Cerca:a force

On 'A Little Longer', Leavy's first major solo artistic statement, she deftly explores nostalgia and melancholy over ten tracks that wash over the listener like a gentle ocean tide. Indeed, the record's sound harkens to an era when the SoCal sound dominated the FM dial. Now a resident of Lafayette, LA, this collection of songs was written while Leavy was living in Boston and New York. However, it's clear that growing up on California's central coast was foundational to Leavy's songwriting. Lush mid-1970s production courtesy of Robin MacMillian shows up in the horns on "Cigarettes and Coffee" or the pedal steel on "I Have Been Trying."

Expansive vocal harmonies permeate "Please Don't Ask Me To Be Friends" or "I Won't Be Dreaming Anymore" which reference everything from Motown to The Beach Boys. Experienced as a whole, 'A Little Longer' is startlingly cohesive and masterful in tone and writing. Take note because this young artist has arrived as a songwriting force.

Videos for the two singles to follow

The Spanish-Dominican label led by the Spanish Sergio Parrado and the Dominican Jee Bear presents its Lmtd series, where art, design and music go hand in hand. A collectible series where each reference is a piece of a mural by the Argentine designer Lucien Le Grub, this being the first of four.

This first reference is the work of Chilean Alejandro Vivanco (Cadenza, Melisma) who joins forces with fellow Chilean Dorian Chavez (8bit, Viva Music) to bring us this incredible “Dabtrack”.

The original cut (A1) is to go back in time, return to the essence of the mid-2000s where artists like Luciano or Ricardo Villalobos put the Andean country in the eyes of the world with their organic micro house. “Dabtrack” is about this, but with a renewed sound, where the organic and the digital embrace to create an intense track, with fat basses that will make the sound system rumble. Special synths that catch you to create a magnificent sound collage.

The A2 is for the master master and lord of the deep sound. We are talking about the Romanian Mihai Popoviciu, who brilliantly reinterprets the track and takes it to his own terrain, but without neglecting the essence of the original and giving it his particular groove that works so well late at night. The groove, together with the set of synths, which elaborates it magnificently, makes his remix of Dabtrack” an indispensable work in the DJ's suitcases.

Now it's time to close this incredible album. For this we have reserved the entire B-side for one of the Chilean artists who has left the most mark in the last two decades on the international electronic scene: Pier Bucci. He takes us on a 12-minute journey through his signature style where anything can happen. Little more to say, we invite you to discover it for yourself. Because it is a work of art.

Discover the history of Hip-Hop with this brand-new 3-vinyl box set! The Gems Of Hip-Hop Culture - FEAT. - THE PHARCYDE - AFRIKA BAMBAATAA - MOS DEF - GRAND MASTER FLASH - RZA - CAPONE-N-NOREAGA - MONIE LOVE - DIZZEE RASCAL - GRAND PUBA - BRAND NUBIAN - BIG L - 2PAC...

LP Edition of 300 copies in Matt Laminated Sleeve with Black paper Innersleeve.

Ab'bhau's debut album was forged in fire in the year 2018 after mysterious live apparitions and rehearsal sessions. The aim behind this first exploration was void invocation, void materialization. The project is formed by established musicians of the Spanish underground noise, experimental, and metal scene. Connections to bands and projects like Black Earth, Suspiral, Inhumankind, Phicus, Triple Zero, Gárgara, or Sudaria can be traced. The ritualistic essence of this artistic incarnation is based upon the rupture of repetitive patterns through improvisation as a medium to convey abject forces into the shape of what the band has called 'Black Metal Destruktion', stemming Heideggerian terminology. A form that appears to disappear or to be registered, but impossible to reproduce. Even though the recordings vary on the album formats, they are the same album, the same whole, the same essence... exhaled through three different forms of sonic manifestation. Artwork by Heresie Studio.

