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Monthly Music Crush: Cenobia, Queens of the Stone Age, Chelsea Wolfe, C.O.F.F.I.N, Mastodon + Turnstile
- Tiana Speter
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Aaand...it's September! I saw Christmas cakes in Woolworths two weeks ago so (begrudgingly) I guess it's safe to say we're basically in the end game of 2026 already.
You know the drill, at the start of each new month I round up six of my fave new tunes from the last month (or so), sharing a bit of love from across the world and genres with new stuff that's been kicking around in my speakers of late.
This time around we've got some fresh cuts from Cenobia, Queens of the Stone Age, Chelsea Wolfe, C.O.F.F.I.N, Mastodon and Turnstile.
You can also catch all these songs and more over at The Soundcheck's official Mixtape which showcases 100 tunes that have recently been kicking around in my speakers...and potentially yours too if you follow and listen along. Available on Spotify, Apple Music and/or YouTube (also boo Spotify, but I'm trying to cater for all y'all).
Photo Credit: Jack Fontes
CENOBIA
Single: Swallowed By The World
(Fearless Records)
We're truly spoiled for choice with amazing artists in Australia, and late last month Sydney-hailing enigmatic artist Cenobia levelled up yet again, announcing her signing with Fearless Record to the worldwide roster, and also unleashing a ferocious new single Devour Me.
Taken from her upcoming new EP Lethal Devotion due out on September 18, Devour Me is a sumptuous balance of elegance and towering heaviness.
"Cenobia gifts you her fourth chapter, 'Swallowed By The World.' Her end. Her beginning.'A divine awakening is upon us. Her eyes are yet to open.' Devoured whole. A fractured rebirth. She was swallowed by the world, forged in trauma. Her quest to be made whole again draws to an end. Now, her divine awakening is upon us. She is Cenobia. She too will devour the stars." - Cenobia
Releasing her debut single just last year, Cenobia has already racked up a formidable following, rapidly amassing millions of streams and views and showcasing some of the best that modern metal has to offer. Following the release of Lethal Devotion later this month, Cenobia will support Northlane nationally in November.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Single: Insignificant Other
(Matador Records / Remote Control Records)
Queens of the Stone Age have eternally had a knack for fusing sensual rock that simultaneously sounds like driving down a hazy desert road at midnight and/or weaving spells in a darkened corner of a dive bar. In 2026, the group have now confirmed their ninth studio album Perfecth, due out on October 30, with the announcement also arriving with a new track: Insignificant Other.
Capturing the band's magnetic wiles, with the final result also the second of only two takes, Insignificnt Other bears all the QOTSA hallmarks of oozy, woozy rock'n'roll, harking back to some of their earlier works while also presented under a fresh lens.
"It's a song about distance. About how someone can be your entire world only to simply vanish. And about the strange vertigo of being on the receiving end of that.” - Josh Homme
The upcoming new album, produced by the band's own Josh Homme and Michael Schuman, centres around kintsugi; the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by filling its cracks with gold, and is set to span all the different forms of love across the space of nine tracks.
Photo Credit: Magdalena Wosinska
CHELSEA WOLFE
Single: Seethe
(Loma Vista Recordings)
Once and for all showcasing that the dark is not to be feared, the queen of darkness herself, Chelsea Wolfe, recently unveiled her ninth studio album (aptly named: The Dark). An album laden with symbolism, mystery and solace, it's also ultimately a celebration of empowerment as Wolfe resoundingly emerges into the height of her powers.
Nestled amongst the album's 10 tracks is Seethe; the final single to drop ahead of the album's release on August 21, and a propulsive ode to the female assassin archetype from film, TV, books and real-life.
“I think I started writing Seethe on a ferry boat in Scandinavia. I was in the middle of a European tour and feeling very inspired. And I actually wrote it on bass, which I don’t normally do, and it’s why I think it sounds pretty different from everything else because it started life a lot differently to how I normally write. I wanted it to have a very driving, forward motion type of feeling, like a train going off the tracks or something a little bit wild. I chose to start it on bass for that reason and build from there. And it’s an ode to the character of the female serial killer and/or the female assassin in film and TV and books and real life.” - Chelsea Wolfe via Music Feeds
Featuring Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam), Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens Of The Stone Age), Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint), and Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Nine Inch Nails, St Vincent), The Dark is a gripping ride from start to finish, with Wolfe's voice buoyed by a newfound confidence. Each exquisite track feels like its own invocation – a calling down of forces, primordial, bone-shaking, self-altering.
