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Watch: ‘i know computer’ by mclusky

Posted: 4 February 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: alternative, Future of the Left, i know computer, i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley, Ipecac Recordings, McLusky, Noise Rock, Single, Stream, US tour dates, Video

mclusky have returned with new music (and some not-so-new music) in the form of a mini album called i sure am getting sick of this bowling alley, which ipecac recordings will release on 20th march (digital) and 1st may (vinyl). it will be released in the following formats: digital, black vinyl, ipecac/band translucent red vinyl and the rough trade exclusive variant, crystal fuchsia.

this follows their album the world is still here and so are we which was released in 2025.

content. it drives the modern music world. photos. opinions. more photos. more opinions (please note – not all photos and opinions are bad, just 99 per cent of them). how about – and indulge me here – music? that content-y enough for you? fact is we can’t stop writing, at least at the moment. it’s fun (that’s all it needs to be). it’s the common denominator of band. only death will slow us down (note – it won’t stop us).

the idea for this release started as a bit of a stop-gap – a thing with which to help promote the north american tour – and ended up as something else entirely. ‘i know computer’ and ‘as a dad’ are new and are singles (they may make the next album, who can say, it’s already half-recorded and you will like it). damien probably likes ‘i am computer’ a bit too much but that’s okay, the heart wants what the heart wants.

‘spock culture’ and ‘hi! we’re on strike’ were recorded during the the world sessions. why didn’t they make the album? i’m not sure. lyrically they are important historical documents, up there with the pusheen the cat books and/or the US constitution.

‘fan learning difficulties’ and ‘that was my brain on elves’ have only had a digital release before and are, to quote british children from forty years ago, ‘skill’. hopefully you can agree that i – and by osmosis, all of us – have read a lot of books. – falco x

the live dates in north america are:

march 24 denver, co marquis theater

march 26 seattle, wa the crocodile

march 27 boise, id treefort festival

march 28 portland, or aladdin theater

march 30 san Francisco, ca the chapel

march 31 los angeles, ca the regent theater

april 2 austin, tx empire control room & garage

april 3 minneapolis, mn fine line

april 4 chicago, il metro

april 6 toronto, on mod club

april 10 philadelphia, pa underground arts

april 11 washington, dc black cat

Photo credit: Rick Clifford (@rcstills)

Watch: ‘Katy’s Wart’ by Ecce Shnak

Posted: 3 February 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Dandy Variances, Ecce Shnak, extended feelm version, Heavy, Katy’s Wart, narrative, Noise, promo, Single, Stream, Video

Serving as a bridge towards their full-length album Dandy Variances album, out later this year via Records, Man Records, genre-defying NYC outfit Ecce Shnak deliberately revisit ‘Katy’s Wart’, a hidden gem originally released on their 2019 Joke Oso album. Telling a visceral tale of justice, the new video introduces a cruel madman, who finally meets his end at the hands of five purple goddesses of righteous vengeance.

The story is presented in two formats: as a three-minute ‘Animated Music Feelm Version’, and an immersive ten-minute ‘Extended Feelm Version’ – which we’re sharing here – with a dramatic backstory that builds tension and context, centered on a well-dressed maniac lacking basic human dignity, whose harmful acts finally trigger a cosmic intervention. The heroic twin sisters, played by Rachael Rae Robertson and Rebecca Robertson, ultimately fend him off with the help of otherworldly agents of chaotic justice. In a supernatural animated turning point, five spirits are conjured to deliver him a dose of instant karma.

A blistering indictment of bigotry and cruelty, this surreal narrative was brought to life through a collaboration with some of the industry’s most innovative creative minds. The project’s striking visual identity is the work of the production-direction team of Hollye Bynum and Sam Owens, as well as the band’s own David Roush. The eery and mind-boggling animation was crafted by the industry titans at Titmouse Productions.

Based in New York City, Ecce Shnak (pronounced Eh-kay sh-knock) is made up of David Roush (composer, bassist and one of two singers), Bella Komodromos (vocals), Chris Krasnow (guitar), Gannon Ferrell (guitar), and Henry Buchanan-Vaughn (drums). With this high-fidelity animation, ‘Katy’s Wart’ is now a definitive piece of Ecce Shnak lore, bridging their historical catalogue with their ambitious future. In revisiting this slept-on art, they are clearing the path for new music and film works.

