Tara Cunningham’s guitar glitch miniatures draw patterns in negative space on new mini-album Warm Ground. Operating predominantly within improvisational and experimental music, guitarist Tara Cunningham has developed a discrete sonic language that reveals the full textural and timbral range of her instrument.
Marking a new chapter for Cunningham that builds on her solo debut, Almost – Not Exactly, released on Non Classical in 2025, Warm Ground unfolds across seven compelling instrumental dialogues - each a conversation of rhythms and found sounds, syncopated and juxtaposed, open to encounter.
Implied by the title of first single ‘Following a Thought’, Cunningham weaves an exploratory melody into the spaces between field recordings. At once introspective and highly relational, each track ushers the listener into a world of different scales, seeking beauty and meaning in the everyday, from the discrete mechanisms of ‘Fridgelight’ to the delicately unhinged organism of ‘Flying Ant Day’.
Cunningham finds a natural home on Odda’s roster of artists sensitive to the details of their materials and surroundings, finding kinship alongside the intimate songcraft of Kirk Barley and Fohn in the gaps between composition and improvisation.
In 2026 she released a self-titled LP as The Sleeves with Jack Cooper, performing at Cafe Oto ahead of a US tour in the autumn. She continues to pursue a range of projects as collaborator and side person with Modern Nature, Sebastian Rochford, Red Snapper, Liam Noble, Laura Jurd and Caius Williams.
The Tango N'Vectif: Sessions 2LP contains tracks from the original CD version, the 2001 2CD reissue, remixes and alternate versions of album tracks, music from the Phi*1700 u/v EP on R&S and other exclusives, selected by Mike, completely remastered from DATs by Beau Thomas. µ-Ziq's Tango N'Vectif was released in 1993, a classic year for auteurist electronic music that didn't always fit on the dancefloor. Written by Mike Paradinas in his late teens with some help from Frank Naughton, it still stands up really well today and its influence on electronic music in the decades since is obvious. Across an expanse of ideas, taking influences from early Aphex, Detroit Techno and UK Hardcore, Mike created this spirited, funky, jerry-rigged, lo-fi version of rave; with crunchy drums and a knack for melody that fell somewhere between John Barry and classic TV themes. Without owning a computer, Mike had been writing techno, house and industrial tracks on and off since 1990, playing live keys alongside drum machine rhythms on his 4-track recorder. µ-Ziq started when Mike linked up with Frank who was also writing dance-influenced music, and importantly owned an Atari 1040ST computer with Cubeat software. They pooled their equipment and Mike would travel up to Frank's house a couple of miles away in Wimbledon to record together. By 1992, and after a false start when a proposed EP for Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton's Evolution label got shelved, Mike had started at Kingston University where he deejayed and met like-minded people including a couple of guys who knew Aphex Twin who was also a student at Kingston too, and they passed Aphex a demo of Mike's material. A few days later Mike got a message from his mum to 'call Aphex Twin' and he gave Mike some advice, and seemed interested in releasing something. So when Frank and his family went on holiday that summer Mike borrowed his Atari and synths and wrote the majority of the Tango N'Vectif album during that 2 weeks. By the end of 1992 a release with Aphex Twin and Grant Wilson Claridge's Rephlex label had been agreed - Aphex had moved to the house in Clissold Crescent where he recorded a lot of his early classic albums and Mike went over to collect his advance, in the form of his very own Atari computer.
Dutch-born and Singapore-based, Mike Risk has spent more than three decades immersed in house music. As a DJ, producer, promoter and agent, he has experienced the culture from multiple angles, building relationships and sharing dancefloors across Amsterdam, London, Ibiza, New York, Chicago, Singapore and beyond.
Now Is Forever is a full-circle moment. A statement. A celebration of a lifelong relationship with house music.
Mike first made his mark in the Dutch underground through Club Risk and later RiskSoundSystem, two platforms that helped shape nightlife culture in the Netherlands throughout the 1990s and 2000s. After decades spent championing the music of others, Now Is Forever is Mike adding his own chapter to the culture that shaped his life.
Created with longtime collaborator Greg van Bueren (Hardsoul) between Amsterdam and Singapore, the album is a deeply personal tribute to the music, people and places that shaped him. From the clubs of Amsterdam and London to the sounds of Chicago, New York and Detroit, it distils decades of dancefloors, record stores, studios and late-night conversations into one body of work.
From deep and soulful grooves to raw house cuts and acid-tinged late-night moments, Now Is Forever explores house music in its full spectrum. It reflects the way Mike has always approached a dancefloor as a DJ: not as a collection of tracks, but as a journey through the many moods and moments that make a greatnight unforgettable.
Featuring Mike Dunn, Bluey Robinson, Marc Evans and John Agesilas, the album brings together years of experience, inspiration and dedication. Crafted not out of commercial pressure but out of creative necessity, it is the product of pure love-for the culture, for the craft, for the music.
Now Is Forever is a past-forward record: rooted in the music, dancefloors and relationships that shaped Mike, while carrying their spirit firmly into the present. At its heart, it is about honouring the kid who first fell in love with house music-and never let go.
Because when you are truly lost in music, there is no past and no future. There is only now.
Praised by Rolling Stone, NME and the New York Times on release — the1996 debut from the members who went on to form bright eyes & cursive. Back on vinyl for its 30th anniversary!
Blanket Warm is a genuine buried-treasure reissue: a record contemporary critics compared to the Rolling Stones, Guided by Voices, and Tindersticks, and one a new generation of listeners has rediscovered as a missing link to Neutral Milk Hotel and Sufjan Stevens’ chamber-folk.
Lullaby for the Working Class formed in Lincoln, Nebraska in the winter of 1994, when multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis and singer-guitarist Ted Stevens began writing together. Working from two home-recorded demos — and without having played a single live show — the band signed to New Jersey’s Bar/None Records in 1995. Blanket Warm was recorded and mixed by the Mogis brothers between December 1994 and April 1996 at their own Whoopass Recording Studio in Lincoln. Bar/None issued the album on CD in September 1996, while the vinyl LP went out through Lumberjack/Saddle Creek imprint in a pressing of just 1,000 copies — long out of print, and the edition this reissue restores to the format.
The result splits the difference between rustic and ornate: acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, and upright bass sit alongside a chamber ensemble of violin, cello, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone. Critics at the time reached for an unusually wide range of comparisons — the Rolling Stones, Guided by Voices, Tindersticks, Van Morrison — united mainly by the sense that nothing else sounded quite like it. Ted Stevens’ plainspoken, image-driven lyrics and unhurried delivery anchor songs that unfold with more patience and more instrumental color than the alt-country and lo-fi indie rock the band got lumped in with on release.
Stitched together from organic percussion, field recordings, and textures gathered from across the globe, Vikmatic’s most recent TSoNYC EP, co-produced with label head Danilo Braca, plays like a love letter to New York City, penned in the language of friends and family scattered across its boroughs. Rooted primarily in house, jazz, and Balearic sounds, but pulling just as freely from the sounds of Brazil, Africa, and India, Neighbors moves to the rhythm of a city swept up in the collective pulse of its most lively season.
Playful and minimalistic, “W4 Street” is a jazzy house track that adds a scintillatingly smooth, beachy flair to a nostalgic New York energy for a combination that leaves us unsure of what is improvised and what has been rehearsed to absolute mastery.
The EP’s second track, “Flushing”, represents a dramatic departure from the airiness of the previous one. Haunting and mysterious, with a leaden kick and a capricious synth, there is no question that we are finding ourselves in an entirely different neighborhood.
