TUTV: The rat race is on, folks. This debut is, without a shadow of a doubt, a longplayer that will last for a long time. For its sharp-teethed punkiness (British Racing Green / Won’t Stand For It / Muck And Bullets and the flabbergasting The Wrong Day), for its bloodcurdling execution, and for its overall KO horsepower in 8 rounds.
The Rats, led by vim and vigour by motormouth Emile Dekeyser, offer barbed-wire songs with body and balls, with heart and soul, with vivacity and a jagged joie de vivre. Every uppercut stands loud and proud on its own feet. Striking debut. Hands down.
TUTV: HF do not fuck around. They serve a fusillade of badass EBM jams.
Sonic fuel for the 24-hour party people among us. They alternate pulsating sledgehammers with galvanizing grooves and trancy vibes. Here and there,
they add some vocals, but the boisterous beats are king.
They know all the electro-techno party tricks in the book by now.
No dull moments with these Canadian disco-punk connoisseurs.
Artists: JAH WOBBLE and JON KLEIN Who: The dub bass expert who was co-founder of John Lydon‘s P.i.L.
a zillion years ago, and the former Siouxsie and The Banshees guitarist (1987-1994).
Klein: “Working with Jah Wobble is always an inspiring experience. When I started working
with him in recording sessions, he often quoted the words of Holger Czukay, the bass player of German band Can: “First we play, then afterwards we talk! We like to make things happen in the moment. Often we complete a working draft to a piece of music from scratch in a few hours.”
Wobble: “The music comes from that silent place. It’s pre-existing. You just allow it to flow. Proper post punk. Angry and humorous. Okay, it’s the end of civilisation. But nothing lasts forever right? We shouldn’t take it to heart.”
TUTV: The duo has puzzled an ominous, dark-groovin’ 8-jams record together.
Klein‘s aggressively articulated, Cockney-punk vocals accentuate his
take on our messed-up planet, crowded with bloodsucking politicians.
Wobble‘s dub bass play is still spot-on, and accompanied here
by brutish guitar ruckus, while the tone swells grimmer track by
track.
Overall, Automated Paradise sounds as if Doomsday
is just around the corner. No fiction, reality.
TUTV: It’s the perfect soundtrack for ebullient parties at your local graveyard. It’s an eery garage pop/rock record for your favorite nightmares, stuffed mostly with high-tempered, catchy tunes motorized by freakish guitars, bass/drum frenzy, glowing organ heat, and Laurenne‘s tempting and arousing vocals.
Let’s all get together in the midnight hours, celebrate our spine-chilling life, admire
each other’s psycho outfits, send the war-greedy Bogeymen (you know who they are)
to hell, be sweet creeps, trick and treat everybody with spooky jokes, and never ever
forget to go nuts, all you manic motherrockers out there, with the help of these 13 new smashing Darts pumpkins.
Press info: “It’s a record born from necessity rather than momentum, written during
a period when Hillig had nearly walked away from music altogether, and found himself worse for it. What emerged instead is his most vital and clear-eyed work to date, an
album shaped by collapse, community, and the unglamorous work of staying alive.”
TUTV: KAH’s warm, enthralling Americana voice infuses his mixed-emotions songs with a puissant Tom Petty swagger, a rock-solid John Mellencamp zip, and, at times, a Billy Bragg tenacity. From rock to country to balladry. 12 enchanting tunes.
Hillig‘s versatile songwriting skills shine throughout this highly appealing
and enrapturing record. I’ll have it on my earphones for a long time.
KEY TRACKS: The Horrible Truth / Divorce Of Course Of Course / Jules Can You See Me? / Something Is Different / Our Remaining Pig / We Were Right (‘Til We Were Wrong)
Here are 5 things you should know about the
all-female-fury band, named THE DARTS.
1. They’re based in Seattle, Washington, and are fronted by the ever-charismatic
singer-songwriter Nicole Laurenne, also operating solo as crooning diva Black
Viiolet
3. With the new record included, bat in chief Laurenne has now written/released
6 longplayers in 10 years with her women-in-black turbo, with looong tours in
between (catch them live if you have the opportunity. They’re red-hot on stage,
as I experienced multiple times, so far). A Laurenne day lasts for 48 hours and
she has thrilling music running through her veins 24/7. There you go.