Watch: ‘Soft Capture’ by Lowsunday

Posted: 1 February 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Catherine Wheel, Chapterhouse, dream pop, Indie, lowsunday, Projekt Records, Shoegaze, Single, Soft Capture, Stream, Video

Legacy postpunk-shoegaze outfit Lowsunday has shared ‘Soft Capture’, with a new video by Jer Herring. This is the second single from the Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP, following ‘Love Language’. Released via Projekt Records and ranking second among Post-Punk.com’s Best EPs of 2025, this is the band’s first record of all-new material since 1999.

Born in the mid-1990s within the local Pittsburgh scene, Lowsunday (initially known as Low Sunday Ghost Machine) emerged as a “retro-futurist” pioneer, blending darkwave and shoegaze long before the genres saw their modern revival. Their legacy was cemented with their debut album Low Sunday Ghost Machine and the 1999 masterpiece Elesgiem, both of which were re-released via Projekt Records over the past 18 months (for their 30th and 25th anniversaries, respectively).

The band dissolved, leaving behind a cult reputation for mercurial sounds and blistering guitar work that set the stage for subsequent generations of alternative artists. Following a nearly 25-year period of inactivity, the band resurfaced as a duo in 2025—consisting of original members Shane Sahene (vocals, guitar, synth, bass, drums) and Bobby Spell (bass, guitar, drums).

“With ‘Soft Capture’, we wanted to layer vintage synths over a droning bass line, topped with a wandering guitar melody. As the guitar descends, we felt it taking on a darker tone, but then it creates a bit of a silver lining as the melody climbs back up. We used the lead guitar feedback almost like a theremin, letting it melt through the background,” says Shane Sahene.

“Lyrically, we were thinking about the traps of life and the ways we often submit to things, but the song eventually circles around with an optimistic glimpse of having the opportunity to run away. We feel like the backing vocals on the chorus are what really bring that sense of strength and hope to a situation that might otherwise feel like a surrender.”

Serving as both a reflection and a resurgence, the White EP ushers in a welcome return, marked by superb production and a renewed creative clarity, bridging three decades of distinct sonic legacy with balanced doses of escapism, dreamlike sounds, drones and feedback. This first of a two new EPs planned this year, their crystalline shimmer, classic song structures and melodic hooks shows their atmospheric sound to be as timeless and relevant as ever.

The White EP is a natural expansion for Lowsunday, building upon guitar-driven atmospheres, synth textures, emotive vocals and drum beats. A confident return to form that explores darker yet more expansive sonic territory, they bring atmospheric noise and, at more delicate moments, a dream pop air of deeper melancholia. Distilling years of sonic exploration and inspiration, lyrically and sonically, classic post-punk rhythms and atmospheric layers merge to express raw and genuine emotion.

Listen: ‘Lighthouse’ by Hunter As a Horse

Posted: 31 January 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Cinematic, Dance, electronica, Hunter As a Horse, Lighthouse, Metropolis Records, Mia van Wyk, Pop, Single, Stream

Hunter As a Horse (HAAH) is the South African musician and vocalist Mia van Wyk. Based in the Western Cape, she has spent the last few years self-releasing a diverse series of singles and EPs that combine electronically-focused songs with intense, melancholic lyrics that are given a darkly cinematic production.

Having recently signed to Metropolis Records, the first HAAH single for the label is ’Lighthouse’, an extremely personal song that weaves together mythology and psychology. Inspired by Carl Jung and ‘shadow work’, it is about how only the broken can truly understand each other. “But, one who was broken and is now healed has greater power to lead the broken through the dark night of the soul because they know the territory,” explains van Wyk. “It’s like if someone who died came back to guide the lost back home. I’m ignoring every warning about how you can’t save someone and declaring that I can. It’s about fearlessly challenging somebody else’s demons.”

Seamlessly genre-hopping between alternative, indie, electronic and dream-pop, with diversions into alternative dance and even nu-goth, the songs of HAAH have been described as mysterious, apocalyptic soundtracks for the strange happenings of our time, with the UK newspaper The Guardian commenting: “Brings to mind the mesmerising atmospherics of Lamb and Zero 7. Dark and very lovely indeed.”

