BLACK LUNG present ‘Follow’ as their next advance single. The subtle yet also dramatic track full of twists and turns is taken from the American heavy psych rockers’ forthcoming new full-length Forever Beyond and presented in the form of a beautiful visualiser. The fifth album from the Baltimore, Maryland outfit is slated for release on March 6, 2026.
BLACK LUNG comment: "I wrote the lyrics for ‘Follow’ after getting out of a job that was bringing me zero joy”, vocalist and guitarist David Cavalier writes. “This song is meant to feel like you are a cog in a machine, and you are breaking the fuck out of it. The verses are tighter, more precise. The bridges and choruses are heavy, wide open, and much more free.”
RESURRECTED unleash the music video ‘Sanity Is Lost’ as the first advance single taken from their forthcoming new album Perpetual. The eighth full-length of the German death metal veterans has been scheduled for release on April 10, 2026.
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RESURRECTED comment: “The first single track, ‘Sanity Is Lost’, delivers a crushing mid-tempo assault rooted deep in the old school death metal tradition”, drummer Dennis Thiele writes. “It is driven by filthy grooves, dense riffing, and relentless heaviness. We are channelling the raw brutality of classic Cannibal Corpse–era death metal. At this song’s midpoint, the pace accelerates into a violent outburst that pushes intensity to breaking point. It is a merciless reminder that once the momentum hits, sanity is truly lost.”
The video is inspired by Germany’s most catastrophic mining disaster: On February 20, 1946, shortly after noon, a methane explosion ignited an even bigger coal dust detonation in the mine Zeche Monopol Schacht Grimberg 3/4. 405 miners, personnel, and three British officers of the North German Coal Control perished in the massive detonation underground. While the reason for the initial gas ignition remains unknown, lax post-war security standards are generally blamed. The so-called Myth of Grimberg remains as a deep scar in the collective memory of the Ruhr Area.
On Friday, April 3rd, 2026, sunn O))) will release their eponymously titled first full-length album for Sub Pop.
sunn O))) was co-produced & mixed by the band and Brad Wood (Hum, Tar, Sunny Day Real Estate, Liz Phair), and was recorded at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington, January 2025. You can now listen to the album’s closing track, ‘Glory Black.’
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Framing the album visually are two paintings by the late American artist Mark Rothko – one on the front cover and one on the back cover, with the art reversed for UK & European pressings. And, within the CD and LP package are expansive liner notes by author Robert Macfarlane, whose 2025 novel Is a River Alive? is one of many sources of inspiration for the album. And, illustrations by French artist Elodie Lesourd are also featured on the inner LP sleeves and accompanying album merch.
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sunn O)) will tour in support of the album. Tickets for the below shows will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 16th at 10am (local).
Wed. Apr. 01 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren Sat. Apr. 04 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Sun. Apr. 05 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall Mon. Apr. 06 – New Orleans, LA – Civic Theatre Tue. Apr. 07 – Atlanta, GA – The Goat Farm Thu. Apr. 09 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone Sat. Apr. 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer Mon. Apr. 13 – Montreal, QC – Le National Tue. Apr. 14 – Toronto, ON – 131 McCormack Thu. Apr. 16 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed Sat. Apr. 18 – Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre Sun. Apr. 19 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
The original Look, Stranger!, who hailed from York called it a day in 2012, followed by silence…
The emergence of a new act called Look, Stranger! is not a continuation or a resurrection, but the debut release from a new act which sees Ian J Cole (who not so long ago departed Yorkshire to reside down south) pair up with Louisa Rose (who hails from York but also lives down south), with the name referencing the poem of the same title by WH Auden (also born in York)
‘The Last Thing’ is taken from the Broken EP out on Bandcamp via Sinners Music on 14th February.
The song brings hints of Depeche Mode but equally more vintage electronica, merged with some post-punk vibes, while the video offers dashes of James Bond and some retro-futuristic vibes. In all, it’s simple, but effective.
It’s been a little while since we last heard from .SYS Machine, when they slipped ‘Graceful Isolation’ out in the wake of the pandemic lockdowns. One reason for this is that Dave McAnally has been busy withindustrial side-project Derision Cult – but with ‘Doubtless’, .SYS Machine presage the arrival of a new album, Parts Unknown due out in April.
While the dark electronic pop of .SYS Machine is sonically more accessible than Derision Cult McAnally’s lyrics have a tendency to draw on the experience of living through our trying times, and ‘Doubtless’ is no exception, exploring as it does the challenge of ‘maintaining sanity in an increasingly turbulent and chaotic world’.
