Artist: USI ES Who: The musical moniker of Belgian singer-songwriter Ester Weemaes. In her attic studio, she interweaves synths and samples with her distinctive, dark voice. Her music balances between darkness and dreaminess, feeling like a blanket wrapped around you: soft yet heavy, with frayed edges.
She released her emotive debut album SideQuest last February.
Usi Es‘s murder-ballad approach on Berlin has been inspired by the migration history
of her Moluccan family, via New Guinea to the Netherlands. Uprooted twice, each time
due to circumstances beyond their control.
TUTV: Her piano-touching version is a poignant, heart-rending and vulnerable one with Es‘ near-whispering, film-noir voice upfront, joined by Wholes frontman Wolf Vanwymeersch‘ deep vocals on the spine-tingling twilight chorus. Horripilation in the dark.
Band: WHOLES Who:Belgian raucous noise outfit led by musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch,
who played with several bands before producing pop, rock post-punk and
sludge metal.
Their Berlin delivery balances on the edge of collapse, “You’re Berlin on the border of
falling down / In a Swiss bank that has sold your life”, and sketches a world in which capitalist systems alienate us from one another while simultaneously cultivating a desire for more.
TUTV: Amps up, guitars up, gloom and doom up. The Apocalypse is just around the corner, and Wholes have obviously seen flashes of it. Their view on these collapsing times causes, by now familiar goosebumps reflections.
Artist: TOM MORELLO Who: Former RAGTM guitarist
and political activist.
Track: ADJOURN IT
It features his son Roman (on guitar, like his dad)
and System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian.
Morello: “At this historical juncture every act of art is an act of resistance and ‘Adjourn It’,
a collaboration with long time friend Serj Tankian and my 15-year-old guitar wiz son Roman,
is a clarion call for justice in unjust times.”
TUTV: What the fuck! What a cast-iron, anti-tyranny rant.
Get up, stand up, rage against the Trump machine, people.
Moffat: “I grew up in the ’80s, and sometimes I feel like I’m living my youth again: the same myths of a once glorious nation prevail, and the threat of global war seems constant; economic inequality and class divisions just seem to get worse and worse, and the same old bigotries are being encouraged in very dangerous ways.
I try to keep positive by telling myself I’ve seen this kind of thing before
and it will pass. And, of course, venting my frustrations in a big, noisy
banger.”
TUTV: Guess what, the Scots rock out as never before. Holy cow!
TUTV: A stunning stonker from their lost 1998 album, named After The Austronaut.
At the time, their then record label refused to release it, not commercial enough. The
band blew new life into it, out now. It’s a splendid achievement. Stream it here.
Band: PUSSY RIOT Who: The notorious Russian punk feminists and political activists, led by mastermind and driving force since day one Nadya Tolonkonnik who spent two years, along with 2 fellow pussy riotiours in a Russian jail for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after her protest performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour church in 2012.
Track: FACELESS PIGS
Heated highlight from their brand new debut
album CYKA, titled Russian word for bitch.
TUTV: Don’t mess with angry bitch Nadya no more Russia. Fuck Putin!
Band: WEEZER Who: The indestructible nerd
rockers from Los Angeles.
New track: WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS
The lead single from their new, forthcoming 20th full-length,
another self-titled one (their 4th actually), decorated with
symbols, think Led Zeppelin‘s 4th LP.
The song features indie team on co-vocals.
TUTV: Hurray! Weezer drops, finally, another
titanic tune, as they used to deliver so many
times before.
Band: WHOLES Who:Belgian raucous noise outfit led by musical chameleon.
Last year they released their heart-wrenching debut album A Mass In The Water.
Track: EAZY FOR YOU
A song about frustration
and liberation.
TUTV: Wholes still operate in a dark place where their demons feel at home.
Main man Wolf Vanwymeersch still wallows in self-torchering nightmares.
At times it feels as if somebody tries to rip his heart out with chainsaw riffs.
Quite scary. A gruesome dilemma of staying in the darkness or fighting its
way to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Band: THE FALL Who: You know, the late, legendary Manchester
post-punk collective, fronted by genial putbill Mark E. Smith (1957-2018).
Track: 30 DEGREES
Taster from a new, posthumous album, named Post Script. It was
recorded not long before Smith‘s death. Tracklist/pre-order info here.
TUTV: It’s vintage The Fall. A droning post-rock jam,
with Smith at his agitated and sneering best.
TUTV: Chord by chord Silhouette grows into a titanic, psychedelic wall of blistering
guitars. Mind-bending, entrancing, and hypnotic. The non-stop jamming tension of The Brian Jonestown Massacre comes to mind.
Artists: PALINDRONES Who: An emotionally immersive, captivating, dark electronic duo from South London.
