2024 - 04 - 27 /// In Her Head 'Doves EP' + Usurp Synapse art

As mentioned last post, we got that sweet sweet…wait…we got that dark’n’dirty Usurp Synapse EP comin’. It’s called ‘Polite Grotesqueries - AssIIAss edition’ and it features seven new jams that the band recorded back in January of 2024. We’ll have a streaming premiere on May 2nd along with a single rare variant before doing the full release on May 3rd at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST and then if you make it to the ZBR Fest pre-show you can catch them play the entire thing live! And also buy more tapes, cuz this is a super limited run of 128 with alternate art that will not be made again.

---

Niboowin new album ‘Giving In’ releases May 9th on ZBR but we got those 12”s in already so the band will be slingin’ them at their shows as well as (obviously) at ZBR Fest (cuz they’re playing). Insanely long in the making, this was nearly a cursed record but we got that thing lifted cuz it would have been a travesty for these incredible songs to have not seen the light of day. Jam a strawberry below.

---

In Her Head’s new release ‘Doves EP’ just dropped on Tomb Tree. Three tracks of breakdown-heavy sassy metalcore in the vein of SeeYouSpaceCowboy and ‘Frailty of Words’-era Hopesfall. These tapes literally just came in so the cases aren’t finished yet but will be good to go by Monday. We’ll start shipping them sometime next week, only 29 copies in total: 20 swirled, 5 blue, and 4 test dips w/matching swirl case.

Speaking of Tomb Tree, they’ll have the Colacon pre-orders for the band’s debut 12” on Monday at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST!!! More info to come over the weekend.

---

2022’s ZBR Fest was a return to form as we moved that sucker outta Canada and into Chicago where US Dave resides. It kicked off in epic fashion and was the first of many to come in Illinois, as that is ZBR Fest’s true home. This first Chicago-based fest was called ZBR Fest Mid-West and you can check out all the links and videos on the OMSB post by clicking on this text. Full recap video below!

---

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: MY HANDS YR HEART = Unfortunately a band with almost the exact same name released a demo about a month ago, but fortunately this kicks ass. Yay two new sick bands!

2024 - 04 - 22 /// Usurp Synapse EP + Venus Twins LP

We stoked to officially announce that we’re helping Usurp Synapse release their brand spankin’ new EP on limited edition cassette May 3rd, 2024!!! This coincides with their pre-show ZBR Fest performance alongside Meth., We Weren’t Invited, Godseyes, and Colacon. Jam a jam below!

---

Venus Twins 12” vinyl for their almighty ‘RAXIS’ full length are officially out and in both ZBR stores! This band is hot so don’t expect them to stick around for long. Plus they’ve got a tour with Whores coming up and a split with Heavenly Blue so you’ll be seeing lots more of them! Click on this text to go to the Softseed Music Bandcamp page to jam/buy, or just go to either ZBR store!

VENUS TWINS - RAXIS (cassette/12")

from CA$15.00

For fans of: Death From Above, Big Dick, Raw Grip, and Lightning Bolt.

The new 10-track behemoth of an album that is ‘RAXIS’ is a prodigious leap forward for the New York two-piece. The brothers play drums and bass/vocals with serious noise rock nods to other killer bands such as Death From Above and Big Dick (hmmm…both Canadian) but add a serious dose of experimentation. Be it the undeniable grooves on “Return to Dust“, “Angel 32:35“, or “Light Catches the Rats“, the eerie and awkward “Agony Sludge Infinite“ and “seeS recnepS“, or the long and epic “God’s Machines“ and “In a Smashed Mirror“, this album covers a serious amount of ground and is one of the best noise rock albums of 2022. Oh, and the tapes look stellar. What’s that? Vinyl too? Fuck yes.

12” vinyl /250: 125 tri-merge, 125 clear w/blue trip button, and 5 test presses, all with lyric insert. Cassettes /80, 40 on purple swirl, 28 on clear blue swirl, 5 on pearl swirl, 5 on varnished swirl, and 2 test dips w/matching swirl case, all in a plastic case with j-card and download code. 10 songs.

Listen here:
https://softseedmusic.bandcamp.com/album/raxis

Colour:

Select Colour 12" tri-merge (/125)clear w/blue triple button (/125)test press + variant spread (/3)purple swirl (/40)blue swirl (/28)pearl swirl (/5)varnished swirl (/5)test dip w/matching swirl case (/2)

12" tri-merge (/125) clear w/blue triple button (/125) test press + variant spread (/3) purple swirl (/40) blue swirl (/28) pearl swirl (/5) varnished swirl (/5) test dip w/matching swirl case (/2)

Quantity:

Add To Cart

---

Party Hats podcast has a Terry Green premiere! Holy shit!!! Click on this text to go to the full post or just listen away below. Party Hats are playing ZBR Fest and just had a split 4-way come out on Larry Records. The Terry Green album ‘Provisional Living’ releases on ZBR June 3rd.

