New Music Friday: A Chaotic Pop-Punk & Metal Explosion
Hold onto your eyeliner, because this New Music Friday is a genre-bending, nostalgia-fueled fever dream. From Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan resurrecting 2002 to Sleep Token dropping a polarizing masterpiece, here’s the rundown on the musical madness that hit us on May 9, 2025, complete with YouTube links and a sprinkle of snark.
Avril Lavigne & Simple Plan – Young & Dumb
Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan teamed up for a pop-punk banger that’s like a love letter to their Canadian teen days. Young & Dumb is all about chasing dreams and ignoring responsibilities, with a video that’s pure early-2000s vibes. Avril’s hyping it for her Greatest Hits Tour, and we’re already digging out our checkered Vans. Is this the pop-punk revival we’ve been waiting for, or just a nostalgia cash grab? You decide.
Sleep Token – Even In Arcadia
Sleep Token’s Even In Arcadia is here, and it’s a sonic rollercoaster of metal, R&B, and existential dread. Tracks like Caramel and Emergence have fans swooning, but X posts show some haters calling it trend-following. Vessel’s baring his soul, the visuals are cinematic, and Download Festival can’t come soon enough. Love it or loathe it, this album’s a conversation starter.
Hot Milk – Insubordinate Ingerland
Hot Milk’s Insubordinate Ingerland is a boisterous, tongue-in-cheek rager dubbed their accidental football anthem. It’s got that sweaty festival energy, but some fans aren’t feeling it compared to their debut bops like PARTY ON MY DEATHBED. Still, it’s chaotic fun, and we’re ready to scream it at 2 a.m. for their sophomore album drop.
Calum Hood – Call Me When You Know Better
5 Seconds of Summer’s Calum Hood went solo with Call Me When You Know Better, a reflective cut from his debut album ORDER chaos ORDER. It’s moody, personal, and all about his life outside the band. Perfect for when you’re staring out a rainy window, contemplating your choices.
Halsey & Amy Lee – Hand That Feeds
Halsey and Evanescence’s Amy Lee joined forces for Hand That Feeds, a fierce, emotional banger that’s like a supernatural power ballad. It’s raw, it’s powerful, and it’s got us ready to cast spells in the group chat. This collab is everything.
Hayley Williams & Moses Sumney – I Like It I Like It
Hayley Williams and Moses Sumney dropped I Like It I Like It, a sultry R&B duet that’s got us weak in the knees. Hayley, the queen of yearning, trades soulful harmonies with Moses over funky synths and reverb, singing about an angsty crush that’s too intense to handle. Moses called Hayley his dream collab for this track, and their TikTok teasers in platinum blonde wigs had fans feral before the drop. This is Hayley’s first R&B venture, and she’s serving vocals and looks like nobody’s business.
Of Mice & Men – Another Miracle
Of Mice & Men are back with Another Miracle, a metalcore sledgehammer that proves they’re still kings of the breakdown. After some rocky years, this single’s a reminder they’ve got staying power. Crank it up and apologize to your neighbors later.
Attack Attack! feat. Will Ramos – Dance
Attack Attack! resurrected themselves with Dance, featuring Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos. It’s a chaotic blend of crabcore and deathcore, with growls that could wake the dead. This is the MySpace energy we didn’t know we needed in 2025.
Three Days Grace – Alienation (Album Announcement)
Three Days Grace announced their new album Alienation, and we’re ready to relapse into our angsty teen phase. The hype’s real, and we’re bracing for some classic post-grunge catharsis. The band have also released the second single, Apologies, which you can listen to below. Stay tuned for more.