4. It’s the perfect soundtrack for ebullient parties at your local graveyard. It’s an eery garage pop/rock record for your favorite nightmares, stuffed mostly with high-tempered, catchy tunes motorized by freakish guitars, bass/drum frenzy, glowing organ heat, and Laurenne‘s tempting, and arousing vocals.
5. With Halloween Love Songs,The Darts have turned Halloween into a daily
in your-masked-face event. From now on, all you need is All Hallows’ Eve love.
Get together in the midnight hours, celebrate our spine-chilling life, admire each
others psycho outfits, send the war-greedy Bogeymen (you know who they are) to
hell, be a sweet creep, trick and treat everybody with spooky jokes, and never ever
forget to go out-of-your-mind, all you manic motherrockers out there, with the help
of these 13 new smashing Darts pumpkins.
Band: LIME GARDEN Who: British pop-rock act from Brighton, UK.
They released their debut LP One More Thing
in 2024.
Track: 23
New piece from their upcoming 2nd album Maybe Not Tonight, out on April 10th.
TUTV: Yeah! Absolutely yeah! Move your pelvis, move your head, move your feet, move anything that is movable. This resistless dancefloor upper boosts your mood on the spot.
Band: THE DARTS Who: Steamy garage Amazons based in Seattle, Washington,
fronted by charismatic singer-songwriter Nicole Laurenne,
also operating solo as Black Viiolet
Track: MIDNIGHT CREEP
The first single from their forthcoming LP, their 6th, named Halloween Love Songs. It’ll hit our stereos on March 3rd.
TUTV: Midnight Creep is vintage Darts frenzy. Sizzling, blistering, and red-hot-blooded. Laurenne and her sidekick, her organ, lead the hungry troops once again. The piquant buzz and fuzz at play here ignite all of your limbs and make you jump like a kangaroo from left to right and back. From now on, every day is Halloween.
TUTV: Beware, these punked-up bloodhounds bite. They chase you with ruthless racket. They bark like werewolves. They bloody rock! They’re no waste of time whatsoever. Rabid stuff. Arrrggghhh.
“This song is about the endless lists of goals and resolutions we make for ourselves, many of which have arbitrary deadlines attached to them. ‘On Time’ is trying to capture that feeling of being right on the crest of a wave of busyness, the ‘last wave’ where you think surely it will be calm seas after this. But there’s always another and another.”
TUTV: WTF. Riot grrl clamour is back, but dirtier, rawer, and LOUDER.
94 boiling seconds that do your poor head in. Punktastic.
Band: COWBOY HUNTERS Who: Glasgow‘s punk dropouts Megan Pollock and Desmond Johnston.
Track: HAVE A PINT
New single from their upcoming 5-track EP,
titled EPeepee. It’ll hit the streets on March 20th.
TUTV: This is it. Raw and rough punk hysteria at its sharp-cutting best. These two hungry hunters take you on a wham-bam rollercoaster ride, up and down, left and right. Have A Pint sounds like it was recorded in their local pub’s toilet, generating some barbed wire shit, juiced with obstreperous duet vocals that drive you nuts .
TUTV: What the hell is this? Must be the most dancey, vibey, and trippy track
of their sonic canon. A Shift Of Perspective has an irresistible pelvis-energizing
swing spiced with wah-wah guitar sparks and, of course, Kate Arnold‘s
spoken-word panache.
“Lee is a guy that we never want to become, let’s make that clear! This tune goes out to all the blokes who keep it blokey and delve too far into the cretin side of the internet, dudes that base their entire lives around some bonkers right wing conspiracy. When it comes to Lee, what you see isn’t a what you get, and what you get is much darker than you’d expect.”
TUTV: Hit! Hit! Hit! Need an upbeat upper to get you through the day? This Adult DV
one, right here, will do the job, with striking Chemical Bros echoes and other electronic pyrotechnics.
TUTV: Alert your limbs, folks. Some boom-boom Basement Jaxx e-cstasy
is coming your way. Techno blitz in quadrophonia. Chemical beats and
underworld heat. Insane, right? You betcha.
TUTV: These dance-inducing Belgians do what they did before in other bands. They move and groove with a slow-burning intensity, like a snake sneaking up on its prey. Alright, all you nightclubbers out there, get your lazy ass off your couch and shake your booty to the guitar-motorized beats.
TUTV: A brisk, sprightly, and tremendously catchy guitar pop gem
peaking on its splendiferous chorus. A tantalising slice of music.
The repeat button was invented for tintillazing tunes like this.