The vocal melody and McAnally’s drawling intonation bring something of a country feel, which is quite a contrast to the metronomic pulsating disco beat and the synths, which are airy and even hint at a sense of optimism. There are strong hints of Violator-era Depeche mode woven into the fabric of the song, particularly in the chorus, and it balances broodiness with a certain buoyancy. The way the elements interlace is intriguing, and far from obvious – meaning this is a grower rather than an instant grab.
US dream-pop duo Magic Wands have released a brand new single entitled ‘Sacred Mirrors’. The song is a collaboration with guitarist John Ashton, best known as a member of the iconic post-punk rock group The Psychedelic Furs who played a key role in all seven of their album releases made between 1980 and 1991.
The group went on hiatus soon after and Ashton became a producer, working with Marianne Faithfull and The Sisters Of Mercy (he had also produced their classic 1982 single, ‘Alice’), but he remained with the Furs for another eight years following their reformation in 2000. He released the solo album Satellite Paradiso in 2016.
“I fell in love with Magic Wands via a friend who sent me some of their music,” states Ashton. “The songs immediately drew me in via the visions and emotions they imparted on my psyche. I was hooked and wanted more, finding it in songs like ‘Across The Water’ from their latest album, Cascades. To say I was inspired to write new music would be an understatement. I was recently interviewed for the Sticky Jazz podcast and mentioned that I had been listening to the new record, and it turned out the host was also a fan of the band and hooked me up! ‘Sacred Mirrors’ was inspired by their music and I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to collaborate with them on this.”
The feeling is mutual, with Magic Wands (Dexy and Chris Valentine) declaring that “we have always been fans of The Psychedelic Furs and John has a certain style of guitar playing that strikes its own emotional chord with us. We love his solo song ‘Invisible’, his production on ‘Alice’ by The Sisters of Mercy, and of course his incredible guitar work on Furs songs such as ‘Pretty in Pink’, ‘Dumb Waiters’, ‘Into You Like a Train’, ‘Heartbreak Beat’ and ‘Until She Comes’.”
Ashton sent an instrumental track already entitled ‘Sacred Mirrors’ to the band, who promptly added an additional guitar, keyboards, percussion and vocals, with Dexy adding lyrics and Chris then producing and mixing the finished song. “The song is based around John’s title but approached from a more spiritual perspective,” explains Dexy. “We are all sky gazers, so it includes imagery about the sky, sea, moon and stars. It’s a love song for outsiders about reflections and dreaming of endless possibilities. It has definitely inspired us to get back to writing from a lighter side rather than the shadow, which we dove deep into on both ‘Cascades’ and our ‘Switch’ album before that. We needed to be brought back to a more uplifting side of making music, and the DNA of John’s songwriting has helped us to do just that.”
As their highly anticipated fifth album DAGGER rears into view, IST IST have shared its final pre-emptive single ‘Obligations’.
With its pulsating bassline, driving beats, and synth throbs, ‘Obligations’ is the enlivening new track from Manchester’s finest. Embodying the metamorphosis of IST IST as they gear-up for the next stage in their evolution, this latest cut is fittingly all about transformation and sacrifices that can come with it.
As vocalist Adam Houghton says:
“With ‘Obligations’, I wanted to capture the feeling of being bound to someone who represents both your salvation and your undoing. It’s about how love can feel like duty — something you can’t walk away from even when it hurts. I wanted to explore memory as something that both comforts and strangles, showing how the past can shape who we become. By the end, the narrator isn’t whole anymore, but they’ve accepted that pain and change are part of survival. It’s about transformation through loss — the quiet resilience of being altered by love.”
The new single arrives with a thought provoking official video featuring artist and longtime friend of the band Oliver Marson. Tuning into the track’s integral lyric “What is left is a different version of me”, we find Marson portraying an alternate version of the IST IST frontman.
Watch the video here:
Following a short stretch of European and UK shows this Autumn, IST IST will be hitting the road again in April this year, with upcoming shows in Norwich, Exeter, Oxford, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, Brighton, PLUS recently added dates in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and London. These shows will pave the way towards their biggest hometown show to date, at Manchester’s Albert Hall in May. All dates are listed below, with all tickets on sale now.
