Paste Magazine (US) writes: “It recalls the kinetic energy of their first two records but possesses the sophistication of their more recent output. Equal parts jangly and muscular,
the five-piece forge a new path while staying true to their roots.”
TUTV: The Danish indie heroes return with sonic panacherie and a sense of urgency, rockier and punkier than on predecessor Seek Shelter (still my fav one). Rønnenfelt is omnipresent, although obviously in a feverish place of his own, torn from reality at
times. Iceage fans will have their time of the year.
HIGHLIGHTS: Ember / The Weak / Salve For Every Sore / Mother-Of-Pearl / Lifetime
Band: BOARDS OF CANADA Who: Scottish electro vets, Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin, twisting
buttons since 1986. After several EPs they released their debut LP
in 1998.
The Guardian (English newspaper): “The Scottish electronic duo remain hugely influential – but their new album’s interrogation of religion is dubious, and the drum programming is worse still.”
BOC press
TUTV: After a fine atmospheric/cinematic, and panoramic start, repetition starts
to creep in, and my attention weakened. With its 79-minute length, the record is
way too long. Sure, there are some appealing pieces here and there, but overall,
the defective balance gets in the way too much.
Band: SPARTA Who: Veteran rockers from El Paso, Texas (2001–2008, 2011–2013, 2017–present).
Founding members Paul Hinojos and Tony Hajjar played also withAt The Drive-In (Hajjar still does now and then).
Kerrang says: “This new album finds mainman Jim Ward playing to his strengths, with a clutch of concise tunes that contains a few real gems. It’s an album which traces the outline of Sparta’s identity with satisfying clarity. Echoes of revered influences and peers, from Fugazi and Jawbox to AFI and Jimmy Eat World, swing by. Sixth time’s a charm, it turns out.”
📸: @visualritual
TUTV: The Texan vets don’t waste time. From the word go their energy punches holes
in the ceiling. They run and sweat like young dogs. Their post-hardcore-rock-punk engines still burn fierily. But to avoid going over the top they slow down now and then with trenchant and expressive ballads (See You Soon, Midnights and Glimmer). Rock on!
“It’s a song about impossible tasks. It’s about trying to do everything you have been told to do in life, and never achieving what was promised. The goalposts have shifted, no, that isn’t how you do it.”
TUTV: Really Good Time are manic motherrockers, racing and rushing with puissance and roasting power. They develop a kind of Gilla Band disturbance, but less chaotic, way more movin’ and groovin’. Whether you want it or not, your head goes 360. Blimey.
Band: FARVEBLIND Who: Electro dance-pop-rock trio from Copenhagen, Denmark that fabricates
sonic touchstones ranging from Battles and The Chemical Brothers to Underworld
and Viagra Boys.
TUTV: A cocksure, motorik-feverish dancefloor filler for sweaty nightclubs. A tsunami of synth extravaganza hits you straight in the face, while rollicking vocals add a jaunty feel.
Artists: ARAB STRAP Who: Trippy Scottish electro-pop vets, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton (1995–2006, 2011, 2016–present).
Track: YOU YOU YOU
First single from their new full-length Half-Told Tales,
their 9th, out on September 4th. Tracklist here.
AS: “A disco-metal sound and lyrics that explore
overcoming troubles and tumultuous times”.
TUTV: Trip Trip Trip! Hip Hip Hip! We We We!
“I’ve got a portly paunch I just can’t shift/I feel undesired, dismissed, adrift/
My get-up-and-go is long gone/ and the days keep dragging on/ But I’ve got
you, you, you”
Okereke wrote the record in the wake of a more than decade-long relationship.
“Every lyric you’re hearing on this record was something that actually happened to me.
I had to tell the story, from start to finish.”
TUTV: Damn. Time flies with supersonic speed. BC are entertaining our eager eardrums since 1999. Well Okereke took time, now and then, for solo work, but it’s always a sonic pleasure to hear them coming up, again and again with firm, dance-spiked singles.
TUTV: Soft Cell on adrenaline. Erasure on amphetamine. Enriching electro pop nirvana
at its most beautiful. Ignore the outside bedlam for about 6 minutes on repeat. The beat goes on and on and on. Twirl yourself dizzy.
Track: WHAT FUTURE
The title song of his new album.
Carr: “I’ve been putting together these sounds for many years but this
is the first time where I thought ‘this doesn’t really sound like anything else
and decided to put it out.”
TUTV: Techno daft-punk on the run. Electro rock shock. Winding mix of paranoic synths, bass booms, and some helium-infused Carr interventions. Good grief. What a brainfucker.
TUTV: This is a sassy, kind of fuck you stunner, that speeds all over your
trembling stereo with Rønnenfelt throwing sneers around. Vicious sucker
punch all the way.
Band: THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA Who: London-based DIY duo – Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy)
that fills a gap in music by bringing literature, art, and history together into a
space where rock and metal meet electronica.
Track: GIROTONDO
Single from their forthcoming 4th album, named Misantropi.
