Watch: The Prize share new video for ‘From The Night’

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In 2022, Aussie band The Prize released a thoroughly enjoyable EP ‘Wrong Side of Town’. The short release was big on entertainment, and the band’s retro sound played like a superb celebration of a power pop past, with huge nods to bands like The Nerves and The Real Kids influencing their material.

It was expected that The Prize would deliver a full length album soon after, but only a couple of digital singles materialised. These turned out to be a case of quality over quantity, though, with ‘First Sight’ being particularly catchy. That track’s repetitive hook captured the spirit of late 70s power pop even more effectively than any of the previous EP’s material, proving that The Prize’s knack for a great chorus would likely be one of the album’s biggest assets…whenever it was due to arrive.

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SUGAR BONES – Make Me Bad

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When it comes to blending funk, rock, soul and disco, few do the job as effectively as Sugar Bones. Fronted by powerhouse vocalist Corrin Cruz, the US band made a superb noise on their self titled EP, its five songs acting like the perfect primer for the first time listener. For those who enjoyed that short release, the full length ‘Make Me Bad’ – released in June 2025 – should be considered essential listening. The record’s eleven tracks capture Sugar Bones in great form throughout, on a selection of tight, funky and occasionally harder edged tunes that show off the entire band in the best manner possible.

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MURDERESS – Time To Kill EP

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Brazilian death metallers Murderess really pack a punch on their debut EP ‘Time To Kill’. In a little over thirteen minutes, the band run the full gamut of extreme metal, ranging from intensive thrash riffs crossed with a melodic death core, all the way through to a purer death sound that celebrates the genre’s less than compromising origins. The female dominated band attack from all fronts, and manage to fit a great breadth of noise into a pleasingly short assault, ensuring this release is a superb introduction to their world of brutality.

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Watch: Melodic punks The Carolyn share video for ‘White Russians and The Infinite Void’ ahead of EP release

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Atlanta’s The Carolyn are one of the great “under the radar” punk bands. Billing themselves as a melodic punk band who “make music for overthinkers”, their classic sound – drawing heavily from the classic influence of Face To Face and Strike Anywhere – relies as much on rousing hooks and huge, accessible melodies as punky riffs.

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AVERY FRIEDMAN – New Thing

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Brooklyn’s Avery Friedman only began playing live shows in 2024, and didn’t spend years honing her sound before the recording and release of her 2025 debut ‘New Thing’, so the album’s songs still have an element of freshness and occasional naivete. You couldn’t call the material raw, though, or even suggest its potential has been sold short in any way. The best of the record’s eight songs represent brilliantly crafted indie pop, often sharing a sound that’s much older than Friedman’s years, but everything is presented in a hugely confident manner.

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