Before drowning in Converge's serious-as-fuck hardcore, it'll be nice to lighten the vibe with Torche's triumphant blast of buoyant rock. Their latest album,
Harmonicraft, is one of the best of the year (with pretty great cover art, to boot). It sounds fresh and bright, while still being intensely heavy. It's a sonic sun lamp. The soaring guitar riffs and throbbing drums will permeate your brain and make endorphins rush through your system, lifting your mood 10 times above what any anti-depressant/Vitamin D/herbal-tea cocktail could ever do. This will be the record that helps you survive the winter. Get a head start on feeling good tonight—their songs are even more gloriously forceful live. MEGAN SELING
Also read our article on Converge.