Early in the track, “Sunset Park” transforms from a deep rumbling into a catchy warm-weather groove with satiny synth layers, textured rhythm, and unhurried guitar and synth solos, evoking a sense of pure ease and beach season contentment.
Sultry and dream-like, “Harlem River Drive” is the ideal send-off for Neighbors, an album firmly situated in the living memory of an iconic urban summer. Warm and bittersweet, with woodwinds comprising the heart of its instrumentation, it’s not hard to picture a sunset in Upper Manhattan.
What does it mean to actually experience another City, one of such historical and cultural'd'asignificance as Detroit, A city that truly expands the capacity of Human love and resilience. Just to be there…?'d'aWhat sound do the birds make?…? What colour are the buses ? …?. What sounds do we hear in the streets'd'a?…? It's like one step beyond just experiencing a place but truly absorbing it as if it becomes a little piece of'd'aus. That's the only way you really get to understand the groove, the little everyday things that make the'd'apeople tick, their daily grievances and small moments of collective joy culminating over lifetimes. That is'd'awhere you get to the essence, the secret sauce and Lord knows this City is oozing with it.'d'aIn July 2025 Ziggy undertook a 6 week residency in the motor city with no concrete plan other than getting to'd'athe roots of a deeply layered and rich musical culture. One that has been a guiding light for many of us..'d'aWhether you are coming from the generation of Motown through the 1st generation of techno to hip hop'd'arevolutionaries, the city has left an undeniable mark on the history of American Music.'d'aAfter meeting at a weeknight vinyl session at a downtown bar, Ziggy and Malik realised they already knew'd'aeach other's work and immediately made plans to hook up in the studio. Malik being a Lifelong Detroiter with'd'aa background as a Gospel keyboardist and Singer turned House dancer, producer and DJ it was no wonder'd'ahe was a perfect addition to the Label Roster. To accommodate the sessions local turntablist and producer'd'aDJ Moppy kindly offered up his home studio and we shared many great records and vegan hot dogs in his'd'aleafy backyard.The music is primarily inspired by the enduring and charismatic folks we encountered in the city, their stories'd'aand personalities live on through the continued Musical Legacy of the city.'d'aSpecial thanks to Mike Banks, Cornelius, Crystal, John '?Jammin'? Collins (R.I.P) Rick Wilhite, Wajeed and all'd'aof the Underground Resistance family who hosted us. DJ Moppy, Meftah, Badriyyah, Raj Mahal all in the'd'abuilding!'d'aGospel and jazzy infused electro-funk and deep-house, a collaboration between one of Detroit'?s'd'aunderground dons Malik Alston and Ziggy Zeitgeist of EXREC. The result of a six week pilgrimage to Detroit'd'ain 2025, Zeitgeist set up shop in DJ Moppy'?s living room and the results are deep, dark and funky'd'a'd'a.
Originally released in 2005 on Playhouse, isolée's second album we are monster received widespread critical acclaim and was featured in numerous year-end lists, including Pitchfork's Best Albums of 2005, where it is praised for breathing "so carefree, years from now crits might accuse it of sounding timeless-- maybe even of being so." (Nick Sylvester in his Pitchfork review in 2005)
While closely associated with the minimal and microhouse movement of the mid-2000s, the sound on we are monster resists categorization; its musical vocabulary is too expansive to be confined to a single genre. Tracks such as schrapnell, mädchen mit hase, my hi-matic and enrico avoid many of the production conventions that define its period, allowing the record to retain a freshness that continues to resonate with listeners and music producers alike.
We are monster proved to be significant in more ways than one. Alongside its musical legacy, the album introduced the first record sleeve by Stefan Marx, whose artwork would become a familiar presence across countless releases on influential labels like Smallville or Mule Musiq, but also fashion labels like Comme des Garçons and many art galleries in the years that followed.
This anniversary edition revisits an album whose influence extends well beyond its original context!
Originally released in 2005 on Playhouse, isolée's second album we are monster received widespread critical acclaim and was featured in numerous year-end lists, including Pitchfork's Best Albums of 2005, where it is praised for breathing "so carefree, years from now crits might accuse it of sounding timeless-- maybe even of being so." (Nick Sylvester in his Pitchfork review in 2005)
While closely associated with the minimal and microhouse movement of the mid-2000s, the sound on we are monster resists categorization; its musical vocabulary is too expansive to be confined to a single genre. Tracks such as schrapnell, mädchen mit hase, my hi-matic and enrico avoid many of the production conventions that define its period, allowing the record to retain a freshness that continues to resonate with listeners and music producers alike.
We are monster proved to be significant in more ways than one. Alongside its musical legacy, the album introduced the first record sleeve by Stefan Marx, whose artwork would become a familiar presence across countless releases on influential labels like Smallville or Mule Musiq, but also fashion labels like Comme des Garçons and many art galleries in the years that followed.
This anniversary edition revisits an album whose influence extends well beyond its original context!
following two releases dedicated to sydney's atone, tonal oceans now turns its attention closer to home. after several years in the making, this release reintroduces the berlin trio die elektronische wohlfahrt in a revised form. nearly three decades after its original release on lab records in 1997, alongside the original 12" material, it includes two short pieces from the treffpunkt freizeit cd. die elektronische wohlfahrt was a short-lived project formed by kai kroker (rawell), peter lay, and anne westphalen. their recordings grew organically from late-night after-hours sessions in their studio in berlin's pankow district, capturing a unique blend of warm, quirky and playful textures. although their recorded output was rather limited, die elektronische wohlfahrt occupied the same creative circles as artists and friends such as move d and jan jelinek, at a time when berlin was establishing itself as one of germany's most innovative electronic music hubs. the group also performed at the legendary interference festival, one of germany's key underground electronic events of the 1990s. founded by dr. motte and uwe reinicke, the festival later evolved into interference records, where die elektronische wohlfahrt released the caro ep in 1996, further cementing the project's place within berlin's underground electronic scene. over the past few years, the music has quietly found its way into the hands of a new generation of listeners and discerning tastemakers, making its return feel long overdue.
Tectonic Recordings presents Tectonic Sound: Vol. 2, the second instalment of the various artists series curated by label founder Pinch. Following the first Tectonic Sound collection, released in 2025 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the label, the series continues Tectonic’s forward-facing approach; bringing together artists from their wider family and connecting dots across the underground.
Longstanding figures of the UK Bass scene such as J:Kenzo and Roska sit alongside a new gen of artists including Ehua, Manami, Cimm, Denham Audio, Henry Greenleaf and SHXCXCHCXSH. Beatrice M. also returns following the release of their acclaimed debut album Sinking earlier this year, while Jay Carder and Sir Hiss make their first outings as solo artists on the label, after both appearing as collaborators on Sinking.
Pinch says: ““As Tectonic enters its third decade, the spirit and passion behind the music hold true to its roots. I love every single track on this compilation and how it shows off the various corners of the label's sound. Each artist has delivered something truly special!”
Each artist arrives with a distinct sound and history of their own, but across these twelve original tracks there’s a shared understanding of what Tectonic represents. Different strains of the UK bass continuum come together, creating a space where sounds collide, and new forms take shape.
Pinch leads the charge with ‘Hold On!’, an upfront, high-definition 4x4 propulsion tool that pairs rolling momentum with seismic bass pulses. Manami enters with ‘Turning Point’, further solidifying her newer direction, leaning into deep, dubbed-out territory with a sound that feels both vast and exploratory, while remaining heads-down and locked in. Henry Greenleaf steps in with ‘Whist’, an ominous and otherworldly offering, reminiscent of early dubstep productions that fell somewhere between the lines of dark garage, 2-step and grime.
