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Can’t go over it. Can’t go under it. Gotta go through it. And somewhere out there in the Pitch black beyond all darkness lies Peace & Purpose. The horizon you never quite crest until the inevitable end. Breathe deep — this fearful moment is the most alive you’re ever gonna feel. For the last decade, Crack Cloud’s vision has grown ever more expansive, more cinematic. Last go around, they dropped from The Heavens and then performed with their bare backs to an endless darkening desert. Now they’ve crammed all that life into some metallic and strange object called Peace & Purpose. All the terror of living. All the helplessness. All the raw human will. All glued and screwed and locked into this impossible tactile shape of dungeon dub; sour milk vox; Avant-protest music. Music arm wrestling itself to the ground. Far afield of beauty. The discordant symphony of factory farming and grim timber of the meat processing plant. The grinding din of the cogs. And yet, never giving up in spite of all good sense. Even in death, we are a coterie of survivors. Look now: There’s Terry Fox on his one-legged Marathon of Hope across The Great White North while cancer spreads through his lungs. A self-annihilating drive to feel alive. Rage against the dying of the light, they say. Well, how ‘bout it then!??! Peace & Purpose is not in any way some art project meditation on Punk Rock. It is Punk Rock. Terrifying, inspiring, vital, invigorating and most importantly, utterly unexpected. Every goddamn stupid day is a sublime slice of fresh hell. That’s the point. Gotta go through it. Wishing you Peace & Purpose — if only in that last big breath.

Crake are an alt-folk four piece from the city of Leeds in northern England who write melodic and (sometimes) hopeful songs about ora, fauna, anxiety and the tough stu. Formed on the cusp of 2016/17 after a New Year’s Eve pact, Crake spent their rst couple of years playing locally with loose-line-up changes, self-releasing two EPs - 2017’s By the Slimemould and 2018’s The Politics of Lonely.

Led by singer/guitarist Rowan Sandle, Crake blend shimmering alt-folk and indie-rock, featuring an increasing density of guitars, tape-loops and synth blankets. Their songs provide a more sonically reassuring but equally intimate bed for Sandle’s poetic lyrics.

In late 2018 the band supported Big Thief ’s Buck Meek on the Leeds date of his solo tour, impressing the guitarist so much that he invited them along for Big Thief ’s forthcoming tour across the UK and Europe. Those three weeks spent travelling and playing with their musical heroes saw Crake go from a small, beloved act who’d barely left their hometown, to finding themselves with a legitimate fanbase of their own. Their third 3-track EP Dear Natalie was subsequently released in 2019, also marked by the addition of lead guitarist Russell Searle, joining Rob Slater on drums and Sarah Statham on bass. The EP was the sound of Crake nding their feet on a larger stage, both literally and guratively, with opening track ‘Glycerin’ shining a spotlight on Sandle’s ever-confessional words.

Since the Big Thief tour and the Dear Natalie EP the band have focused solely on writing and demoing new music, assembling in garages, practice rooms and the beloved Greenmount Studios in Leeds (The Cribs, Pulled Apart By Horses) where drummer Rob Slater works. The rst results of this focused time away can be heard on Enough Salt (For All Dogs) b/w Gef, a brand new, two-track single which will be released on 7” vinyl via Saddle Creek’s ongoing Document Series.* Their rst self-produced eort, the new single is Crake at their most condent. Exploring the depths of their sound while staying rooted in Rowan Sandle’s brilliant songwriting and captivating lyrics.

After releasing their first EP Fuse, Cranes expanded to a four-piece band and recorded their debut full-length album Self-Non-Self in 1989. Their sound has been described as “gothic minimalism” and “dreampop”, and also became part of the shoegazing movement in the early Nineties. This 1989 album showed their progression with the increased textures in sound and drum slams. The album contains a darker sound and is a mixture of industrial and post-punk music. Originally only six tracks, the band’s label Dedicated Records added a further two tracks upon its re-release in 1992: “Reach (Live)” and “Nothing In The Middle, Nothing At The End”. In that same year, Cranes went on a world tour with The Cure, which increased their popularity. Self-Non-Self is available as a 35th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on black & white marbled vinyl.

Cranes is a dream pop/shoegaze band formed by siblings Alison and Jim Shaw who rose to stardom following a world tour with the Cure in 1992. After the influential Dedicated label folded in 1998 they went on a two-year hiatus after which they se up their own label Dadaphonic. Here, they released three studio albums between 2001 and 2008, of which this record is their penultimate. This record, as any other on their label, strikes the perfect balance between their typical 90s alt rock underpinnings and modern electronica. Downtempo beats and swirling effects combined with jangly guitars and Alison Shaw's mysterious vocal presence make for a deep and subdued album, in the best way possible. Fans of the band have been requesting a vinyl release for quite a while now and to them we say: ask and you shall receive. Particles & Waves is available on vinyl for the first time as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on Crystal Clear, Blue & White Marbled vinyl.

Cranes is a dream pop/shoegaze band formed by siblings Alison and Jim Shaw, who rose to stardom following a world tour with the Cure in 1992. After the influential Dedicated label folded in 1998 they went on a two-year hiatus after which they set up their own label Dadaphonic. On Dadaphonic, they released three studio albums between 2001 and 2008, of which Future Songs is their first.

Between 1986 and 1997 Cranes released a steady stream of records on Bite Back! and of course Dedicated, and when the latter folded, the Shaw siblings took a relatively long break from recording. Then, in 2001 they returned with a different bassist and drummer, their new Dadaphonic label and a fantastic new record to go along with it. A breathe of fresh air,

Future Songs acts as a bridge between their somewhat brusque approach to shoegaze from the 90s and electronica-infused sound from the zeroes. A remarkable effort, especially considering the Shaws recorded almost everything on their own.

Future Songs is available as a 25th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on yellow marble vinyl, and includes an insert.

