming new album TOXIC.
Building on their trademark pop punk foundations, California Sober is a sublime concoction of raw, confessional lyricism, hooks aplenty and overriding sparkle. Vocalist Mikaila Delgado also once again showcases her genuine star quality, with a relatable yet powerhouse performance that also poignantly touches on losing meaningful connection with loved ones.
Set to unveil TOXIC on August 16 via UNFD, Yours Truly are in the midst of an incredible year, alongside recent new music gems Call My Name and Sour, and an upcoming performance at Reading and Leeds Festival in the UK in August alongside Blink-182, Fred Again, Lana Del Rey and more.
California Sober is out now, TOXIC is due out August 16.
For more Yours Truly info, head here.
Magnolia Park - Shallow
Hailing from Florida, Magnolia Park are one of those bands who are impossible to pin down genre-wise; and we truly love them for it. A pop punk/alternative powerhouse, with injections of hip hop, emo and much, much more, the group also fly the flag for inclusivity and representation in the pop punk realms alongside crafting genuine bangers; and their latest single Shallow is a stunning epitome of the overused aforementioned "b" word.
Churning with etheral atmospherics and palpable energy, Shallow builds into a soaring chorus that showcases the group's sharp songwriting chops as well as the omnipotent vocal stylings of frontman Joshua Roberts. Marking Magnolia Park's first new music since their spooky-themed sophomore album Halloween Mixtape II, Shallow is delectably dark and immersive, signalling a glown up new era for the band dead ahead.
Shallow is out now.
For more Magnolia Park info, head here.
Banks Arcade - Faded AF
New Zealand-born and Melbourne-based, Banks Arcade have been exceptionally busy in 2024, with the self-described metal boy band releasing not one, but two EPs this year: DEATH 2 released in February and A Muse dropping on Friday 28 June. And in true Banks Arcade fashion, the two EPs remain spiritually linked but stylistically unique, with the group flexing their extremely wide set of skills that runs on chaos and heaviness via DEATH 2, and more intimate, modern rock fare on A Muse.
Closing out the A Muse chapter, Banks Arcade dropped the video for Faded AF, with the song capturing the inner battle of facing anxiety, indecisiveness and self doubt. A moody amalgamation of burgeoning textures, electronics, and weighted thematics, Faded AF may not be the heaviest fare Banks Arcade have ever released; but innovation in the heavier genres is always something exciting to witness.
Faded AF is out now, as is the new EP A Muse.
For more Banks Arcade info, head here.
BY TIANA SPETER