Elsewhere, SHXCXCHCXSH’s ‘NexxxD’ and Sir Hiss’s ‘2TUFF’ form a middle climatic point of pure chaos, with Sir Hiss serving up a raw slab of gnarled grime waveforms and cascading claps. Beatrice M. & Cimm bring things back down with ‘Pad City’, a cool, meandering cut of shuffling house, while Lorem closes the compilation with ‘Console Corners’, exploring the outer rims of sound manipulation and deconstruction before tying it all together.
Since its formation in 2005, Tectonic has been a trailblazing force in electronic music, helping to define and continually redraw the boundaries of dubstep and its surrounding sounds. The compilation arrives in the middle of a serious run for the label. Earlier this year, Tectonic released Beatrice M.’s debut album Sinking, a major moment for the label that was embraced across the electronic music community. Pinch has also continued his long-running creative relationship with legendary grime MC Trim this year, following their joint 2025 EP No Caller ID, with recent single Striker.
Across Tectonic Sound Vol. 2, those different strands of Tectonic’s history and present day meet head-on. The music moves between familiar forms and stranger territory, with rhythms and frequencies refracting across the collection. It’s a record that feels cohesive without being uniform, reflecting a label whose sound has always been defined by forward movement.
Peach Discs sends their last record of 2026 to the pressing plant in the form of G-Zip's wigg(l)ed-out, tech'd-up, but very much tuned-in "The Mystic Dog" EP.
A new house-focused alias from Stephen Howe – who you may remember from his excellent "Mimesis" EP for Joe Delon's Welt Discos, or his abso-fucking-lutely everywhere remix of Oklou – the G-Zip sound sits in the centre of the Venn diagram between London's tech-house pump and the blissed/blessed relief of deep house.
Hats from early grime instrumentals, interviews in club smoking areas, compilation skit tracks, video essays and jazz interludes – "The Mystic Dog" EP is built from a library of samples that extend far beyond house, tracing a deeply personal line through Stephen's influences and inspirations both past and present. Meticulously sequenced synth lines sit atop tightly woven Digitakt grooves, all mangled together through FX boxes and the Mackie desk that sits at the heart of his Berlin studio.
The EP sets out its stall with "Juiced (Monomania Mix)." Written after Stephen's first visit to Open Ground and inspired by a standout set from Fumiya Tanaka, it pairs stomping, techy drums and phat bass with a restless collage of mono synth patches that donk, squiggle and gurgle throughout.
"Missing Track" leans into contrast as a staccato bassline rubs up against the tighter than tight percussion, before skyscraping synths enter the picture to respond to the rhythm section's call. Flipping the record puts us back into banger territory with "Talking About Drums", as the tuned percussion and heavier-than-heavy subs nail the track to the dancefloor. Until the halfway point that is, when post-dubstep-indebted synths briefly arc across the stereo field – a glistening glow-up amidst the locked-in groove.
Closer "Mystic Dog" showcases Stephen's knack for idiosyncratic melody, as a wonky modular sequence twists and turns across the track while smack-in-the-face drums offer a bashy counterpoint. A classic B2 track if ever there was one, and wicked way to round off the EP.
(Oh, and there's a cheeky alternative mix of "Juiced" as a digi bonus for the hip-house heads).
Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, to a mother of Indian and Congolese heritage and a father of Slovak and Belgian descent, Siân grew up between Belgium and New York before finally letting her travelling wings come to rest in Paris. What could have become a story of fragmentation instead became a source of creative strength. Singer, songwriter, composer and photographer, Siân has always turned borders into bridges.
She first honed her voice in the jazz clubs of Paris and New York, performing alongside renowned artists such as Richard Bona, Jon Batiste and Mike Stern. Yet her path has always extended far beyond the stage. For nearly a decade, she led cultural initiatives with women and children living through exile, violence and poverty across India and Southern Africa, weaving together music, photography and artistic transmission as tools for dialogue and empowerment.
The true turning point came when she discovered the kamele ngoni, the West African harp whose ethereal sound seemed to echo something long buried within her. The instrument became her musical alter ego—the invisible thread binding together her many inheritances. Guided by Malian master Abou Diarra, Siân embarked on an inward journey towards her African roots. Yet this return to her origins was never an act of retreat into identity. Instead, it gave rise to a body of work that remains profoundly open to the world, where Africa enters into conversation with jazz, folk, soul, alternative pop and the rhythms of Brazil.
Along the way, she has crossed paths with remarkable artists including Rogê, Chico César, Fatoumata Diawara, Lokua Kanza, Flavia Coelho, Thomas de Pourquery and Philippe Baden Powell. On stage and in the studio, Siân continues to shape a musical universe that refuses labels. Like artists such as Björk, Joni Mitchell and Laura Mvula, she moves forward as an explorer, guided not by genre but by intuition.
Today, Siân stands as one of the most distinctive voices of the new Francophone music scene an artist capable of uniting musical sophistication with emotional power, introspection with collective celebration, depth with an irresistible urge to dance.
Animal — The New Album
With Animal, produced by British musician Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Africa Express...), Siân delivers her most intimate and assured work to date. Every song feels like a shedding of skin, a quiet metamorphosis, exploring self-acceptance, femininity, the freedom to be oneself, cultural heritage, and the reconciliation of one's own imperfections.
From Stereotype, a fearless manifesto against the expectations imposed on women, to the title track Animal, an anthem celebrating the beauty of imperfection ("I've turned my cracks into a crown"), the album gives a voice to everyone who refuses to fit into predefined boxes. In Terre, je danse sur toi, featuring Fatoumata Diawara, Siân pays tribute to Mother Earth and to the roots that unite us all. Oh! Congo, recorded with Lokua Kanza, reconciles her cultural heritage with an ancestral homeland that feels both distant and intimately familiar. En équilibre, with Flavia Coelho, embraces the exhilaration of risk and the courage to leap, while Put a Mask and I Could Kill confront hidden wounds and the invisible violences that quietly shape who we become.
In ADé, Siân addresses Adenomyosis as though speaking to an unwanted housemate. "My body is your battlefield," she sings, giving voice to an intimate shadow lodged deep within herself. This bittersweet lullaby transforms a pain so often left unspoken into an act of profound tenderness towards oneself.
The album also holds a rare treasure: Reste tel(le), an unpublished text by Pierre Barouh, the founder of the Saravah label. Never before set to music or performed, this elusive poem of free love finds new life through Siân's voice, becoming a dialogue across time between two artists united by the same devotion to freedom, métissage and openness to the world.
Driven by Tom Excell's vibrant Afro-pop pulse, the spiritual breath of the kamele ngoni, organic arrangements and deeply personal songwriting, Animal is an album of liberation. It invites us to lay down our masks, embrace our contradictions and reconnect with the free, instinctive and powerful animal that lies dormant within us all. More than a collection of songs, it is a radiant manifesto for the richness of identity, the passing on of memory, and reconciliation with oneself.
Animal is not simply the title of an album, it is a declaration of independence. An invitation to live fully, unapologetically, and without instructions.
A citizen of the world, travelling freely between continents, languages and memories, Siân Pottok delivers with Animal her most personal, and perhaps her most universal work to date: an album that reminds us that our fragilities, our roots and our differences are, beyond doubt, our greatest strength.