They take listeners on a shimmering and cathartic sonic journey with dreamy Industrial Synthpop, infused with pounding rhythms, haunting, evocative vocals and esoteric ambiance.
“Like the celestial body that gives the song its name, The Blood Moon pulls listeners into
a world where scars become constellations, rivers run red, and every ending delivers the
seed of creation. Immerse yourself in the bloody sea.”
TUTV: The Blood Moon is a dark-EBM-wave whirlwind that creeps under your skin,
into your veins, after a forbidding intro. It’s a sickly sticking tune that spirals and adrenalizes with pithy pzazz.
Macabre alternating/duet vocals emphasize the ill-boding pressure and awaken
bats all around. Palindrones draw you into their sinister and hypnotizing world,
but they leave the door ajar for a possible rebirth.
Track: A HARD LESSON
Newest piece from his 11th LP o\i.
Release date TBA.
Gabriel: “This is the oldest track of the project. It probably started in the late 80s
or early 90s when I was in Senegal. I was falling in love with the music I heard there.
I loved the tension created by the use of polyrhythms, particularly the threes and
fours, so that was the start of this song”.
TUTV: Gabriel sticks to trippy beats
and trancy vibrations. And it works
damn well.
TUTV: Vampire Queen is a double-edged crackerjack. Partly a glam-rock stomper,
partly a high-octane missile. The two parts assembled combine for a super-duper rollercoaster that goes back and forth.
“If you didn’t pay attention to the lyrics, you’d hear an upbeat song.
Underneath, a narrator trying to talk themselves into believing they’re
still in control while underneath, they’re sinking.”
TUTV: Expect darkwavish Cure-esque guitar/pop spiritedness with
a brisk tempo, anthemic impetus and vocal gusto. Shiny score!
Band: HMS MORRIS Who: A bilingual outfit from Wales. They thrive at the crossroads of art-pop,
theatricality, and fearless exploration. So far, they have released 3 albums.
You can stream them on Spotify.
“The rapid leap forward in artificial intelligence technology over the last few years brings
an element of urgency to the questions raised. Would we be better off if human’s weren’t in charge? Should we be happy to hand over control of Earth to a species/entity that prioritizes ecological harmony over cheap smartphones and beef?”
TUTV: Combative guitars, a Krautrock-like drum/bass cadence, and bubbly vocals
cause an unwavering, spine-tingling and hallucinatory jam. Be ready for a hell of
an other-worldly trip.
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: SUNLIGHT
Newest single from their
debut LP, out in the fall.
TUTV: Again these Finns perform with an electrically-charged delirium-like
zing that captures your aural attention all the way, musically and vocally.
Stirring guitar-empowering pop avidity with a heartening radiance.
Artist: AMY BELL Who: English songstress who started writing at 14 and playing live at 17,
is inspired by big names such as Billy Bragg, John Cooper Clark, Badly Drawn
Boy, PJ Harvey and Nirvana.
Track: MILLHOUSE.
A song that touches on themes many people her age struggle with.
Highlight from her brand new, 2nd EP, called Want Me.
TUTV: With the first seconds kicking in, I thought a country song was about to evolve.
A solid cool one that is. From there on Millhouse progresses in a lazy Courtney Barnett groove modus, evoking swaying body moves while Amy Bell‘s laid-back slacker vocals
glide over it. It’s a funky tune that sticks promptly in your head.
Artists:DEAD ANYWAY Who: British duo setting the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold against the music
and soundscapes of Marc Symonds. They offer a mix of poetry, electronica
and guitars. A heady brew of dark, glitchy head-messing wonder.
Artist:CARLY SIMON Who: American singer-songwriter shero (82 now) who became worldwide
known for her hit single You’re So Vain (more than 700 million streams on Spotify) in 1972.
Track: HOWL
First single from her new 24th LP, first in 17 years,
called Comes In Waves. Out on August 14th.
Simon: “‘Howl’ lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has
to be voiced before it can be released. It’s about letting the frustration out so it doesn’t
sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness, and speaks
to any situation where trust has been broken.”
TUTV: Howl shows that Simon‘s voice has aged admirably. Impressively strong
and riveting. The song itself is a tremendously arousing gem. Exquisite performance.
Band: WHOLES Who:Belgian raucous noise outfit led by musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch,
who played with several bands (pop, rock, sludge metal) and released a pure singer-songwriter pearl with solo debut album The Early Years back in 2022.
Wholes are “what remains after a soul has been detonated, what
struck those around it, what could no longer be contained”.
Last year, the band scored big time with their heart-wrenching debut album, named A Mass In The Water. One of the best 10 LPs of 2025 according to TUTV‘s ears: “It’s a
both scary and flabbergasting opus about Wolf’s father’s suicide. It takes a lot of courage to make and share this soul-crushing experience with the world.”
