Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

TURN UP THE VOLUME – 40 BEST TRACKS OF 2025

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER


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TRACK-BY-TRACK

– 1 –

Band: THE HIVES

Who: The Swedish punk kingpins
who run amok since 1993.

Track: THE HIVES FOREVER, FOREVER THE HIVES

The title track from their 7th full-length,
which hit the streets last August.

TUTV: And it goes like this.

The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives

Tune! Tune! Tune!
Catchy as fookin’ hell.

Oemotståndlig sång

Instagram – Spotify
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– 2 –

Band: OPUS KINK (Brighton, UK)

Who: Razor-edged, funked-up, sax-and-trumpet infused
noizzz collective fronted by their charismatic frontman
Angus Rodgers.

Track: I’M A PRETTY SHOWBOY

Angus Rogers (frontman): “Rock and roll music for the empty and stunning.
A song about contempt, appetite, impotence and self-preservation through
gyration. Enjoy superficially with your body and send the reeling mind on
to hell.”

TUTV: Wham Bam! Yeah Yeah! Go Go! Oh my Oh My! Razzle Dazzle!
This is the kind of adrenaline-pumping thrills I wait impatiently for
every single day.

Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to show off.

Badass

Instagram – Linktree
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– 3 –

Band: THE SLOW READERS CLUB

Who: Alt-pop rockers
from Manchester, UK.

Track: BOY SO BLUE
Single from their notable 7th album,
Out Of A Dream, released last March.

“‘Although it’s a big, joyous dance track, it’s about hiding deep emotional pain and trauma and how hedonistic coping mechanisms, like drugs, alcohol, and womanizing, are just temporary distractions.”

TUTV: This is what amazing pop-ular music is all about. Big melody, big emotions, big orchestration. Euphorically sticky as first-class glue despite its dramatic ‘real life‘ story. Aftermath soul-searching can work cathartically.

24 Carat pop

Linktree – Spotify
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– 4 –

Band: KID KAPICHI

Who: Party punk rockers from Hastings, UK.
So far, they have canned 3 longplayers.

Track: STAINLESS STEEL

KK in infectious punk overdrive.
Shaky-tastic from the get-go.
Swirl like a whirligig, people.

Boogielicious

Instagram – Facebook
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– 5 –

Band: SPRINTS

Who: Irish post-punk whirlwind, led by charismatic
voice/songwriter/guitarist Karla Chubb.

Track: BETTER
Along with Something’s Gonna Happen, my top fav track
on their brand new, second LP, called All That Is Over.

TUTV: Every time I play this pure punk-rock gem, I feel way better.
It’s striking swagger, superb groove, passionate duet vocals, and
high-strung guitar play mesmerize.

Transfixing

Instagram – Spotify
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– 6 –

Band: PANIC SHACK

Who: 4 pop punkettes from Wales. In 2022 they
released their 6-track debut EP Baby Shack.

Track: GIRL BAND STARTER PACK
Single from stellar self-titled debut LP.

TUTV: These utterly cool Welsh Amazons
drive you bonkers with this insane punk ‘n’ roll
uppercut.

Kick-ass band, kick-ass attitude, kick-ass blast.

Party! Party! Party!

Instagram – Linktree
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– 7 –

Artist: PREWN

Who: The moniker of Massachusetts‘ chilling singer-songwriter
Izzy Hagerup. She released her debut album Through The Window
in 2023.

Track: SYSTEM
First new piece and title track from her
2nd LP, coming our way on October 3rd.

Hagerup: “When I wrote ‘System’ I was supposed to be present and alive
and gracious and happy. But somehow I couldn’t escape my own internal
fears and depression that can follow me wherever I go.”

TUTV: What a brilliant torch song. Weeping guitars come and go while
Hagerup‘s heart-stopping vocals cause goosebumps. And what a fuming
finale.

Spine-tingling

Instagram – Spotify
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– 8 –

Band: WHOLES

Who: A fresh, rowdy hit team led by Belgian
musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch.

Track: MODERN DAY DRAMA
Single from their bone-chilling debut album
A Mass In The Water, dealing with the suicide
of Wolf‘s father.

TUTV: Its ominous mid-tempo dynamics, its distorted vocals, and its riff-psychotic razzmatazz resonate as if you are listening to the scary theme song of a horror movie.

At the 2.30 minute mark, all hell breaks loose.
From a whisper to a scream. From planet Earth
to Dante‘s Inferno.

Surreal


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Instagram – Facebook – Spotify
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– 9 –

Band: DITZ

Who: Post-punk turbo
from Brighton, UK

Track: FOUR
One of the highlights from their
brill 2nd LP Never Exhale

TUTV: Ditz operate in a very dark place. Sonically, as well as lyrically.
In the middle Cal Francis barks at the moon, while dense drones
infiltrate your shocked ears. Inhale, exhale.

Petrifying


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 10 –


📷 Mats Verschueren

Band: WIJF. (WIFE. in English)

Who: Hungry hit team from Belgium
ready to take on the world.

Track: LIAR
From their debut EP Alter Ego.


Single artwork

TUTV: This 4-piece grab you by the throat from the kick-off and never lose their firm grip, while vociferous vocalist Marie De Graeve‘s has a crushing impact on your petrified stereo. Liar is a titanic motherrocker that pulverizes the Richter scale in just 250 seconds. Queens Of The Stone Age, Deftones and Black Sabbath come to mind.

Paranoic


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 11 –

Band: CHALK

Who: Three earthshaking
misfits from Belfast, Ireland.

Track: AFRAID
Piece from 3rd EP,
titled Conditions III.

TUTV: OMG! What a riot-gun banger. These Irishmen create suffocating havoc with
a maddening mix of nasty racket that brings illegal-decibels-producing bands such as
NIN and Metz to my cooking mind.

Manicial

Instagram – Linktree
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– 12 –

Band: PUNCHBAG

Who: A new brother-sister party duo, from South London colliding the
raw unfiltered energy of punk, with the overflowing ecstasy of pop.

Track: I’M NOT YOUR PUNCHBAG
From their debut EP.

TUTV: Ecstasy. Elation. Euphoria. Exhilaration. This electro smack makes
you bounce and jump on your pogo-stick. They punch you in the teeth
without asking, while having fervent fun.

KO

Instagram – Linktree
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– 13 –


© Eva Vlonk

Band: HEISA

Who: Belgian noise rock trio whose sound draws influences from bands such
as Black Midi, Tool, Battles, and Swans, blending dissonance with a strong sense
of identity.

Track: NANDOR
Piece from their ace
3rd album Trois.

TUTV: What the fuck! From the very kick-off, chainsaw guitars do your
brain in. Electric chair electricity throughout. No way to escape. Neurotic
vocals complete this blitzkrieg assault.

Flabbergasting

Instagram – Linktree
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– 14 –


Press photo by Damien Sayell

Band: MCLUSKY

Who: The renowned Welsh post-punk noiseniks
featuring Andrew Falkous, as known as hysterical
frontman of Future Of The Left.

Track: CHEKHOV’S GUNS

One of the singles of their earth-shaking 4th LP
The World Is Still Here And So Are We.

TUTV: As usual, Andrew Falkous screams
his 4 lungs out while spitting absurd lyrics.

Chop. Chop. Chop.


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 15 –


Photo by Ryan Wagner

Band: DOWN THE LEES
Who: The post-rock noise project of seasoned Canadian
singer/songwriter/guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. DTL released
3 notable albums, so far.

