Exploding with melodic and pummeling industrial-tinged post-punk, Louisville dark punk stalwarts FOTOCRIME erupt in an unexpectedly aggressive tone on their new album, Security. This more guitar-driven direction may seem like a pivot, but to those in the know it’s inherent in Fotocrime leader Ryan Patterson’s musical history and DNA. Patterson is a musician, producer, visual artist, and creative force behind Coliseum, Cat Magic Punks, Black Cross, and Shirt Killer, amongst many other bands and endeavors. Formed in 2017, Fotocrime have released five EPs and four albums, and on their fifth LP, 2026’s Security, Patterson is joined by new members Benjamin Clark (formerly of Elliott) on guitar and David Cundiff on bass. Filled with tales of overblown machismo at the nuclear chess board and honest living in a corrupt world, Security is rife with sentiments of paranoia and impending doom. Despite the darkness, Fotocrime always strikes a chord of elation with their man-vs-machine electronic-meets-organic industrial punk.

UNWELL is the shape-shifting solo project of Chris Colohan (Cursed, Sect, Left For Dead), born in the lockdowns of 2020 and a long overdue experimental in learning to play instruments after a lifetime of singing in hardcore bands, and to write and record complete music that suits this collective moment. The rare live version is made possible by the patient accompaniment of friends from Workers Comp, North of America and Non-Op.  

Ultra Love is a three-piece band from Ottawa, Ontario that consists of Pascale Arpin (guitar/vocals), Eric Elgar (drums/vocals) and Ted Hall (bass). Ultra Love channels the intensity and emotive qualities of late 90s emotional hardcore, post-punk and screamo, while also drawing on numerous other musical influences. With a fervent desire to push beyond formulaic structures and sounds, the three-piece prides itself on producing songs that remain untethered to one musical style. The eclectic nature of Ultra Love’s sound is not by accident as Arpin has expressed that her desire to not be bound to a singular sub-genre is a key part of the perspective she seeks to bring to a style of music that has been, and continues to be, predominantly male-dominated. Together with Elgar and Hall, the three-piece are able to create music that both celebrates and transcends their shared nostalgia for late 90s screamo and post-hardcore, and give it new meaning as a pillar of their own unique sound.