— Christophe Tison
Black Sheep is the influential hip‑hop duo from Queens, New York, formed by Andres “Dres” Vargas Titus and William “Mista Lawnge” McLean. Although both members hail from New York, they met as teenagers in Sanford, North Carolina, where their families had relocated. The duo became part of the celebrated Native Tongues Collective, alongside Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul, a movement known for its creativity, positivity, and forward‑thinking approach to hip‑hop. After joining forces in 1989, Black Sheep made an immediate impact with their 1991 acclaimed debut album A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing. The record earned widespread recognition for its inventive rhythms and sharp, witty, often humorous lyricism.
Their second album Non‑Fiction arrived in 1994, continuing their signature blend of jazzy hip-hop and clever, tongue‑in‑cheek storytelling. The album featured two singles “Without a Doubt” and “North South East West”.
Following its release, the group remained largely inactive throughout the decade, with the exception of Dres, who recorded a solo project under the moniker Dres The Black Sheep. Black Sheep eventually returned in 2006 with their long‑awaited third album 8WM / Novakane. Shortly thereafter, Mista Lawnge departed, while Dres has continued to release music under the Black Sheep name.
Three Stripe Records, the original ‘Bristol Sound’ label release their first vinyl in 30 years.
Founded in 1988 by Smith & Mighty, the label was set up to release music from local talent as well as the pair’s own recordings, and in the late eighties released a string of underground hits.
The label’s first venture in ’88, a cover of Dionne Warwick’s ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, featured local singer Jackie Jackson alongside rappers M.C. Kelz and Krissy Kriss and stayed at the top of the indie charts for several weeks.
Now after a long hiatus, a new three-track 12” vinyl featuring Tammy Payne performing a cover of the ’60s Mandel & Webster classic, ‘The Shadow Of Your Smile’ is due to be released on 13th November 2026.
The vinyl’s three tracks capture different variations of breakbeat, dub and soul.
The A side is a break driven, dynamic bond-esque version with orchestral drops and rises, over a tough hiphop rhythm.
AA1 is a head nodding, rolling breakbeat affair with a digi dub style bassline, while Tammy’s vocal floats in and out on a sea of echo.
AA2 is the original mello mix with sparse beat machine style patterns and 303 bass line. Tammy’s full vocal carrying the flow in contrast to the urgent backbeat, occasionally joined by keys, guitar melodies and fx.
Each version having it’s own identity while all remaining very ’Smith & Mighty’
This album features most of The Searchers’ early hits, along with a selection of album cuts and B-sides—which really come to life in these live recordings. The standout tracks are the ones they never recorded in the studio. What’d I Say was previously released from their 1963 Hamburg Star-Club recordings, but this live version captures even more energy. The album also features radio performances that were never studio recordings, including Memphis, Tennessee, Red Sails In The Sunset, and Let The Four Winds Blow. So, put this record on, sit back and relive the heyday of one of the UK’s finest and most enduring bands: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The Searchers!
Sleeve notes by Peter Checksfield
What makes a life well lived? Career, home, savings, family: these are the milestones that make adulthood legible as success. Friendship, meanwhile, is often treated as something that either endures or doesn’t, more a matter of luck than a relationship requiring its own devotion, maintenance, and care. When really, as the world becomes more isolated and artificial by the day, friendships may be the most important thing a person ever builds.
“A lot of times in life I feel like a late bloomer, like I'm still trying to get my shit together in a way that other people have already figured out,” says Chastity Belt drummer/vocalist Gretchen Grimm. “But then I reflect on my adulthood, and my top priority has largely been my friends, which I do not regret at all.” That priority feels like the guiding principle on the band’s sixth album, All My Friends. Not that they set out to make an album about friendship—during mixing the band's longtime collaborator and engineer, Samur Khouja, pointed out that a lot of the songs referenced the subject. Which makes a lot of sense.
Julia Shapiro (guitar/vocals), Lydia Lund (guitar/vocals), Hunter Truscott (bass/vocals), and Grimm have been making music together for 15 years. Friendship has sustained the Chastity Belt project as its members have grown alongside one another, both as people and as musicians. Across a resonant catalog, they’ve moved from the raucous wit of their early records toward the lush, introspective moods they’ve refined on each album since via trademark intertwining guitars, meticulous rhythms, and double exposure of melancholy and optimism.
All My Friends comprises songs recorded across multiple years, time zones, and studios, including Seahorse Sound in LA, Way Out in Woodinville, and a centuries-old house on the Greek island of Hydra. The oldest track dates back to around 2018; the newest were finished within the past year. These days, the band spans three cities (Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago); less writing/rehearsal time means songs are often worked out in the studio, relying on the spontaneity and instinct that comes from knowing one another so well. The result is rawer and less polished than their last couple of records, closer in spirit to the band’s roots.
Vieri Mura wuchs unter der intensiven Sonne Sardiniens auf. Seit vielen Jahren reist er in den Norden der Insel, um die berühmte Sängerin Maria Teresa Pirrigheddu (geb. 1942) zu besuchen. Was als musikalisches Interesse begann, entwickelte sich zu einer tiefen familiären Bindung. ,Rundinas" (,Schwalben" auf Sardisch), von Vieri mit tragbaren Geräten aufgenommen, dokumentiert diese Beziehung sowie die Klänge der Insel und den Rhythmus von Maria Teresas Alltag. Maria Teresa singt mündlich überlieferte ,Cantos a chiterra" zu Vieris minimalistischen Kompositionen für Gitarre (Seite A, in ihrem Garten) und Orgel (Seite B, in der Kirche, nur wenige Schritte von ihrem Zuhause entfernt). Schwalben ziehen durch die Aufnahmen, Symbole für den Wechsel der Jahreszeiten und die vergängliche Jugend. Maria Teresa, mittlerweile 84 Jahre alt, deren Stimme zugleich agil und vom Alter gezeichnet ist, verleiht diesen alten Gesängen neue Bedeutungsebenen. Eines der tief bewegendsten und mitreißendsten Musikstücke, die wir je gehört haben - aufgenommen in der Gegenwart und doch Hunderte von Jahren zurückreichend, ein musikalischer Dialog zwischen zwei Künstlern verschiedener Generationen und dem Land, das sie geprägt hat. Eine Quelle der Hoffnung und Schönheit in einer verarmten Welt.
Few tracks carry the weight of techno history quite like Dave Clarke’s ‘Wisdom To The Wise’. Created in a damp basement flat in Brighton in the early ’90s, the track was produced on an Atari 1040 and micro-sampler, drenched in dubbed-out reverb and shaped by a young Clarke still honing the sound that would soon make his name.
‘Wisdom To The Wise’ became the centrepiece of Red 2, the second instalment of Clarke’s seminal three-release series. With Red 1 already making serious waves, it was Red 2 that sent interest in Clarke into overdrive. Within a year, the series had helped propel him from underground producer to global techno force, culminating in a major-label album deal and international recognition.
The track’s influence has endured ever since, earning celebrated reinterpretations from techno heavyweights including Robert Hood, Marcel Dettmann, Boys Noize and Steve Rachmad. Now, Spectrum adds another chapter to that lineage with a very special remix from label boss Joris Voorn.
Staying faithful to the spirit and unmistakable character of the original, Voorn brings his own weight to the classic, reinforcing its impact with a heavier kick and the subtle production touches that have become his signature. Originally created as a weapon for his own sets, the remix has been road-tested on dancefloors and is now ready to be unleashed beyond the booth.
With “Homura”, Sable Hills take everything they have built over the years and push it into new territory.