Disasternoon is an album of psychedelic melancholia, a carousel of dreams, otherworldly and fantastical, each song sculpted into an allegory, elegant, rich, textured and authentic. Crayola Lectern explore memories, separation, isolation and the times that changed us, with lyrics scattered sparingly throughout. Crayola Lectern is the project from Chris Anderson, often compared to the piano led jazz of Robert Wyatt, the psychedelic folk of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, with echoes of Mercury Rev, or Flaming Lips, and experimentalism of Fred Frith. In 'Disasternoon' Chris Anderson performs on vocals, piano, mellotron, synths, organs, sax, guitars and bass, with Alistair Strachan on trumpet, cornet, glockenspiel and Damo Waters on drums and percussion. Bic Hayes performs electric guitar solos on Disasternoon and Coscoroba, and Maria Marzaioli plays violin in Coscoroba. The live show often also featuring the likes of Jon Poole (Cardiacs, Widhearts) heading-up electronics, gadgets, sounds and keyboard parts, Bob Leith (Cardiacs) on drums, and Bic Hayes (Cardiacs, Levitation) on guitar.

LP re-issue on blue & green galaxy swirl vinyl. “Transforms classic rock touchstones into something aecting and winning” Pitchfork // “Baroque pop gem recalling The Zombies and The Left Banke” Brooklyn Vegan // Melbourne, Australia minor key pop magicians Crayon Fields released their second album All The Pleasures Of The World in 2009. Just over a decade later they revisit this eradefining album with a deluxe vinyl reissue, including new liner notes and a raft of bonus tracks. All the Pleasures catapulted Crayon Fields from Melbourne hometown favourites to internationally acclaimed cult heroes. It was one of the year's most acclaimed Australian releases, earning a glowing review on Pitchfork and landing in countless end of year best of lists. The band headed to the US and UK/Europe for a series of tours, performing for KEXP, playing Pitchfork and Brooklyn Vegan shows at SXSW and CMJ and slogging their way from Austin to Estonia. In Australia they shared stages with the likes of Cornelius, Stereolab, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Built to Spill. With its loping bass lines, swooning strings and eerie, hypnotic harmonies, All The Pleasures Of The World quickly assumed the status of a 21st century indie classic. The initial vinyl run sold out very quickly, and for the last decade fans have been harrassing the band for a repress. Crayon Fields have gone one step beyond, with newly penned liner notes from frontman Geoffrey O'Connor as well as Melbourne novelist/scriptwriter Anna Barnes (Content). The first pressing is in blue/green "galaxy swirl" coloured vinyl, and the band have raided their archives to unearth a trove of rare bonus tracks. These include single B-sides, covers of Abba, Roxette and Kath Bloom, and even moog-driven lounge instrumental versions of key singles Mirror Ball and the album title track.

Vinyl release of the album from 2023. Black vinyl in a standard sleeve. “out of love in the face of a shadow” is the new album from Credit Electric. Exploring the human unconscious through impressionistic pop vignettes, the album represents a significant evolution of the band’s sound that originally stemmed from limitations put in place by the global pandemic, before blossoming into something altogether new and unexpected. What started to emerge was a body of work that drew upon lo-fi jazz, dub, post-rock, ambient music, 70’s studio experimentation, and 90’s indie rock as much as the rustic folk of their past releases. The resulting album “out of love in face of a shadow” calls to mind influences as disparate as Hiroshi Yoshimura, American Football, Scientist, and Magnolia Electric Co, all the while inhabiting a world completely of their own design. Highly anticipated sophomore album from Credit Electric. Press coverage on recent releases includes reviews and features in New Commute (Albums of the Year), Various Small Flames, Raven Sings the Blues, Psychedelic Baby Magazine, and more. UK/EU Publicity handled by Chris Carr & Mal Smith. “…the band crafts American hymns that peer through fogged glass, tracing the lines of lament in hazy relief…” - Raven Sings the Blues // Albums of the Year - New Commute

In the five years since Creep Show’s acclaimed Mr Dynamite album was released it’s fair to say that we’ve all been through a fair bit. Sitting here, in 2023, things don’t seem to be getting any better. There’s the cost of living crisis and political meltdowns; we're in deep water with global warming and to top it all there’s a war on our doorstep.

Back in 2018 everything seemed less complicated. Sure, there was stuff to get riled about, but we knew nothing about what was to come. Mr Dynamite was a fairground ride into the dark corners of a world that was on the brink of being blitzed in a blender. It was a record teetering on the edge. Five years down the line you’d expect the follow-up, Yawning Abyss, would double-down and bring the white-knuckled, teeth-gritted fury of the last five years to the boil. And yet….

A quick recap? No problem. Wrangler + John Grant = Creep Show. And Creep Show? “A band of musical misfits who have found a voice or two”, says Wrangler’s Ben “Benge” Edwards, whose Bond villain studio on the edge of a moorland is Creep Show Grand Central as well as home to an analogue synth arsenal that could sink ships.

Wrangler have known each other for a while. Tunng’s electronics wizard Phil Winter and Cabaret Voltaire’s trailblazing, pioneering frontman Stephen Mallinder go way back, while Phil and Benge crossed paths in the 21st century when they seemed to be increasingly in the same venues at the same times. Meanwhile, Mal had been living in Australia since the mid-90s and when, in 2007, he returned to the UK his old pal Phil suggested he meet Benge and the three of them immediately began working together.

Wrangler collectively bumped into Grant at their soundcheck for Sheffield’s Sensoria Festival in 2014 where they were playing with Carter Tutti. A friendship blossomed and when they were invited to perform together for Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary show at London’s Barbican in 2016, well, they jumped at the chance... and Creep Show was born.

Let’s talk about the new album... What is the ‘Yawning Abyss’? You might well ask. According to Mal, it’s “a cosmic event horizon that I can see from my attic window when stand on a chair”. Yeah. Thanks.

“On this album”, offers Benge, feet firmly on the floor, “Wrangler wrangled some vintage synths, mostly Roland, Moog, and the ‘Crystal Machine’ - then John Grant joined in the fun at Memetune Studios where lots of musical experiments were carried out. Then Mal and John ran off to Iceland with the master tapes and recorded a load of madcap vocals. Back at Memetune, me and Phil were left to try and make sense of it all. Which wasn’t hard because what they did in Iceland was totally magnificent.”