C.O.F.F.I.N
Single: 13 Days
(p(doom) records)
C.O.F.F.I.N (aka Children of Finland Fighting In Norway) have built a reputation on their high octane releases and live chaos, mixing punk and pub rock into their own unique sound. Set to release their sixth studio album Out In Oslo on September 13, the band recently unleashed something a touch unexpected: their first ever acoustic song in the form of 13 Days.
"13 Days was the last song written for the album, and was originally an acoustic solo track I had been working on. Producer Declan Mehrtens asked if we had anything in the works that was a real step-away from our compositional comfort zone. Kosty had been staying at my place and overheard me the night before on the acoustic tinkering with a solo song and suggested, “What about that one from last night?” I was quick to shut the idea down, saying it wasn’t a C.O.F.F.I.N song. I think mainly because I didn’t want to feel as though I was imposing my own songs and guitar style on the band. Also probably felt a bit exposed. Declan was intrigued, though and persuaded me to show the fellas. One rule we had for this record was to not rule anything out when writing it, and the guys were really supportive and excited about the idea of having our first acoustic track on this album. We were also reminded that any song is a C.O.F.F.I.N song once we’re all playing it together. We’re lucky not to feel restricted by a genre or external expectations." - Ben Portnoy
Joining previous singles Sleep In It and Think Bad, 13 Days showcases the quartet's expansive reach churning through their upcoming new album, exploring beyond the confines of rock'n'roll and, according to their press material, embracing "a more mid-paced groove and ZZ Top-toughness". Releasing via King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's p(doom) records, Out In Oslo is very clearly shaping up to be an exciting new chapter from the ARIA-nominated group.
Photo Credit: WIlliam Lacalmontie
MASTODON
Single: Barbarian's Blood
(Loma Vista Recordings)
As a longtime Mastodon fan, it was difficult to pinpoint a song from their brand new album Marrow Deep, which dropped last Friday 28 August, for this list. It's an album that pays homage to their past while also bridging to a new future, complete with an astonishing lineup of guest features and enough sharp edges to keep you on your toes.
With that in mind, opening track Barbarian's Blood has ultimately taken the cake for this monthly wrap-up, thanks largely to its welcome nods to the band's Blood Mountain era, complete with grooves, pounding intensity and psych, crunchy moments.
"This was the last song written for the album. It was originally just some riffs that were floating around way towards the end, and we decided to work on it and put it together about two or three days before we started recording for real in the studio. It really came about last minute, and it ends up being the opener, so you never know! Some of this stuff with Marrow Deep is almost two years old, but Barbarian’s Blood was “new” new. The opening line of “we're in danger of losing everything” was the sentiment that was in the room when we were starting to work on stuff. Troy [Sanders] had just lost all his worldly possessions and most of his home in a hurricane, and Brent [Hinds] had died just a few days prior. And so we were feeling fragile as people. I think that the aggression on this first song is us maybe pushing back against that and trying to kick that door down." - Brann Dailor
The band's first new album since 2021, and also a bittersweet outing as the first album without their brother Brent Hinds, Marrow Deep cuts deep with emotional resonance, dexterity and passion. For a band who have already ticked off winning a GRAMMY Award, touring the world and influenced a generation of bands for decades, Mastodon have channeled grief in every facet into a genuine work of art with their brand new record.
TURNSTILE
Single: SUNSHOWER: ANGEL DU$T VERSION
(Roadrunner Records)
Turnstile kicked off 2026 with some Australian shows and left with a resounding imprint on crowds down under, with many declaring it the best set of the year; and it was only January. And if that wasn't enough Turnstile for you this year, the band also recently dropped a rework of their 2025 album NEVER ENOUGH: enter, NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS.
Reading like a music-lover's fever dream with its stacked lineup of features, NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS spans input from Porches through to Hayley Williams, Blood Orange, Dan Deacon, Slayyyter and even Elton John. But it's on the redux version of SUNSHOWER that the album gets a full-bodied hardcore injection, with Angel Du$t cutting through the more indie and electronic tendencies throughout the broader release.
Feeling like the closest thing to its source material on the album SUNSHOWER: ANGEL DU$T VERSION still rattles in some ambience after its rollicking intro. And a bonus fun fact for the uninitiated, Angel Du$t frontman Justice Tripp previously started the group with original Turnstile members Pat McCrory and Daniel Fang, while Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates also previously contributed guitar and backing vocals and featured on some earlier Angel Du$t releases.
If you wanted some extra scuzz in your Turnstile cup, SUNSHOWER: ANGEL DU$T version has you dialled, while also contributing a memorable jolt to the eclectic but wholly entertaining entity that is NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS.