Since winning the Metal Battle at Wacken Open Air in 2022 as the first Japanese band in the competition’s history to claim the grand prize, Sable Hills have continued to make their mark on the international metal scene. The victory led to a deal with Germany’s renowned label Arising Empire, followed by their global debut with their third album “Odyssey” in 2024. In 2025, their single “Namu”, incorporating traditional Buddhist chanting, became a global viral hit, surpassing 3 million streams on Spotify and 5.4 million views on YouTube, while live clips posted to Instagram and TikTok collectively exceeded 30 million views.
Rooted in the band’s signature blend of metalcore and melodic death metal, “Homura” expands that foundation with distinctly Japanese elements, from traditional instruments and melodies to the use of Japanese language and Buddhist chants. The result is an album that feels both unmistakably Sable Hills and unlike anything they have created before.
The title “Homura” comes from an old Japanese word meaning “flame.” It represents the intensity and aggression at the heart of metal, reimagined through a distinctly Japanese aesthetic. Throughout the album, heaviness and melody collide with the atmosphere and beauty of traditional Japan, creating a sound that is both fierce and deeply rooted in the band’s identity.
With its fusion of crushing riffs, melodic death metal intensity, traditional Japanese instrumentation, and powerful vocal performances, “Homura” marks a new chapter for Sable Hills, embracing their roots, building on their international rise, and setting the band on a path they have never taken before.
With “Homura”, Sable Hills take everything they have built over the years and push it into new territory.
Since winning the Metal Battle at Wacken Open Air in 2022 as the first Japanese band in the competition’s history to claim the grand prize, Sable Hills have continued to make their mark on the international metal scene. The victory led to a deal with Germany’s renowned label Arising Empire, followed by their global debut with their third album “Odyssey” in 2024. In 2025, their single “Namu”, incorporating traditional Buddhist chanting, became a global viral hit, surpassing 3 million streams on Spotify and 5.4 million views on YouTube, while live clips posted to Instagram and TikTok collectively exceeded 30 million views.
Rooted in the band’s signature blend of metalcore and melodic death metal, “Homura” expands that foundation with distinctly Japanese elements, from traditional instruments and melodies to the use of Japanese language and Buddhist chants. The result is an album that feels both unmistakably Sable Hills and unlike anything they have created before.
The title “Homura” comes from an old Japanese word meaning “flame.” It represents the intensity and aggression at the heart of metal, reimagined through a distinctly Japanese aesthetic. Throughout the album, heaviness and melody collide with the atmosphere and beauty of traditional Japan, creating a sound that is both fierce and deeply rooted in the band’s identity.
With its fusion of crushing riffs, melodic death metal intensity, traditional Japanese instrumentation, and powerful vocal performances, “Homura” marks a new chapter for Sable Hills, embracing their roots, building on their international rise, and setting the band on a path they have never taken before.
The 2013 action-adventure game The Last Of Us was originally published in 2013 by Sony Computer Entertainment and was developed by Naughty Dog. The game is played in a third-person perspective and the player controls Joel, a smuggler who is escorting the teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America. The game received critical acclaim, with praise for its narrative, gameplay, visuals, sound design, characterization, depiction of female characters. The Last Of Us became one of the best-selling video games, selling over 1.3 million units in its first week. The game won multiple Game of the Year awards and has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made.
The Last Of Us also received acclaim for its score, which was made by composer Gustavo Santaolalla. Santaolalla is also known for his work on Brokeback Mountain and Babel, for which he both won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. The Argentinian composer also created the music for the series Jane The Virgin and Netflix’ Making A Murderer. His soundtrack to The Last Of Us was his first in the video game industry. In 2020, he also returned to compose the music to the sequel, The Last Of Us Part II.
The soundtrack of The Last Of Us: Season 1 is available as a limited edition of 4000 individually numbered copies on yellow marble vinyl. This 2LP is packaged in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with linen laminate finish. It includes printed innersleeves and an 8-page booklet with liner notes by writer and creative director Neil Druckmann.
College of Knowledge Records verkündet stolz das selbstbetitelte zweite Album von Let Your Hair Down. Let Your Hair Down ist eine siebenköpfige Boogaloo-Soul-Band aus Melbourne / Naarm , bestehend aus Hudson Whitlock (Karate Boogaloo, The Pro-Teens), Lachlan Stuckey (Surprise Chef), Tom Pettit (Temporary Blessings), Nic Ryan-Glenie (Owelu Dreamhouse), Will Morrissey (Saskwatch), Olaf Scott (The Teskey Brothers) und Luigi Portararo. Kurz nach der Veröffentlichung von Let Your Hair Downs mittlerweile sehr beliebtem Kult Klassiker-Debüt ,Waiting Room" kehrte die Band in das inzwischen stillgelegte Dachstudio zurück, in dem ihr erstes Album aufgenommen wurde, um ein zweites Album auf Band aufzunehmen. Mit dem gefeierten Toningenieur und Produzenten Henry Jenkins (alias Jnbo) erneut am Ruder entstanden bei einer fruchtbaren und fröhlichen Wochenendsession 11 brandneue Originalaufnahmen - und der einfache Teil war geschafft. Mit einem von Let Your Hair Down-Schlagzeuger Hudson Whitlock entworfenen Albumcover war das selbstbetitelte zweite Album von Let Your Hair Down fertig; 11 hammermäßige Instrumentalstücke, die den schrägen Funk in Moll, die perkussive Psychedelia und den bläserlastigen Boogaloo der undergroundigsten Gruppe aus der Soul-Underground-Szene von Melbourne dokumentieren. ,Let Your Hair Down" fängt die Band in Höchstform ein: spontane, energiegeladene Arrangements, dargeboten von einer erstklassigen Gruppe von Musikern, die es einfach lieben, gemeinsam Musik zu machen. Der ,Good Clean Fun"-Faktor verbindet sich mit messerscharfer Musikalität und fundiertem Gespür und kristallisiert sich zu einem wahrhaft erstklassigen Originalalbum heraus.
Portuguese experimental musician António Feiteira returns to Perf with Amuleto Apotropaico’s sophomore album. Língua Espúria (Spurious Tongue) withdraws from the guitar-and-drums interplay that anchored the self-titled debut, moving toward fully electronic arrangements of concrète mechanics. What was once shaped through shared physical gesture now condenses into a singular current: a hermetic pulse carving its own labyrinth through the pandemonium.
The album draws inspiration from Milford Graves's visionary mapping of the body's secret rhythms into function generators. Amuleto Apotropaico has engineered a system that emulates Feiteira's own improvisational drumming language such that muscle memory becomes stochastic digital precision.
Língua Espúria opens with 'Abafador'. A track relishing in burnt afterimages as it patiently leads the listener into Amuleto Apotropaico’s new sound world. Its insistent double-tapped rhythm splinters into four cascading versions of itself, a pulse folding & refolding until it becomes its own perforated haze.
'Carpideira' follows as an algorithmic lamentation set in motion by shimmering temporal reversals: motion-captures of cyclic grief. The track persistently builds until only a few pure tones remainder.
The album's most pared-down moment is 'Espinha de Vidro'. It is the clearest statement of the system underlying Língua Espúria. Here, Feiteira's rhythmic concern is laid bare, every detail exposed in a distilled form, its melodic thread emerging with equal exactness.
'Apotropia III' begins as a subtle hinge in the catalogue, its brutalist‑liturgical atmosphere recast in a divined, techgnostic register. A narrative, gestural drift threads through the piece that connects it to Feiteira’s 'Killswitch Counterpoint', which appeared on his Eastern Nurseries release Performing the Heimlich on an Ouroboros. Shared samples cross-feed his parallel projects, letting them momentarily run on the same signal path. Stuttering percussion, flickers of glitched air & a brooding bass melodic line fill out the margins before the track finally shears off into harsh, serrated noise.
