Entertainment
Knuckle Puck: Joe Taylor on turning 30 and evolving the band | Music | Entertainment
Joe Taylor is just one of those cool guys, you know? Even while speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk over a faceless Zoom call, he was more than casual about his new Knuckle Puck album, Losing What We Love.
“I’m stoked,” he bellowed with a joyful intonation. “I’m really excited.” Fans are, too. Losing What We Love is Knuckle Puck’s first album since 2020’s “20/20”. They’ve released some sombre EPs since then, but this acts as a reinvention of the band. This was, Joe explained, the first time the band have really settled into a studio for another album. But it wasn’t business as usual for the band this time around.
“I really am so stoked with it,” he repeated. “Just the whole process of making the record and recording it was… we did it in a manner that we haven’t done since we started the band. Being more collaborative, hearing out ideas, and not getting one person so tunnel-visioned out on their own idea.”
Joe pointed out that Knuckle Puck allowed themselves to “hear other people out” while writing and recording. “Get that input,” he added, a process that made the writing, recording and producing a much more wholesome experience overall. “Being together made the process so enjoyable,” he went on. “So, when I hear the product obviously I’m stoked – because it rocks – but knowing how it came about is the best part.”
Writing and recording together is presumably something they haven’t done since before the pandemic (for “20/20”). That album, Joe looked back, turned out to be a bit of a weird one. It was written with a great sense of optimism and joy, and includes some of their best-loved songs… but it was released shortly after the pandemic took over. As a result, their good cheer somewhat fell on deaf ears.
Losing What We Love is Knuckle Puck’s first real contemplation of the past three years, post-pandemic, Joe said. “I feel it is just a reflection of all of us.” These sombre themes are all too obvious in the album’s title track (Losing What We Love). The heartbreak bleeds through its lines, with Joe screaming such injuries as “So who are we now / that you’re not around?” and “Who do we become / When we’re losing what we love?”
Joe said of the song’s meaning: “I feel like you can still have somebody that you love, but pieces of them can kind of fall away. Or in relationships in general. You can still be cool with somebody, but not have the exact same kind of relationship.” With a hint of regret, he added: “Just growing pains, really.”
This shift in tone, and the change in writing & record, is something that feels a little different for Knuckle Puck. Joe assured me their label had nothing to do with their creative work. So what’s changed?
“I would say it’s more of a relationship change,” he said. “Working with your friends sometimes can be hard, but at the end of the day, we are all friends the line-up of Knuckle Puck is Knuckle Puck. I feel like you’re on a sports team and you don’t have to look behind you, you can just pass it.”
“At this point, we’re all brothers,” Joe went on. “We all just hit 30, some of the guys are 31. [We’re] just hitting this point in our lives and we’re all really good friends, so it’s really cool.”
While many may lament reaching 30 and marching ever onwards to 40, Joe insisted it wasn’t something that he was hung up on. “I wasn’t too worried about turning 30 to be honest with you. But it definitely does make you look at, like, hey what are the next ten years of my life going to look like?”
Entertainment
What’s changed in Diablo 4 update 2.1.4? Blizzard getting ready for Season 8 | Gaming | Entertainment
After announcing plans to release a new update last week, Blizzard has finally made update 2.1.4 available to download.
Diablo 4 update 2.1.4 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. As Blizzard gets things ready for Season 8, the patch improves visuals and performance on PC.
The headline change is support for Intel XeLL and XeSS Frame Generation. If your PC meets the hardware requirements, then you can enable this function by visiting the graphics menu in the settings.
Elsewhere, Diablo 4’s default setting will automatically enable resolution scaling for better performance. According to Blizzard, the type of scaling will be picked based on your PC hardware. Blizzard has also fixed an issue where Inquisitors could teleport to towns in certain scenarios. Likewise, there’s also a fix for the the renaming loadout ability.
You can see the full list of Diablo 4 update 2.1.4 patch notes below.