Which kind of brings us back to where we began. You’d imagine ‘Yawning Abyss’ would be blowing steam out of its furious ears. Mr Dynamite but kicking a wasps nest. Repeatedly. And yet…

Opener ‘The Bellows’ comes on like a modular ‘Radio Ga Ga’, the singalong ‘Moneyback’ (“You want your money back? / I didn’t think so”) sounds like Godley & Creme’s ‘Snack Attack’ meets Prince Charles And The City Beat Band (“Pennies, pounds, dollar bills, signed agreements, death wills”). ‘Yahtzee!’ is an unhinged electro breakdance party in four minutes and nine seconds.

Where Mr Dynamite was menace, a mélange of mangled voices, with Grant and Mallinder being heavily treated, pitched up or down, rendering their contributions largely indistinguishable, Yawning Abyss takes a more direct approach. You hesitate to say feelgood, but there’s a skip in the step here for sure.

The title track plays John Grant’s vocal straight. Completely. It’s good, so very good. Like ‘Axel F’ covered by Vangelis. The delicious shimmering synths of ‘Bungalow’ also plays those Grant pipes with a straight bat. ‘Matinee’ delves into darker, very funky territory. With Mal upfront it comes on like ‘The Crackdown’. Choice lyric: “You are starting to breakdown / And it’s so fun for me to see / You should have thought of that / You should have come prepared / You can see what’s happening and you look a little scared”.

So, you know, not all feelgood. But it does feel good. It’s probably best to draw your own conclusions... This is Creep Show after all.

Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2004 durch den Multiinstrumentalisten und Songwriter Justin Greaves ist CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX die Stimme der Stimmlosen - seien es Tiere, Ungleiche oder Andersartige. CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX haben es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, die Ungerechtigkeiten, die der Menschheit und ihren Lebewesen widerfahren, zu beleuchten. Ihr Kampf geht mit ihrem neuesten Studioalbum "Banefyre" weiter. Das Album ist von einer Tiefe und Introspektion durchdrungen, die CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIXs Stellung als Band, die sich über alle Genres hinwegsetzt, weiter festigen wird.

Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2004 durch den Multiinstrumentalisten und Songwriter Justin Greaves ist CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX die Stimme der Stimmlosen - seien es Tiere, Ungleiche oder Andersartige. CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX haben es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, die Ungerechtigkeiten, die der Menschheit und ihren Lebewesen widerfahren, zu beleuchten. Ihr Kampf geht mit ihrem neuesten Studioalbum "Banefyre" weiter. Das Album ist von einer Tiefe und Introspektion durchdrungen, die CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIXs Stellung als Band, die sich über alle Genres hinwegsetzt, weiter festigen wird.

“What is your wish? What do you expect?” Cross Record’s self-titled third album begins with Emily Cross’s disembodied voice intoning from an otherworldly vacuum. In the three years since her last album, Cross has divorced, quit drinking, become a death doula, started the observational podcast What I’m Looking At, and toured and recorded with Sub Pop’s Loma, the trio she formed with Dan Duszynski on drums and Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater) on guitar / vocals. On Cross Record, she guides the listener like a sonic Virgil, delivering a textured soundscape of meditative curiosity, akin to Low’s Double Negative, Broadcast’s The Noise Made By People and Radiohead’s Kid A.

Having recorded 2016’s Wabi Sabi at home between work and sleep hours, Cross did the opposite for Cross Record, writing the album while living on a secluded part of Mexico’s coast. The collaborative atmosphere of Loma challenged Cross to experiment with her sound, detuning her voice and obstructing its clarity in specific moments. As such, Cross Record is primarily a showcase for Cross’s singing, as she pushes her range and engages with a multitude of approaches at every turn.

Following her time in Mexico, Cross returned to the states with vocal-heavy demos in hand and finished the record with musician Andrew Hulett and producer Theo Karon. Karon assisted with production and arrangements throughout the creation of Cross Record, and the songs realized their ultimate forms at his Hotel Earth in Los Angeles. Though her voice is always central, Cross’s songs developed with percussion, string arrangements and expanded production. The instrumentation is as nuanced and experimental as her voice.

The record’s themes of departure and separation were inspired by changes Cross made in her career. After years of work as a nanny and in customer service, she recently embarked on studies to become a death doula. Similar to the services provided by birth doulas, a death doula helps clients navigate decisions and hardships at the end of life. In her new role, she created a three hour ceremony called a Living Funeral, which guides participants through the rituals of their own deaths. Her work in helping others face their greatest fears inhabits the same space as her art, which has always explored the metaphysical in the everyday. The eerie experience of listening to this record and the unsettling sense of songs slipping from coherent grasp share these same sensibilities. The oddness of these songs is nonetheless honest and truthful, and to understand them requires acknowledging notions of alienation in ourselves.

London four-piece Crows will release their highly anticipated second album, 'Beware Believers', on April 1st 2022 via Bad Vibrations Records. Conjuring a dark and visceral post-punk that's been hardened by years of notoriously rowdy live shows, Crows have amassed a legion of die-hard fans since they formed back in 2015 and cultivated a singular, much-adored presence in the British alternative music scene. Equal parts ferocious and hedonistic, the incoming 'Beware Believers' LP arrives off the back of their critically acclaimed 2019 debut 'Silver Tongues', international touring and festival appearances, and shared stages with the likes of IDLES, Wolf Alice, Girl Band, Metz, Slaves and Protomartyr. Following the release of their long-awaited debut album on the IDLES-run Balley Records back in 2019, Crows immediately set to work on its follow-up and by January 2020 they were already back in the studio tracking what would become the 'Beware Believers' LP and then Covid hit. "Once we knew Covid was here to stay, we took the first break we've taken since we released our first single 'Pray' in 2015. Being locked down for three months unable to finish the last bits of the record was very frustrating but it did mean we could come back to the album with fresh ears and make sure it sounded like it should: a true representation of Crows." Loud, cathartic and abrasive a quintessential Crows record it certainly is. "Beware Believers has felt like a marathon, a real endurance test that's been a long, winding road filled with highs and lows and plenty of twists and turns", frontman James Cox says: "The majority of the themes on the album came from what was going on in the world around Summer 2019 when we started writing the album. Covid wasn't in our lives and the biggest impact was Brexit and the madness our government were putting us through. I was reading a lot of J.G. Ballard and Kurt Vonnegut, mad dystopian novels, whilst all this craziness was going on around us and it was a weird headspace to get into."

