New music review with singles from Chest and XCOMM
- Julia Mason aka The Decibel Decoder
- 7 hours 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 Chest JULIA and XCOMM Hot Pursuit, One and Nothing
Artist: Chest
Track: JULIA
Not to be confused with French band chest., London-based indie upstarts Chest have released new EP never really here. Produced by Thomas Coath (Sam Fender, Pale Waves), the EP moves between internal collapse and external chaos, capturing the sensation of existing under constant psychological and cultural pressure. Across the EP, the band blend energetic drums, tightly wound guitars and glowing electronic flourishes with serrated distortion and soaring melodic sections, drawing from a wide spectrum of influence, ranging from Sunny Day Real Estate and Placebo, to Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips.
To celebrate the EP's release, Chest share new single JULIA which reflects on childhood, illness and the lasting imprint of a fractured parental relationship through a haze of distorted indie-rock, pulling on wider themes of disconnection and guilt. On its release, vocalist Joel Reader said: "This track is the most personal one I’ve written. It’s a raw look at my own relationship with my unwell mother at a young age, and how that foundational, fractured dynamic has shaped and shadowed our relationship going forward. It meditates on a tangled kind of grief for someone who is still here. It’s vulnerable, helpless, childlike with inescapable resentment and anger."
Formed in Norwich, the band credit the city’s alternative spirit and genre-diverse scene for giving them the space to evolve without being boxed in. “Norwich is full of oddballs and weirdos who are unapologetically themselves – that attitude is something we carry with us," the band said. Since moving to London earlier this year, Chest have played headline shows across the country, played festivals including Latitude and Wild Paths, received early airplay on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music, and have supported bands including The Lounge Society, Bilk and PleasureInc.
Chest Live Dates
27 February - London, The Elephant's Head
28 February - Norwich, Arts Centre
10 April - Bury St Edmunds, The Apex
* * *
Artist: XCOMM
Track: Hot Pursuit, One and Nothing
Following a landmark start to 2026 that saw them support the Foo Fighters at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, earn a place on the prestigious NME 100 of 2026 and rack up over 2.5 million views across all platforms on their music video for Fake ID, Venice Beach hardcore unit XCOMM return today with their new single Hot Pursuit, One and Nothing.
Released via Blowed Out Records (no relation! -Ed) and produced by Ross Robinson (Korn, The Cure, Slipknot, Glassjaw, At The Drive In), the track captures the remarkable spectrum of what XCOMM are capable of. Hot Pursuit is fast, confrontational and unrelenting and moves with razor-sharp urgency before folding into the darker, almost ethereal tension of One and Nothing. The result is the sound of a young band showcasing their exceptional range without any compromise or softening their edges.
Speaking on the release, frontman Michael Gatto shares: “Hot Pursuit is about everyday frustrations and the way we put energy and purpose to combat those frustrations, I remember this one was written at our second ever rehearsal. One And Nothing, on the other hand, is about moments of clarity and realisations that you do have control over your surroundings and the way things play out.”
XCOMM are a ferocious hardcore punk band from Venice Beach, fusing old-school intensity with a modern sense of chaos and clarity. Formed in 2023, the band features frontman Michael Gatto, guitarist Jay Vargas, bassist Adan Escoto, drummer Revel Ian, and DJ/sampler Hunter Grogan.
Signed to Blowed Out Records, XCOMM recorded their upcoming debut album Time To Burn with the legendary Ross Robinson producing. Their first two singles, Reasons and Fake ID showcase their ability to bottle frustration and self-awareness into precise, pummelling anthems. The latter, clocking in at just over two and a half minutes, turns the age restricted show rejection into a skate-punk rampage with a warped sense of humor and a breakdown built to decimate.
XCOMM have already opened for Hatebreed, shared the stage with Down at Milwaukee Metal Fest, landed on LEO Weekly’s “10 Under-the-Radar Acts” at Louder Than Life, and supported the Foo Fighters at the Kia Forum earlier this month for a sold-out benefit concert in support of Hope The Mission and Los Angeles Mission. With their debut album slated for release later this year, the band have barely scratched the surface of the unabridged mayhem they are about to unleash. In the band's words "XCOMM are coming for your life".
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