You may not require any introduction to the members of ROACH SQUAD, or at least one or two of the band. Needless to say, Hugo Mudie (The Sainte Catherines), Frankie Stubbs (Leatherface), Graeme Philliskirk (Leatherface) have all graced the Paradise Gutters around the Punk Rock world for some time. Joining them is Alex Keane (The Murderburgers), along with another local Sunderland Lad, Sim Robson.
As with many of the members previous works, a DIY approach to writing and recording their new album was taken. The bulk of the recording took place at their own Rocket Studios in Sunderland, UK with the exception of Hugo laying down the vocals at Mixart Studios, Montreal (Quebec, Canada).
Little Rocket Records are absolutely bouncing at releasing the lyric video for ROACH SQUAD’s first single ‘Wax & Dust’ off their upcoming debut album which will be available for pre-order starting Monday 3rd of February, 2025.
What’s that? A new song from the Jesus Lizard that isn’t on RACK?
‘Cost Of Living’ is out now on streaming platforms.
“Simply because I wrote the words to ‘Cost of Living’ doesn’t mean that I know exactly what it’s about. I think it has to do with the dread and self-loathing that addicts experience on a very regular basis. You can pick whichever type of addict you choose.” – David Yow
“A friend asked me if we had any tricked-out, odd timing type things with twists and turns, and I said ‘Yeah, I think so….’” – Duane
Benefits have a new album, Constant Noise, due for release on 21st March 2025 on Invada Records. ‘Relentless’ is the first taste of it. It certainly marks a progression from Nails. Who would have predicted a collaboration with Pete Doherty even just a few short months ago?
Industrial rock band, HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL has just unleashed their ferocious new single & video, ‘Millions Of Flowers’.
Drawing inspiration from the darker side of the rock and roll lifestyle, the band’s new single, ‘Millions Of Flowers’ is an unflinching exploration of real stories and tragedies. “Rock and roll can be really dangerous,” the band explains. “No money, fast drugs, fast women, fast death. These songs reflect that reality.”
This fast-paced, hard-hitting track dives deep into the gritty realities of life, bringing forth an uncompromising hardcore energy that fans have come to expect. Prepare for a journey into the depths of sound and storytelling with ‘Millions of Flowers.’
Check it here:
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Emerging from the sun-soaked chaos of Long Beach, California, Industrial Metal band, HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL embodies the raw essence and palpable danger of rock and roll. With unforgettable performances—including most recently sharing the stage with Guns N’ Roses, Billy Idol, Slipknot, Muse, and Helloween At The Hell in addition to the festivals, Heaven Music Festival—one of the world’s biggest metal festivals in Mexico, HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL continues to make their mark in the heavy music scene.
HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL’s relentless dedication to their craft has allowed them to share stages with legends such as The Dead Kennedys, Soulfly, Body Count, Transmetal, L.A. Guns, Bang Tango, and Too Short. Their music has even made waves in the documentary, Road Dogs, which chronicled the wild adventures of extreme L.A. bands over four years of touring.
Starting out with dreams of the road band life, HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL quickly learned that true evolution came from hitting the pavement. With thousands of gigs under their belts—alongside festival appearances—they’ve honed a sound that resonates with audiences nationwide.
Looking ahead, the band is set to embark on a new tour with a setlist that promises a mix of fresh tracks and fan favorites. Fans can catch them live and experience the electrifying energy that has captivated audiences from coast to coast.
HEAVENLY TRIP TO HELL band consists of lead singer, Gerardo Christ, Sergio Natas on bass, Vicky Vicious on keyboards, Kurt Thompson on lead guitar, Frank Transer on rhythm guitar and Jose Soto on drums.
German Synth pop trio BEBORN BETON unveil the video single ‘Ticket to the Moon’, which is a cover track from the ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA album Time and taken from the forthcoming new EP To the Stars. The EP has been slated for release on November 22, 2024.
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BEBORN BETON comment: “The song ‘Ticket to the Moon’ was originally released by the British rock band Electric Light Orchestra on their 1981 album Time, which is one of our favourite records from that era”, vocalist Stefan Netschio writes on behalf of the trio. “We have been thinking about recording a track from that album for quite some time. Given the context of the EP, we felt that the appropriate moment had finally arrived. Alain De Grox aka Synth Heaven once again supported us in the creation of the video. He uitilised amazing excerpts from the CGI Animated Short ‘Ad Astra’ with kind permission of these ArtFX School students: Lauric Bonnemort, Clementin Massin, Pierre Vallerich, and Florian Coquaz. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who made this project happen.”