Cruel Summer’s sound evokes the dazed, fuzzed-out, swirling noise of the late 1980s UK sound while still sticking to their pop roots--they’ve aptly been crowned San Francisco’s “jangle darlings.” Their first full-length album “Ivy” is forthcoming from Sacramento’s art/vinyl imprint Mt. St. Mtn. Following their 2013 ST/EP (Mt. St. Mtn.,) they released the sold-out lathe-cut 7” for “Leeches,” accompanied by a video. In 2016 Cruel Summer released “Around You, Around Me,” recorded for L.A.’s Part Time Punks, the 7” B-side features a moody cover of Pylon’s “Crazy.” Mastered by Kramer (Galaxie 500 and Low). “Ivy” is the long-awaited, first full-length album from this quartet, who have become a mainstay in the San Francisco and Oakland club scene. Recorded at Santo Studio in Oakland, California by Jason Kick (Sonny & the Sunsets, Once and Future Band, Mild High Club, Maus Haus), the record is a love poem to San Francisco, with all its changes and disappointments. "Bands have begun to push the boundaries of genre in a unique and satisfying way, and San Francisco’s Cruel Summer is a prime example. They are a group of voyagers into this uncharted territory, and their album Ivy is a joyful, dreamy blend of everything you might love about shoegaze and everything you thought shoegaze could never be... Cruel Summer is proof that shoegaze is alive and well, at least in San Francisco. The band is doing some creative, compelling work with a genre that is so often elusive - besides being an interesting act of musicianship, Ivy is also simply a joy to experience from beginning to end. If you need further convincing, take a listen to Ivy and let it take you somewhere warmer."

New York psych-pop band Crumb return with AMAMA, their most carefree and open-hearted album to date. A soundscape full of playful and patchwork experimentation _ glitchy pitch-shifted vocals, cell phone recordings, nautical blips, sax mouthpiece solos, blasted drum samples, and piano strings dampened with Silly Putty _ AMAMA continues to deepen the band's hypnotic sound in a cohesive line back through 2021's Ice Melt, 2019's Jinx, and breakout EPs Locket and Crumb. Without a doubt, AMAMA is Crumb _ singer and multi-instrumentalist Lila Ramani, keyboardist and saxophonist Bri Aronow, bassist Jesse Brotter, and drummer Jonathan Gilad _ at their most animated.AMAMA exists at the crossroads of psychedelia, pop, jazz, and rock, and cements Crumb as a band uniquely their own. Released independently on Crumb Records and produced alongside Johnscott Sanford and Jonathan Rado in Los Angeles, AMAMA is an incandescent statement about searching for solid ground, connection, and clarity in a life of nomadic upheaval.

Limited to 500 LPs and 500 CDs. New album from the most danceable post-punk pop band in the UK. It's like something has exploded! CRUMBS have been incubating this, their second album, for a few years now. Who knows how they kept all the energy in check. It must have been like sitting on a volcano. The songs burst out with pure pop fire, sending splinters of guitar, sharp lyrics and snatches of the catchiest backing vocals. The rhythm section (Jamie and Gem): it's like Delta 5 meeting Le Tigre in a dark alley in Leeds, fusing blindly and completely, and then forcing its way into the back entrance of a venue, sending volts through the limbs of the unwitting punters, forcing them to dance. This is TIGHT. And as the lights come on and the indie kids throw themselves around, Ruth's vocals sweetly assault their ears with anger, joy, political intelligence - and all around, Stuart's guitar, sometimes twangly-melodic like the B52s, sometimes sweet and ringing like a memory of Scars, sometimes furious and feeding back, keeps you alert and thirsty for more. These songs do NOT outstay their welcome. Starts and ends are cut hard: no pre-echo, no wistful, drawn-out regretful fade-outs. CRUMBS have imbibed the key lessons taught by The Gang Of Four and The Au Pairs: never let the energy dissipate. But there is more than anger here. The band have smuggled a pop sweetness into the disciplined shapes of their angular songs. You're Just Jealous has sharp edges, but it's generous too. The album will be available as a vinyl LP, CD, download and on streaming services. CRUMBS - a brief history. They are based in Leeds, where they are active movers in the DIY scene that currently thrives in the North of England. They recorded a Marc Riley session in 2016, released their first album (on Everything Sucks) in 2017, toured extensively in 2018 and 2019, playing at the Brudenell Social Club with Swearin' and Jeffrey Lewis, and at plenty of fests such as LaDIYfest and Specialist Subject's birthday all dayer in Bristol, A Real Cool Fest in Bradford, Mousetival in Stockton and the Cambridge Indie pop Alldayer. They spent the pandemic creating these new, tightly-wound, irresistible pop songs. These are the people in CRUMBS and these are their influences: Stuart (GUITAR) - Bauhaus, Gang of Four, Shop Assistants // Gem (DRUMS) - Beat Happening, The Raincoats, Antelope // Jamie (BASS, BACKING VOCALS) - Delta 5, ESG, Chic // Ruth (VOCALS) - The Go-Go's, Mika Miko, Paint It Black Collectively - 80s pop music

Introducing ‘‘Sad Lovers and Giants’’, a captivation debut album that delves into the personal journey of self-discovery and emotional exploration. Each song is a heartfelt expression of Crystal’s experiences, painted with raw honesty and authenticity. With a blend of genres and a focus on evoking emotions, this album showcases the duality, embracing both beauty and darkness.It’s a musical striptease, where she bares her soul, using her raw voice to convey the depth of her emotions. ‘‘Sad Lovers and Giants’’ transcends genres, aiming to touch hearts and connect with listeners on a universal level. It’s an intimate portrayal of the artist’s inner world, inviting you to join on a captivating journey of self-expression and personal growth.