We're proud to announce renewal of our near-ten year relationship with raw black power ambient ritualists Sutekh Hexen in announcing the band's colossal new 2LP "P:R:I:S:M", a full collaboration with Canadian nightmare-weaving enigma Funerary Call (AKA field recording and experimental soundscaping artist Harlow MacFarlane), to be released this summer in collaboration with our good dearest frequent co-conspirators from the US Sentien Ruin.
With "P:R:I:S:M", magisterial sonic-alchemists Sutekh Hexen and Funerary Call join forces to deliver a fully collaborative album of eight highly experimental tracks. Throughout this octonary journey, concepts and unseen source energies are refined into spectrums of deeper consciousness. The resulting narrative guides the listener through a vastness of (dis)charging energies, rebirth through dissolution, and harrowing harmonic passages in tremendous spaces. Inner-workings suspend transformations in time. Pushing their respective boundaries, Sutekh Hexen and Funerary Call initiate the listener with the crystalline, static miasma of the album’s opener 'Meridian غ', only to enshroud them in the manifesting psychosis of 'Infernal Folly'. The churning mysticism of 'Perilous Shade' offers temporal sanctuary, and 'Toward the Eastern Gate' calls forth tectonic-prophecies as the album's centerpiece, tipping the scale into 'Fractal: Void'—a blistering disarmament in a storm of guitars, scathing electronics, and the disembodied calls we all anticipate and fear. 'Æscend Obsidia' tests the preceding tension and overwhelms in shimmering radiance before declaring release in 'Pangæa Ultima² (Dread)'. Closing with 'Shores of Purgatory', thresholds are breached anew with hectic guitar feedback, spectral synthesis and meditative melodic embellishments. Where the mirror blinds, the "P:R:I:S:M" offers vision—refractions of new perspectives, dissolving the shadow-self.

Mo" Horizons enter their seventh album chapter andremarkably, celebrate 25 years of their exultant andglobally enriched, forward-thinking, electronic sound. Featuring a cast of guest singers, including Ghanaianlegend Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Mango, is a fiery andsample-heavy blend of future-funk, balearic, highlife,Brazilian drum "n bass and lo-fi hip hop, set to bereleased on their long-standing label Agogo Records.

Spanning over three decades, German DJ andproduction duo Mo" Horizons, led by Ralf Droesemeyer,& Mark Wetzler have been a relentless force on theglobal groove scene. For 25 years, the pair havecontinued to grow their international audiences,testament to remaining on-point, ignoring the fashionand tribalism of scenes like big beat and broken beat,that thrived but then morphed and went off radar.

Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express was the phoenix that rose from the ashes of sixties combo The Trinity. Fusing R&B, jazz, soul and funk, keyboard maestro Brian Auger created a new breed of music that took the US and the UK by storm. Auger’s unique experimentation culminated in rhythm-infused jazz funk that united Black and white ’70s audiences. The 6 studio albums that make up Complete Oblivion illustrate the group’s diverse musical influences and progression, from the 1970 self titled debut’s heavy jazz-rock to the jazz fusion, latin and disco tinged Reinforcements from 1975 - this process no doubt powered by the groups’ evolving line up, which included guitarists Jim Mullen and Jack Mills, drummers Robbie McIntosh & Steve Ferrone, bassists Barry Dean and Clive Chaman and vocalist Alex Ligertwood. The musical highlights within Complete Oblivion are many, but particular highlights to mention have to be Total Eclipse (Oblivion Express), Fill Your Head With Laugher (A Better Land), the blistering cover of Eddie Harris’ Freedom Jazz Dance (Second Wind), the Barry Dean composition Whenever You're Ready, the version of Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues (Closer To It), Beginning Again (Straight Ahead) and the mind bending keyboard tour de force Brain Damage (Reinforcements). Given the groups legendary status among fellow musicians such as Zucchero and Herbie Hancock, DJ’s like Kenny Dope and Gilles Peterson and Auger’s legion of fans worldwide - that mission was fully accomplished - or to put it another way, in the words of super fans The Beastie Boys: “Those who remain oblivious to the obvious delights of Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express do so at their own risk!”

There are few things in life quite as mesmerising or outrageously euphoric as the nine-strong Umlauts army effervescing in fulsome force. Rebelling against labels, transcending borders of land and time - packed with twin vocalists equally competent in their skewering south-London drawl as they are in German, Italian or French - as in touch with the nostalgias of First-Generation post-punk or 80s pop as they are with the techniks of contemporary pop or big beat dance - the Umlauts are paragons of trans-europe excess, dripping with inarguable edge; shambling wildly from chaotic cool to bombastically exquisite order; invested with unhinging, socio-political bite, dancing in a rave of their own.