Track: EAZY FOR YOU
Newest single. A song about
frustration and liberation.
TUTV: Wholes still operate in a dark place where their demons feel at home.
Main man Wolf Vanwymeersch still wallows in self-torchering nightmares.
At times it feels as if somebody tries to rip his heart out with chainsaw riffs. Quite scary.
As Johnny Forgotten Rotten once sung, ‘this is not a love song‘, rather a gruesome dilemma meditation of choice, staying in the by now familiar darkness or fighting its way to the light at the end of the tunnel.
Another wholes-ly goosebumps juggernaut.
“easy for you
easy for you to cackle
these things don’t affect me
easy for you to let it all pass
easy for you to just roll your eyes
cause you’re above that
cause you’re on top of that
cause you’re better and smarter
and more flexible”
Who: The widely acclaimed post-punk heroes who wrote history with
their jaw-dropping debut album Entertainment! back in 1979. Five
years later, they called it a day.
From there on, several reunions followed, with co-founder and
singer/lyricist Jon King returning between 2004 and 2011.
Then, brilliant, innovative guitaristAndy Gill, who sadly
passed away in 2020, aged 64, due to the COVID-19 virus.
Last year, the band came back once more with Jon King again
and original drummer Hugo Burnham for a farewell tour and
they now gear up for another handful of American gigs,
with this new crackerjack corker..
Track: NO KINGS HERE!
Inspired by the recent anti-Trump protests
in America under the banner No Kings.
TUTV: An amazeballs stunner. Vintage Gang Of Four pyrotechnics.
Funk punk frenzy. Adrenaline for headbangers and bass freaks.
New piece from their upcoming 11th LP. A project performed entirely
in Spanish that aims to highlight their Latin roots and reconnect directly
with their cultural heritage. Tracklist & release date TBA.
TUTV: Vamos, rapeemos. Cypress Hill trigger your pelvis to move from left to right
and back to the accordion’s ambiance. Sickly sticking melodia. Fix yourself a cocktail
and sway your body to the motorik swagger.
TUTV: Joy to the world. These special guys offer a crazed corker
going wham bam bloody wham bam while rapping vocals roll all
over the boisterous beats.
Who: Raucous noise outfit led by Belgian, musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch,
Last year, the band scored big time with their heart-wrenching debut LP, named A Mass In The Water. One of the best 10 LPs of 2025 according to TUTV‘s ears.
TUTV: Frontman Wolf told us that this new tune is not as dark as the previous ones,
even a teeny bit romantic with a line that goes like this “If our eyes lock for a second,
we’ll share an eternity”.
Besides that lovey-dovey line, The Moment sounds actually more like a brain-breaking nightmare, motorized by about 100 guitars and Wolf‘s ghostly vocals. It progresses
like a slow-burning torch that will, eventually, extinguish in the end. Spooky and
chilling if you ask me. Not really a whole lotta love here.
Who: Wacky and ironic disco-rap-punk duo from Bristol, UK
who made an instant impression in their home country with their
festive 2023 debut LP Crisps followed by a couple of EPs.
TUTV: Ecstatic 90s acid house the Soulwax way. Medication for addicted Ibiza partygoers. Electronic bass-cannonade mixed with chemical bros beats and gyrating, computerized voices. Nightclub magnetism.
Who: The British psychedelic-flavoured,
glam-poppers from London.
New Track: VENDETTA
Newest single from their forthcoming 5th album,
called Bliss. Out June 26th.
James Bagshaw: “Suddenly, you had this almost Justice-Daft Punk-sounding
sample that then goes into something that could be a modern take on dance
music, like a David Guetta or Avicii song.”
TUTV: Expect a dazzling ride, going in different directions. Vendetta is
a boggling symphony, sonically multicolored, and features another glittery
vocal performance by charismatic frontman James Bagshaw.
Who:Portland-based rockers formed by singer/songwriter
and guitaristIsaac Brock in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington.
They’re quite active lately. It started with the celebration of the 20th anniversary
of their 4th LP Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and a tour that
will run until summer.
TUTV: One of those cock-a-hoop MM moments. A blissed-out dancefloor
filler for eager limbs. Isaac Brock is still tune-crazy after all these years,
still rockin’ da house. Hail hail!
Who: Highly passionate Welsh rockers, fronted
by singer-songwriter Scott Marsden.
Track: HOLE
Single from their 4th longplayer, titled Hiraeth, and
planned for release on August 14th. More info here.
Marsden: “After my Mum passed away last year it got me thinking a lot about death,
and what does all this really matter after we’re gone. We really do need to make the most
of the time we have, and to make each day count. There really is always a light at the end
of the tunnel, however hard it may seem.”