They have canned a live movie
now, titled This Is How It Feels.

Track: MIDI DORIC
First single. A song that deals with the
isolation and depression of the pandemic.

TUTV: A characteristic DTL thunderstorm, cranked up by blustery bass lines,
monstrous guitar riffs, Herculean drumming, Schultz‘s sky-scraping vocals and
a volcanic finale. One of the best noizz rock bands around.

Jawdropping

Instagram – Spotify
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– 16 –

Artist: PEACHES

Who: The fabulous/controversial/notorious performer/producer and
feminist/gay activist born Merrill Nisker 58 years ago in Toronto, Canada.

Track: FUCK YOUR FACE
Cut from her upcoming 7th album, her first in
10 years. It’s named No Lube So Rude and will
come out on 20 Feb 2026.

TUTV: Don’t expect Peaches to write and sing songs about
the birds and the bees, and even if she did, it would be horny
stuff too.

Mirror on the wall, who’s the hottest disco queen of them all?

Peaches

Instagram – Linktree
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– 17 –

Artist: BAXTER DURY

Who: The dandy songsmith,
still wearing a suit (no tie).

Track: ALLBARONE
The title track from his
8th titillating dance LP.

TUTV: This disco knockout can fill
a dancefloor in an eye/ear blink.

Sassy

Instagram – All Albums
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– 18 –


Press photo by Cole Yearwood

Artist: FANCLUBWALLET

Who: Canadian guitar pop outfit led
by songstress Hannah Judge from
Ottawa, Canada.

Track: COTTON MOUTH
From her 2nd full-length,
called Living While Dying.

TUTV: This sickly sticky riff earworm
drives you crazy. Head-twisting stonker.

Hyperkinetic

Instagram – Spotify
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– 19 –

Band: YOGI-G AND THE FAMILY TREE

Who: Happy Mondays co-founder/drummer
Gaz Whelan and friends.

Track: THE BLIND MAN AND THE MONKEY
A highlight from their terrific debut album,
titled Show Me The Truth.

TUTV: Madchester 2025? Absolutely. Never mind the Happy
Mondays, here come Yogi-G And The Family Tree (what a name).

E-cstatic


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Instagram – Bandcamp
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– 20 –


Press photo by Danny Clinch

Band: ARCADE FIRE
Who: The famous pop-rock
collective from Canada.

Track: YEAR OF THE SNAKE
One of the singles from their
7th LP, titled Pink Elephant.

TUTV: It’s a sublime, crystalline pop nugget, with its hypnotizing guitar riff,
the non-stop drum beat and the intertwined, spellbinding vocals of Win Butler
and his spouse, Régine Chassagne.

Sterling

Instagram – Shop
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– 21 –

Band: KASABIAN
Who: British star rockers from Leicester. One of the best bands
of the past 25 years on record and on stage, in my book.

Track: HIPPIE SUNSHINE.
Lead single from their forthcoming
9th LP. Details TBA.

TUTV: Expect a mega vitalizing, disco-charged haymaker.
Since co-founder/songwriter/frontman Serge Pizzorno pulls
all the band’s strings, he provides dynamite tunes you can
throw 24-hour parties with.

Hip-hip hurray

Instagram – Facebook
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– 22 –

Artist: MARK STEWART

Who: One of the most adventurous/inventive/original post-punk & dub artists/performers
ever. He was a founding member of genre-bending new wave group The Pop Group and released lots of solo and collaborative records. Unfortunately, he passed away 2 years ago,
only 62.

Track: MEMORY OF YOU
Single from Stewart‘s solo album The Fateful Symmetry,
which was completed early 2023, not long before his passing.

TUTV: Haunting, synth-symphonic and bang-tastic,
with Mark‘s characteristically energetic voice on top.

Soul-stirring

Facebook – Mute Records
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– 23 –


New album artwork

Band: PULP

Track: SPIKE ISLAND
Piece from their first LP in
24 years, called More.

TUTV: A vintage, mid-tempo, pop stimulant with
a grandiose chorus. More pulp for common
people.

“I was born to perform.”

Instagram – Linktree
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– 24 –

Band: HOLY COVES

Who: Welsh mavericks, fronted by singer-songwriter
Scott Marsden, with 3 albums on their résumé and
#4 is waiting in the pipeline.

Track: FALLING DOWN

First single from their forthcoming 4th full-length, their
first in 4 years, slated for release in September 2026.

TUTV: Holy Coves are back, and they don’t waste time. It’s full steam ahead from
the get-go. Eager guitars and sinewy drumming inject this sweltering steamroller with
a flaming briskness that causes a kinetic reverberation, while Marsden emotive vocals accentuate the song’s sad sentiments.

Toptier

Instagram – Linktree
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– 25 –

Artists: GANS

Who: 2-piece from Birmingham (UK) – Euan Woodman (drums/vocals) and Tom Rhodes (bass/vocals) – born in late 2023 over a shared love of noise, literature and late night shebeens. They write music about love and hate. They’re good for your soul.

New Single: I THINK I LIKE YOU

TUTV: Warning. This insanely groovy punk blast will bulldoze all over your shocked speakers. Expect a superheated funky firestorm that attacks the Richter scale with a shattering impact. A manically jagged jackhammer it is. Trust me, you’ll think you like them, VERY MUCH, while you bang your head into your fridge’s door.

Go nuts

Instagram – Linktree
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– 26 –

Band: KLÄMP

Who: A collective with members scattered across the UK and the Netherlands.
This group, now comprising seven members, has its roots in a trio that expanded
over the past four years.

New track: WET LEATHER
Piece from their sophomore
LP Total Technik.

TUTV: Kraut-rock and roll with an intoxicating force. A wall-of-guitar-pyrotechnics rollercoaster. An overpowering tempest of rambunctious riffs. Voltaic psychedelia
at its spine-chilling best, bombarding your ears the way you like it.

Mind-bending


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Instagram – Bandcamp
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– 27 –

Artist: LIFE COACH

Who: The musical project of singer-songwriter-poet Jamie Cameron. Hailing from
the Scottish Borders, the music blends lo-fi beats, synths and guitars with spoken word lyrics in which he discusses subjects ranging from politics and premonitions to self help culture, and a modern society obsessed with economic thinking.

Track: SQUADDIES IN HAIR NETS
Highlight from his 2nd full-length
A Love Letter To Your Yearning Heart.

TUTV: This rattling rap ‘n’ punk roll crackerjack swings forth and back, left
and right and Jamie Cameron’s full of vim and vigour word-flow activates all
of your insatiable limbs before he relaxes towards the synthy end. Kinetic throb.
Hands up for the coach.

Exhilarating


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Instagram – Facebook
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– 28 –

Band: SUN MAHSENE

Who: Irish psych-rock team who released their lauded
debut album A Place We’ve Never Been last year.

Track: LIFE IS JOY

TUTV: A nasty bass riff motorizes this rollicking psych jam that seems to go on
like forever, and when the powerhouse chorus kicks in, your ears are instantly
overwhelmed. Life Is Joy is one of those riff-crazy haymakers that stick after just

Exuberant


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Instagram – Facebook
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– 29 –


Photo: Emma Chitty | Graphics: Mike Raymond

Band: NRVS

Who: Mysterious trio with an inimitable take on
humanity’s downward spiral into a dysfunctional
entropic existence. They unleashed their punk-groovy
debut EP Like You last year.