McCombs is one of the most highly regarded bassists/guitarists working today, known for his pioneering band Tortoise, his bass playing in Chicago"s Eleventh Dream Day, and his innovative instrumental group Brokeback. He has released albums with guitarist David Daniell, and collaborated with the likes of Tom Zé to Yo La Tengo, Stereolab to Daniel Lanois. In addition to being the touring bassist for The Sea and Cake, McCombs has somehow found time to form a new trio Black Duck with guitarist Bill MacKay, and percussionist Charles Rumback. Douglas McCombs" VMAKMcCombs" debut solo album is a mix of improvisation, textural explorations and recurring melodic themes. Taking after Brokeback"s classic Morse Code in the Modern Age: Across the Americas, "Two To Coolness" is a piece that McCombs refined through a series of improvised performances and features Calexico drummer John Convertino, as well as singer/guitarist/synth player Sam Prekop (also of The Sea and Cake). "Green Crown"s Step" was largely improvised working through melodies and patterns. The stately "To Whose Falls Shallows" reshapes three key themes that Tortoise and Brokeback fans will find to be signature McCombs, buoyed by fellow Brokeback member James Elkington (Tweedy), who also engineered and mixed the album. On the album, McCombs plays with spare instrumentation and primarily plays electric and acoustic guitars as well as the Bass VI, drawing out textures that stretch the scope of his instruments. McCombs" work is pastoral and expansive, his playing is refined and nuanced, and his melodies often bely his admiration for Ennio Morricone as his guitar imbues endlessly sprawling fields of the midwest with the same sense of magic. It is a true pleasure to hear him perform in such an intimate way. This is an absolute essential for followers of McCombs and newcomers alike, as the album lays bare his influence on each of his groups as well as firmly stakes McCombs as a force all his own.

"Ruiner" the new full-length LP from time-honored US black metal entity
KRIEG will see its release on Oct 13
"Ruiner" is the first full- length from the cult US black metal force since 2014's
"Transient" and is a despondent expression that captures the classic KRIEG
complexion which has solidified KRIEG as a vanguard and pioneer of US black
metal.
Even though "Ruiner" is the first KRIEG full-length album in nine years, KRIEG has
continued to remain active leading up to its long-awaited release through various
splits, collabs and EPs. This all culminated in that moment for "Ruiner" to
ultimately manifest itself.
"Ruiner" is unrepentant and remorseless black metal in the reflective manner
KRIEG and mastermind N. Jameson have always been known for. Most-notably
that of the savage and unhinged aura present in the triarchy of classic KRIEG
works, namely "Destruction Ritual" (2001), "The Black House" (2004), and "Blue
Miasma" (2006) while maintaining that harsh, sorrowful and cold- blooded
melancholic aura

A Tonic For The Troops have, after extensive touring, established themselves as a tight collective with high octane performances providing enjoyable and accessible jazz. After several ‘top of the year’ lists for their debut album Ambush, ATFTT are joining forces again for their second album! The ingredients still consist of straight ahead post-bop with a modern and contemporary sound, but ‘Realm of Opportunities’ also opens up a more lyrical and emotional approach. Ellen Brekken has established herself as one of the most versatile bass players in Norway today. In A Tonic For The Troops we can see her evolution as a composer as well, with a firm grasp of melody and development, demonstrated in cinematic and suite-like tunes.The band utilises the strengths of some of the most energetic performers on the Norwegian jazz scene today, leading successful bands in their own right. Espen Berg (piano), Magnus Bakken (sax) and Magnus Sefaniassen Eide (drums) all bring great solo contributions too, but the band´s real secret weapons are both their playful interaction and also their openness to using a melting-pot of musical ideas. A Tonic For The Troops demonstrate once again with 'Realm of Opportunities' that their energy and motivation are at their peak, showcasing a life-affirming band in top shape!
Ellen Brekken (double bass) Magnus Bakken (tenor saxophone) Espen Berg (piano) Magnus Sefaniassen Eide (drums)

“Cinematic electronica embraces intelligent Indian infused beat making”.

Belgian beat collective Up High Collective return with their new album 'Koinonia.' Their second full-length comes five years after their debut album in 2018. For 'Koinonia' they have invited Belgian iconic drummer Lander Gyselinck (STUFF.) and several other guest musicians. The first single 'Koi' is available now, the record is set for release on Wednesday October 11 on vinyl, Bandcamp and via all digital platforms via San Kofa Rhythm Records.

"Going with the cinematic tides of sound: first single 'Koi' features compelling South-Asian sitar, imminent strings, drums by Lander Gyselinck and carefully constructed beat making."

Spearheaded by producer duo Koen De Petter and Renaldo Maria, this record is Up High Collective’s most ambitious music project to date and has been in the works since 2015. The name of the record - Koinonia is Greek for "fellowship" or "community" - refers to the intense and inspiring interplay between the collective and several musicians they invited to contribute.

