The latest single from Los Angeles band GMO, “Double Headed Gemini,” is a dingy, electro-pop gem that is sure to delight any fans of Broadcast. Hopefully there will be more from these guys, including a full-length LP, which would be rad! Check it out below.
Constant Follower is the recording moniker of Stephen McAll (and a revolving group of friends) from Glasgow, Scotland.
McCall barely survived a violent attack in his late teens and struggled with addiction in his path to recovery. His melancholic, understated ambient folk has mirrored this journey, as his body and mind relearned to play guitar and observe the small, intimate details of life.
His third album, The Smile You Send Out Returns To You, delivers more of the same, only now he is a father, partner, and further along in his recovery. You can hear hope and optimism amidst the minor keys – and it’s an utterly gorgeous and cathartic listen.
Alex MacKay, the bassist for Nation of Language, has released a new album under his solo project, Cutouts. The album, titled Snakeskin, is a captivating blend of shimmering synths and vocals layered over pulsating beats and bass lines. It defies easy categorization, occupying a space between synth-pop and darkwave with its unique fusion of dark and heavy elements. From the opening track “Narc” with its growling bass and driving beat, Snakeskin immediately commands attention and refuses to let go. I highly recommend it.
Check out “Narc” and “Paw of the Monkey” below for a taste.
Snakeskin is self-released and out now. It’s available digitally via Cutouts’ Bandcamp and on vinyl from Cutouts’ website. Alex only pressed 500 so don’t sleep! Enjoy.
Cincinnati band The Serfs are about to head out on a European/UK tour, but before they do, they decided to drop a steamy new 7″ with two incredible, dark wave, dance-club-days-of-yore bangers, “Paid In Full” and “Regen” (spin them below).
The 7-incher is available now on Trouble In Mind’s Bandcamp page; get it before it’s gone or get the digital files; either way, put these super-rad songs in your earholes. PS: Grab a hold of something when you press play because you’re going to want to start shaking stuff. Enjoy.
2024 EU/UK TOUR DATES:
29.10.2024 CZ Prague @ Underdogs 30.10.2024 DE Dresden @ Heartbreak 31.10.2024 AT Wien @ Das Lot 01.11.2024 AT Linz @ Kapu 03.11.2024 IT Bologna @ Freakout 04.11.2024 CH Biel @ Gurzelen Club Social 05.11.2024 CH Geneve @ L’Usine 06.11.2024 FR Lyon @ Sonic 08.11.2024 ES Barcelona @ Upload 09.11.2024 FR Toulouse @ Skatepark Le Petit 10.11.2024 FR Bordeaux @ La Maison d’Allez les filles 12.11.2024 FR Paris @ L’Olympic Café 13.11.2024 UK London @ Boston Music Room 14.11.2024 UK Bristol @ Dust 15.11.2024 UK Liverpool @ Rough Trade 16.11.2024 UK Glasgow @ Stereo 17.11.2024 UK Manchester @ The Peer Hat 19.11.2024 BE Antwerp @ JC Bouckenborgh 20.11.2024 BE Kortrijk @ Wilde Westen 21.11.2024 DE Koln @ Privat 22.11.2024 DE Frankfurt @ Mousonturm 23.11.2024 DE Berlin @ Neu Zukunft
Oakland band What’s Important are releasing their latest album, bloodsoaked castle, today. Their PR refers to their sound as “mutant pop,” and their Bandcamp page calls it “castle pop.” I don’t know what either of those genres / sub-genres mean. What I do know is that bloodsoaked castle contains some glitchy, pop punk meets electro pop goodness. Check out “i think about it a lot” (below) for a taste.
Pioneering electronic musician and producer Prefuse 73 — aka Guillermo Scott Herren — is following up his latest album, New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 1 (released in March), with New Strategies for Modern CrimeVol. 2, which is set to be released at the end of June via Lex Records.
His latest single, “Vast Wildlife Poison,” (below) is a groovy, bass-heavy, jazz-tinged three-and-a-half minutes that could be plugged into any 1960’s French spy movie. Enjoy.
Oakland’s Houses of Heaven are back with their sophomore LP, Within/Without. It’s 10 solid tracks of grimy, pulsating, dark wave, mingled with early industrial elements à la Nitzer Ebb and 80s-era Ministry. Think about your scariest nightmare, this album could soundtrack that nightmare.
Check out “Within/Without” and the album standout (IMO) “Deserve” featuring Ms. Boan Mariana Saldaña on vocals (below) for a tasting.
Within/Without is out on Friday (04/26/2024) via Felte Records. Cop it. Enjoy.
billy woods, half of Armand Hammer, dropped his 13th studio album, Maps. This is his second album with producer Kenny Segal following their critically acclaimed 2019 album, Hiding Places. The duo keep building on their early 2010s underground, experimental hip-hop sound – giving vulnerable, eerie, and tense vibes throughout.
The sounds and emotions of Maps remind the listener of the self-reflection and wisdom you get while traveling. Maps leans into the honest – and sometimes frustrating – feeling of travel as well. woods and Segal brought in more featured artists this time around – including indie hip-hop heavies like Quelle Chris and Aesop Rock. And teamwork makes the dream work: the eighth track, “Year Zero,” has some of the hardest bars we have heard all year with Danny Brown bringing his heavy hitter sound of the underground hip-hop.
Mint Field are a duo out of Mexico City, Mexico. Their new album Aprender a Ser (Learning To Be) is a shimmery ride through bits of dream pop, shoegaze and trip hop (that’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m going with it). The slightly blurry, yet shiny image used for the album cover describes their sound better that I ever could. If I were to rate this it would be 5 wooden nickles!
Aprender a Ser is out on Friday 10/27/2023. You need this album in your life. You can check out the singles “El Suspiro Cambia Todo”, “Nuevo Sol” and “Orquídea” below. They represent the album well. Enjoy.
Melenas are back with a magnificent new album titled Ahora. This quartet out of Pamplona, Spain have it all dialed in – I’m talking jangly guitars, pulsing synths, fuzz, gaze, gauze, noise, you name it, it’s probably in there.
Ahora is (as I said in a previous post) 10 tracks of kraut-meets-Stereolab, electro-pop goodness. Check out “Bang” below; it’s so rad, I find myself humming or whistling it all day.