New music review with singles from Bruise Control and Bucket
- Julia Mason aka The Decibel Decoder
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason (aka The Decibel Decoder) brings us her new music review with singles from Bruise Control If Yr Not Mine and Bucket DNB
Artist: Bruise Control
Track: If Yr Not Mine
Sitting somewhere between 00’s indie and 80’s hardcore, Bruise Control have carved themselves an unlikely name in DIY punk, thanks to their catalogue of self-produced releases and a notoriety for chaotic live shows. Niall Griffin (guitar), Ruby Gilfillan (bass) and Tommy Victor Morris (drums) focus on creating hook-filled, razor-sharp indie-punk, grounded by lead singer Jim Taylor’s down to earth lyricism and ferocious delivery. The Manchester quartet have now released their self-titled EP, and to coincide with this the band has also shared the video for new single If Yr Not Mine.
Talking of their new single vocalist Jim Taylor shares: “If Yr Not Mine is another sense of apathy (bit of a theme of how I’ve felt as of late) and anger at day to day life. It’s near impossible to go about a daily task without getting wound up or annoyed at something cause absolutely everything has turned into one giant squeeze - from balancing finding time to see friends and family, trying to keep happy in a job which helps pay increasing bills and rents, trying to help out people who are in need of it, or feeling guilty that its hard to help others out because I’m struggling so much to keep afloat myself.”
Bruise Control are a band born out of pressure, social, financial and emotional, and the need to release it before it kills them. Their self-titled EP is a sharp, physical document of modern frustration, balancing catharsis and exhaustion with flashes of joy, humour and community. They set out on tour in support of the EP on 5 March beginning in York. I'll see you in the moshpit.
Bruise Control Live Dates
MARCH
05: YORK Fulford Arms
06: SHEFFIELD Hallamshire Hotel
07: MARGATE Where Else?
08: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Forum Basement
09: READING Facebar
11: LONDON Victoria Arms
12: KINGSTON Fighting Cocks
14: NEWPORT Le Pub
15: EXETER Cavern
19: HULL Polar Bear
20: EDINBURGH Legends
21: BIRKENHEAD Navigations Festival
JUNE (with THE DIRTY NIL)
27: BIRMINGHAM Castle & Falcon
29: BRISTOL Exchange
30: NOTTINGHAM Bodega
JULY (with THE DIRTY NIL)
01: LONDON 100 Club
03: BRIGHTON Green Door Store
04: MANCHESTER Rebellion
05: GLASGOW King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
07: LEEDS Key Club
08: 2000 TREES Festival
* * *
Artist: Bucket
Track: DNB
Dublin trio Bucket share new single DNB, a breakbeat-fuelled noise-rock spiral and the latest taste of a new project due later this year. Mixed and engineered by Dublin electronic artist and producer James Eager (Lankum, The Scratch), DNB was born out of a trip to Bristol where the band were introduced to a wave of drum and bass that left them eager to experiment. Returning home inspired, what began as two separate ideas gradually fused into one restless, shape-shifting track. Both lyrically and musically, there’s a sense of unravelling running through the song’s DNA, with abrupt shifts and volatile arrangements designed to keep the listener guessing at every turn.
Speaking on the track, vocalist Cian Dahdouh said: "Lyrically, the song deals with themes of social anxiety and mania. The narrator is having an internal meltdown as they consistently fail to understand other people’s humour. Not getting a joke is somewhat of a universal experience. I wanted to imagine the most manic or psychotic reaction an individual could have in that situation and make their thoughts sound extremely dramatic and somewhat poetic."
With a uniquely abrasive and punishing sound earning them a reputation as Dublin’s loudest band, new single DNB and previous track Nonsense follow showcases at Eurosonic this year (marked by Dutch broadcaster 3voor12 as one of the highlights of the festival) along with festival appearances at Primavera Sound, New Colossus (NYC), and Supersonic Block Party (Paris).
Led by guitarist/vocalist Cian Dahdouh and bassist Emmet McNamee, Bucket first emerged in 2021 with a body of work steeped in DIY garage and punk, quickly becoming known for chaotic live shows that saw them sell out The Workman’s Club in Dublin and tear through wall-to-wall DIY spaces across Ireland. By 2023, the band pivoted, embracing noise rock, hardcore and industrial textures, releasing standalone singles Who Knows? and Budgie, followed by 2025 EP Muck. Now joined by drummer Korey Thomas (Bricknasty), and with further releases planned across 2026, Bucket are cementing their identity as one of Ireland's most uncompromising new acts.
Bucket Live Dates
May
07 FOCUS Wales, Wrexham
22 Sniester Festival, The Hague (NL)
August
19-22 ArcTanGent, Bristol
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and never miss out on gig info and our latest deals
Comments