Raw analog recordings and beats by the producer duo, brimming with imperfections and samples from original Indian music, laid the foundation for live studio sessions by Bert Cornelis, one of the few sitar players in Belgium, drummer Lander Gyselinck (Lander & Adriaan, STUFF.), double bassist Jens Similox (Orchestre Collone) and multi- talented bassist Boris van Overschee (Okon, Delv!s). From their intrinsic penchant for deconstruction, the live elements were cut up by the producers, heavily rearranged and presented as new sounds. After several sessions in their Up High Studio (Leuven), carefully constructed collages gradually started to form with all of its layers filling the deepest corners of the sound space.

The result is a record that balances perfectly between cinematic electronica with complex harmonies to get lost in and solid club oriented beats with crunching textures and off the grid rhythmic patterns.

"All of these songs share an underlying, invisible force bound by the intense interplay and mutual inspiration between us and the live musicians.

INDUSTRIAS MEKANIKAS returns to the fray, and comes with force, with this new release from producer CUTE HEELS.

This Colombian producer and DJ based in Berlin, and who has published in labels like; Dark Entries, Moustache Records or Schrödinger’s Box, lands in the Madrid label to present us his latest work “Steel Field”, a 12″ of six tracks in mini LP format, where the producer shows us his darker side.

All his tracks converge in styles with a very marked influence of EBM and the most hypnotic Techno, along with the treatment of his vocals with distortion and delay effects, as well as lyrics with a very devastating message,

His new Mlp “Steel Field”, will make you travel from the beginning to the end, will take you to the darkest and murkiest worlds of electronica, will make you can not stop dancing, playing, thinking and moving between the sensations and the most recondite desires of your mind.

Known for being part of the INNA DE YARD family for almost 20 years, Jamaican singer extraordinaire DERAJAH is a major figure in Kingston music scene. He is the bridge between the old and new generations, passing the knowledge from the elders to the youths. We are delighted to present his latest effort in collaboration with A-class studio band The 18th Parallel: ‘PROSPERITY’. A showcase album of 6 songs with dub versions produced between Geneva, Switzerland and Kingston, Jamaica. With the expert touch of mixing maestro Westfinga, the 11 tracks of ‘Prosperity’ are sonic masterpieces, timeless and innovative.

In between the raw and brutal sound of 80’s Jamaican rub a dub and today’s sophisticated and polished modern sound. Derajah's raw and emotive vocals paint vivid pictures of struggle and resilience, carrying a profound message of social consciousness and resistance against oppressive forces, while The 18th Parallel's ultra-solid riddims create a rich tapestry of sound that will transport you to the heart of roots reggae. With its impeccable production quality, ‘Prosperity’ captures the essence of reggae's golden era.

This groundbreaking album is a testament to the enduring power of music to inspire, uplift, and ignite change.

The story towards the creation of this album also needs to be shared. As Fruits Records members were in Jamaica on tour and to record their first projects, they crossed Derajah paths a couple times without getting a chance to work together. But this was enough to set a strong foundation to a relationship that goes way beyond the musical side only. A few years after this meeting, one phone call only was enough to start the process. The rest is pure magic! Spontaneity, trust and loyalty became the guidelines for the creation of this gem, which stand out of time and space, and aim to carry on its path anyone seeking for knowledge, love and prosperity.

The first track of Godcaster's fervid self-titled album, Diamond's Shining Face, is a reentry, a display of a band metamorphosed into a harder, more devastating form.

Their previous releases and euphoric live demonstrations have established Godcaster as an unstoppable Promethean force, always moving towards their next conquest. For their self- titled second full- length, they have set out, armed with a new certainty, to communicate the feeling of overwhelming light they experience while performing "a brightness that moves beyond its common properties of health and guidance to become a force that burns and ravages.

There is a clear maturation from the group on Godcaster. Many of the brighter, bouncier elements fiercely executed on Long Haired Locusts and the Saltergasp EP have been all but buried and traded in for something heavier. The angular sass and joviality in the troupe's past have been stripped of frivolity, rounded out, dirtied, and stretched to create a more expansive, full-bodied practice.

Each of the songs are emotional, narrative vignettes showcasing a more deliberate and sincere lyrical and sonic turn. Nowhere is Godcaster's newfound immensity better demonstrated than on the album's two anchoring, ten- plus minute epics "the relentless Didactic Flashing Antidote, and the kinetic Draw Breath Cry Out.