TUTV: Another fired-up, vintage HC steamroller with an uplifting tone, strung-out
guitars and avid vocals. A bracing and encouraging momentum for the future.
Who: Two-piece alt-rock band from Niagara, Canada featuring
vocalist/songwriter Kristen Goetz and guitarist Nolan Jodes.
Track: SOMEWHERE ELSE
Their 8th single ahead of their debut full-length, coming out
later in the year. One of the first songs written by the couple.
Goetz: “It’s a song about people who copy and paste themselves. They see others
doing something interesting and need to believe they can do it better. You find it
everywhere, in music, in business, in everyday life. There’s always someone
who wants what you’ve achieved and is convinced they deserve it more.”
TUTV: Maybe mellower than their previous work, yet sonically, Somewhere Else
is propelled by a voltaic groove and peaks on the poppy chorus, colored with
tantalizing vocals.
Band: THE ROOST Who: An alternative rock band that shapes an atypical musical universe
whose energy is drawn from the roots of rock, nu-metal, and stoner.
Track: AS IT SEEMS
This single is the beginning of a major new chapter. The group’s new
six-track mini album, named ‘Black Mountain‘ is set to officially drop
on 22 May, 2026.
TUTV: Last week Foo Fighters released their new album, and this is one of the highlights. Oops. I’ll restart. Foo Fighters have a new album out and some tracks, as it seems, echo these Belgian power-rockers. Not kidding.
At the core of this firecracker, we have a poppy vocal melody, but a greedy artillery try desperately to dominate this juggernaut. Check out for yourself who wins the fight.
Who: The musical project of Irish guitarist/songwriter Michael Smyth of former shoegazers Virgins.
Track: AURALUX
The title track from the upcoming mini-album debut,
out on May 7th. Tracklist and pre-order info here.
Lyrically, the song cuts across themes of loss and
acceptance, catharsis via volume and reverb.
Album artwork
TUTV: Shoegaze at its transcendental best. After a fuzzy intro, your ears get engulfed by a wide-ranging flood of galvanic guitars, dragging you into a whirlpool of six-string electricity with a melodramatic and bombastic resonance, while Smyth‘s velvety vocals hover all over the voltaic storm. One of his best compositions to date.
Christoffer Schou (founder/songwriter): “Time to Breathe” is a little more energetic than our usual dream‑pop leanings — built around a groovy bassline and our singer’s soft, airy vocals. It was recorded in my living‑room studio, surrounded by guitars, basses, and a pile of well‑worn 80s Casio and Yamaha toy keyboards that have quietly shaped our sound over the years.”
TUTV: Entrancing dream pop music is about ear-catching, infectious, and stimulating tunes that bounce around in your head right away, and that you add to your favorite playlist (as I did).
Time To Breathe is one of that kind. Sensual vocals, sprightly melodiousness, a bass-driven groove, arresting chorusing, retro-romantic echoes synthesise here refreshingly. Summer is just around the corner.
Who: Canadian indie team formed in 2017 have spent the better part of a decade refining a sound that pulls from 60s garage, 70s power pop, and 90s psych without getting stuck in any one lane.
Track: COME ON
The first advance single from their upcoming,
sophomore LP, Second To None, due June 19, 2026
“The kind of track that feels right at home spilling out onto Queen West after
last call, guitars ringing out over the hum of streetcars and whatever’s left
of the night.”
TUTV: Garage rock ruckus with all cylinders on. Filthy riffs, edged hooks,
unfaltering beats, and sinewy vocals. All those afire ingredients squeezed
together lead to a psyched-out slice of raw and rough exuberance. Come on,
press the play button and let your eardrums have some shuddering fun.
Who: Co-founder of trip-hop stars Massive Attack, 38 years ago (I know,
sounds like ages). Not happy with his role in MA he left after 2 albums
and started a remarkable solo career.
TUTV: Warm Americana at its nostalgic best. Sonically, harmonically and
melodically. Take It With You is richly orchestrated with both an acoustic
glow and steel guitar sparkles, mellow organs and piano now and then
in the back.
Feel-good country rock vibes, early Eagles come to mind, sooth our troubled
state of mind and make us dream about much-needed better times. There’s
always an encouraging light that shines at the end of the melancholia tunnel.
Track: TINY RAISIN
New single from her forthcoming 3rd album, called Loveland. It comes our way on July 10th.
Waterhouse: “A love song at its core. It’s a song that stands by the fact that real love in its truest essence can be chaotic, ridiculous, and imperfect, while still being something that is absolutely worth choosing over and over again at the end of the day.”
TUTV: Power pop glamour with witty lyrics and fabulous vocals. Dumpfounding class.
Band: WHOLES Who: Raucous noise outfit led by Belgian, musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch,
who played with several bands (pop, rock, sludge metal) and released a pure singer-songwriter pearl with solo debut album The Early Years back in 2022.