Track: FREE

TUTV: This arresting, melancholic song is heart-rending. Its bluesy guitar
radiance, its bass-beat-heavy cadence, and despondent vocals get under
your skin. Its melodic catchiness has irresistible written all over it.

Gripping

Instagram – Linktree
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– 30 –


Photo by Graham Noble

Band: DECLAN WELSH AND THE DECADENT WEST

Who: Post-rock-punk combo from Scotland.
So far they have recorded/released two
albums.

Track: CAREFREE

TUTV: A razzle-dazzle steamroller that gets under your skin faster
than you can say “this is bloody superb”. Its insane, mind-bending
course doubles your serotonin production on the spot.

Blimey

Instagram – Linktree
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– 31 –

Artist: NEIL YOUNG And The CHROME HEARTS

Track: LET’S ROLL AGAIN
From their LP Talkin To The Trees.

“If you’re a fascist, then get a Tesla.”

Instagram – Linktree
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– 32 –

Artist: CMAT

Track: THE JAMIE OLIVER PETROL STATION
From her 3rd album, named Euro-Country.

TUTV: A vocal tour de force that
blows me away every time I play it.

Wowzers

Instagram – Album On Spotify

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– 33 –

Artists: ANDY BELL and DEBBIE HARRY

Track: HEART’S A LIAR
From his new album,
named Ten Crows.

Disco delight

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– 34 –

Band: THE NEW EVES

Who: Must hear/see indies from Brighton (where everybody is in a band).
They cruise from folk to punk, using, besides traditional instruments (guitar,
bass and drums) also cello, flute, violin and other classical gear.

Track: COW SONG
From their rad debut full-length
called The New Eve Rising.

Moo-tastic

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– 35 –

Band: SLEAFORD MODS

Track: THE GOOD LIFE
From their upcoming LP,
called The Demise Of Planet X

Rap rush

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– 36 –


Photo by Isabella Martinez

Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS

Track: THE REAL CONTRA BAND
Piece from their new full-length
Carpe Diem, Moonman.

TUTV: This motherrocker of a song shows no mercy whatsoever.
From the get-go, PPC go full steam ahead and never look back

Hallelujah!

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– 37 –


Press photo

Band: SUEDE

Track: DISINTEGRATE
A single from their LP #10.
named Antidepressants.

TUTV: Suede age in glamorous style with frontman
Brett Anderson giving it all, just like in the early days.

Astounding

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– 38 –


Promo photo

Band: MY FIRST TIME

Who: Fast-rising indie
rebels from Bristol, UK.

Track: SIPPY CUP

TUTV: These young wolves bulldoze their way through the daily
bullshit we have to endure with a knife between their teeth. Sippy Cup
is a bruising, full of vim and vigor, uppercut hitting where it hurts.

Sucker-punch

Instagram – Linktree
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Band: THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS

Who: Buzzing indies
from Montreal, Canada.

Track: HEY YOU
Single from their tremendous
second album Again.

TUTV: Guitar pop at its most exultant, with the wonderful vocalist/guitarist
Maisie Everet fronting a fast-up-and-coming quartet from down under.

Delirious

Instagram
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– 40 –

Band: WET LEG

Track: DAVINA McCALL
Highlight from their sophomore
full-length, named Moisturizer.

Groove/move.

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TURN UP THE VOLUME

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20 BEST TRACKS OF THE MONTH – OCTOBER 2025

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER


.
TRACK BY TRACK

– 1 –

Band: OPUS KINK (Brighton, UK)
Who: Razor-edged, punked-up, sax-and-trumpet infused
noizzz collective team fronted by charismatic frontman
Angus Rodgers.

Track: I’M A PRETTY SHOWBOY

Angus Rogers: “Here is our song, rock and roll music for the empty and stunning.
A song about contempt, appetite, impotence and self-preservation through gyration.
Enjoy superficially with your body and send the reeling mind on to hell! “

TUTV: Wham Bam! Yeah Yeah! Go Go! Oh my Oh My! Razzle Dazzle!
This is the kind of adrenalizing tunes I wait impatiently for every single day.
Tunes that put a big smile on my face, tunes that make all of my limbs go nuts,
tunes that go straight to my best-tracks-of-the-year list. Funky buzz, vocal fuzz.

Catchy as hell, cool as fuck.

Instagram – Linktree – Tour Dates
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– 2 –


Promo photo

Band: MY FIRST TIME
Who: Fast-rising indie
rebels from Bristol, UK.

Since their 2023 debut single Wind Up Merchant
MFT went on to become the newest British hype.

New single: SIPPY CUP

Isaac Stroud-Allen (frontman): “It’s about power, corruption and how people
are happy to watch the world burn if they’re the ones sitting on a rooftop bar sipping
on a Sex On The Beach.”

TUTV: Believe the hype. These young wolves bulldoze their way through the daily
bullshit we have to endure with a knife between their teeth. Sippy Cup is a bruising,
full of vim and vigor uppercut hitting where it hurts. If this is your first time that you
hear these rabble-rousers, you’ll be gobsmacked. Bring it on, rascals.

WATCH

STREAM

Instagram – Linktree
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– 3 –


📷 Mats Verschueren

Band: WIJF. (WIFE. in English)
Who: Hungry hit team from Belgium
ready to take on the world.

Track: LOVE MACHINE

TUTV: One of the 5 astronomical sledgehammers of their brand-new
debut EP Alter Ego. Love Machine takes you on a hair-rising rollercoaster.
Awesome vocalist, awesome band, asewome tune.

Helter-skelter!


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 4 –


Photo by Isabella Martinez

Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
Who: The dumbfounding psych-prog rockers from
down under, who started their odyssey in 2014.

Last May they launched their volcanic 7th full-length, titled
Carpe Diem, Moonman and only 2 days ago they dropped
album #8, named Pogo Rodeo.

There’s definitely something in the Australian air that makes bands over there very productive. Yes, as you may or may not know, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are
also from down under.

Track: THE REAL CONTRA BAND
Single from that brand-new LP.

TUTV: Blimey. As usual, the cooking
Aussies turn your mind and your body
upside down. Killer stunner.

Hallelujah!

Instagram – All Albums
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– 5 –


New album artwork

Artist: PEACHES
Who: The fabulous performer/producer and feminist/gay
activist born Merrill Nisker 58 years ago in Toronto, Canada.

Track: NOT IN YOUR MOUTH NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Brand-new single from her upcoming 7th LP, her first in 10 years.
It’s baptized No Lube So Rude and will come out next year.
Details TBA.

Peaches: “When the world is friction, lube isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
It’s how you turn that friction into pleasure, into power, into pride.”

Peaches goes nuclear on this
booming disco-punk eruption.

Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!

Instagram – Linktree

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– 6 –

Band: SLEAFORD MODS
Who: Rap-punk poetry duo featuring
voice Jason Williamson and instrumentalist
Andrew Fearn.

Track: THE GOOD LIFE

Single from their forthcoming, 13th LP, baptized
The Demise Of Planet X. It’ll land on Mother Earth
on 16 Jan 2016.

Actress Gwendoline Christie and agog duo The Big Special join the tandem on this one.

TUTV: We know for a long time that the sharp-mouthed mods are an unstoppable
groove engine, and this one is another pulsating one. Wowza. Fucking-A. Let’s see
if you can catch up with this speedy hip-shaking trigger.

Rush and race here.
Live your good life fast.