The shorter pieces further demonstrate the dynamism and versatility of the group, with equally hypnotic and roaring pieces (Vivian Heck and Death's Head Eyed Hawkmoth), alongside gentle, welcome respites (Albino Venus and Pluto Shoots His Gaze).

It requires significant confidence in the work to release an eponymous album.

Trust that Godcaster is an immense declaration of self- actualization by the magnificent juggernaut known by the same name.

Für ihr neuestes bzw. drittes vollständiges Studioalbum 'Sanguivore' haben die fünf Briten von Creeper einen Blutpakt geschlossen, um sich voll und ganz auf die Dinge zu konzentrieren, die sie wirklich ausmachen; um mit einer brennenden Fackel in die eher schwach beleuchteten Nischen des stets fruchtbaren Geistes von Frontmann Will Gould vorzudringen.

Das Ergebnis: Über 40 Minuten Musik, die das Grandiose und Epische mit dem Punkrock-Geist verbindet, der seit ihrem Debüt von 2017 ein Eckpfeiler des Creeper-Sounds ist: eine zerrissene Lederjacke, eingewickelt in einen plüschigen Samtmantel - ein Mantel, der mit rotem Satin gefüttert ist, versteht sich. Inspiriert von Folklore und Mythos, der eher schattigen Seite der Populärkultur, haben Creeper einen eigenen Raum abgesteckt; eine neblige Welt der Gothic-Bilder und dunklen Romantik, der Krypten und Burgruinen, des Unerwiderten und der Untoten - eine Welt, in der die Liebe ihren Preis hat und die Schönheit mit geschärften Zähnen lächelt.

Vom Eröffnungsstück 'Further Than Forever', einer neunminütigen, vielschichtigen Tour-de-Force, die dem verstorbenen Jim Steinman ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern würde, bis zum Schlussstück 'Spook And Mercy', einer nächtlichen Geschichte über die kleine Mercy und ihre gefräßigen Taten, ist 'Sanguivore' eine äußerst beeindruckende, lose konzeptionelle Reise durch das Glorreiche und Grafische.

Für ihr neuestes bzw. drittes vollständiges Studioalbum 'Sanguivore' haben die fünf Briten von Creeper einen Blutpakt geschlossen, um sich voll und ganz auf die Dinge zu konzentrieren, die sie wirklich ausmachen; um mit einer brennenden Fackel in die eher schwach beleuchteten Nischen des stets fruchtbaren Geistes von Frontmann Will Gould vorzudringen.

Das Ergebnis: Über 40 Minuten Musik, die das Grandiose und Epische mit dem Punkrock-Geist verbindet, der seit ihrem Debüt von 2017 ein Eckpfeiler des Creeper-Sounds ist: eine zerrissene Lederjacke, eingewickelt in einen plüschigen Samtmantel - ein Mantel, der mit rotem Satin gefüttert ist, versteht sich. Inspiriert von Folklore und Mythos, der eher schattigen Seite der Populärkultur, haben Creeper einen eigenen Raum abgesteckt; eine neblige Welt der Gothic-Bilder und dunklen Romantik, der Krypten und Burgruinen, des Unerwiderten und der Untoten - eine Welt, in der die Liebe ihren Preis hat und die Schönheit mit geschärften Zähnen lächelt.

Vom Eröffnungsstück 'Further Than Forever', einer neunminütigen, vielschichtigen Tour-de-Force, die dem verstorbenen Jim Steinman ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern würde, bis zum Schlussstück 'Spook And Mercy', einer nächtlichen Geschichte über die kleine Mercy und ihre gefräßigen Taten, ist 'Sanguivore' eine äußerst beeindruckende, lose konzeptionelle Reise durch das Glorreiche und Grafische.

Für ihr neuestes bzw. drittes vollständiges Studioalbum 'Sanguivore' haben die fünf Briten von Creeper einen Blutpakt geschlossen, um sich voll und ganz auf die Dinge zu konzentrieren, die sie wirklich ausmachen; um mit einer brennenden Fackel in die eher schwach beleuchteten Nischen des stets fruchtbaren Geistes von Frontmann Will Gould vorzudringen.