Turning trash into treasure ist das Motto von Crystn Hunt Akrons neuem Album 'Lick My Fur'.

Darauf nimmt die interdisziplinäre Künstlerin den akustischen Trash unserer Zeit her, transformiert ihn und setzt ihn neu in Beziehung. Der überladene Rausch, die groteske Künstlichkeit und der gezwungene Spaß von Plastik-Pop und Aprés Ski wurden zerlegt und neu kombiniert im Kontext kontemporärer elektronischer Musik. Dabei prallen Welten aufeinander: Hyperpop-Overstatement und Techno-Minimalismus, große Pop-Gesten und abgeklärte Coolness, Club und Performance.

Auf "What's This?" liefern CS Cleaners 11 Tracks verzerrten, neonfarbenen Art-Punk, der gegen die Absurdität des modernen Lebens wettert. Die Band ist beeinflusst von der Downtown-Musik New Yorks von der ersten vielfältigen Welle des CBGB über die Mutationen und Dekonstruktionen des No-Wave. Doch auch wenn der Sound von CS Cleaners in einer Musik verwurzelt ist, die manchmal ziemlich hart sein kann, nehmen sie sich selbst keineswegs ernst: "What's This?" ist in erster Linie Tanzmusik, wenn auch in einer Form, die wild genug für diese extremen Zeiten ist. Die Charaktere, die auf What's This?" porträtiert werden, sind oft in Momenten der Selbstzweifel und Panik gefangen. Wie der narzisstische Musiker auf der Vorab-Single "Come & Go", der total ausflippt, weil er befürchtet, das Rampenlicht zu verlieren. Ben Petrosor vermittelt Pathos in Zeilen wie "if I swallow my pride, I'll split in two", die Mitgefühl für einen unsympathischen Charakter in einer nachvollziehbaren Situation wecken. Wir erleben eine Vielzahl solcher Panikattacken auf "What's This?". Sie entspringen dem Überwachungsstaat der sozialen Medien, dem Druck, in einer zunehmend feindseligen Stadt zu leben, und natürlich der Überlastung.

Red Vinyl In Gatefold Packaging, Incl. Booklet and Sticker “I’m prepared to tell everybody everything.” This statement from Cub Sport frontman and songwriter Tim Nelson, so clear-eyed and headstrong in its intent, is at the heart of the beloved Brisbane four-piece’s new album.

LIKE NIRVANA, the band’s fourth record, embraces every side of Nelson: the angelic lightness as wellas the multiplicitious, haunted darkness. It recasts them and their bandmates multi-instrumentalists Zoe Davis, Sam Netterfield, and Dan Puusaari as fearless innovators, experimentalists willing to blow up everything about the Cub Sport of old in order to create this dazzling and daring new chapter. Described by Nelson as more of a holistic release from Cub Sport in contrast to their largely linearearly records, LIKE NIRVANA is a glistening, tightly-woven exploration of religious reckoning, oppressive structures of masculinity, and feelings of inadequacy. Dovetailing with a shift in Nelson’s gender expression they nowidentify as ‘free’, and use both neutral and male pronouns the record is impressionistic and abstract, pushing aside the brightly coloured realism of 2019’s self-titled record in favour of gauzy lucid dreams. Nelson’s embrace of raw emotion has pushed them and their bandmates, to create a record more fiercely emotive thanever. If This Is Our Vice introduced Cub Sport, and BATS and Cub Sport made them stars, then LIKE NIRVANA is the record that solidifies them as daring, open-hearted renegades.





[e] 5. Drive [Explicit]


[h] 8. Nirvana [Explicit]

Deluxe-Reissue des zweiten Albums "Bats" (2017) der australischen Indie-Pop-Band Cub Sport, das einen Wechsel von der normativen, die Radiowellen beherrschende Indie-Musik hin zum verletzlichen, Pop-gefilterten Sound einleitete, der bis heute vorherrscht. Die Baby Blue Vinyl-LP ist ergänzt um eine Black Purple Vinyl-7" mit 3 zusätzlichen, unveröffentlichen Bonussongs und erscheint samt Print-Einleger im Gatefold. Cub Sport haben die Fähigkeit, Gefühle von Verliebtsein über Herzschmerz bis zum Nachdenken über Leben und Entscheidungen auf eine Platte zu bringen, die voller eingängiger Hooks und emotionaler Grooves steckt, die im Kopf haften bleiben und die Füsse bewegen.

Formed in 2019, LA-based Cuffed Up were born out of a search for “self acceptance and self-realization”. Amidst a shared affinity for the ever-expanding global post-punk scene, vocalist and guitarist duo Ralph Torrefranca and Sapphire Jewell, bassist Vic Ordonez and drummer Joe Liptock breathe fresh life into the resurgent genre. The quartet’s latest EP, Asymmetry, saw the band pair up with producer Brad Wood (Touché Amoré, Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair) spending a week honing the songs through experimentation with sounds and ideas. The result is a collaborative effort that tackles one’s own mortality, abandonment in relationships and reckoning with shame. Now signed to Royal Mountain Records (Alvvays, Mac DeMarco, METZ, Wild Pink), Asymmetry expands on their refreshing self-titled debut that saw love from the likes of KEXP, NME, DIY, Bandcamp, and The Line Of Best Fit, as well as Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6), Daniel P Carter (BBC Radio 1) and John Kennedy (Radio X) and a supporting run with Silversun Pickups.