Wholes are “what remains after a soul has been detonated, what
struck those around it, what could no longer be contained”.
Last year, the band scored big time with their heart-wrenching debut album, named A Mass In The Water. One of the best 10 LPs of 2025 according to TUTV‘s ears: “It’s a
both scary and flabbergasting opus about Wolf’s father’s suicide. It takes a lot of courage to make and share this soul-crushing experience with the world.”
TUTV: Frontman Wolf told us that this new tune is not as dark as the previous ones,
even a teeny bit romantic with a line that goes like this “If our eyes lock for a second,
we’ll share an eternity”.
Besides that lovey-dovey line, The Moment sounds actually more like a brain-breaking nightmare, motorized by about 100 guitars and Wolf‘s ghostly vocals. It progresses
like a slow-burning torch that will, eventually, extinguish in the end. Spooky and
chilling if you ask me. Not really a whole lotta love here.
NME: ‘Again’feels like Belair Lips Bomb
are auditioning to be the biggest band
in the world.”
TUTV: Just one spin and I knew this LP was a winner. Ace tune, after ace tune, after
ace tune. Guitar pop at its most move ‘n groove exciting. In the middle, vocalist and
guitarist Maisie Everett draws all attention. Wonderful voice, striking performance.
She’s backed by a well-oiled rock turbo. Hype or not, these
revved-up Aussies are going places, all around the globe
that is.
Press info: “The album explores themes of unnecessary hatred and
division. It’s political, but ultimately personal. More Genet or Kafka
than Orwell or Huxley.
TUTV: Without a shadow of a doubt, the perfect soundtrack for Doomsday.
Sledgehammer after sledgehammer, drone after drone, brainfucker after
brainfucker. Always tension in the air.
Any track would work in a zombie horror movie. And we know all
about horror, right? Just take a look outside the window, and you
see a lot of it. For free.
Cal Francis‘s spoken word performances are bone-chilling. Their primal screams
send shivers down the spine. Lyrically, they operate in a space where reality and
surreality meet. No room for birds and bees.
Cal Francis – Pukkelpop Fest 2025 – Photo by TUTV
Never Exhale is an other-worldly Götterdämmerung experience.
It smells like something is alive and kicking here. No regression,
only progression.
Sprints about the LP: “While the world is literally burning down around us there are voices that seem hell bent on pointing the finger at anyone but those actually responsible. There’s no need to dream-up dystopia, we’re living in it. And somehow, while the world has never seemed uglier, our life has never been more beautiful.”
TUTV: Their riff-ripping quiet/loud/quiet formula works again, big time. Their sucker-punches hit you, piece by piece, hard in the teeth while Karla Chubb‘s hepped-up vocals rule again. Here and there, her unbridled explosiveness brings young Courtney Love‘s borderline cry-outs to mind. Only the 6 last cooking/boiling/bloodcurdling haymakers
are already worth a full album.
Band: LAMBRINI GIRLS Who: Two razorblade riot girrrrlzz – vox/guitarist Phoebe Lunny
and bassist Lilly Macieira – from Brighton (UK), with an insatiable
appetite for mass moshpits.
NME said: “Lambrini Girls prove punk is alive and kicking. They’re unapologetically amplifying chaos, calling out societal wrongs, and daring us all to feel something. This record is loud, raw, and impossible to ignore.”
TUTV:
Faster than a Formula One Ferrari.
Louder than a supersonic jet.
Punkier than any punks around.
Press info: Inspired entirely by the life and mythos of actor Dennis Hopper, Mike Scott
and The Waterboys created this expansive album as tribute to one of American popular culture’s most compelling public figures.
TUTV: This a remarkable piece of work. It could be the soundtrack for a yet to be made Dennis Hopper documentary. Hats off to Mike Scott for his boldness, imaginativeness, and ingenuity to score this musical movie, constructed marvellously with its sonically cinematic versatility.
Pop, rock, blues, country, bar-room jazz, and musing balladry take turns and puzzle
a most coherent and highly entertaining whole together, spiced with magnificent vocal contributions by Fiona Apple, Steve Earle and others. Never a dull moment with its varied stream of entertaining songs and Scott‘s awe-inspiring vocality throughout.
TUTV: Trois is one of the most balanced, the most arousing and the most vitalizing
noise rock records I heard in a very long time. Heisa grab you by the throat for 40 wicked minutes, and you won’t protest for one second. The cliché all killers, no fillers is so accurate here.
No arty farty tricks, no unnecessary overdubs, no useless volume exaggerations.
The production is flawless, and is an instrumental factor for the overall organic
resonance of this expressive exploit.