The song lyrics of van Wyk are a mystical ride through her strange and synchronicitous life. Deeply authentic, they are inspired by death, addiction, astral visions, CPTSD, melancholia, nostalgia and magical thinking.

Hear ‘Lighthouse’ here:

HUNTER AS A HORSE | Mia van Wyk

Listen: ‘Rage’ by Damage Control with Leæther Strip

Posted: 30 January 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: Damage Control, electro-industrial, Front Line Assembly, Leæther Strip, Metropolis Records, Oblivion Grid, Rage, Single, Skinny Puppy, Stream

Damage Control is an electro-industrial music project centred around its current core members Bill Barsby, Richard Thacker and Alex Wise, who are all based in Australia, plus Markus App from Germany. Both Barsby and Thacker are originally from Birmingham, England.

Having collaborated with a number of other like-minded musicians from all over the world on their well received 2017 debut album, Ultranoia, they have repeated the trick for its long-awaited follow-up, Oblivion Grid, a release date for which will be announced shortly. As with the first record, they have also retained the skills of Canadian producer Chris Peterson (Front Line Assembly, Noise Unit, Unit:187) and engineer Greg Reely (Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Fear Factory).

‘Rage’ is released today as the first single from the new album and features the Danish musician Leæther Strip aka Claus Larsen on vocals. “We like working with guest singers and have always loved Leaether Strip since the early ’90s industrial and darkwave club scenes,” states Barsby. “We were curious to hear what the combination of our song, Claus’ vocal and Chris’ production would sound like.”

Peterson adds: “Ever since my first conversations with Bill Barsby over a decade ago that led to the first Damage Control album, I believed in the project and that he was making music from his heart that was something special. This is also the case the second time around and holds true with the artists we were lucky enough to have come on board; we all wanted to help and be a part of it. The result is a wonderful release with a variety of songs that is their best work yet. It is a testament to the creative spirit and joy of making and sharing music that attracted so many valuable contributors to lend their talents over the time it took to realise.”

Watch: ‘Noir’ by Port Noir

Posted: 30 January 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: alternative metal, noir, Official Video, Port Noir, Progressive, Single, stream. InsideOutMusic, The Dark We Keep

And so they shall return: Port Noir are starting the year not just with their newest single “Noir”, released today, but the band has also announced their 5th album “The Dark We Keep”, to be released May 15th, 2026, via InsideOutMusic. The newest record by the Swedish prog band will include 11 tracks, delivering their signature blend of alternative metal with progressive influences – creating a captivating journey told by powerful arrangements and pure emotions.

‘Noir’ offers a further glimpse of what people can expect of the band’s newest record, being one of the heaviest songs Port Noir have ever released while keeping it true to their dark atmospheric nature and raw emotionality.

The band comments on the new single:

"’Noir’ taps into the dark and raw energy that signifies the vibe of the new album. We wanted to create something that relentlessly keeps building, like an overwhelming void of light that won’t give in. It’s a lot heavier than anything we’ve released to date, yet there is a sense of sentimentality and solace that guides you through the storm that is ‘Noir’. Lyrically it takes you through a seemingly endless night that bends you to its will. Where bliss and despair make you grasp at anything to get through.”

Photo credit: Björn Glasare

Watch: ‘Sanitizer’ by Culture Clash

Posted: 28 January 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: Culture Clash, Hull, movie references, noise-fest, Official music video, Punk, Rock, Sanitizer, Single, slash-horror, Stream, Warren Records

Following the success of their debut single Bad Odour, Hull’s explosive punk outfit Culture Clash return with the dramatic new single Sanitizer inspired by 70s & 80s slasher horror movies like Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Basket Case (1982) & Maniac (1990).

Produced by renowned local indie producer Adam Pattrick & released on Warren Records, the track follows a serial killer called “The Cleaner”, a school janitor who, having been driven mad by years of messy teenagers, kills anyone who doesn’t clean up after themselves. With this song, the band were keen to create something grungier & heavier than their normal punk sound, which was initially inspired by Nirvana’s album Bleach, with songs like Swap meet & Floyd the Barber being a key focus, as well as The Misfits, with its horror-based theme.