Following the success of Under Tangled Silence last year which peaked at number one in the Dance Albums charts and peaked at 9 on the Albums Chart staying in for 21 weeks, DjRUM returns to Houndstooth with a 15 minute continuous EP pressed to side A and a custom etched picture disk on Side B.
Felix (DjRUM) was a child prodigy as an instrumentalist and his advanced musicality has always been prominent in his music, but here he has put himself front and centre as a composer. And this sense of exposure as a performer interweaves with an unflinching emotional openness too. Where sometimes electronic production as advanced as this can use intellect and techniques as shields from soul-baring, this is the sound of someone who can boldly say “I feel things, I cry all the time, and I'm not afraid to say it or show it in the music.” But this doesn’t mean there’s a move away from the soundsystems and dancefloors where Felix made his name as a uniquely innovative vinyl DJ, this EP encapsulates his musical upbringing weaving in percussive elements across the stereo field to create a truly mesmerising listening experience.
,Splendor & Misery (Anniversary X)" ist die Jubiläumsausgabe zum zehnjährigen Bestehen des für den Hugo Award nominierten Science-Fiction-Opus des experimentellen Rap-Trios Clipping. Diese Deluxe-Ausgabe enthält ein überarbeitetes Cover, das Originalalbum sowie acht bisher unveröffentlichte Songs und alternative Takes. ,Splendor & Misery" ist ein afrofuturistisches, dystopisches Konzeptalbum, das die Geschichte des einzigen Überlebenden eines Sklavenaufstands auf einem interstellaren Frachtschiff sowie des Bordcomputers erzählt, der sich in ihn verliebt. In der Annahme, allein und im Weltraum verloren zu sein, entdeckt die Figur Musik im bebenden Rumpf des Schiffes und in den zwitschernden Instrumententafeln. Die Musik von Clipping zeichnet eine imaginäre Klanglandkarte der Decks, Gänge und Quartiere des Schiffes, während Daveed Diggs' Texte auf den Rhythmen reiten, die von dessen Triebwerken und Maschinen erzeugt werden. ,Splendor & Misery" ist eine der beliebtesten Veröffentlichungen von Clipping. Es schaffte es in zahlreiche Jahresrückblicke und wurde von der ,New York Times", Bandcamp Daily, CLASH, The Line Of Best Fit, The Needle Drop, Uproxx, The Observer und Stereogum gelobt. Im Jahr 2019 stufte Pitchfork ,Splendor & Misery" als eines der 33 besten Industrial-Alben aller Zeiten ein. Clipping feierte das Album im August 2026 mit dem ,Splendor & Misery Fest" im Knockdown Center in New York City, mit den Vorgruppen SPELLLING, Shabazz Palaces, ELUCID, Fatboi Sharif, evicshen und Maria Chavez.
Originally created in 1987 as an image album for a luxury Sanyo air-conditioner, Get at the Wave stands as one of the most surprising and enduring works of Japanese ambient music. Recorded using synthesizers and natural field recordings, the album was designed to transport listeners far from the heat and noise of urban life — into open water, gentle wind, and unhurried space. Takashi Kokubo's mastery as an acoustic environment designer is present in every texture, blending electronic composition with an almost physical sense of atmosphere and place. Intimate, expansive, and quietly radical, Get at the Wave is an essential document of kankyō ongaku - and one that sounds more necessary than ever. The remaster and artwork of this vinyl edition were made by the artist. Takashi Kokubo (born 1956) is one of Japan's most influential ambient composers and acoustic environment designers. A pioneer of kankyō ongaku since the mid-1980s, his sound design work has reached virtually every corner of Japanese daily life - from the national mobile phone earthquake alert to the sign tone for iD e-money and the melody call tone for NTT DoCoMo. In 2020, he was included in the Grammy-nominated compilation Kankyo Ongaku (Best Historical Album), cementing his place as a foundational figure in environmental music worldwide.
**BenArt Ensemble ft. Baptiste Herbin** unveil a distinctive debut album at the crossroads of jazz, world music and groove. Led by bassist and producer Ben Artuphel, this eight-piece ensemble brings together musicians from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of influences: Baptiste Herbin (saxophones), Amina Mezaache (flute), Céline Bonacina (baritone saxophone), Ben Artuphel (bass), Antoine Banville (drums), Alexis Bajot-Nercessian (keyboards), Laurent Avenard-Kohler (guitar) and Nils Wekstein (percussion).
Born from a musical encounter in 2023, the band has developed a unique sound in which intricate bop-inspired writing meets 1970s funk, Afro and Creole rhythms, and the vibrant energy of samba. The album features 13 original compositions, the result of a deeply collaborative process and an exceptional musical chemistry between the eight musicians.
At the heart of the project, saxophonist **Baptiste Herbin** brings his virtuosic playing and extensive international experience. Nominated for the Victoires du Jazz in 2013 for his debut album *Brother Stoon*, he went on to receive the Django Reinhardt Prize and was named Musician of the Year by the Académie du Jazz in 2019. He has released four albums under his own name and has appeared on around fifty recordings alongside some of the leading figures in jazz.
With its finely crafted arrangements, rich melodies and irresistibly groove-driven rhythm section, **BenArt Ensemble ft. Baptiste Herbin** delivers a vibrant and generous take on jazz, where each musician's individual voice shines through while serving the collective. Balancing heritage and modernity, this album is an invitation to dance, dream and travel.
This album presents 22 live-in-the-studio BBC recordings from 1963–1965 that have never been released before. It includes all the hits and misses from that period, along with three tracks that were never recorded for EMI: Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode, Jagger and Richards’ So Much In Love, and the band’s own composition Falling In Love Again—previously undocumented. For fans of The Swinging Blue Jeans, this long-awaited release is a must-have.
Sleeve notes by Peter Checksfield.
For over three decades, Berlin-based DJ, producer, and curator Marcel Dettmann has remained a central force in electronic music, continuously pushing the boundaries of the craft. Deeply rooted in early influences ranging from post-punk and industrial to synth-pop, his dynamic DJ sets and expansive discography, including seminal releases on Ostgut Ton and Dekmantel, effortlessly weave together raw techno, Chicago house, electro, and avant-garde soundscapes.
Far beyond club booths and releases on his own imprints, MDR and Bad Manners, Dettmann’s multidisciplinary ethos has led him into artistic territories spanning gallery soundscapes, ballet compositions, and cinematic film scores. This relentless creative curiosity defines a career built at the intersection of dancefloor functionality, collaborative experimentation, and perpetual sonic evolution.
Dettmann introduced My Own Shadow last year, a project where music, visual art, and photography converged in two EPs, Approaching (2025) and Faultline (2026) prior to the release of the full album this coming Autumn. More than just a name, this project lets sound, image, and vision blend organically, reflecting his intuitive process of deconstruction, resonance, and emotional discovery.
Speaking about the project Marcel says “My Own Shadow wasn’t born from a big concept. I simply liked the idea of working under another name and started following it. Different things I was doing - music, photography, visual work - slowly began to connect.
It happened quite naturally. My Own Shadow is me - just seen from another perspective.” Neither an alter ego nor a departure, My Own Shadow: Album is an intimate reflection of the artist; a transient, ever-shifting form that dances with the light and subtly reshapes its contours to reveal new depths.
