There are no more crowded fields of music than the worlds of punk and hardcore. And it makes sense: Pick up a guitar, learn a few chords and off you go — you can make music now. While the genres' accessibility has led to some classics over the years, the overwhelming result is thousands upon thousands of bands hitting with a giant thud, mostly because of a lack of understanding the role of melody within songs that are intrinsically anti-melody. It's a tough balance, but one perfected by bands ranging from Napalm Death and Sacrilege to Anti Cimex and so on.

Two other bands from recent times, His Hero Is Gone and Masakari, nailed the art of the anti-melody. Now members of those bands have collided to form SYNDRØMES, a NYC-based crew that deals in anthemic hardcore, crust, D-beat and more. Beneath the growl-barks and occasional ambient intros, you'll find dark, minor chords and leads that play out like a Mahler or Mussorgsky symphony — a glimmer of light shining out of the darkness.

SYNDRØMES have unveiled their new EP, a four-song crusher that feels every bit as brutal, confident and surgical as many other debuts feel rushed and sloppy. It's an impressive feat for any band, but especially for one that's less than a year old. Stream the EP below for the first time (recorded by Travis Bacon at Chapel Black Studios and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege), and prepare to hit that repeat button. (Order yours via Halo of Flies ahead of its April 21 release date.)

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