Out June 22nd. Tracklist and pre-order info here.
TUTV: This Metallica-echoing shocker thunders unstoppably and peaks every time its fistpumping chorus kicks in. TCOMAS rock here as never before. They kick ass with this striking uppercut.
Band:SOCIAL DISTORTION Who: The robust, generational Californian rockers fronted by the only
original member, voice/guitarist/songwriter Mike Ness, who beat tonsil
cancer a few years ago, are one of the most notorious and celebrated
American punk bands ever.
Band: CASSIUS WOLF & DAS ABS Who: The musical project of Cassius Wolf and Don Watson. Formed in Liverpool during the original wave of post-punk and new wave. Now, decades later, that same spirit is driving the band’s long-awaited return.
Track: LOSING SLEEP
Single from their brand new full-length, An Afternoon in Bedlam. Stream here.
TUTV: When I say that this avid anthem has an epic Echo & Bunnymen sonority,
you should pay attention instantly. The flamboyant flair, the whirling drive, the
euphoric vocals. I see Ian McCulloch standing around the corner, with a big smile
on his face.
Band: DELFOI ROAD Who: A Finnish alternative rock act, formed at the turn of the millennium.
The four-piece blends artistic sensitivity, strong melodic songwriting, and
atmospheric depth with an energetic and dynamic edge.
Track: TAKE ME AWAY
New piece from their upcoming debut full-length, planned to come out in the fall. “It’s one of the catchiest and most radio-friendly tracks on the album.”
Artwork single
TUTV: Think Mumford and Sons‘ arousing passion and vocal eagerness. Take Me Away draws you into its stirring spirits, its intensifying orchestration,
and its exhilarating euphoniousness. Towering tour de force.
BZ: “I’ve spent a long time thinking about where to take my musical journey next & Real Problems, ironically, has become an unexpected solution. I wrote this track off the cuff a while back, as an outlet for feeling disconnected from the so called “real world”. For my entire life I’ve been told “that’s just how the world is” but all I’ve learnt in my 23 years alive is that it seems the world was never meant to be like this.
Humans have this disturbing desire to disconnect themselves from the natural world & forget that we’re in fact all a part of it. Real Problems is my attempt to reconnect to that part of myself that I feel has been hidden away due to societal noise. I’ve never met ‘these people’ & they’ve never met me, so why am I expected to uphold their ideas of who I was meant to be!”
TUTV: Industrial slam-bang EBM for all dance-addicted misfits out there.
You need to be in top shape to catch up with Bizarre Fae. She zooms with
steamy swiftness throughout this boomtastic missile. Face your problems
and sway them into oblivion. Trust me, it’s unquestionably worth a try.
Artist: KAT FIVE Who: EBM songstress from London. She fuses together a raw
punk energy with a dark pop magic, she consistently creates
indefinable, politically-engaged glitched-up anthems.
FIVE: “This is a call out to all kinds of creators, and also a shout out
for some simple moves you can make against techno-feudalism.”
TUTV: Kat Five offers a both luring and foreboding-sounding EBM tune for
shadow-dancing fans. Despite the hazardous times worldwide, she suggests,
rightly so, that togetherness is the only way to get out of the intolerant chaos
we have to go through right now.
Artist: SOUTHPAW GRAMMAR Who: British garage musician and producer. He has toured extensively with some
of the biggest names in popular music. His music speaks directly to the realities of working-class life while delivering dancefloor-ready grooves.
“It captures the evolution of a generation raised on late nights and pirate radio, now navigating mortgages, energy bills, and nursery pickups. With his signature dry wit and unmistakably British storytelling, Southpaw Grammar delivers a relatable anthem for anyone who’s swapped the rave for responsibility but still hears the bassline in everyday life.”
TUTV: This is cheer fun. Its ska-esque beat and jumpy flow kick-start hectic body movements. Bouncy piano touches and frolicsome rappin’ piggyback the feel-good tone. Ideal to play when workin’ out, although I fear that many of us (certainly me) will fall over our feet when trying to follow the pace. Fervid ambiance.
LV: “At least four or five of the songs on the record speak to a life lived being in bands, the bonds forged, and the life of a musician and performer, with themes of loss, addiction, death and redemption woven through. All the cliches about spending your time in bars, being on the road, being ‘out’ and not at home, are real.”
TUTV: Overall, this is a warm, hearty, and nostalgic energizer, spiced with classic textbook riffs and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed vocals. A stimulating upper for moody moments. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, but we’ll never stop liking it.
Band:ICEAGE Who: The Danish indie glam rockers, fronted by songwriter/poet Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, who released 2 solo full-lengths in the
past 3 years.
Band: BOARDS OF CANADA Who: Veteran Scottish electro/ambient duo.
Track: PROPHECY AT 1420 MHz
One of two new cuts from their 5th longplayer,
their first in 13 years, named Inferno. It’ll come
our way on May 29th.
TUTV: The Scots still float around in their electronic bubble.
I wonder if they recorded their new tunes while in space with
the Artemis II crew recently.