Ali Lipman (guitarist/vocalist) channels an inner strength as she details
the pressures women face to be emotionally regulated when everything
is overstimulating.
“We’re known for our upbeat power-emo songs, with big leads, big harmonies, and big refrains. This song perfectly encapsulates what we do best. There’s plenty of surprises to come on Place Memory, but ‘Calm & Delivered’ is the perfect definition of a Cape Crush anthem.”
TUTV: A kind of those tunes that puts a blissful smile on your face right away.
Guitar fireworks from the kinetic kick-off, working their way to the heartening
chorus. Sinewy indie fuel to get you going. Sensitive vocals. Punchy girl power.
Band: LIP SERVICE Who: Electro pop outfit
from Belgium.
Track: SLOWLY
Piece from their upcoming album Swalman, out early next month.
TUTV: Electro-pop at its funky and vivifying best. A lazy tune that makes you hum/whistle along on the spot. A dreamy ditty, jaunty and breezy. A perfect sonic companion on your earphones while strolling in slow-mo in the city.
Artist: SIMON LE MA Who: Belgian singer-songwriter
with an eclectic musical taste.
So far, he has 2 albums under his belt.
Track: NEW RELIGION
New single from his upcoming 3rd album,
named Get Sweaty, out next September.
TUTV: Expect brassy Motown vibes. Glamorous, soulful, and uplifting. New Religion energizes all of your limbs. You can sing, whistle or hum
along. Early spring fun, folks.
Band:THE TWILIGHT SAD Who: Scottish romantic indies who have
been earning a loyal fanbase since 2003.
Track: DESIGNED TO LOSE
Taster from their upcoming album, named It’s The Long Goodbye.
They’re 6th overall, and first in seven years, written in the wake
of frontman James Graham losing his mother to dementia.
Out March 27th.
TUTV: Sad story, sticky tune. Great bass riffage, bouncy
drums, expressive vocals, and an overall orchestral resonance.
TUTV: Need some day-night-dreaming stimulus? This near-whispering reverie is what you’re looking for. Soothing and chilling. Lovely duet vocals. Starry-eyed chorus. You
won’t feel lonely when Dreamager touches your soul.
Artist: WINONA OAK Who: The musical moniker of engrossing Swedish songstress Johanna Ewana Ekmark.
Track: HORSES
The 2nd single from her upcoming,
sophomore album (details TBA).
TUTV: Oak‘s velvety voice makes me think of superstars Lana Del Rey and Billie
Eilish‘s heartfelt tenderness. Melancholic reverie Horses is a nostalgic lullaby. She
revisits childhood memories of riding, a time when she felt safe, free, and deeply connected to the natural world.
Band: THE DARTS Who: Steamy garage Amazons based in Seattle, Washington,
fronted by charismatic singer-songwriter Nicole Laurenne,
also operating solo as Black Viiolet
Track: MIDNIGHT CREEP
The first single from their forthcoming LP, their 6th, named Halloween Love Songs. It’ll hit our stereos on March 3rd.
Press info: “‘Midnight Creep’ started as a surprise curveball when ‘rythm section bitch’ Lindsay brought Nicole a demo called ‘Phantom Creep.’ Nicole was already quietly writing a Halloween-themed album and immediately heard a chance to chase something different.
An honest-to-ghoul old-school monster dance, the kind that might’ve aired on a haunted Shindig episode taped in a basement full of fog machines and paper-mâché bats. She rebuilt the tune into a slinky, organ-driven earworm; Lindsay created a simple, go-go-friendly choreography; and suddenly The Darts had a Halloween banger that felt both brand-new and weirdly familiar.”
TUTV: As a longtime fan, news of new Darts music puts a big smile on my face,
and lately it happens every year. I actually don’t know what Nicole Laurenne eats
or drinks, but her production flow is off the charts, with the band and solo.
Look, I’m smiling again. New album in March, new single today.
Midnight Creep is vintage Darts frenzy. Sizzling, blistering, and red-hot-blooded. Laurenne and her sidekick, her organ, lead the hungry troops once again. The piquant buzz and fuzz at play here ignites all of your limbs and makes you jump like a kangaroo from left to right and back.
The always black-dressed glam she-devils look sexy, play sexy, and sound sexy
(on record and on stage), and thanks to them, it’s Halloween every single day of
the year, from now on. This new smashing pumpkin is perfect to open and end
all creepy midnight parties. Bullseye!