TUTV: Loudmouths Andrew Falkous and Damien Sayell still spit and sneer their 4 lungs
out and rip politicians to shreds while they wield their razor-sharp axes. Chainsaw guitars everywhere, backed by a hellacious drum/bass duo. And they’re still maddening masters when it comes to search and destroy punk havoc.
Press info: An intense and raw reflection
of grief, trauma, and the desire for healing.
‘A Mass In The Water’ roughly describes the last day of Wolf Vanwymeersch‘s father,
who took his own life during a psychotic episode. The album balances between
mockery, anger, powerlessness, grief, understanding, compassion, and love.
TUTV: It’s both a scary and flabbergasting opus that takes a lot of courage to make and share with the world. The album’s ominous dynamics, distorted vocals, and riff-roasting razzmatazz resonate like if you are listening to the soundtrack of a modern day horror movie.
Vanwymeersch and Wholes created their own Dante’s Inferno.
Bloodcurdling, pitch-black, and bone-chilling. Helter-skelter.
TUTV: Nele Janssen bewitches with her crystalline voice and enchanting piano play. Intimate, passional and heartfelt. From a Peuk scream to a solo whisper. A beautiful,
soul-stirring record that silences you from start to finish.
Eleven bittersweet reveries for the midnight hours. Stony Beds is an ideal companion
for cold winter nights, while relaxing with dimmed light on your couch and your favourite drink at hand.
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.
NME: “A record that mines the unpredictable free-spiritedness of freak
folk, the loose, louche nature of rock’n’roll and the no-rules attitude of punk.”
TUTV: Eccentricity is the new normal. Poetic, medieval music is among us. The New Eves are something special, really special. Next to drum/bass/guitar
they use more untraditional instruments such as cello, flute, violin and other
classical music gear.
At their core, musically, they’re a folk punk rock band, an outlandish one, that is.
One of those that play gloriously out of tune at times, enthuse up with splendacious chants and have your bewildering attention for the full 40 baffling minutes. One of
the most innovative full-lengths of the year. Hands down.
TUTV: TAP funk and punk, buzz and fuzz, move and groove on this voltaic
record. They shoot a series of titanic tunes from their hips with a hair-raising
impact.
Avalanche Party have become masterly songwriters who know exactly how to construct adrenalized knockout killers with the right combination of roasting riffs, jagged hooks, bang-on licks, powerhouse drumming, effervescent synths and sultry horns here and there. Stupendous record.
TUTV: With The Clearing, the changing, musical process since their debut LP is complete. It’s now more ELLIE + THE WOLF (yes, FLORENCE + THE MACHINE territory) than before. Pop music in all its seducing and alluring ways. It’ll make them superstars in and outside the UK.
Laurenne: “The songs were written in the style of vintage jazz standards, but are then drenched with Rhodes piano and sparkling horn parts, with upright bass and triphop beats holding down a groovy, downtempo feel underneath. The vocals are the polar opposite of my garage rock sound in The Darts – in Black Viiolet, I am quietly telling you secrets in the dark.
TUTV: After You is delectable music for the midnight hours that massages
your ears for 40 minutes. The most sensual record I heard in a long time.
It transfers you to a place where you can dream away, far from today’s
depressing outside world.
Artist: PREWN Who: The moniker of Massachusetts‘ born, LA-based chilling
singer-songwriter Izzy Hagerup. She released her debut album Through The Window in 2023.
Hagerup: “I need to tap into my grief and sadness and stuff because it’s there. And when
you don’t live in it then you’re just numb. You can’t see the beauty and you are running from
the pain. It’s this Groundhog Day feeling. I feel that’s the antithesis to art, love, and connection, and giving a shit about the world.”
TUTV: The combination of creepy violins, ominous cello shadow play, and last but
not least Hagerup‘s wailing voice dominate this record causing bone-chilling sensations.
Her laments evoke moments of uncomfortableness, but her grip is so overwhelming
that you just can’t get away of her sonic exorcism. Like watching a traumatic thriller
you can’t escape from without knowing the end of the story.
Press Info: “This album, was born from the difficult experience of the floods that hit Valencia on October 29, 2024. During this time, the duo lost part of their studio and actively participated in the cleanup efforts in their city.
The Valencian duo offers six tracks (plus two digital bonus tracks) to remind us that despite
the difficulties we may face, we must always fight to get ahead, get back on our feet, and not
be swept away by the current.”
TUTV: Eight titanic techno thrills, eight 90s inspired trance tunes. Think Chemical Brothers, The Orb and The Prodigy. The pair’s Mire Chronicles have a hammering impact on their post-drama demons. At the end of the traumatic tunnel there’s a Spammerheads light that
illuminates a healing future.
Album: LOVE CHANT
Their first in 19 years,
their 11th overall.