---

Godseyes have been added to the pre-show (goodbye Iwan) and that should 100% solidify our lineup. Schedule below, tickets available on the clickthrough.

Click to go to the site for more info/buy tickets!

---

CanaDave is leaving in 10 days so the ZBR Fest bug is coursing through his veins, so let’s look back on a very awesome but poorly attended Fest in Vancouver in the summer of 2019. After the fest was when Joliette got banned from the U.S.A. for 5 years :( Check out a short recap video below and if you want more info/links/videos just click on the full 3-day review linked by clicking on this text.

Day 1: Diva Plavalaguna, Elle, Nuvolascura, Joliette, and Senza.

Day 2: Malevich, Lytic, Valtiel, Terrifying Girl’s High School, None But Equals, Double Standards, and La Sonora Clandestina.

Day 3: Massa Nera, Reveries, Obroa-skai, Emma Goldman, Friolento, and Miriam.

---

Click here for the full review!

Basque got some seriously positive/honest things said by Borderline Fuckup! Check it out and snag a tape before they gone, which you can find linked through our Bandcamp page or just snag one below. Click on the pic above to go to the review and click on this text to go to said Bandcamp page.

BASQUE - Pain Without Hope of Healing (cassette)

from CA$13.50

BASQUE ‘Pain Without Hope of Healing’ cassette (TT114)

For fans of: Lord Snow, Excrucis, and Karloff.

After essentially beginning their show career touring with Blind Girls, you know this has to be good. An uncategorizable debut, these first seven songs show a band ridiculously mature for a debut release, as rampant freakouts amidst sections of intense, tight, discordant instrumentals weave in and out of every anxiety-inducing track. Catch them at New Friends Fest 2024! Tomb Tree variants include some striking swirl and a much labored-over/stamp-happy limited flower edition.

Cassettes /32, 17x ‘The Colors of Pain’ swirl, 10x ‘Flower Garden’, and 5x test dip w/matching swirl case, all w/two-sided j-cards. 7 songs.

Listen here:
https://tombtreetapes.bandcamp.com/album/pain-without-hope-of-healing

Variant:

Select Variant 'The Colors of Pain' swirl (/17)'Flower Garden' (/10)test dip w/matching swirl case (/5)

'The Colors of Pain' swirl (/17) 'Flower Garden' (/10) test dip w/matching swirl case (/5)

Quantity:

Add To Cart

---

Operation X-Ray continues their stellar coverage of many-a-genre, including our Vow, Colacon, and Crossed releases.

---

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: GODSEYES = Hopefully our last change to the fest was Iwan (out) and Godseyes (in), so check out their newest endeavor - it slaps!!!

2024 - 04 - 16 /// Vow is out, Distro update + Crossed is next

Hey hey! Here’s a quick/updated weekly schedule for ya.

WEDNESDAY: Venus Twins news

THURSDAY: Venus Twins variants (probably helps you infer what news the day prior is)

FRIDAY: Crossed 12”EP releases / Distro update

SATURDAY: Entwife cd releases on Tomb Tree

---

Vow released today on Tomb Tree and it’s arguably the heaviest thing they’ve ever released, which is saying something cuz they released Orphaned! Wicked late 90s metallic hardcore meets 2000s metalcore with some death crossover. Stores are linked through the bandcamp below.

---

Click for the full review!

With such a stellar release, it only makes sense that people are giving the new self-titled .22LR reviews. Case in point (((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))). Tapes didn’t sell out immediately but they’ve been moving steadily since the release as people are catching on that this is one of the best EPs of 2024. Click on the pic above or this text to go to the review, jam/buy below.

---

Click here for the full review!

Widowdusk was reviewed by the always truthful Borderline Fuckup who gave this release an “underappreciated” tag which we agree with. Sure it got some hype, but jamming through that thing is heavenly. Tapes are arriving this week so we will have a ZBR Fest exclusive variant and likely release right before the fest. Click on the pic above or this text to go to the review. Jam/buy the digitals below.

---

Operation X-Ray slinging the good shit including Tomb Tree’s Lettingtheintrusivethoughtswin (which we’re almost sold out of, by the way) and a plethora of other heavenly jams.

