New music review with singles from Radkey and XCOMM feat Ghostemane
- Julia Mason aka The Decibel Decoder
- May 27
- 4 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 Radkey Ready To Burn and XCOMM ft. Ghostemane Pirates
Artist: Radkey
Track: Ready To Burn
Kansas City punk band of brothers, Radkey, announce their new album Bedroom Sand to be released on 14 July. Never abandoning the scrappy DIY nature that raised them, they called on the relationships they’ve made throughout their time as a band and connected with a like-minded professor at Syracuse University. During the summer break of 2025, the unlikely group snuck onto campus to record in the School of Music's state-of-the-art studio. The result is 8 songs of unyielding defiance — and the story of a band doing whatever it takes to make the music happen.
Along with the news of the upcoming record, Radkey release their new single Ready To Burn. Nostalgic and referential to the trio’s upbringing on the road, Radkey shows how easily they can take their influences and flip them into something entirely their own, always thinking about how it will translate to their live show.
“We were thinking a lot about fun live songs for this record,” shared the band. “We got the idea for this bouncy sing along type song about being a nostalgic nerd growing up on the road. Staying up watching movies, playing video games and writing about the things that we love. We got a lot of fun references in there. Pillars of Eternity covers our love for the Obsidian RPG games, Pokemon covers the old anime that we're always watching and even a reference to one of our favourite bands, Local H, where we use the words ‘Bound for the Floor’.”
This summer, Radkey has tour dates scheduled around the Midwest in the US, kicking things off a couple of weekends ago with their 4th annual RadFest in Kansas City. Known for their live shows, Radkey has received cosigns from the Foo Fighters, Jack White, and Rise Against to name a few.
Radkey Live Dates
June
12 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
20 - Kansas City, MO - RINO Benefit Show
26 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
27 - Rock Island, IL - RIBCO
July
17 - Manhattan, KS - Summer in the Park
* * *
Artist: XCOMM ft. Ghostemane
Track: Pirates
Venice Beach hardcore punk unit XCOMM have released their new single and accompanying video Pirates ft. Ghostemane, from their debut album, Time To Burn, which hit streaming platforms on 22 May via Blowed Out Records.
Produced by Ross Robinson, the architect behind era-defining records from Korn, Slipknot, Glassjaw, At The Drive-In, The Cure and more, Time To Burn perfectly crystallises the essence of XCOMM - young, loud, funny, furious and swinging for the fences. With a level of craft rarely so expertly honed this early in a band’s career, XCOMM have delivered a debut that bottles the raw charge of a new wave powered by defiance, authenticity and unbridled talent.
Pirates brings XCOMM’s feral hardcore velocity into direct contact with Ghostemane’s ominously powerful presence. The video, directed by Darren Craig, also features Ghostemane and Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise, throwing the band’s chaos into a visual world of police chases and ruined suburban picnics.
Frontman Michael Gatto shares: “I'm so excited for the world to finally hear this record! Every little bit of writing to preproduction to actually being in the studio recording with Ross was amazing. We’v got a lot of shows and new music to come. This is just the beginning!
"Shooting the Pirates music video was great, Darren Craig killed it and Ross chewed up a pickle and spit it all over my shoes for the video - homemade relish. The video captures the intensity that the song was written about. And having Ghostemane feature on the track was mind-blowing.”
Drummer, Revel Ian shares “Working on this record with Ross Robinson was the most cathartic experience I’ve ever had. There were no limits to what we could be or do. Playing our instruments was like breathing; you didn’t have to think it was just there; it was like an extension of our being. This record is what I’ve always wanted to do my entire life.”
XCOMM have already supported Foo Fighters at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, played The Punk Rock Museum’s 3rd Anniversary Parking Lot Show in Las Vegas, appeared at California Chaos Festival with Militarie Gun, and are set for major upcoming performances at Bumbershoot Festival, supporting Dethklok at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and Observatory North Park in San Diego on 28th May, plus appearances at Warped Tour in Washington, D.C. and Long Beach.
The sense of unfiltered youth runs through every corner of Time To Burn. Across eleven tracks, XCOMM turn frustration, boredom, impulse, anger and absurdity into short, sharp shocks of hardcore clarity, simultaneously honoring the hardcore punk lineage that came before them, whilst also adding fresh and invigorating elements pulled from inspirations like David Lynch movies. Songs like their breakout single, Fake ID channel the real-life irritation of being turned away from shows for being under 21 into a snotty anthem of refusal, while Hot Pursuit / One And Nothing stretches the band’s range from frantic confrontation into darker, more atmospheric pressure.
XCOMM are Michael Gatto on vocals/guitar, Revel Ian on drums, Adan Escoto on bass and Hunter Grogan on DJ/sampler. Together, they make punk rock that feels physical before it feels fashionable. No polish for polish’s sake. No borrowed attitude. Just the sharp, unruly sound of a young band kicking open the door while everyone else is still deciding whether they’re allowed in the room.
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