Vocalist Kaii states “This song is important to me as it represents a shift in our song writing format. ‘Sanitizer’ takes Culture Clash as a group of vague floating ideas & shoves those ideas into a bag creating a tight concept of what we are as a band & what we want to do – in short, it gave us a sense of direction”.

The video’s a direct homage to various horror movies & follows the band being murdered by The Cleaner for various crimes against cleanliness! The deaths are mainly carried out practically with real fake blood & each is a reference to a different horror movie – Rymer’s death relates to The Evil Dead 2 (1987) with lots of blood, intense camera movements & facial expressions, Freddie’s death is a homage to Psycho (1960) with him being killed in the shower & Kaii’s death is inspired by Death Becomes Her (1992) as he gets a hole cut through his torso.

Comprising of Kaii Boulton (guitar, vocals), Freddie Abbott (bass, guitar, BVs) & James Rymer (drums, BVs), Culture Clash describe themselves as a three-piece noise making machine that mixes various musical influences with a big serving of distortion in a witch’s cauldron, who then serve it up straight to their audience. They focus on mixing many elements from their influences (The Misfits, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Bikini Kill, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Pixies, The Cure & Talking Heads) to tell a narrative that they hope people will relate to.

According to Kaii, Culture Clash exists as a band because “the sky looked nice one day” & he thought it would make a good album cover! Having spent 30% of an early recording session talking with their producer about Star Wars (a mistake they will not be repeating), this determined group have learnt from their mistakes! Headlining gigs in their local area during 2025, Culture Clash are definitely on the rise. Be sure to keep up ….

Watch: ‘Confused’ by Laptop

Posted: 27 January 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: America, Confused, Dance, Groove, Hurricane Cove Records, January 6th, laptop, On This Planet, Single, Soul, Stream, Video, WTF

Laptop’s new protest anthem ‘Confused’ explores a fractured America: the disco at the end of the world.

‘Confused’ is the emotional and ideological center of On This Planet and the most definitive song Laptop has ever released. Written in the immediate psychological aftermath of January 6, the track does not recount events so much as diagnose the mental fallout of living inside them. Certainty masquerades as truth, spectacle replaces substance, and fear is recycled as identity. The song captures the disorientation of watching democratic reality fracture in real time, filtered through the eyes of someone glued to the news and overwhelmed by noise. Rather than offering answers, “Confused” leans into the unease. Lyrics like “They claim that they’re abused” and “Not quite the Reichstag fire” anchor the song firmly in the present, while the recurring chant of “The Con” functions less as a slogan than a warning. There is a dry, unsettling irony threaded throughout, a recognition that when everyone sounds convinced, certainty itself becomes the least reliable narrator.

Musically, ‘Confused” is Laptop at their most hypnotic and rhythm-driven. Built on a circular, Afro-influenced groove recalling Fela Kuti’s forward momentum filtered ‘through the nervous minimalism of Talking Heads’ Remain in Light era, the song accumulates tension instead of releasing it. Recorded initially in Valencia and expanded in Nevis, a place the band came to call the inspiration island, the contrast between physical calm and distant chaos sharpens the song’s disquiet. Escape, the song suggests, may be part of the problem. The accompanying video pushes these themes into visual satire. Framed as a CNN-style broadcast, Charlie Hartman appears as an unnervingly composed news anchor delivering chaos with media normalcy, while fragmented correspondents report from vaguely defined locations. Jesse Hartman looms as an ambiguous figure, part tyrant, part media creation, part projection, never fully explained. The result is less parody than mirror, a world where information, performance, and power blur until belief itself feels optional.

Formed in the late ’90s, Laptop released three albums with Island Records with praise from the NME, The Guardian and others for their stylized blend of synth-pop & irony. Now a multi-generational project with Jesse Hartman joined by his son Charlie Hartman, they are not observing the present from a distance. ‘Confused’ is the sound of living inside it — aware of history, aware of danger, and quietly aware that even the people telling us what’s happening may not know what to believe themselves. Yet for all its tension, ‘Confused’ is not humorless. Like much of Laptop’s work, the song is threaded with a dry, unsettling irony — the kind that emerges when reality itself starts to feel absurd.