Instagram – All Albums – Bandcamp
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– 7

Band: FIRE BLANKET
Who: Noise rock/post-hardcore outfit from Manchester, UK.
FFO: Jon Spencer, The Jesus Lizard and Tropical Fuck Storm.

Track: DOCUMENT

TUTV: Picture this. Aggressive guitars rage like chainsaws around a nasty mid-tempo groove, juiced-up by sinewy drum hits and when the clamorous chorus kicks in the
vocalist bellows as if he can’t get out of his straitjacket. Oh yeah, you’ll love this horrific slice of hellraising post-punk mayhem.

They look and they operate like your new favorite Halloween band. Amps up, decibels
up, heat up. I wonder if this track isn’t a hidden one on one of Fugazi‘s detonating exploits.
An in-your-face debut. Bang-on.

STREAM


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 8 –


Photo by Connor Reilly

Band: TEST PLAN
Who: Indie noizz trio from London looking for the sweet spot between
dancing and moshing. They cultivate a ferocious blend of noise-rock,
dance-punk, and post-hardcore.

Track: GONE
The beginning of a brand-new chapter, according to the band.
It’s the first of a few singles from an EP out sometime next year.

TUTV: Hells bells. Test Plan grab you by the throat from the blaring intro and never
lose their suffocating grip. They come at you, full speed, with schizophrenic guitars,
an indefatigable drummer and a psychotic vocalist who screams his four lungs out
and tries to excommunicate his eerie demons.

No rest for the wicked. No emergency exit. We’re trapped, so let’s join these
maniacal mindfuckers in their attempt to make the Richter scale go ballistic.

Linktree
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– 9 –

Band: CAST
Who: Britpop vets who were one of the
support acts for Oasis’ reunion shows in the UK.

Track: CALLING OUT YOUR NAME
Newest single from their upcoming 8th full-length,
baptized Yeah Yeah Yeah, out 30 January 2026

Ebullient retro Britpop bliss.
Makes you want to open your
windows and sing along.

Anthemic knockout!

Instagram – All Albums
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– 10 –

Band: KREIN’S LOW-BUDGET DEATH EXTRAVAGANZA
What a name!!
Who: Polish punk dropouts.

Track: I THINK I’M IN LOVE
Single from their upcoming album
called ‘Evil Love‘.

TUTV: So these four Polish dropouts think they’re in love.
In love or not, I guess any reason is good for these riff-shooting
punk cowboys to run amok.

Their new cacophonous sucker-punch is a piercing piece of rambunctious racket motorized by raucous guitars, a brutal drummer and a weird frontman who looks
mental and sounds mental. Hell, bloody hell, yeah.

Get on your pogo-stick and pretend
you are a kangaroo on dope.


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Instagram – Facebook
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– 11 –

Artist: RICHARD ASHCROFT
Who: Former legendary frontman of The Verve ,
and still a bona fide legend today.

Track: HEAVY NEWS
Stand-out gem from his
7th full-lenght Lovin’ You

TUTV: Ashcroft does what he does best for years now, making your hair in the back of your neck stand up. This is another stadium anthem for thousands and thousands vocal cords to sing a long out loud.


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Instagram – Website
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– 12 –

Band: THE LEMONHEADS
Who: Notorious songsmith Evan Dando‘s
band, for almost 4 decades now.

Track: WILD THING
One of the highlights of their first
album in 24 years, baptized Love Chant.

TUTV: Dando sounds brisk,
jaunty, hungry and energetic.
Welcome back.


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Instagram – Facebook – All Albums
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– 13 –

Band: ARYEL MOON
Who: Fresh Irish indie outfit, fronted by Italy-born musician
Donatella Camedda, who have been building a reputation on
Dublin’s live circuit.

Track: LITTLE BIT CLOSER

Camedda: “It carries that mix of desire, anticipation, and adrenaline you feel
in the very first stage of falling for someone. That in-between space where you’re
caught between genuine connection and the rush of limerence.”

TUTV: Expect flamboyant indie power-pop, invigorated with reverberating guitars,
pummeling drumming and penetrating vocals, intense and intrepid, and a passional
chorus. One spin and you know we have a winner. In a normal world this should be
an indie hit. Trust me, you’ll fall in love with Aryel Moon.

Get your ears a little bit closer.

Instagram – Facebook
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– 14 –


Credit: Reuben

Band: THE CHELSEA CURVE
Who: Mod-pop-rock trio
from Boston, MA.

Track: RALLY’ ROUND
Brand new single.

Linda Pardee (vocalist/songwriter): “This song has morphed into a different meaning
than what was originally intended when written. The lyrics were initially about friendships, acquaintances, people coming into your life. Being part of a community. Finding your
people. Despite differences, we can or should be able to at least co-exist.

TUTV: TCC are no strangers to Turn Up The Volume. And their back again with
this new flashy rocker. Those jangly guitars, that vital, that feverish drive. Resonates
like R.E.M. are back and teamed up with Evan Dando‘s Lemonheads. No I don’t have a
hangover whatsoever. Listen closely and your ears will experience what I experience(d).

All you shiny people out there, come on feel the Dando vibe.


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Instagram – Spotify
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– 15 –


Photo by Kirk Lisaj

Artist: JANE INC.
Who: Toronto-based
songstress.

Track: WHAT IF
Piece from her upcoming 3rd full-length, called
A Rupture A Canyon A Birth, out October 17th.

The song is inspired by the moment that a semi truck plowed into her broken-down tour van. Nobody in the Jane Inc. touring party was hurt in that accident, and they even played their scheduled show later that night. But everyone could’ve easily been killed, and that kind of near-death experience will do something to you. That’s the key to what if.

TUTV: Bumping EBM thrumming, shimmering synths, trippy piano touches,
and vocal outpouring. Donna Summer would like this stomper. Dress up
and hurry to the discotheque.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 16 –

Band: BLURT
Who: Experimental post-punk combo founded in 1979 in Stroud,
Gloucestershire (UK) by poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton,
aged 82 now.

Milton grew up in Africa, Canada and Great Britain. He started his artistic career
with poetry publications. In the mid-1960s, he began performing as a puppeteer, participating in numerous international festivals and TV performances

With Blurt he recorded/released a dozen of albums
with Beneath Discordant Skies from 2015 as their
most recent one.

They’re back in town now with a brand
new track, titled THE MECCANO GIRAFFE.

TUTV: It grooves and moves along to a non-stop drum beat, a rollin’ bass
riff, trippy guitar lines, some saxy moments and Milton’s shivering voice.

Funky shit!


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 17 –

Debut single: MURPHY’S MEDICINE

Amy (vocalist): “The Brighton Scene is buzzing at the moment and it is thrilling to be playing alongside so many other great bands. Our single launch at the venue Alphabet in Brighton is part of a great new grassroots series of gigs from Spagetti promotions that showcases emerging bands from across the city”.

TUTV: Way to start! These Brits hit bullseye
right away with their chirpy debut single.

Its lazy indie pop vibes stick on the spot. Feathers is a tremendously catchy
feel-good lullaby, juiced with sparkling guitar solos, a bouncy drum/bass
tandem, and happy-go-lucky duet vocals upfront.

Bingo.

Instagram
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– 18 –


Photo by Corey Poluk

Band: THE GOODS
Who: American power pop band blending big guitars, huge hooks,
and sweet British Invasion-style harmonies into a fresh, distinctive
sound. Formed by singer-songwriter Rob Good, a veteran of
the Oakland underground.