TUTV: Dando has resurrected himself and his band gloriously. Now and then he touches turbulent memories from the past and does some soul-searching again, but you can feel he’s truly happy, healthy and excited to be here in great artistic shape. A welcome reaffirmation of The Lemonheads‘ riveting pop mastery.
TUTV: Writing songs is Doherty‘s oxygen. He has music running through his veins.
Enter this new solo album. A collection of daily life tunes that puts a smile on your
face. The man entertains, charms and shows his inspiring skills once again. It’s clear
that the French air stimulates his productivity. Poetry in motion.
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.
As a prolific solo artist, he scored 7 LPs, collaborated with countless
other artists, and caused poignant waves with his Mafia outfit.
Album: THE FATEFUL SYMMETRY
His 8th solo LP, released posthumously
by Mute Records.
Album artwork
TUTV:Stewart expresses again his mixed emotions about humanity and its messy planet. Both pessimistic and optimistic reflections, but always with sparks of hope. Musically, it’s
a very accessible pop work with several crooning musings.
His characteristic, captivating voice, both heartrending and heartwarming at the same time, feels so real, so close, and as always, engaged and genuine. Mark Stewart was one
of a kind and will always be in my book.
TUTVTalkin To The Trees brings Young‘s 1975 masterwork Tonight’s The Night instantly
to mind, sonically that is. Raw and rough, as if the LP was recorded live in one take, in
a garage with lots of echo and plenty of ramshackle guitars, buzzing electricity and Young‘s characteristic, ardent vocals. Very familiar, very entertaining.
It’s vintage Young, musically and thematically, wondering about the world’s future, warning for environmental pollution dramas, difficult times to come for our children, and the need of a big positive change.
They met in 2022 at the SXSW festival. They met again while exhibiting visual
and conceptual art pieces in London and began recording together early
last year.
Album: LIMINAL
The duo’s third in only 5 months.
Talking about a fertile collaboration
TUTV: I always loved and embraced Eno‘s sonic ambient paintings, his chimerical and fanciful synth symphonies with its calming impact and starry-eyed radiance. Liminal is another Eno opus I added to my headphone music playlist for psychological relaxation.
An invitation to ease your mind and ears in their
phantasmagorical universe. A record to cherish.
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.
“‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The LP is an intense and raw reflection of grief, trauma, and the desire for healing.
‘A Mass In The Water’ roughly describes the last day of Wolf Vanwymeersch‘s father,
who took his own life during a psychotic episode. The album balances between
mockery, anger, powerlessness, grief, understanding, compassion, and love.
TUTV: It’s a both scary and flabbergasting opus that takes a lot of courage to make and share with the world. The album’s ominous dynamics, distorted vocals, and riff-roasting razzmatazz resonate like if you are listening to the soundtrack of a modern-day horror movie.
Vanwymeersch and Wholes created their own Dante’s Inferno.
Bloodcurdling, pitch-black, and bone-chilling. Helter-skelter.
TUTV: Just one spin and I knew this LP was a winner. Ace tune, after ace tune, after
ace tune. Guitar pop at its most move ‘n groove exciting. In the middle, vocalist and
guitarist Maisie Everett draws all attention. Wonderful voice, striking performance.
And she’s backed by a well-oiled rockin’ engine. Trust me, these Aussies are going
places, very soon.
TUTV: Nele Janssen bewitches with her crystalline voice and enchanting piano play. Intimate, passional and heartfelt. From a Peuk scream to a solo whisper. A beautiful,
soul-stirring record that silences you from start to finish.
Eleven bittersweet reveries for the midnight hours. Stony Beds is an ideal companion
for cold winter nights, while relaxing with dimmed light on your couch and your favourite drink at hand.
TUTV: PP offer sinewy pieces of a high rock-punk-and-blues calibre,
all delivered with lots of gusto and bold brio. They fuzz and buzz
throughout the whole record. 40 minutes of barbed electricity.
Artist: MAVIS STAPLES Who: Legendary soul/blues/rock voice who, along with family, had a long and
greatly accomplished career under the name ofThe Staple Singers (1948-1994).
She’s 86 now, singing and swinging like a 36-year-old.
Produced by Brad Cook, the album spans seven decades of the American songbook,
a range nearly as vast as Mavis’ career, and includes reinventions of timeless songs
by Tom Waits, Sparklehorse, Gillian Welch, Frank Ocean and more.
Cook imagined an album in the tradition of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band‘s Will the Circle Be Unbroken, a group of artists coming together to celebrate community. In this case,
one centered on Mavis. Collaborators include Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, Derek Trucks, Katie Crutchfield, MJ Lenderman, and Justin Vernon.
WHOLES is the new musical project of Belgian, musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch who played with several bands over the years (pop, punk, rock, sludge metal) and released a pure singer-songwriter pearl with solo debut album The Early Years back in 2022.