GER "Wir suchen nach Glitzer, nach dem hellsten Geröll und Blitzen. Wer sich heute Nacht verliert, wird sich nicht finden. Ihr sucht in uns die Perfektion der Generation Maximum.." An was noch glauben. Mit ihrem dritten Album Generation Maximum nehmen CULK den Druck von einer Generation, die den Horror der Gegenwart wie durch Magie doch noch zu etwas Positivem wandeln - und richten ihn bewusst auf diejenigen, die ihre Zukunft zerstört haben. "... Ihr sucht in uns die Revolution, bürgt uns auf, was ihr nicht leisten wollt. Wer sich heute nicht mehr wehrt, wird übrigbleiben." Generation Maximum ist sicherlich kein Album, bei dem im SUV laut mitgegrölt wird, weil der Refrain so schön in die Sonnenuntergangsstimmung passt. Niemand klatscht vor Freude über den nächsten Waldbrand die Hände zusammen. Stattdessen beobachtet Sängerin Sophie Löw ihre Umwelt durch ein Brennglas und nimmt die Zuhörer:innen mit auf eine lyrische Rückblende der letzten zwanzig Jahre, in denen sie selbst vom Kind zur Zeugin wurde. Das selbstbetitelte CULK Debut (2019) erschien beim Wiener Label Siluh Records, einer der verlässlichsten Quellen für spannende Indie-Musik in all seinen Facetten. Vom Spiegel-Magazin gab es dazu das Attribut "Suchtsound". Mit ihrem zweiten Album "Zerstreuen über Euch" (2020) schuf die Gruppe ein famoses Konzept-Album. Es wurde von vielen Seiten als eine Kampfansage an tiefverwurzelte patriarchale Strukturen gedeutet und schaffte es u.a. in die TOP 5 der Jahresbestenliste des Spiegel-Magazins. Mit "Generation Maximum" übernimmt Jakob Herber die Rolle des Bassisten von Gründungsmitglied Benjamin Steiger. Herber ist von Anfang an ein wichtiger Wegbegleiter im engen Zirkelder Band, Sängerin/Gitarristin Sophie Löw hat im August 2022 als SOPHIA BLENDA ihr Solo-Debüt-Album "Die neue Heiterkeit" veröffentlicht. "Die neue Heiterkeit" ist eines der stärksten deutschsprachigen Pop-Statements der jüngeren Zeit" - Spiegel. Für ihr neues und nun drittes Album "Generation Maximum" hat sich die Band mit dem Produzenten Wolfgang Lehmann, vormals Wolfgang Möstl, zusammengetan, der unter anderem für seine Arbeit mit Voodoo Jürgens, Clara Luzia, Jungstötter, Dives uvm. bekannt ist. Und bringen es musikalisch nach draußen zu den Menschen, die vor lauter Existenzkämpfen fast vergessen hätten, die Revolution zu starten ("Generation Maximum"). Kein Ausbaden. Generation Maximum ist ein progressiv lauter werdendes "Nein" zur auferlegten Bürde, ein Appell an mehr Verletzlichkeit ("Eisenkleid") "Jede Rüstung erzählt von Verletzlichkeit. Stärke zeigt, wer Narben teilt." und weniger Elend im Privaten wie im Öffentlichen. Letztlich aber auch eine Suche nach einer neuen "Ode an die Freude" und Mut um uns. "Wir erheben Stimmen, auf dass sie für immer klingen. Wo sollen wir heute Zukunft finden?" Wer genau hinhört, findet sie: Lieder über unausgesprochene Träume, die durch epische Gitarrenklänge und Löws entrückten Gesang näher wirken, als sie eigentlich sind. LP klassisch schwarzes Vinyl.


With their third album Generation Maximum, CULK take the pressure off a generation that magically transforms the horror of the present into something positive after all - and deliberately direct it at those who have destroyed their future."... Ihr sucht in uns die Revolution, bürgt uns auf, was ihr nicht leisten wollt. Wer sich heute nicht mehr wehrt, wird übrig bleiben." Generation Maximum is certainly not an album to be bawled along to loudly in the SUV because the chorus fits so nicely into the sunset mood. No one claps their hands together in joy over the next forest fire. Instead, singer Sophie Löw observes her environment through a burning glass and takes the listeners on a lyrical flashback of the last twenty years, during which she herself went from child to witness. The self-titled CULK debut album (2019) was released on the Viennese label Siluh Records, one of the most reliable sources for exciting indie music in all its facets. Spiegel magazine gave it the attribute "addictive sound". With their second album "Zerstreuen über Euch" (2020), the group created a fabulous concept album. It was often viewed as a declaration of war against deeply rooted patriarchal structures and made it to the TOP 5 of the Spiegel magazine's best of the year list and gained the band a following in various scenes and audiences. With "Generation Maximum", Jakob Herber takes over the role of bass player from founding member Benjamin Steiger. Herber has been an important companion from the beginning. Singer/guitarist Sophie Löw released her solo debut album "Die neue Heiterkeit" as SOPHIA BLENDA in August 2022. "Die neue Heiterkeit" is one of the strongest German-language pop statements of recent times" - Spiegel. For their new and now third album "Generation Maximum", the band teamed up with producer Wolfgang Lehmann, formerly Wolfgang Möstl, who is known for his work with Voodoo Jürgens, Clara Luzia, Jungstötter, Dives and many more. And they take it musically outside to the people who almost forgot to start the revolution because of all the struggles for existence ("Generation Maximum"). No payback Generation Maximum is a progressively louder "no" to the burden imposed, an appeal for more vulnerability ("Eisenkleid") "Every armour tells of vulnerability. Strength shows who shares scars" and less misery in private as well as in public. But ultimately also a search for a new "Ode an die Freude" and courage around us. "Wir erheben Stimmen, auf dass sie für immer klingen. Wo sollen wir heute Zukunft finden?" Wer genau hinhört, findet sie: Lieder über unausgesprochene Träume, die durch epische Gitarrenklänge und Löws entrückten Gesang näher wirken, als sie eigentlich sind. RIYL Nu Wave, Independent, Shoegaze