Track: SUNDAY MORNING OUT OF THE BLUE

Single from their riff-filled debut album
Don’t Spoil The Fun. You can stream it here.

TUTV: Imagine nightingale legends The Byrds eight miles high, causing a jingle jangle
spectacle at an adrenalized speed, flavored with vivid vocals. Trust me, one spin and
you’ll be hooked.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 19 –

Band: DIRT ROAD SOULS
Who: Roots rock band who have a story tell, not per se their own,
and not entirely yours, either. It’s universal in its truth, but specific
in its intent.

Track: HOLD ON SOUL
Single from their upcoming album named ‘(The Life and Times of) Johnny Moonshine’, an ambitious 12-track concept album and roots rock opera set for release in early 2026.

Davis Black (vocalist/guitarist) “‘Hold On Soul’ was first written many years ago when
I had left my small town and gone off to start a life in Boston. After high school and college years I’d often return to my small town to recharge – and get drunk with my friends who didn’t leave town. These lyrics come from the culture shock between the two places. The stress of the city vs. the simplicity of the small town was very real for a little while.”

TUTV: Americana at its entertaining best. Groovy and cacthy melodiousness, heart-ans-soul stirring vocals/harmonies and glowing guitar electricity combine for a galvanic chant.

Enjoy the vibrant vibe right here.


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 20 –

Band: PRESENT NATURE
Who: Alt-indie songwriting
newcomers from Leeds, UK.

Track: COLUMBA

Jonny Woolnough (songwriter): “It’s a character appropriation offering a lens
into a couple’s day-to-day existence. A protagonist veering off the track is reminded
of his immaterial fortune. It celebrates life, existence, and endless possibility.”

TUTV: De-stressing fuel for daydreamers.
Columba feels like an Indian summer
sun ray.

Instagram – Spotify

———————————–

TURN UP THE VOLUME

Blog
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BlueSky

PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS Drop Another Dumbfounding Blowout Single From Their 2nd LP Of The Year

Posted on by JL

24 October 2025


Photo by Isabella Martinez

Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
Who: The dumbfounding psych-prog rockers from
down under, who started their odyssey in 2014.

Last May they launched their volcanic 7th full-length, titled
Carpe Diem, Moonman and they’re not done yet for the year.

Track: THE REAL CONTRA BAND

Already the 3rd appetizer from another finished
longplayer, named Pogo Rodeo. It’ll drop next week,
on October 29.

Oh my, oh my. As usual the cooking
Aussies turn your mind and your body
upside down.

Hallelujah!

All 3 singles


.
TOUR 2026

Instagram – All Albums

PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – Australian Guitar Freaks Drop New High-Voltage Projectile ‘MANNY’S READY TO ROLL’

Posted on by JL

Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine

13 August 2025


Photo by Isabella Martinez

Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
Who: Fertile guitar-insane Aussies,
active since 2014.

Track: MANNY’S READY TO ROLL
New single.

I guess the crumpets take the same performance-enhancing pills as their prolific compatriots King Gizzard é The Lizard Wizard. Only last May they launched their 7th longplayer Carpe Diem, Moonman and, already, on October 29th number eight,
called Pogo Radio will drop on your stereo.

TUTV: Manny’s Ready To Roll explodes in your face from the kick-off and then makes
your head rotate uncontrollably. It’s a steaming switchback stunner, going left & right, forth & back, up & down and leaves you behind, out of breath. No chance whatsoever
to resist this high-voltage projectile. Wake up, all you lazy bastards out there and rock hard.

Jumpin’ Jack flash, it’s a crash, crash, crash.

Instagram – Linktree – All Albums


At work in Brussels last year – photo by Turn Up The Volume

PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS Bulldoze Their Way Through New Hectic Haymaker ‘ANOTHER REINCARNATION’

Posted on by JL

Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine

15 November 2024


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Brussels, 27 June 2024)

Last year psych-prog-rock squad PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS from
Perth, Australia released their 6th album (in only 10 years), titled Fronzoli.
A non-stop head-rotating escapade of psychedelic extravaganza.

Then they flew around the world to promote it live, as I could see and hear
for myself last June in Brussels. A spectacular experience for ears and eyes.

Despite their busy schedule PPC found the time to write a hectic haymaker,
titled ANOTHER REINCARNATION where bulldozing Black Sabbath drones
have a savage fight with schizophrenic guitars. Absolute holy shit strike.

Wake up people,
and find out who
you are today.

Linktree – Spotify

PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – Australian Prog-Rock Misfits In Overdrive In A Sauna In Brussels

Posted on by JL

28 June 2024

Psych-rock team PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS from Perth, Australia
released their 6th album – in only 10 years – titled FRONZOLI (title meaning,
‘something unnecessary added as decoration’) last year. A non-stop head-boggling
work of roller coaster extravaganza.

Last night they played Brussels in the historic
Botanique building, as part of their world tour.

It was a sultry summer day/night with 30° degrees outside and 60° inside. Hotter than
a sauna, but it didn’t stop the band to go in overdrive without brakes, and it didn’t stop moshpitters to go apeshit. Sweat all over the place.

If PPC would play together with their countrymen King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
on the same stage I swear these misfits could blow this planet in thousands pieces.

PPC took the stage to a Pavarotti classic. Awesome, absolutely awesome!

Uppercut after uppercut, corker after corker, jackhammer after jackhammer is
what the out-of-their-mind crowd made go nuts throughout the steaming storm.
All ears seemed to be in great shape to absorb the RIFF-ROARING whirlwind.

The brilliant rapid eye movement animation on the great screen behind the band
made the PPC experience even more otherwordly. Creepy dragons, creepy animals,
creepy kids, creepy adults, creepy Gods, creepy devils, creepy whatever. Stuff for
hellish nightmares.

If PPC were animals they would be hungry wolves wandering in the deserts of Australia looking for prey. Their melting pot of weirdo prog-rock, maddening metal, pithy punk, high-voltage pop and other noisy shout-outs is one of a deafening kind.

They only played a couple of new ones and several golden oldies. They could easily have performed any song of their rich catalogue, it wouldn’t have mattered for all of us.

HELTER SKELTER! HELLS BELLS! HOLY SMOKE!

Hot. Hot. Hot.
Sauna. Sauna. Sauna.
Insane. Insane. Insane.
Loud. Loud. Loud.
Bonkers. Bonkers. Bonkers.
Beer. Beer. Beer.

Here’s an idea of the Crumpets live hullabaloo.

FONZOLI


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SETLIST

PPC: Linktree

Live photos by Turn Up The Volume

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023

Posted on by JL

1. ‘Heavy Heavy’ by YOUNG FATHERS

This sizzling Scottish trio nailed it big time with their 3rd LP. Heavy Heavy is one of those rare remarkable records that arouses from start to finish, with the cliché no fillers, all killers all over it. You hear its sonic brilliance, you feel its dauntless vocality, you realise quickly that this album is special, very special.


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Antwerp 2023)

An undisputable first-class work where vitalizing soul, ecstatic pop melodiousness
and self-willed hip-hop come together in an organic way. A spiritual happening.

Funk-punk drunk virtuosity with astonishing vocal teamwork.

STREAM


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2. ‘Sea Of Mirrors’ by THE CORAL (Liverpool, UK)

The seasoned psych-folk-pop-rock ramblers launched their 11th album, named
Sea Of Mirrors last September. Unquestionably one of their best in their succesful
career.