---

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: HEAVENLY BLUE = Easily contender for album of the year. Ex-Youth Novel and hella homies <3 <3 <3

2024 - 04 - 01 /// .22LR releases tomorrow, jam a new track now

Oh it’s April…well guess what? I don’t do April Fools, so here’s the release schedule for April!

ZBR:
April 8th = GXLLIUM! 'Gxllium 1' cassette: Pressing out of 102, 42 REC swirl, 35 neon orange swirl, 20 green w/metal cover, and 5 test dips w/matching swirl case. For fans of Me And Him Call It Us and .gif from god.

April 20th = CROSSED 'Vida Quieta' 12"EP: 250 clear 12"s w/silkscreened b-side. For fans of Converge and Man Is The Most Dangerous Game.

April 29th = GOSSIP 'Coals of Juniper' 10"EP: Pressing of 250 10"s over two variants. For fans of Mahria and Old Soul.

TOMB TREE:
April 2nd = .22LR '.22lr' cassette EP: 74 tapes. For fans of Carrion Spring, Elle, and Wakhan Corridor

April 11th = LETTINGTHEINTRUSTIVETHOUGHTSWIN '' cassette EP. Very limited, just 27 tapes made! For fans of Serpent Column and Sawtooth Grin.

April 16th = VOW 'Demo' cassette EP: 4 songs on 70 tapes. For fans of Greedworm, (early) Left Behind, Pathos Departure, and Brothers.

April 26th = IN HER HEAD 'Doves' cassette EP: Cassette pressing of just 30 tapes. For fans of SeeYouSpaceCowboy and The Number Twelve Looks Like You.

May 3rd = COLACON 'Throes of Indignation' 12"LP: Pressing is a low 100 run on eco-mix 12"s. For fans of: From A Second Story Window and Malevich.

SOFTSEED MUSIC:
April 22nd = VENUS TWINS 'Raxis' 12"LP: Pressing /250 over two variants. For fans of: Lightning Bolt and Death From Above 1979.

---

.22LR releases tomorrow, with the final single streaming on Friday’s Operation X-Ray who also played a new Lower Automation jam as well as some Basque and Pettersson! The spread is above, just 74 tapes in total!

---

CanaDave interviewed a buncha winners from the first annual Screamo Awards. There’s also live videos, acceptance speeches, etc.

---

Burial Etiquette was interviewed via Idioteq.com and I gotta say, there’s no way we’ll have any 12”s left for the ZBR Fest at this rate, so if this incredible release is up your alley pick one up now or forever hold your peace! Click on the pic above or this text to read, buy one below.

---

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: FRAIL BODY = This new record has been a long time comin’ and now it’s here and it’s fucking incredible.

2024 - 03 - 29 /// Herlovebeheadsdaisies and Missouri Executive Order 44 added!

Fest update! Onelinedrawing and Burial Etiquette will be unable to make it this year (mad bummer), but fret not because we’ve added Herlovebheadsdaisies (Sunday) and Missouri Executive Order 44 (Saturday)!!! Click on that pic above to get some tickets!

Just a heads up, there will be no Demersal pre-orders for Tomb Tree/ZBR, just like Crossed, we’ll wait until the release and we have them in hand. Demersal is set for May 10th, 2024.

---

Click here for the full premiere!

The next Tomb Tree release is the stellar new screamo band .22LR who contains members of Low Before The Breeze, Less Dead, and Jornada Del Meurto (to name just a few) with a new song premiering over at Idioteq.com. Full release is April 2nd!!! Click on the pic above or this text to go there.

---

Lower Automation had that “Life Insurance” premiere at Ghost Cult Mag, with their new EP ‘Welcome To My Deathbed’ on May 20th, 2024. There’s more info in the post linked here by clicking on this text. Jam it below!

---

Click here to save the youtube link!

The first annual Screamo Awards goes live on the 30th of March! Interviews done by our very own CanaDave. Youtube link goes live when it says it does, but you can access the link below now so you can save it.

---

Click for the full review!

Basque had an excellent review from Cave Dweller Music, who really gets this Kitchener four-piece. The seven songs are truly something special and are not likenable (not a word, I know) to any other bands. Click on this text or the pic above to read it in full. Jam/buy our last copies below!

---

Widowdusk was played on the newest Operation X-Ray, for which there will likely be another new episode tonight so stay tuned!

---

Click here for the full list!

Moshpit Nation’s Best of February includes Gxlllium!, Onewaymirror, and Volp among many others. Click on this text or the pic above to see a monstrous amount of killer releases.

---

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: MY HEART, YOUR HANDS = New rampagin’ from this band who is heavily influenced by Me And Him Call It Us.