My Own Shadow: Album is built with textural minimalism through rhythm, tension and release, embarking on a path through the recollections and experience of the dancefloor. This space remains the ultimate proving ground where history, instinct, and transcendence collide, guiding Dettmann through his musical interests.
My Own Shadow - Album is driven by rhythm, texture, space and tension. Across tracks such as ‘Gravitational Scar’ and ‘Resolution Vector’, these elements are constantly reshaped, connecting Dettmann’s past with a sound that remains firmly in motion.
YES is a genre-blurring blend of punk, electronic and rap from South Africa, released on limited edition White Vinyl
South African alt-rap trio Internet Girl have officially announced their debut album, YES, arriving November 13 via PACK. Records. Alongside the announcement, the group has released their new single “DA BUSINESS” featuring Kenny Mason.
A high-energy party anthem, “DA BUSINESS” opens with distorted guitar before chopped vocals briefly pull things back, only for an abrupt beat drop and howling synth to send the track into overdrive. As another synth melody sweeps in, TK cuts through the chaos with an introspective opening verse before Kenny Mason crashes in with a gritty guest verse. Live drums, distorted guitars, and surging synths continue to build around them, turning their vocals into something closer to rage-filled battle chants than traditional rap verses.
Partially written on tour last year, “DA BUSINESS” is the oldest song on YES and one of the album’s few guitar-led tracks. Kenny connected with the trio over DMs months earlier before joining them on the track, bringing Atlanta and South Africa together for one of the album’s most charged moments. “DA BUSINESS” follows the trio’s recent single “ALL THE SAME,” a swagger-heavy track built around a hypnotic Spanish-language vocal sample and live drums before a heavily distorted bass synth takes over in its final stretch, drawing inspiration from South Africa’s booming taxi rave scene. Together, the two singles offer an early look at the range of YES, moving between the rock, rap, and electronic sounds Internet Girl have made entirely their own.
Written largely during a week-long trip to South Africa’s Karoo region at the beginning of 2026, YES captures Internet Girl at a turning point. What began as an ad-lib TK would throw into his verses gradually became the philosophy behind the record: saying yes to an idea and committing to it completely, even before there’s any proof it will work. Across the album, that once-delusional confidence begins to feel real as the trio reflect on coming of age, growing more comfortable with themselves, and becoming increasingly assured in the music they make.
The new release arrives on the heels of a big year for the South African trio, who have brought their high-energy live show to stages around the world, including Pitchfork Music Festival Paris and Boiler Room Soweto, while co-headlining Kiss Kiss Festival in South Africa alongside Basement Jaxx.
Leather-jacket krautrock? Indeed. Welcome to the world of Carrboro NC's Object Hours. These generous saviors consist of three Triangle scene lifers who all worship the riff but imagine what happens if the riff fell into the middle of your favorite CAN LP. Yes, it lives up to the hype.
"Solved By Walking" was recorded in the winter of 2025 at Betty's in the Chapel Hill woods, these are mighty rock slabs ready for all seasons. Rock believers have felt the ripples and knew the day was coming. Object Hours is a band that fits right in on stage alongside acts as varied as Kim Gordon and Tropical Fuck Storm, bringing the house down in these and similar moments. These are songs that groove, peel paint, sandblast, inspire unconscious movement, make your head bob - frequently all at the same time. These are the jams inspired by the time that you heard "Fun House" coming out of that dude's car with the windows down in the middle of the summer, the ones inspired by the kids who own 3 copies of "Daydream Nation," the ones who listen to the last 1:30 of Wire's "Too Late" over and over. This is the band that has a timer on stage so they don't keep each song playing for days on end, the band whose Bandcamp bio succinctly summarizes their approach thusly: "We try to keep songs under 25 minutes for your sake." Every word here should be inspiration for you to *want* and *need* to hear this record and every word here is true. Just you wait.
Real heads know and the rest of the heads are getting ready to find out. Get ready for Object Hours' "Solved By Walking".
When Index moves, it’s in lockstep, as a single, indivisible unit. Alan Creedon and Alex Lichtenauer (both ex-Control Top) started the project in the summer of 2025, and it quickly became clear that its sound would be an outgrowth of their close friendship. Eschewing the densely orchestrated compositions of their previous band, Index would instead focus on sweaty, visceral physicality, with Creedon’s guitar intuitively latched to Lichtenauer’s drum kit, navigating corridors of tricky rhythm as one. Creedon and Lichtenauer recorded Vis Inertiae in NYC with acclaimed producer Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Show Me The Body). Despite a litany of freak injuries that befell Lichtenauer before and during the band’s studio time, they say it was the best experience they ever had in a recording session, and Creedon concurs. Rizk was brought into the process early on, when the band played him some bare-bones demos that impressed him, and he was critical in helping ferry the songs to their final forms.
10th anniversary, limited Edition pressing of 1000 worldwide, expanded to 2xLP w/ nine demos & live tracks, sleeve jacket art updated with foil elements! Released in 2016, Trophy Eyes' sophomore album, Chemical Miracle, is celebrated as a modern masterpiece for its seamless blend of hardcore grit and pop-punk melody. The record marked a massive evolution for the Australian band, driven by frontman John Floreani's dynamic vocal shifts between raw, gravel -throated screams and soaring clean melodies. The instrumentation perfectly matches this energy, swinging effortlessly from manic, punk-rock aggression to softer, atmospheric alt-rock moments. The album's defining characteristic is its deeply confessional and gut-wrenching lyricism, which offered a mature contrast to a genre typically dominated by simpler themes of heartbreak. Floreani tackles the darkest corners of his life with unflinching honesty, exploring survivor's guilt, suicidal ideation, addiction, and profound loneliness. This emotional weight is best exemplified in the opening track, "Chlorine," which pairs bouncy, energetic instrumentation with the devastating true story of Floreani processing the suicide of the man who saved him from drowning as a child. Culturally, Chemical Miracle elevated the mid-2010s pop-punk scene by proving that catchy music could effectively tackle heavy, complex human experiences. By addressing severe mental health struggles frankly and without glorification, the album fostered a profound connection with fans and provided a vital, relatable outlet for listeners. Furthermore, its massive critical and commercial success helped propel the thriving Australian alternative music scene onto the global stage, cementing Trophy Eyes' legacy in the genre.
In the realm of Swedish melodic rock from Skövde, few bands command the attention and admiration quite like NIVA. With their signature blend of soaring melodies, powerhouse vocals, and infectious hooks, the band has established themselves as a force to be reckoned. Now, with the release of their highly anticipated 7th full-length album ""Stratospheric,"" NIVA once again proves why they are considered among the elite in the genre.
From the opening chords of the title track, it's clear that ""Stratospheric"" is an album that aims for the stars and reaches new heights of sonic excellence. Led by the Swedish powerhouse vocals of frontman Tony Niva, the album is a tour de force of melodic rock anthems that resonate with passion, energy, and raw emotion.
Throughout ""Stratospheric"" NIVA demonstrates their mastery of the melodic rock genre, effortlessly blending elements of classic rock, melodic rock, and AOR to create a Nordic sound that is uniquely their own. With its larger-than-life production and infectious energy, the album is a testament to the band's evolution and growth as artists, while also paying homage to the rich legacy of melodic rock and AOR that has inspired them along the way.
For fans of NIVA and lovers of melodic rock alike, ""Stratospheric"" is a must-listen experience that promises to transport listeners to new heights of musical ecstasy. With its unforgettable hooks, powerhouse vocals, and electrifying performances, the album is a fitting tribute to the band's enduring legacy and a testament to their status as one of Sweden's most beloved rock acts. So, strap in, turn up the volume, and get ready to embark on a journey to the stars with NIVA's new upcoming release ""Stratospheric"".