CULK um Sängerin und Songwriterin Sophie Löw (alias Sophia Blenda) sind zurück. Und wieder versucht die Wiener Band auf ihre ganz eigene Weise unsere Gegenwart in all ihren Ambivalenzen einzukreisen. Wie fühlt es sich an, heute als Mensch in dieser Welt mit den grenzenlosen Möglichkeiten, den Existenz- und Zukunftsängsten, Sinnsuchen und Identitätsfragen? Auf ihrem neuen, vierten Album tauchen CULK in einen Schwebezustand zwischen Euphorie und Überforderung ein. "smogstar" erzählt von dem pulsierenden Gefühl im Dazwischen. Alles so aufregend. Alles zu viel. Alles zugleich. Es geht um die endlosen Möglichkeiten, sich vermeintlich ständig neu erfinden zu können. Auch wenn man vielleicht immer noch nicht ganz genau weiß, wer man ist. "Ich wollte, dass die Texte leichtfüßiger sind und diesen speziellen Vibe ausstrahlen: zwischen Freiheit fühlen und lost sein", eine Stimmung, die sich auch in den urbanen Collagen und Zeichnungen des Artworks wiederfindet, die Sophie Löw im Stil einer Graphic Novel selbst gestaltet hat: die schwarzhaarige Protagonistin mit dem dunkel verschmierten Eyeliner auf dem Cover ist dabei so etwas wie die fiktive Titelheldin des Albums, die sich durch den Dunst und das schimmernde Versprechen der Großstadt schlägt. Denn wie der Albumtitel schon verrät: Der Smog und die Sterne liegen hier nah beieinander. Und überhaupt ist "smogstar" ein ausgesprochenes Stadt-Album geworden. CULK spielen hier freier auf als je zuvor. Die markante Stimme von Sophie steht immer noch im Mittelpunkt der hypnostischen Songs, aber diesmal klingen sie offener, reduzierter und weniger dark. Zu den musikalischen Referenzen gehört dieses Mal die kompromisslosere Soundästhetik von Noise-Rock-Bands der 80er und 90er, wie Swirlies, Sonic Youth und Unwound, oder auch aktuellere Bands wie Julie oder Blue Smiley. "Wir wollten, dass alles eher bare bones und roh und in your face klingt. Was können wir aus uns Vieren herausholen, in dem Moment, in dem wir gemeinsam spielen?" fragen (sich) Culk. Was wir darüber hinaus bereits wissen: So konsequent ausformuliert war der Popentwurf von CULK noch nie. "smogstar" ist ein wunderbar nervös flimmerndes Schlaglicht auf unsere Gegenwart.

Cults are back with Offering B Sides & Remixes - a companion release to their 2017 LP Offering.

Upon returning from tour in 2018, Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion - the duo force behind Cults - went back into the studio with a handful of instrumental recordings left over from the Offering sessions. They emerged with 3 brand new B sides, each buzzing with Cults’ signature electricity and shimmering melodies.

This limited edition 12” collects these three new B sides as well as three fantastic Offering remixes from Mike Simonetti, Etienne de Crecy, and John Fryer.

• Hometown: New York, New York
• Exclusive pressing limited to 750 copies worldwide Housed in double-sided jacket and pressed on white and clear swirled vinyl

Cults have embarked on a radical reimagining, both of the band's sound and its dynamic, and the result is the NYC indie duo's utterly mesmerizing fourth album, Host. Written more collaboratively than ever before and recorded primarily with live instruments for the first time, the collection marks the start of a bold new chapter for the band, one fueled by an ever-deepening trust and a boundless appetite for growth and experimentation. The songs here are deceptively charming, with lush, airy arrangements that belie their dark, weighty lyrics. The production is rich and multifaceted to match, blending retro and futuristic palettes into a spellbinding swirl of high-def indie rock and lo-fi bedroom pop. As its title suggests, Host is an exploration of the sinister dynamics at play in a parasitic relationship, but rather than dwell in the discomfort, the record charts a cathartic journey towards freedom and self-reliance, reveling in the power that comes from standing your ground and declaring independence in the face of exploitation and manipulation. Formed while Follin and Oblivion were still just students in college, Cults first emerged in 2010 with their breakout single, "Go Outside," which the New York Times hailed as "one of the indie rock highlights" of the year. Both a commercial and critical smash, the track would go on to rack up more than 40 million streams on Spotify, land in soundtracks everywhere from Broad City to Gossip Girl, and help the band score a major label deal for their self-titled debut, released the following year on Columbia Records. The duo followed it up with the similarly celebrated Static in 2013, and they returned in peak form four years later with Offering, building up a devoted audience along the way through relentless headline touring and festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Austin City Limits, and more.

Quickly on the heels of their debut, Cuneiform Tabs return with Age, an LP that takes a massive leap forward in both melodic sensibilities and inventiveness. Bathed in late night psychedelia and the looping repetition of a drone sample, the group's experimental penchants remain, yet this time wrapped around tunes too sweet to be denied. In pulling back a little of the crackle and haze that made their first album so inviting, the Tabs have revealed more of their pop instincts. The overall effect is a perfect set of early Animal Collective demos or Syd Barrett attempting a Television Personalities cover at 3am.

The duo of Matt Bleyle and Sterling Mackinnon continue their system of trading 4-track tapes between the Bay Area and London, a furtive correspondence until sonic nuggets are fully formed. While these songs are very much the product of the Tascam and rudimentary software that is integral to the band, this album is truly the embrace of their songwriting talents – not unlike the recent breakthrough of labelmate Cindy Lee.

With the dream-like strum of "Ivy," slow shimmer of "Orbital Rings" and enchanting, madcap swirl of "Blended Medal," this is hypnagogic pop at its finest. Age is the record Bob Pollard hears in his head every time he steps down to the basement to pick up a guitar. This is the sound of riding in an elevator hearing McCartney singing "Blackbird" in the distance, only to have it draw closer and closer with each floor as you finally race down the hallway, putting your ear to each door searching for the source. This is Leonard Cohen smoking in the middle of the street outside a Suicide show. If all of this sounds phenomenal, it is.

Since 2015, Berlin’s Cuntroaches have defiled countless venues across Europe and the UK, playing festivals and touring relentlessly. The trio’s influences range widely from metal to punk to hardcore to experimental noise. They aim to create a hybrid sonic experience within a dense wall of sound (often combined with some form of performative mischief - if they’re in the mood). Audiences have been subjected to spewing beer bra harnesses, diaper outfits, empty pet food containers or witnessed band members performing from inside of a trash bag. They’ve thrown a lot of trash on a lot of people. "Cuntroaches - a name inexplicably unused throughout the history of bands, orchestras... any grouping of people really...