Das Ergebnis: Über 40 Minuten Musik, die das Grandiose und Epische mit dem Punkrock-Geist verbindet, der seit ihrem Debüt von 2017 ein Eckpfeiler des Creeper-Sounds ist: eine zerrissene Lederjacke, eingewickelt in einen plüschigen Samtmantel - ein Mantel, der mit rotem Satin gefüttert ist, versteht sich. Inspiriert von Folklore und Mythos, der eher schattigen Seite der Populärkultur, haben Creeper einen eigenen Raum abgesteckt; eine neblige Welt der Gothic-Bilder und dunklen Romantik, der Krypten und Burgruinen, des Unerwiderten und der Untoten - eine Welt, in der die Liebe ihren Preis hat und die Schönheit mit geschärften Zähnen lächelt.

Vom Eröffnungsstück 'Further Than Forever', einer neunminütigen, vielschichtigen Tour-de-Force, die dem verstorbenen Jim Steinman ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern würde, bis zum Schlussstück 'Spook And Mercy', einer nächtlichen Geschichte über die kleine Mercy und ihre gefräßigen Taten, ist 'Sanguivore' eine äußerst beeindruckende, lose konzeptionelle Reise durch das Glorreiche und Grafische.

Für ihr neuestes bzw. drittes vollständiges Studioalbum 'Sanguivore' haben die fünf Briten von Creeper einen Blutpakt geschlossen, um sich voll und ganz auf die Dinge zu konzentrieren, die sie wirklich ausmachen; um mit einer brennenden Fackel in die eher schwach beleuchteten Nischen des stets fruchtbaren Geistes von Frontmann Will Gould vorzudringen.

Das Ergebnis: Über 40 Minuten Musik, die das Grandiose und Epische mit dem Punkrock-Geist verbindet, der seit ihrem Debüt von 2017 ein Eckpfeiler des Creeper-Sounds ist: eine zerrissene Lederjacke, eingewickelt in einen plüschigen Samtmantel - ein Mantel, der mit rotem Satin gefüttert ist, versteht sich. Inspiriert von Folklore und Mythos, der eher schattigen Seite der Populärkultur, haben Creeper einen eigenen Raum abgesteckt; eine neblige Welt der Gothic-Bilder und dunklen Romantik, der Krypten und Burgruinen, des Unerwiderten und der Untoten - eine Welt, in der die Liebe ihren Preis hat und die Schönheit mit geschärften Zähnen lächelt.

Vom Eröffnungsstück 'Further Than Forever', einer neunminütigen, vielschichtigen Tour-de-Force, die dem verstorbenen Jim Steinman ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern würde, bis zum Schlussstück 'Spook And Mercy', einer nächtlichen Geschichte über die kleine Mercy und ihre gefräßigen Taten, ist 'Sanguivore' eine äußerst beeindruckende, lose konzeptionelle Reise durch das Glorreiche und Grafische.

The dual forces of shadow and light, despair and hope, frustration and catharsis are at play in the music of Cupid & Psyche, the Los Angeles-based indie rock duo of Michael Vidal and Juan Velasquez. First gaining recognition in the late aughts as members of the punk band Abe Vigoda, whose 2010 album Crush was named one of the "Best 50 Albums of the 2010s" by Pitchfork, the two have reunited as collaborators for the first time in a decade. Cathartic jam sessions would birth the emotionally resonant songs that appear on their debut album, Romantic Music. Though they pull from a wide array of `80s and `90s influences, Cupid & Psyche bring together these disparate moods and genres through their own esoteric lens on Romantic Music_making for a singular sound that at once feels familiar and alluringly hypnotic. Listeners will detect the gloom of post-punk and goth, the haziness of dream-pop and shoegaze, the bittersweet guitar melodies of second-wave emo, and the manic electronic rhythms of trip-hop and big beat. The immersive soundscapes on Romantic Music are sometimes agitated and driving, while other times ethereal and transcendent. This duality matches the album's lyrics of looking for a divine escape from the grim realities of existence, as well as the darkest parts of one's psyche. "The thesis of the album is trying to transcend the limits of life and the struggle therein," Vidal says. "There's a lot of lyrics about feeling trapped or frustrated, and then trying to find a way out. There's a lot of times I sing of hope and grasping towards love. But maybe in trying to escape, you take the wrong door, be it substance abuse or other vices." Now as Cupid & Psyche, Vidal and Velasquez return to a friendship that creatively feels like home_except this time, with more experience, self-knowledge, and less pressure to make anything other than the music that emerges naturally. The LP's title Romantic Music is tongue-in-cheek, since there are no love songs proper on the project, and the phrase itself can imply a kind of light listening. But it befits that deep bond that the members have, as friends who understand and empathize with each other's worst, so they're capable of bringing out each other's best.