Babychaos, courtesy.

This week we’ve got multiple flavors of rock—the industrial variety from BABYCHAOS, the alt- variety from LEONE and some straight-up uncategorizable rock from Meet Me @ The Altar. There’s also some genre-blending goodness from Chris Pierce, Kendra Morris and James Hersey.

BABYCHAOS, “Guilty Hands (I Bleed)” — The news release for “Guilty Hands (I Bleed)” calls the song industrial pop, but I’m going to have to disagree. This is just straight-up industrial metal (which I love). Every time I hear a new example, it gets included. On top of that bias, this is an especially great example. The contrast between Babychaos’ voice and the harsh, grinding music is perfect, and I want more.

LEONE, “GTFOH” — We move from industrial metal to alt-rock with an edge to it. That’s the best kind. The simple bass riff on the chorus is an incredibly catchy hook and complements the sound of the vocals fabulously. LEONE was originally supposed to be Richie Leone’s solo project but the rest of the band’s musical voices come through and add a more layered sound to the end product.

Chris Pierce, “HOME” — This Chris Pierce song was suggested to me by fellow Tuesday Tracks writer (Tuesday Tracker?) Rachel Alm. As soon as I hit play, I was sold. I’m not sure what to call this; an Americana-tinged combination of blues and folk? Whatever it is, I like it. I’m slightly annoyed Rachel didn’t make me listen to his stuff sooner, in fact. You’re supposed to tell me these things!

Kendra Morris, “What Are You Waiting For” — There’s an undertone of a late ’60s, early ’70s throwback to “What Are You Waiting For,” especially in the chorus. But that oversimplifies it. There’s a touch more of a pop angle and modern production shines through without losing the retro feel. It’s a really solid balance between old and new. We we were sent this song two weeks ago (before it was released) and writer Mel Bowman accidentally picked it as well. We don’t have a lot of overlap in our tastes, which makes this impressive.

Meet Me @ The Altar, “Give It Up” — I love a good rock band, and Meet Me @ The Altar is just a good old-fashioned rock trio. Well… old-fashioned in that they’re three people that play rock music on actual instruments and it has a classic structure. It’s less classic in that the three members met on YouTube because they were all Paramore fans. Or that they’re three women of color, something not especially common historically or, unfortunately, in the present. Hopefully they encourage others, because there’s no denying that there’s a massive amount of talent here. They’re rising fast and it’s obvious why.

James Hersey, “Can’t Say No” — RIFF, collectively as a site, is a longtime fan of James Hersey. We first interviewed him way back in 2017 and again in 2020, and he’s been in Tuesday Tracks twice before, most recently last January. So is he on the list again because of bias? No, because I didn’t realize any of that when I picked “Can’t Say No.” I barely remember what I had for lunch today, let alone who we interviewed in 2017. But the fact that I independently came to the same conclusion we’ve come to in the past is the best evidence of his talent that I could think of.

Danny’s pick: There are a lot of strong showings, but I’m going with BABYCHAOS and “Guilty Hands (I Bleed).” Good industrial music was hard to find 25 years ago when it was at peak popularity. To hear a brand new song in the genre that’s this good in 2023? It’s going to be my favorite of any week. Please, musicians of the world, be like BABYCHAOS.

Follow publisher Daniel J. Willis at @BayAreaData on Twitter or @bayareadata.press on BlueSky.