As it is, the mantle’s (finally) been taken up by two women and a bloke making ferociously warped hardcore-flecked no wave. Mutating waves of feedback intoxicate and induce hangovers all at once, while David Hantelius gets a frankly obscene sound out of his bass - and the vocals - reverbed to an absurd degree - approach black metal levels of demonic witchery. As with New York’s no wave OGs, what it is definitely not is inept pissing around, ‘noise for noise’s sake’ - no matter how blown-out and violent Cuntroaches get, their interplay is lithe, their arrangements measured." - The Quietus “I want to make something clear: at this very moment, I think that Germany’s CUNTROACHES are the most important and life-affirming band on the planet. Period. The first demo blew me away, but this one... FUCK ME. Somehow they have become more in control and more chaotic at the same time, and the intensity borders on bleak / black metal darknes. I simply do not understand how this music exists, and how it can be so good... eternal hails.” - Maximum Rocknroll

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.

THE LIGHT IS LEAVING US ALL is one of the C93 albums that haunts me the most. I was OverMoon and Blessed to work on it with the Astonishing Aeonic Beautiful Talents of Reinier Van Houdt, Alasdair Roberts, Ossian Brown, Rita Knuistingh Neven, Andrew Liles, Aloma Ruiz Boada, Michael York, Davide Pepe, Ania Goszczyńska, and Giulio Di Mauro. Once again, the Voice in the Mask of one of my favourite authors, and longest colleagues, Thomas Ligotti, also joined C93.

The album’s title was given to me in a dream, in which I saw The Souls of humans pouring out of their eyes, and returning to God—The Light Had Left Them Quite!

On THE LIGHT IS LEAVING US ALL, I brought together my studies of specific Akkadian and Biblical Hebrew texts that I was translating with my friends and teachers Professor Martin Worthington, Ola Wikander, and Professor Seth Sanders, and also Channelled my fascinations with The Red Barn Murder of 1827 and “The Witchcraft Murders” of “Bella” in Hagley Wood in c.1941 and Charles Walton in Lower Quinton in 1945.

All this time, the birds were sweetly singing, the kettle was on, the milkmaid was singing, and the policeman was dead—all this while the birds were softly singing, and The Light Was Leaving Us All.

Remastered by The Bricoleur at Bladud Flies!, and with the original artwork refreshed and reborn by Rob Hopeye, this 12” vinyl picture-disc comes in a full-colour die-cut sleeve, which is printed on both the outside and inside.

This is one of the first 4 reissues of the entire back catalogue of C93 on picture-disc and standard vinyl, in the lead-up to the publication of my autobiography at the end of 2025, whilst I also work on many other recording, publishing, and painting projects, and Watch And Pray! Each release in the picture-disc vinyl reissues series is limited to 1,000 copies, and the titles will not be repressed as picture-discs once they have sold out.

Reeling In The Weeks—which felt like Years — after my first Current 93 album, I had started on the difficult second C93 album, DOGS BLOOD RISING.

Having been asked to appear on both Top Of The Pops AND The Old Grey Whistle Test 93 times in the same week after the release of NATURE UNVEILED, I realised that God was telling me that I had hit on a winning formula of Christian eschatology and Apocalyptic Christian texts over a SoundScape As Cool As Flies, but that I was missing the vital ingredient of a Simon & Garfunkel song. DOGS BLOOD RISING — which I described to myself in a VISION as an album which hoped, wished, and made bad trips sound like good trips — was essentially the Mirror Night of NATURE UNVEILED, although only half of it was recorded at Roundhouse Studios. Squats were calling, and 8-track studios were all I was able to afford. DOGS BLOOD RISING didn’t chart, except in my NightSweats. Listening to it now, it makes me as restless as I was then, staring beyond the windows there, watching and praying for something, someone, anything, anyone.

Remastered by The Bricoleur at Bladud Flies!, and with the original artwork refreshed and reborn by Rob Hopeye, this 12” vinyl picture-disc comes in a full-colour die-cut sleeve, which is printed on both the outside and inside.

This is one of the first 4 reissues of the entire back catalogue of C93 on picture-disc and standard vinyl, in the lead-up to the publication of my autobiography at the end of 2025, whilst I also work on many other recording, publishing, and painting projects, and Watch And Pray! Each release in the picture-disc vinyl reissues series is limited to 1,000 copies, and the titles will not be repressed as picture-discs once they have sold out.

SWASTIKAS FOR NODDY is possibly, probably, maybe, or not, a seminal and sidereal masterpiece, the inspiration for 93,000 Masks On Nothings, none of which were Groovy. For me, well, it was my first Hallucinatory PickNick, and the skies turned Pixie Red for it.

I was given the album’s title during an Acid Trip: seeing Noddy Crucified In The Sky, I asked God what the most inappropriate BirthDay present for Noddy might be. God answered me from the Acid Whirlwind: “Swastikas!”

I recorded her in a run-down basement studio in West London, whilst I was simultaneously recording IMPERIUM. On playing the finished album to certain well-chosen friends, I was told by them that I had “destroyed Current 93”, and that it sounded like “demented children on drugs singing Simon & Garfunkel in a playground”. I then knew the album sounded exactly as I had dreamed it to sound, and as God had intended it to sound. Had I ditched the earlier darkness, and skipped into flowered fields? Great Black Time had already told me “NO!—GO!”

Remastered by The Bricoleur at Bladud Flies!, and with the original artwork refreshed and reborn by Rob Hopeye, this 12” vinyl picture-disc comes in a full-colour die-cut sleeve, which is printed on both the outside and inside.

This is one of the first 4 reissues of the entire back catalogue of C93 on picture-disc and standard vinyl, in the lead-up to the publication of my autobiography at the end of 2025, whilst I also work on many other recording, publishing, and painting projects, and Watch And Pray! Each release in the picture-disc vinyl reissues series is limited to 1,000 copies, and the titles will not be repressed as picture-discs once they have sold out.