It's a super short one this week, because real life is dumb. 

Up first is Rarities, a new collection of early tracks from shoegaze band Spotlights. This collection features the band's 2015 and 2016 EPs, along with a couple of digital-only singles. If you're a Spotlights completist, this collection marks the first opportunity to get these tracks on vinyl, via Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings.

Up next is the Manchester post-rock band Civil Service, who bill themselves as "never knowingly under 10 minutes." You can be 100% certain that the entire editorial staff* here at Both Kinds of Heavy will be listening if that's how you sell yourself. Despite this track, this album is mostly instrumental, and again, that's the type of shit the Both Kinds of Heavy editorial staff* likes to have hooked straight into their veins. 

On the other hand, "black metal inspired by World War I" isn't our traditional jam. Nevertheless, the recently released album Viribus Unitis by 1914 absolutely slaps. This new album was my introduction to this band, who apparently have been kicking asses since 2014 and appear to have a pretty sizable following. It's not particularly surprising - these guys combine black metal, doom, and death metal into a sound that's both instantly familiar yet distinct. A layer of samples with an old timey radio vibe mixed into the sound helps with that unique vibe. Super interesting stuff from this Ukrainian band. 

*The entire editorial staff consists of one guy and one or two dogs, depending on whether or not they decide to clock in.