In addition, IST IST are delighted to confirm a short series of intimate in-store/out-store shows as they launch their new album DAGGER. Catch them at these dates and venues:
IST IST – 2026 UK & IRELAND TOUR DATES
UK IN-STORE ALBUM LAUNCH SHOWS
Leeds – Headroom House – 07.02.26
Bury – The Met – 08.02.26
Edinburgh – The Caves – 09.02.26
Nottingham – Rough Trade – 10.02.26
London – Rough Trade East – 11.02.26
EUROPEAN SHOWS
Antwerp – Kafka Oudaan – 11.03.26
Cologne – Luxor – 12.03.26
Amsterdam – Paradiso – 14.03.26
Frankfurt – Das Bett – 15.03.26
Zurich – Werk 21 – 16.03.26
Milan – Santeria Toscana 31 – 17.03.26
Budapest – Durer Kert – 19.03.26
Bratislava – Pink Whale – 20.03.26
Krakow – Klub Zascianek – 22.03.26
Warsaw – Hydrozadka – 23.03.26
Berlin – Hole 44 – 24.03.26
Esbjerg – Tobakken – 26.03.26
Oslo – Parkteatret – 27.03.26
Stockholm – Kollektivet – 29.03.26
Hamburg – Logo – 31.03.26
UK HEADLINE SHOWS
Norwich – Waterfront – 09.04.26
London – The Garage – 10.04.26
Exeter – Phoenix – 11.04.26
Oxford – O2 Academy 2 – 12.04.26
Newcastle – The Grove – 16.04.26
Glasgow – Oran Mor – 17.04.26
Sheffield – Network – 18.04.26
Nottingham – Rescue Rooms – 23.04.26
Bristol – Thekla – 24.04.26
Brighton – Quarters – 25.04.26
Dublin – The grand Social – 28.04.26
Belfast – Ulster Sports Club – 29.04.26
Manchester – Albert Hall – 01.05.26
(w/ Support from DESPERATE JOURNALIST + THE YOUTH PLAY)
MESH unveil the stylish music video ‘Exile’ as the first new song from the UK alternative electronic duo since nine years! This single is an edit of the opening track of the English band’s forthcoming new album The Truth Doesn’t Matter, which has been scheduled for release on March 27, 2026.
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MESH comment on ‘Exile’: “I was trying to write some music that was uplifting but had a dark and moody undertone”, Richard explains. “I had the chord structure and the chorus, but felt something was missing. That’s when I added the arpeggio type line at the start. This changed the character of the song and gave it that hypnotic, driving feel. It is the glue that holds it all together. After we had finished mixing the album and almost a year after the music was written, Mark sent me the track with the vocals added. It was one of those moments when I knew immediately that this track had to be the single. It was as quick as that.”
“We were about to go to Germany to mix the album with Olaf!, Mark adds. "I still had a couple of instrumentals from Rich which had no lyrics or vocals. I loaded one into Cubasis on my phone and started working on it in dead time during the mixing. I needed inspiration, and Judit, the wife of our producer Olaf, gave me the only English books that she had: Chicken Soup for the Soul – Stories for a Better World by various authors, and ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’, which is a Bowie biography. I was also reading Heinlein’s ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ on my pad. The lyrics kind of just fell out of those influences. I recorded the vocals on the phone outside on Olaf’s balcony and recorded them properly when I got home. It was all very last minute, but worth that last push.”
The Twilight Sad seem to be one of those bands that remain niche and somewhat divisive. But those who are into them are really into them, and with good reason. They’ve been long championed by Robert Smith and have access to a huge, huge audience following epic tours supporting The Cure, but they obstinately refuse to tone down their overt Scottishness, and they stubbornly refuse to bend to any kind of commercial leanings, or to cheer the fuck up. They’re also one of the most emotionally intense bands around: their live shows are quite simply something else.
‘Designed to Lose’ is the second single from their next album, and simultaneously harks back to the blistering welter of noise that was their second album No One Can Ever Know, while pushing forward on the trajectory of their last album, It Won/t Be Like This All The Time, which was both glorious and harrowing as fuck.
It Won/t Be Like This All The Time was released in 2019, so it’s been a long wait for new material. Oh, but this is worth it. The Twilight Sad aren’t a band to rush-release something sub-par, and ‘Designed to Lose’ is classic Sad on first listen, and just gives more with each play.
Psychedelic institution Gong have announced their new album Bright Spirit today, set for release on 13th March on the Kscope label. The news comes alongside a new single and video for the track ‘The Wonderment’. Speaking on the announcement, frontman Kavus Torabi shared –
“Structured around modulating glissando guitar and a pulsating analogue synth sequence, The Wonderment finds Gong in deeply meditative form. A mystical and explorative journey both inwards and outwards. Timeless and expansive, The Wonderment is another piece of the kaleidoscopic puzzle that makes up Bright Spirit. A healing charge of cosmic rays beamed out from deepest space. All is sound, all is love. Gong is one and one is you.”
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GONG TOUR DATES
Mar 19 – Brighton, UK – Gong & Henge Mar 20 – Canterbury, UK – Gong & Henge Mar 21 – Swansea, UK – Gong & Henge Mar 25 – Birmingham, UK Mar 26 – Lincoln, UK – Gong & Henge Mar 27 – Manchester, UK – Gong & Henge Mar 28 – Liverpool, UK – Gong & Henge
Aural Aggravation 