- Seventh studio album by the Swedish Melodic Rock group
- Feat. members of Master Massive, Lion’s Share, Wolf, Starchaser
- Produced by Tony Niva & Jan Strandh; mixed & mastered by Thomas Plec Johansson.
For fans of: Niva, Lion’s Share, Treat, Imperium, Eclipse
California’s beloved Brainstory returns with a new EP celebrating the end of an era. Shoebox Days is an homage to the time spent and the recordings made at their now defunct Long Beach studio, aptly named Shoebox. As the name suggests, the space was tiny and stuffed with gear. While charming, it was riddled with constraints. But, as has been proven time and time again, great art often comes from difficult circumstances, and this new 7 song EP is further proof. The first track, “The Watchers,” opens with an earworm horn melody that immediately pulls you in. The crunchy drums and G Funk bass tones put a bop on it, lush orchestration weaves in and out and sets a mellow vibe. “Blend,” one of only two vocal tracks on the EP, is a California sunshine soaked love song walking the lines of psych rock ballad and B side soul. ”Twin Kitchen” leans you right back into your seat, with Eric Hagstrom’s in-the-pocket drumming carrying the tune.
“Home Alone” is singer Kevin Martin’s ever so relatable tribute to time by himself, time by today’s standards as “disconnected,” but in reality, much more connected… The fellas let some of the jazz background take front stage on “Lone Traveler,” starting out with an air tight groove, and letting loose over it as the track progresses. “Gravity Hill” named after the famed California oddity begins the ending of the EP as Brainstory takes it deep and brings us with them. “Necessary Loss” serves as the closer to this gorgeous journey.
California’s beloved Brainstory returns with a new EP celebrating the end of an era. Shoebox Days is an homage to the time spent and the recordings made at their now defunct Long Beach studio, aptly named Shoebox. As the name suggests, the space was tiny and stuffed with gear. While charming, it was riddled with constraints. But, as has been proven time and time again, great art often comes from difficult circumstances, and this new 7 song EP is further proof. The first track, “The Watchers,” opens with an earworm horn melody that immediately pulls you in.
The crunchy drums and G Funk bass tones put a bop on it, lush orchestration weaves in and out and sets a mellow vibe. “Blend,” one of only two vocal tracks on the EP, is a California sunshine soaked love song walking the lines of psych rock ballad and B side soul. ”Twin Kitchen” leans you right back into your seat, with Eric Hagstrom’s in-the-pocket drumming carrying the tune. “Home Alone” is singer Kevin Martin’s ever so relatable tribute to time by himself, time by today’s standards as “disconnected,” but in reality, much more connected… The fellas let some of the jazz background take front stage on “Lone Traveler,” starting out with an air tight groove, and letting loose over it as the track progresses. “Gravity Hill” named after the famed California oddity begins the ending of the EP as Brainstory takes it deep and brings us with them. “Necessary Loss” serves as the closer to this gorgeous journey.
Following her acclaimed 2024 debut Rocky Top Ballads, Fine expands her world on Jazz Dreams, arriving in a fluid, surreal, and expansive place. Over the past sixteen months, the album has gradually taken shape in public. Early versions of songs appeared in live performances, while demos and alternate iterations surfaced through Fine's NTS residency, alongside the release of the singles "I Could," "Run," "Moment," and "Portal."
Self-produced, recorded and mixed by Fine, the album’s thirteen songs unfold as a collage of scenes, stories, and musical ideas stitched together with a logic reminiscent of a dream. At the center of it all is melody. Fine's intricate vocal melodies act as the connective tissue between the album's shifting scenes and moods, guiding the listener through its emotional terrain.
Throughout Jazz Dreams, Fine continues to make the mysterious feel intimate and human. The songs do not search for answers or destinations. They embrace intuition, allowing memory, longing, possibility, and imagination to stir together into something new. Like a jazz improvisation, the album follows instinct wherever it leads, transforming emotional fragments into a real dream.
Following her acclaimed 2024 debut Rocky Top Ballads, Fine expands her world on Jazz Dreams, arriving in a fluid, surreal, and expansive place. Over the past sixteen months, the album has gradually taken shape in public. Early versions of songs appeared in live performances, while demos and alternate iterations surfaced through Fine's NTS residency, alongside the release of the singles "I Could," "Run," "Moment," and "Portal."
Self-produced, recorded and mixed by Fine, the album’s thirteen songs unfold as a collage of scenes, stories, and musical ideas stitched together with a logic reminiscent of a dream. At the center of it all is melody. Fine's intricate vocal melodies act as the connective tissue between the album's shifting scenes and moods, guiding the listener through its emotional terrain.
Throughout Jazz Dreams, Fine continues to make the mysterious feel intimate and human. The songs do not search for answers or destinations. They embrace intuition, allowing memory, longing, possibility, and imagination to stir together into something new. Like a jazz improvisation, the album follows instinct wherever it leads, transforming emotional fragments into a real dream.
Mit ihrem Solodebut "No Human Tongue Can Tell" gelingt Radie Peat eine eindrucksvolle Auseinandersetzung mit der Essenz der Folk Music. Die Sangerin von Lankum zahlt zu den pragenden Stimmen der sogenannten "Irish Green Wave" und verbindet auf diesem Album ihre außergewohnliche Kontra-Alt-Stimme mit tiefem Respekt fur die irische Gesangstradition. Als Interpretin und Multiinstrumentalistin haucht sie uberlieferten Liedern neues Leben ein und macht sie fur die Gegenwart relevant. Die ausgewahlten Songs erzahlen von Liebe, Verrat, ungewollter Schwangerschaft, Gewalt, Verlust und Widerstandskraft. In Stucken wie "The Moon and Stars" oder "Willow Garden" ruckt Peat weibliche Perspektiven in den Mittelpunkt und verleiht historischen Erzahlungen neue emotionale Kraft. Ihre prazise Stimmfuhrung, vielschichtigen Harmonien und sparsam eingesetzten Arrangements schaffen einen Raum, in dem individuelle Erfahrungen zu universellen Geschichten werden. Zugleich versteht Peat Folk als generationsubergreifenden Speicher menschlicher Erinnerung. Die Lieder tragen Spuren zahlloser Leben in sich, und genau diese Verbindung macht sie zeitlos. Atmospharische Stucke wie "Luisne", das melancholische "Same Old Man" oder das historische "Dark Horse on the Wind" zeigen ihre Fahigkeit, Tradition, Geschichte und personliche Interpretation miteinander zu verweben. Ein weiterer Hohepunkt ist "Still I Love Him", das die Ambivalenz von Liebe und Leid beleuchtet und aus einer Geschichte emotionaler Abhangigkeit eine Erzahlung uber Starke und Selbstbestimmung macht. Auch "Bonnie Boy" und das abschließende Triptychon "Cailin Deas" kreisen um weibliche Autonomie, gesellschaftliche Erwartungen und den Wert personlicher Freiheit. So entsteht ein Album, das archaisch und zeitgenossisch zugleich wirkt. Mit großer Empathie, musikalischer Raffinesse und kunstlerischer Eigenstandigkeit macht Radie Peat die Stimmen vergangener Generationen horbar und schafft eine Sammlung von Liedern, die Trost, Erkenntnis und Verbundenheit vermitteln. "No Human Tongue Can Tell" ist damit weit mehr als eine Bewahrung von Tradition: Es ist deren lebendige Weiterentwicklung.