(Press photo via Maintain Perspective PR)

Expect a non-stop sequence of reflective pop fantasies, of tantalizing tunes
with a laid-back resonance and meditative musings that cause a welcome,
lazy state of mind.

Blissfully feelgood vocality, with a melancholic timbre, everywhere.

Gently weeping strings. A seamless sonic marriage of acoustic and electric guitars.
It’s vintage The Coral as we know them, but even more yearning for romanticism than before. So they left their island and travelled to their fictional Western reality where all
sorts of misfits try to survive. Americana, the Liverpool way.

STREAM


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3. ‘Fronzoli’ by PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS

The turbulent psych-rock team from Perth, Australia hit bullseye with
their 6th full lenght Fronzoli (meaning ‘something unnecessary added
as decoration’).


Press photo

Uppercut after uppercut, corker after corker, jackhammer after jackhammer and two breathers with Cpt. Gravity Mouse Welcome and the short acoustic beauty ‘Illusions of Grandeur’). Your ears need to be in great shape to absorb
this whirlwind record.

If PPC were animals they would be hungry wolves wandering in the deserts of Australia looking for prey. Their melting pot of glam metal, pithy punk, high-voltage pop and other noisy shout-outs results in an ecstatic body of infectious. Btw, am I the only one who thinks McEwan‘s voice resembles Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner one (now and then) and vice versa, of course.

STREAM


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4. ‘War Is Obsolete’ by THE BARBITURATES (Northern Island)

These Northern Irish political punk guerilla’s launched
a fully topical record titled War Is Obsolete
this year.

Here’s a message from their HQ in Londonderry.

“Some of The 1% are investors in the great big industrial war machine – the clearing / repairing of war torn cities / countries and rebuilding them along with there big pharma – food n supplies companies ect they make massive profits on all levels of war from the bullets n bombs fired to the food n medicine and everything you can imagine in between – this collection of sound scapes and anti war songs on this guerrilla ontological discordant meditation Ep are our SMALL way of trying to help raise money for the innocent human beings being punished and hurt because of other people’s ignorance – hate – fear – oppression!! ALL THE PROCEEDS OUR DIGITAL SALES NOW AND UNTIL THINGS INPROVE WILL GO TO THESE PEOPLE!!”

The Barbiturates care about our messed-up society, about humanity, about the weak, the poor and the outsiders, about tolerance, about inclusivity, about the desperate need for global peace. Couldn’t agree more.

Unfortunately, all the caring in the world can’t avoid (another) dirty war. After Russia invaded Ukraine early last year, Israel and Palestine started a filthy, deadly war in Gaza two weeks ago. Horrible, just horrible, again. One day a devastating world catastrophe will end it all.

War Is Obsolete is an intruiging, versatile and bone-chilling journey. Sonically with its experimental electronica psych jams and ambient, spacey orchestrations. The evil terror caused by war-and-power greedy scumbags needs to be stopped. The late great pacifist John Lennon never understood these murderous maniacs either, as we know it.

Purchase this record, digitally, 5£ or more.
All proceeds got to PCRF – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

BUY/SUPPORT


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5. ‘Ignore Grief’ by XIU XIU (California)

This Californian experimental act, founded in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart surprise every time they come up with new music. Also with Ignore Grief, already their
13th full length, XX impress mightily.


(Press photo)

Ignore Grief is not happy music, it’s grim reality music, it’s mind-boggling music.
Inventive, capricious and ideal as the soundtrack for one of David Lynch‘s hallucinatory films. Although after a couple of spins, you’ll find out that Xiu Xiu‘s spellbinding sonic exorcism is more accessible than you thought at first. Their orchestral manoeuvres in
the dark are flabbergasting.

STREAM


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6. ‘One Man Band’ by MILES KANE (UK)

British retro-mod rocker Miles Kane, half of The Last Shadow Puppets
(the other half being his great friend and Arctic Monkeys’ maestro Alex Turner)
released his 5th LP, titled One Man Band’ last summer.

As he said himself multiple times Kane loves the swinging 60s/70s pop, rock
and soul splendor. So again, you hear here those flamboyant influences from the past. And he always comes up with upbeat tunes that stick and put a big smile on your face. Guitar pop at its cacthing best.

STREAM


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7. ‘Songs Of Silence’ by VINCE CLARKE (UK)

The synth-pop musician/songwriter who started his career with Depeche Mode,
who he left after their 1981 debut album to form Yazoo (1981–1983, 2008-2011)
with grand voice Alison Moyet and later on he started Erasure with singer/songwriter
Andy Bell launched his solo debut LP with Songs Of Silence.

TUTV: If you don’t pay attention to the author of this record when you’re listening
to it, there’s a great chance that you think that it’s another ambient Brian Eno album.

The relaxing ambient atmospheres Clarke creates (Cathedral / Passage / Imminent / Last Transmission) are similar to the ones Eno composes/composed (29 solo LPs, so far).

Clarke paints synth-scapes with an overall symphonic sonority, with both classical
and futuristic sounscapes. This is the sort of cosmic music that calms me down after a busy day. Its relaxing effect soothes my buzzing mind. Tranquillizing, instrumental (except for Blackleg which is infused with eerie chants) uncomplicatedness for dark winter nights.

Silent majesty.
Sonic ear-massage.

STREAM

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8. ‘God Games’ by THE KILLS (US/UK)

Seasoned blues-rock duo THE KILLS – Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince – are finally back with a new longplayer, their first in 7 years, following the swirling Ash & Ice album in 2016.


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Amsterdam, 2016)

God Games features fewer fireworks than on previous LPs, but the pair still move and groove with sonic fervour and melodramatic tunes, as we know them. Sultry, delirious and passional.

When Mosshart sings the blues, her heart-and-soul vocality draws all attention. Her tantalizing timbre and her midnight hour tone combined with Hince‘s edgy riffs and roasting hooks are what made me a Kills fan from day 1.

This 12-track record is a slow grower. Take your time, it’s all worth it.

STREAM


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9. ‘Praise Of The Iconoclast’ by MORLOCKS (Sweden)

Swedish post-punk-Goth turbo MORLOCKS were formed last century by mastermind J.Strauss, and had several line-ups over the years. The trio operate around the borderlines between the collective subconscious, paradoxical multiverses and the bad conscience of the world, as we know it.

They travel either like sinister prowlers through the shadows, or like a raging
bulldozer, sneaking and bolting through and between the Cold War, radioactive wastelands, the catacombs of Rome and unspeakable dimensions beyond
the Unknown Kadath.

They care about humanity, they haunt everybody who doesn’t care, and they
embed their anger, frustration and hope in titanic, intimidating and cast iron
industrial bombast with loud and clear messages. Think Rammstein and NIN
having a sonic fight with riot guns. Doomsday is just around the corner and is
orchestrated by Morlocks.

STREAM/BUY


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10. ‘Islands In The Sky’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (California)

The L.A. garage rock fury led by vocalist/guitarist/organist and natural-born
charismatic front-Amazon Bonnie Bloomgarden triumphed with their 5th LP
this year.


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Brussels, 2023)

Islands In The Sky is, without a shadow of a doubt, according to my trained ears, their
best achievement (so far). When you combine pop/rock songwriting quality, richly layered orchestrations, Bloomgarden‘s full-hearted vocal dynamism and tons of tunes (if anything else tunes are key) wrapped up in party-igniting vibes, you have a winner.

