Amsterdam folk grunge, Brussels metalcore, a Perth blues-rock supergroup forged on a European tour, a Larnaca one-man philosophical metal project, and a Seattle Americana songwriter responding to the Supreme Court during Pride Month: rock this week covers a lot of ground.
Subterranean Street Society – Thomas Matthew Crooks
Subterranean Street Society’s “Thomas Matthew Crooks” is an excellent piece of swampy grunge: a slow-building groove and a whole lot of character and heart
“Thomas Matthew Crooks” grew from two events arriving on the same day: a depressed flatmate blaming vocalist Louis for his suicidal thoughts, and the news breaking of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. A pretty heady mix that one, and compellingly, the track makes no clean argument about either. Instead, it builds a pretty tasty, swampy groove that just doesn’t quit. Produced brilliantly and with bags of character, it’s a fantastic single, well worthy of your time this week.
Subterranean Street Society are a Danish-Dutch trio based in Amsterdam, blending folk storytelling with raw grunge energy in a space somewhere between Nirvana and Mumford and Sons. I love the former and dislike the latter, but these guys land somewhere great. Their songs move between fragile, confessional passages and explosive dynamics, and their catalogue is built on the principle that the most honest position is sometimes the most uncomfortable one. Come to London, guys. Would be great to see you live.
Karma Noir – This Is Her Time
Karma Noir’s “This Is Her Time” is a stunning metalcore track: recorded at Noise Factory Studio in Brussels with the visceral, unpolished mix that modern production almost never allows, and it sounds all the better for it.
“This Is Her Time” was recorded at Noise Factory Studio in Belgium, where the producer has previously worked with Channel Zero, and the production is a deliberate rejection of the clean, clinical finish that dominates contemporary metal. This really, really slaps and comes in hard and then goes even harder. There’s minimal guitar overlays keep the arrangement open, giving the emotional brutality of the subject space to land: a relationship that moves from love into manipulation and control. The vocals are great, with a combination of harsher vocals and clean singing that kind of commit to the paradox of the subject. It’s got some fantastic hooks too.
Karma Noir are a Brussels collective whose creative philosophy centres on fate, destiny and the invisible forces that shape human lives, a thematic framework the band draws from W.H. Auden: “We are lived by powers we pretend to understand.” Every member contributes their own influences to the writing process, which is what keeps the compositions shifting atmospherically rather than settling into a single register. It’s a brilliant single and I can’t wait for more.
Michael Vdelli And The Art Of Dysfunction – You And The Blues
Michael Vdelli And The Art Of Dysfunction’s “You And The Blues” is a brilliant blues-rock statement: spacious, brooding, and built around guitar playing that prioritises tone and sustain over flash.
“You And The Blues” sits in the cinematic, restrained end of modern blues-rock: the arrangement breathes, the guitar bends and lingers rather than showing off, and the whole thing moves with the deliberate weight of musicians who know restraint is harder to pull off than speed. The track emerged from a collaboration that began in 2021, when Vdelli caught Art Of Dysfunction live and immediately invited them to open his shows. By 2022 they were on his European tour together, and the studio project grew naturally from that shared stage time. The chemistry that developed across sound checks and jam sessions is what makes the recording feel lived-in rather than assembled.
Michael Vdelli And The Art Of Dysfunction brings together veteran guitarist and vocalist Michael Vdelli with Perth-based band Art Of Dysfunction: Michael Menna on guitar and vocals, Kelly McCarthy on bass and Royce Mack on drums. Vdelli brings decades of experience and a command of blues tone; Menna contributes melodic range and technical precision; McCarthy a formally trained groove; Mack maximum power and feel. “You And The Blues” is their debut single together, released 5 May 2026.