Wholes are what remains after a soul has been detonated, what struck those around
it, what could no longer be contained says Wolf. They just released their debut LP, titled A MASS IN THE WATER. A pitch-black noizz and very personal record about Vanmymeersch losing his beloved father.
It’s a both scary and flabbergasting opus that takes a lot of courage to make and share with the world. Turn Up The Volume had a chat about it with Wolf, but first a sonic intro
with ‘Till We Don’t Meet Again‘, which was the album’s first single.
Can you remember a day you weren’t involved in music in the past few decades?
“Music isn’t a choice or a hobby for me; it’s a current that runs underneath everything. Even on the days I don’t play or write, it’s always there. A single word in a conversation can spark something, a sound in the street can open a door. There’s always something playing in the back of my mind.”
What does your new project/band’s name stand for?
“WHOLES refers to what remains after a soul explodes — the pieces, the shards,
the echoes. It’s about scars as much as openings: holes and the spaces where new
light can enter. It also references the Whole, The desire to feel connected with
everyone and everything.
The name is raw and hopeful at the same time,
and that’s exactly where our music lives.”
Suppose WHOLES was an animal.
Which one would it be and why?
“A crow. Something living between life and decay, clever, restless, unafraid of
darkness yet still strangely beautiful. A creature that’s always collecting things
and suddenly takes off when you least expect it.
Or a cockroach: it thrives in the cracks, survives the loudest blasts, and refuses
to disappear. It’s the noise that keeps living long after the room has gone quiet.
Or a cow? WHOLES is like a cow in a storm, usually placid, almost meditative,
but when it moves, the earth itself shakes. The music carries that same mix
of calm, menace, and unstoppable presence.”
The debut album A MASS IN THE WATER has just
been released. What’s the story behind the title?
“As crazy and morbid as it sounds, I found my dead father in a brook De Schorre. Hence Poids Lourd etc… It’s also a Mass in the sense of
a Requiem.
The album, much like the title, is about confronting grief, carrying it,
and letting it shape the sound without being consumed by it.”
My first impressions went from scary to flabbergasting.
Is the maker of this pitch-black record the freakiest
Mr. Hyde ever?
(laughs) “Maybe. WHOLES is definitely my Mr. Hyde,
the part that rages, distorts, and refuses to sit still.
But it feels less like Mr. Hyde taking over from Jekyll and more like both of them
finally being allowed to speak at the same time. The darkness in the record is real,
it’s simply the only way I could express certain emotions without filtering or
polishing them.”
It’s a very personal work dealing with the loss of your
beloved father. Now that the album is out, do you feel
some sort of healing?
“Making this album didn’t heal me, but it gave the grief a shape. It let me confront emotions I couldn’t otherwise articulate: the grief, the rage, the confusion. Sharing
it doesn’t erase the loss, but it transforms it: it becomes something external,
something that can move, resonate, and exist beyond me.
Playing this music live, in front of people, takes it
even further, it transcends the pain and the grief.”
The singles’ and LP’s artwork visualise your demons, I suppose.
Quite impressive. Can you tell us more about it?
“Yes, the artwork is very much an extension of the music and the emotions behind it. Maxime Rouquart, who created all the visuals, and I sat down and listened to the album together.
I shared some sketches and stylistic guidelines, for example, my interest in wood engraving and lithography, and then he did his thing, producing some truly beautiful
work. Niek Devos from PRINTBAaR handled the screen printing, giving the art a special finishing touch that really completes the whole experience.”
What’s your favorite track and why?
“My favorites change from day to day, today I’ll pick ‘Holes’ because it’s the only song that speaks directly TO my father. In lines like ‘to make you whole again / sleep well my friend / hope your nightmares end / from wayback when / and help the man to fill them holes again and make you whole again’.
As if I’m consoling him, singing a lullaby to soothe his pains.”
. Suppose A MASS IN THE WATER was the soundtrack
of a movie. Which one would it be and why?
“If A MASS IN THE WATER were the soundtrack of a movie, it would be something
raw, and unflinching, a film where grief, chaos and beauty coexist. Where time
slows down and emotions speak through textures and images.
In that sense, it could work perfectly with Sirât: a father searches for his missing
daughter in the desert and the world around them spirals into utter chaos. Our album’s
tension, intensity and immersive sound would mirror the film’s themes, the landscape’s
harshness and the emotional weight of the story.”
What can we expect from WHOLES in 2026?
“In 2026, you can expect more shows and a deeper dive into the sonic language we’re developing. We’re rehearsing new songs — not sure if we’ll release them this year — but we’re only at the beginning.”
Thank you, Wolf, for this revealing interview.
May the road rise with Wholes.