Diablo 4 update 2.1.4 patch notes
Game Updates
• Support for Intel XeLL and XeSS Frame Generation has been added. Settings can be found in the graphics menu for players on PC who meet the hardware requirements.
• By default, Diablo IV will now enable resolution scaling for better performance. The scaling method chosen will be based on the user’s hardware configuration.
Bug Fixes
Season of Witchcraft
• Fixed an issue where the Scour event could not be completed in certain situations.
• Fixed an issue where the icons on the minimap for Herb nodes could disappear during the Scour event.
• Fixed an issue where Treasure Goblins could be hard to hear in Headhunt zones.
• Fixed an issue where Cocoons could destroy Druid Boulder projectiles.
Miscellaneous
• Fixed an issue where Inquisitors could teleport to towns in certain scenarios.
• Fixed an issue where the ability to rename a loadout could be lost when disabling the Mature Language Filter.
• Various performance, stability, and visual improvements.
Entertainment
Can Xbox Game Pass defeat PS Plus Extra in March? Microsoft reveals new games | Gaming | Entertainment
Microsoft has unveiled the next wave of releases coming to Xbox Game Pass in March 2025.
On the same day Sony released the new PS Plus Extra and Premium gamesfor March, Microsoft has revealed the next five releases coming to Xbox Game Pass in the coming days and weeks. With the PlayStation Plus Extra line-up proving a little lacklustre, it’s a decisive victory for Xbox Game Pass in March.
The Xbox Game Pass releases are headlined by upcoming Rebellion game Atomfall, which will join the line-up as a day-one release on March 27. While the Atomfall reviews are yet to be published, first impressions are extremely positive.
The unique survival game takes place in an alternate history version of the Lake District in Cumbria.
Inspired by Fallout, the British Countryside is home to various factions and raiders following an incident involving nuclear radiation.
Microsoft explains more: “A survival-action game inspired by real-life events, Atomfall is set five years after the Windscale nuclear disaster in Northern England.
“Explore the fictional quarantine zone, scavenge, craft, barter, fight and talk your way through a British countryside setting filled with bizarre characters, mysticism, cults, and rogue government agencies.”
Additional titles will be available on Xbox Game Pass in the days leading up to the release of Atomfall on March 27.
This includes the early access release of the interesting looking 33 Souls from today, followed by Octopath Traveller 2 on March 19.
Train Sim World 5 is also coming to Xbox Game Pass on March 19, complete with three new routes for players to experience.
Next up is Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island on March 20, which is playable on Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard.
“You’re shipwrecked on a lost mythical island. As backpacker Alex, you must befriend the forgotten gods of Greek mythology and restore their memories,” reads the official Mythwrecked description.
“Explore the dynamic island and its story sandbox to build new friendships, solve the mystery and save the gods.”
Finally, there’s the excellent albeit slightly underbaked Blizzard Arcade Collection, which joins Game Pass on March 25.
The retro compilation includes Blackthorne, The Lost Vikings, The Lost Vikings 2, Rock N Roll Racing, and RPM Racing. That’s on top of various bonus features like galleries and music players.
Elsewhere, Xbox Game Pass Core subscribers will be treated to Tunic, Batman: Arkham Knight and Monster Sanctuary from March 26.
Entertainment
Underrated ‘John Wick vs Nazis’ World War 2 film debuts at No 1 on Netflix | Films | Entertainment
Earlier this year, Daily Express ranked the Top 10 most underrated World War 2 films of all time.
And among the titles was a hidden gem from Finland in what many dubbed as John Wick vs the Nazis.
Having recently been added to Netflix, the action thriller debuted at No 1 on the UK film chart Top 10.
The $6 million independent film is now holding on to second place, having only been topped by the streamer’s $320 million blockbuster The Electric State.
Set during 1944’s Lapland War, Sisu follows a Finnish Army commando turned gold prospector attempting to defend himself from being robbed and murdered by a Waffen-SS platoon. Influenced by the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone and Rambo First Blood, this gory 2022 outing received critical acclaim upon release.
Sisu is streaming now on Netflix.
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