Watch: ‘The Silver Key’ by And also the trees

Posted: 27 January 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: Post-Punk, Single, Video, Stream, The Cure, Tour Dates, And Also The Trees, AATT, The Silver Key

The Devil’s Door sees And also the trees (AATT) present a quiet storm of an album. At times filmic, poetic and intense, with an undercurrent of dark psychedelia, it follows The Bone Carver (2023) and Mother-of-pearl-Moon (2024) in completing a trilogy of releases by the current line-up of one of the original UK post-punk acts.

The new record features signature AATT tropes that include poetic lyrics, orchestral guitar and soundtrack influenced songs inspired by newsreel, oil paintings and folklore. However, it also adds some surprising instrumentation – including guest violinist Catherine Graindorge – that skews the album towards a soundworld where John Barry meets Béla Bartók.

Ahead of the album, they’ve unveiled a video for the song ‘The Silver Key’. Watch it here:

AATT formed in 1979 in rural Worcestershire, an environment that has provided a constant inspiration to a group whose music has often explored the dark underbelly as well as the beauty of the British countryside. AATT are renowned for their captivating live performances, a unique style of mandolin-like electric guitar, evocative lyrics and dark jazz rhythms – not to mention a creative independence fiercely preserved for over four decades.

The group have a long standing relationship with the Cure and have both played and worked together since the early ’80s. As part of AATT’s 2026 touring schedule, they will be special guests of the Cure for three shows at the Festival de Nîmes in southern France in late July. These will be preceded by early spring dates in Belgium, France and Greece:

7th March NAMUR (BE) La Nef De L’Eglise Notre Dame D’Harscamp
18th March TOURCOING (FR) Le Grand Mix
19th March ANGERS (FR) Joker’s Pub
20th March LORIENT (FR) Hydrophone
21st March CHERBOURG (FR) Espace Culturel Buisson
22nd March PARIS (FR) La Gaité Lyrique
4th April ATHENS (GR) Death Disco Indoor Festival 2026
24th July NÎMES (FR) Festival de Nîmes
25th July NÎMES (FR) Festival de Nîmes
26th July NÎMES (FR) Festival de Nîmes

Founded by singer Simon Jones and his guitarist brother Justin, AATT have maintained a continuous presence on the post-punk and alternative rock scenes worldwide. The group have released sixteen studio albums to date.

Watch: ‘Sternenabfall’ by Shape Navigator

Posted: 26 January 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: @diz_qo, Coastal Electronauts, Drone, Hypnotic, krautrock, Motorik, Peter Coyte, Shape Navigator, Single, Sternenabfall, Stream, Video

Shape Navigator is the electronic alter ego of composer, musician and sound artist Peter Coyte, who initially announced himself with a series of ambient meets prog house singles on Guerilla Records in the mid-‘90s, subsequently collaborating with Coldcut, Seal, David McAlmont, Heartless Crew and poet/author Salena Godden.

The years since have seen Coyte establish a first-rate reputation as an electronic and experimental music artist, including significant contributions to sound art and installation projects, plus ongoing collaborations with filmmakers, theatre directors, choreographers and more. His work blends sonic experimentation with emotional depth, creating immersive experiences that engage and intrigue audiences.

Now, three decades since his last single, Coyte has today released a brand new one. ‘Sternenabfall’ (German for ‘Star Litter’) is available on Bandcamp, and is a radio edit of a track included on his long-awaited debut album, Journal, which is scheduled for release on 27th February. A full digital release will follow imminently.
‘Sternenabfall’ is described by Coyte as “a kosmische drone journey built from modular synths and an ARP AXXE. It was written for International Drone Day 2025 and was inspired by Harry Sword’s book Monolithic Undertow.”

The track title frames the music as a reflection on beauty and aftermath: a cosmic soundscape that mirrors humanity’s habit of leaving debris in even the most vast and sacred spaces, blending deep-time drone history with an ecological warning.

A video for ‘Sternenabfall’ has been created by sound artist @diz_qo, who cryptically comments: “If the Tea Rooms of Mars could sell you your wildest dreams. If a two dimensional Generation Game was placed on the Voyager disc. If the Shape of Navigation was a cuddly toy. If the stars fell one by one.”

The single also includes the original 20 minute live performance at International Drone Day 2025 where Shape Navigator devised the eventual track.

SHAPE NAVIGATOR | Peter Coyte photo by Martin Elliott

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