Attention sludge metal fans! You have a new band name to etch onto your heart.

The Larches only formed in Middlesbrough in 2023, but they’ve swiftly moved through the gears with a series of incendiary releases that have blown up like a whole firework-factory’s worth of thrills. And their new EP ‘Nihilistic Majesties’ – due out on 24 July – sees them really pushing the envelope when it comes to amping things up to another level. From ‘Corrosion’, which subverts and elevates a rollicking bluesy riff into something that feels monumental, to ‘Drought’, a widescreen epic overspilling with chopped-up Radiohead-isms, to ‘Smother the Hero’, which hits a nicely demented groove, they’re a band not afraid to go where others fear to tread. “This record is a sermon from the void – five hymns for a world unravelling,” says vocalist Noah Annandale; and – do you know what? – he’s not wrong. The band are due to launch the EP with a special show at the Georgian Theatre in Stockton, so keep an eye on their socials for details on that. DP

Seek: linktr.ee/thelarches