Woah. They’ve gone and done it again. Eville continue to chart their own ascent through their single releases, and having previously toured with Glitchers and played at Reading and Leeds last year, they look like they’re on the brink of really ‘blowing up’ as tour support for As December Falls. They’re a band that tours hard and wins fans at every show, and that’s coupled with a steady output of singles over the last couple of years, culminating in theBrat Metal EP late last year. They’re kicking off 2026 where they left off last year, and ‘Blow Up’ is another rip-snorter, an audacious hybrid of slugging nu-metal, hyperactive rave metal, and autotuned pop.
As such, ‘Blow Up’ draws together all of the elements of their previous releases, and, true to form, compresses them into a pumping three and a half minutes (which is actually quite long for them). It’s not quite a party tune, but it is a beefy riff-driven banger with real bounce. It’s more electronic, more processed-sounding than any of its predecessors, and leans more into pop territory than metal – at least in the main – but the late-landing mid-section goes heavy… And then it bounds to the finish line with another surging chorus.
Right now, it seems as if Eville are reinventing nu-metal for the 2020s, and on their own terms. They’ve got Kerrang! jizzing themselves over their every move. And rightly so. This is a new kind of metal. Power to them.
Based in the Texan city of San Antonio, darkwave/synth-punk artist Night Ritualz (aka Vincent Guerrero IV) weaves Latin influences into his songs, often blending English and Spanish lyrics with music that combines atmospheric soundscapes suffused with pulse-pounding beats to tell stories that are deeply personal and universally relatable.
New single ‘Un Tiro’ (One Shot) is the third and final track to be lifted from an upcoming album entitled Time Is A Thief, out on 20th February. With its early ‘80s indie-pop vibe, the song stands in stark contrast to its immediate predecessor, ‘Whoreish’, which mixed hard industrial and EBM sounds. The album’s first single, ‘Brown Skin’ was an unapologetic expression of identity, struggle and survival, that blended personal storytelling with social commentary.
Portland alt-rock / post-punk outfit Rayon present their latest single ‘Running, a propulsive exploration of the anxiety that comes with watching loved ones struggle with cycles of addiction that they can’t shake – and the sound of a tape echo that’s about to stop working. Intentionally preserving the noise of pausing, rewinding, and fast-forwarding to heighten the song’s frantic pace, its sound can be considered a study in tension and tape, the video conveying a sense of lo-fi capers involving a Citroen Wagon.
Found on the flip side of the single ‘Shopping / Running’ (also available on 7” vinyl via Little Cloud Records), ‘Running’ is perhaps even more stunning than the whacky A-side ‘Shopping’, a tongue-in-cheek ode to consumerism and travel, written by someone who happens to travel and consume a bit.
Founded by long-time North Portland resident and Detroit-area native Eric Sabatino, Rayon now also involves members of other notable Portland bands – Sun Atoms, Yuvees, Pastilla and Martha Stax – namely Anna Sabatino, Riley McLaughlin, Eric Rubalcava and Derek Longoria-Gomez.
‘Running’ is based on a relentless bass and drum groove that lived in Sabatino’s head for months before finally taking shape in the studio. To capture the song’s unsettled emotional landscape, the band leaned into the mechanical unpredictability of a dying Dynacord tape echo. By funneling guitars and vocals through the aging machine, they achieved a haunting, warped soundscape where the pitch and speed constantly bend and shift. Feeling as though it is physically straining under its own weight, this song mirrors the very themes of instability it describes.
“’Running’ was built around a bass and drum groove I was kicking around in my head for months. The guitars and vocals are the sound of a tape echo called ‘dynacord’ that’s barely working, bending and moving the speed and pitch of everything we run through it. Those parts wouldn’t have come out like that if I wasn’t trying to write a guitar part while plugged into that machine.” says Eric Sabatino.
The video for ‘Running’ offers a gritty, nostalgic look at the band’s world, captured entirely on a vintage Handycam, following the band in their meticulously restored Citroen wagon. Embracing the track’s jerky energy, their journey concludes with a grainy, evocative sequence of freeway signs leading into Seattle—a slow-burn outro that grounds the video’s high-energy antics in a sense of place and movement.
“The video was shot on an old handycam camcorder we found in the back of a closet. The battery miraculously held a charge. It came with a tape of someone’s school play, which we taped over (sorry to whoever’s family that was). It features the Citroen wagon from the ‘Shopping’ video. I worked on that car for months. So glad it didn’t break down during these two long video shoots,” says Eric Sabatino.
“We drove around all day picking everyone up at their home, work, local bar, favorite little shop, and went to band practice. We filmed the antics and capers along the way. Sometimes we let friends and strangers hold the camera and film us. I transferred and edited it over 2 late nights, trying to capture as much pause, rewind, and fast-forward noise as I could, timing the cuts to capture the jerky energy of the song. I love the outro and the slow noisy shots of the freeway signs leading to Seattle.”
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)