STREAM/BUY


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11. ‘Good Busy’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (The Netherlands)

Dutch humanistic rock unit The Irrational Library is a pretty special affair.

A band with its roots firmly planted in both the regional and international
counterculture. They produce a raw, dirty groove influenced by punk,
provo, punk icons and spiced with sultry saxophone here and there.

Their poetry is packed with social criticism. They drew my ears’ attention with their 2021 album We Are… Doomed. An open-minded-plainspoken-asskicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags opus.

The same biting spirit is present on their brand new full-length GOOD BUSY. Moody reveries and blasting belters alternate creating an overall stirring/roaring record in the end with, once again, a main role for highly dedicated and caring America-born frontman-punk-rapper-poet-storyteller Joshua Baumgarten.

STREAM/BUY

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12. ‘The Crack And The Light’ by CMON CMON (Belgium)

Belgian guitar pop/rock band CMON CMON started their second coming
about two years ago, driven by sheer love for music. Writing it, recording it,
sharing it, playing it live, and enjoying it along with their fans.

No masterplan whatsoever to conquer the world, no commercial pressure.
They restarted with one and only one goal. Making the best album their
experience and their hearts and souls could come up with.

A balanced mix of amplified guitar-infused dream pop tunes with a melancholic
and soothing touch. References? R.E.M, Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, Sparklehorse
and The Chills, to name a few. I’m sure you get the sonic picture.

STREAM/BUY


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13. ‘A Headlong Fall Into The Vast Ocean Of Anxiety’ by EYEMOUTH (Sweden)

Expect atmospheric synth-scapes for soundtracks of sci-fi movies, mellow Pink Floyd echoes, dark-electro-wave surrealism, and an overall synth-symphonic sonority.

All mesmerizingly orchestrated with both classical and venturesome music structures. Now and then composer Marcus Lilja‘s ghostly voice adds an extra mysterious touch to
the instrumental grandeur at play. The power of nature in selectronic motion. Cinematic music that triggers your imagination.

STREAM/BUY


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14. ‘Back In The Room’ by THE DHARMA VIOLETS (Wales)

THDV embed 60s psychedelia in a blistering mix of flaming garage rock mania,
swaggering mid-tempo grooves, an impressive, amplified slo-mo jam right in the middle and a stunning opener with horns snippets of Primal Scream‘s e-tastic classic Loaded.

Overall I hear Beatles-like harmonies, multi-layered guitar extravaganza à la Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, steady drums/bass horsepower, sizzling six-string solos, psyched-out space steamrollers, 24 Karat riff-rushing rockers, some slow ones, and echoing vocals
from the eight miles high past. Final result: a hell of a must-hear record that I added to
my best-albums-of-2023 list. The Dharma Violets should be huge. FACT! Don’t miss them.

STREAM/BUY


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15. ‘Secret Life’ by FRED AGAIN… and BRIAN ENO

Weird collaboration? No, certainly not. The very popular EBM/house/hip-hop/DJ Fred and the legendary ambient wizard Brian Eno complete each other here perfectly. They create a sonic labyrinth where Eno‘s hallucinatory ambient waves progress in slow motion, causing a trance trip in a foggy environment while Fred‘s phantasmal vocals seem to come from an unknown universe.

Secret Life is a hushed, soothing companion for late-night mind entertainment after
another busy day and too much noisy music. Soothing, calming and triggering lazy dreaming.

STREAM/BUY


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16. ‘Shook’ by ALGIERS (US/UK)

With Shook this American/English outfit drew tons of critical praise. Rightly so.
It’s a tremendously varied work. They jump from zestful hip-rap-hop to forceful
post-punk-rock, to soulful lullabies, to arresting spoken-word protest, to sparkling
gospel. 54 minutes long, but you get sucked in every second. Wowzers!


(Press – FB Algiers)

STREAM


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17. ‘Venom’ by WARGASM (UK)

London‘s nu-rap-metal sensation WARGASM – Milkie Way and Sam Matlock – shocked the indie punk world with their debut album, titled Venom.


Press photo

A vicious motherrocker of an album. A monstrous collection of left/right uppercuts.
A schizophrenic series pf brain-breaking slegdhammers you can win sonic wars with. Holy smoke!

STREAM/BUY


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18. ‘The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons’ by THE HIVES (Sweden)

The Swedish amazeballs punk clowns The Hives are back in town. They unleashed
their new LP, called The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons (I have no clue who that guy is?)
last summer.


📸 Bisse Bengtsson

Be ready for a tsunami of Molotov cocktails, punk-o-rama riffage, and yell-along
refrains spit out by primal screamer Pele. No rest for the wicked. Beware, this explosive record can damage your speakers. On the other hand, it’s the ideal soundtrack for banging your poor head against the kitchen wall and/or jumping up and down like a kangaroo on ecstasy.

Alert your neighbours before you start the deafening razzmatazz
and watch out for the anti-decibels police. Lots of LOUD fun.


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19. ‘This Stupid World’ by YO LA TENGO (US)

Yo la Tengo is all things indie. They follow their own capricious path, for almost
40 years now. They create uncomplicated melodies and then give them an edgy touch
that guides them in different directions. From acoustic to electric and back.

Different moods, different sonic tones. It’s old news that we live in a stupid world where political me, myself, and I leaders use the 2000-year-old trick of divide and conquer. YLT know too, of course, but reality as it is, obviously inspired them to make another rad record.

STREAM


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20. ‘Clear Pound Road’ by KRISTIN HERSH (US)

The stirring Throwing Muses legend Kristin Hersh released
her new solo LP, titled Clear Pound Road last September.


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Belgium, 2022)

Expect Krautrock dynamics with an acoustic guitar and a mellow cello. Song by song,
the repetitive/rotating rhythms have a magnetic power. 10 intro/outro-spective sparks glowing, like the lights on the LP’s cover. Hersh‘s voice is singular, a bit hoarser than before, think Marianne Faithfull. I love both voices

STREAM


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AMAZING ALBUM ARTWORK 2023 – Turn Up The Volume’s 10 Favourite Ones

Posted on by JL

16 December 2023

Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
Who: Rowdy noise gang from down under

Artwork: cover of their 6th LP FRONZOLI


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PPC: Instagram
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Band: SUPERBLOOM
Who: Grunge outfit from Brooklyn

Artwork: Cover of their LP LIFE’S A BLUR


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Superbloom: Instagram
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Artist: SZA
Who: R&B superstar born Solána Imani Rowe

Artwork: Cover of her album SOS


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SZA: Instagram
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Band: DREAM NAILS
Who: Queer Grrl 4-piece from London

Artwork: Cover of their 2nd album DOOM LOOP


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Dream Nails: DREAM NAILS“>Instagram
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Band: YOUNG FATHERS
Who: Scottish pop/rap/soul collective

Artwork: Cover of their fantastic debut HEAVY HEAVY


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Young Fathers: Instagram
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Band: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Who: Stoner rock heroes fronted by Josh Homme

Artwork: Cover of their 8th LP IN TIMES NEW ROMAN…


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QOTSA: Instagram
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Band: SEXTILE
Who: Electro punk act from L.A.

Artwork: Cover of their new longplayer PUSH


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Sextile: Instagram
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Artist: VINCE CLARKE
Who: Former Depeche Mode/Yazoo/Erasure songwriter/keyboardist

Artwork: Cover (self-portrait) of solo debut LP SONGS OF SILENCE


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Vince Clarke: Instagram
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Band: GORILLAZ
Who: Virtual band created in 1998 by Blur‘s frontman
Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett

Artwork: Cover of 8th full length CRACKER ISLAND.


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Gorillaz: Instagram
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Artist: KELELA
Who: American R&B star

Artwork: Cover of her album RAVEN


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Kelela: Instagram

5 BEST ALBUMS – NOVEMBER 2023

Posted on by JL

1. ‘FRONZOLI’ by PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS (Perth, Australia)

The psych rock gunslingers from down under launced their 6th album, titled
Fronzoli (meaning, ‘something unnecessary added as decoration’) on November 10.


Press photo

Jack McEwan (songwriter/frontman): “This record is my favourite creation
to date. Every nuance has been discussed, slandered and carefully contorted into place,
it sporadically colours outside the lines, so you’re left with these extraverted squiggles.”

TUTV: Uppercut after uppercut, corker after corker, jackhammer after jackhammer
(you get two breathers with amplified ballad Cpt. Gravity Mouse Welcome and the short acoustic beauty ‘Illusions of Grandeur’). Your ears need to be in great shape to absorb
this whirlwind record.

If PPC were animals they would be hungry wolves wandering in the deserts of Australia looking for prey. Their melting pot of glam metal, pithy punk, high-voltage pop and other noisy shout-outs results in an ecstatic body of infectious. Btw, am I the only one who thinks McEwan‘s voice resembles Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner one (now and then) and vice versa, of course. Top-tier opus.

ALBUM


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2. ‘SONGS OF SILENCE’ by VINCE CLARKE (UK)

The synth-pop musician/songwriter who started his career with Depeche Mode,
who he left after their 1981 debut album to form Yazoo (1981–1983, 2008-2011)
with grand voice Alison Moyet and later on he started Erasure with singer/songwriter
Andy Bell.

Now he has released his solo debut with Songs Of Silence.

TUTV: If you don’t pay attention to the author of this record when you’re listening
to it, there’s a great chance that you think that it’s another ambient Brian Eno album.

The relaxing ambient atmospheres Clarke creates (Cathedral / Passage / Imminent / Last Transmission) are similar to the ones Eno composes/composed (29 solo LPs, so far).

Clarke paints synth-scapes with an overall symphonic sonority, with both classical
(like the weeping violin play on The Lamentations Of Jeremiah) and futuristic-sounding structures (White Rabbit / Scarper). This is the sort of cosmic music that calms me down after a busy day. Its relaxing effect soothes my buzzing mind. Tranquillizing, instrumental (except for Blackleg which is infused with eerie chants) uncomplicatedness for dark winter nights.

Wonderful work.
Silent majesty.
Chill-out vibes.
Sonic ear-massage.

ALBUM


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3. ‘LOS ANGELES’ by LOL TOLHURST x BUDGIE x JACKNIFE LEE (L.A.)

Former The Cure drummer Lol Tolhorst (64), Budgie (65), former Siouxsie
and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband, and Irish music producer
Jacknife Lee all live in Los Angeles and as music junkies, they found each other
in the City of Angels and decided to give it a go together and fabricated
a rad longplayer.

TUTV: The trio invited big-name vocalists such as Bobby Gillespie and James Murphy
(LCD Soundsystem) and other stars such as The Edge (U2) and Mark Bowen (Idles) for
their first body of work. 13 tracks, 54 minutes.

If there was a jungle in Los Angeles this would be its soundtrack. Lots of primitive
Budgie percussion (remember his album ‘A Bestiary Of with his then-wife Siouxsie Sioux, operating as The Creatures?) embedded in synth orchestrations creating dance-infused collages. Paranoid psychedelia for big cities. The flow of the tracklist isn’t as accurate as it could have been, but first impression after a couple of spins is one of let’s hit the drums
once again.

ALBUM


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3. ‘WHAT A RACKET!’ by JOE JACKSON (UK)

Supreme songsmith Joe Jackson released his 21st studio album a week ago.
A surprising one as the record celebrates Music Hall legend Max Champion
who is credited for writing all the songs.

Music Hall is a musical genre that started in the pubs and streets of London
in the mid-19th century and grew into the first form of mass entertainment to
be created by the working classes. By 1900 it regularly drew huge audiences from
across the whole spectrum of society, from prostitutes to princes, all singing along
with superstar performers in gorgeous theatres (some of which still survive). Like
its American cousin Vaudeville, Music Hall featured magicians, acrobats, and
ventriloquists – elements that we still see today in musical theatre and cabaret
shows.

One of the most fascinating of the Music Hall performers was Max Champion.
Little is known about him, except that he was born in London in 1882. He was
almost completely forgotten until the sheet music of his songs was found in
Valletta, Malta, in 2014.

What A Racket! presents eleven of Max Champion’s songs for the first time
in more than a century with Jackson directing a 12-piece orchestra and singing
like a genuine Music Hall artist.

Title track with a great old footage video

Joe Jackson:: ‘These were wonderful songs in their time, but they’re
surprisingly modern, too. Sometimes it’s almost as if Max is speaking,
from his London of the early 20th century, directly to us in the early 21st’.

It’s showtime, folks.
Enjoy this glorious sonic spectacle.


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5.’ROCKSTAR’ by DOLLY PARTON (US)

At the age of 77, fabulous country queen Dolly Parton
is still working longer than from 9 to 5 per day.

In a recent interview, she said:“I would never retire. I’ll just hopefully drop
dead in the middle of a song on stage someday, hopefully one I’ve written.”

Her never-ending creativity and productivity is astonishing.
The living legend just launched her 49th (!) LP. Her first rock album.

Parton about the album: “I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album.
I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers
and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album
was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed
putting it together!”

The longplayer contains no less than 30 songs and 20 covers, including collabs
with big names such as Miley Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting,
Chris Stapleton, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, and many more.

I don’t own a Dolly album, I didn’t follow her career but as so many million people
I know her hits, and I do love her formidable voice – the heroine again on this record –
and her charismatic I do what I want attitude.

ALBUM


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PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS – Australia’s Turbulent Team Have Their Tempestuous 6th Album Titled ‘FRONZOLI’ Out

Posted on by JL

10 November 2023


Hilarious album artwork

Today the psych-rock team PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS from Perth, Australia
have their 6th album, titled FRONZOLI (title meaning, ‘something unnecessary added
as decoration’) out today.

Order info here.


Press photo

Jack McEwan (songwriter/frontman): “This record is my favourite creation
to date. Every nuance has been discussed, slandered and carefully contorted into place,
it sporadically colours outside the lines, so you’re left with these extraverted squiggles.”

TUTV: Uppercut after uppercut, corker after corker, jackhammer after jackhammer
(you get two breathers with amplified ballad Cpt. Gravity Mouse Welcome and the short acoustic beauty ‘Illusions of Grandeur’). Your ears need to be in great shape to absorb
this whirlwind record.

If PPC were animals they would be hungry wolves wandering in the deserts of Australia looking for prey. Their melting pot of glam metal, pithy punk, high-voltage pop and other noisy shout-outs results in an ecstatic body of infectious. Btw, am I the only one who thinks McEwan‘s voice resembles Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner one (now and then) and vice versa, of course.

Favorite tracks: (I’m a Kadaver) Alakazam / Illusions of Grandeur / All Aboard the S.S. Sinker and the mind-boggling closer Mr. & Mrs. Misanthrope.

PPC: Facebook – Instagram