Shoegaze band Mondaze will release their second album Linger on 22 November via Bronson Recordings.
The opening track, ‘Lines of You’, showcases the recurring tension between presence and absence, reflecting how this internal struggle is ever-present in daily life. Haunted by lingering ghosts and memories that refuse to fade, Mondaze’s melancholy isn’t merely a stylistic element—it’s a deep exploration of the collective labyrinths faced by a generation longing for connection. It sounds as powerful as it is necessary in our times. There’s a strength that stems from reflection and observation.
The video was directed by Clement Pelo, and it stars Yannis Beck and Benedicte Bonpunt.
Watch it here:
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The band have previously released two singles: album title track ‘Linger’, a song that explores memory and nostalgia. and ‘Son of the Rambling Dawn’, a track that creates an immersive experience with intricate layers, smoothly blending different influences to convey a modern sensibility.
Since forming in 2018, Italy-based Mondaze have defined themselves as “heavy shoegaze”, taking inspiration from bands like genre-giants Swervedriver and Ride, but also contemporary bands pushing through the limits of the genre like Nothing and Ringo Deathstarr. With Linger, they aim to amplify the melancholy tones of their frustration and rage. These sonic characteristics drove them to work with Chris Fullard (Idles and Boris) on mixing, and Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher) for mastering. The result is an album with roots, yet distinctly modern featuring arrangements that skilfully blend contemporary styles with dreamy and eerie atmospheres.
Legendary artists Peter Murphy and Boy George have combined forces for a gorgeously majestic new single entitled ‘Let The Flowers Grow’. Produced and co-written by Youth, their duet on what is a profoundly emotional orchestral masterpiece is available from today on Metropolis Records. Murphy recalls: “I was recording my new album in Spain with Youth and, while listening to a playback of a song, I heard another piece of music coming from his mobile phone. It caught my ear for its melodic beauty as well as a Roy Orbison-like voice that was singing it.” Upon learning that it was an unfinished demo written by Boy George, he was intrigued and asked Youth if he could work on the partial song. “In a matter of twenty minutes, we had ‘Flowers…’ finished.”
“When I heard the mix, I was satiated in every way,” beams Boy George. “I have always loved Pete’s voice and his writing on this adds a beautiful darkness. The production feels very epic, like Scott Walker.”
Check it here:
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‘Let The Flowers Grow’ carries an air of elegance, the iconic voices of both singers delivering a message of hope and tolerance. Originally written by Boy George, its initial message was one of personal acceptance about being gay. As the song developed, it took on a more expansive and universal scope, its lyrics extending beyond sexuality and embracing race, gender, creed and religion. “With everything going on in the world about identity, it feels very powerful,” he explains.
The mutual adoration between the duo has spanned decades. “I first met Boy George when he asked to be allowed backstage to meet Howard Devoto when Bauhaus were supporting Magazine,” recalls Murphy. “He struck me as a super-original, self-styled 17th Century fop. The second time I met him was when we walked into the BBC to do ‘Ziggy Stardust’ on Top of the Pops where Culture Club were also making their debut on the show. George greeted me very warmly and I discovered he was a Bauhaus fan.” With the single unveiled, Boy George adds:“It makes me dizzy and proud,” while Murphy concludes: “Boy George loves it and I’m so glad.”
PETER MURPHY : photo by Jolene Siana | BOY GEORGE : photo by Dean Stockings
BAIKAL is excited to announce the release of their new music video for the track ‘Rorschach,’ the first single from their upcoming project. At the origins of BAIKAL are guitarist Jérôme Colombelli (formerly of Uneven Structure and Cult Of Occult) and singer Matthieu Romarin (from Psykup and Uneven Structure). The project was initiated by Jérôme, who began crafting the first compositions in 2020.
Amid the global pandemic and a time characterized by confinement, the duo, along with other contributing musicians like bassist Julien Turrin, combined their diverse influences and backgrounds. This collaboration resulted in a unique sound that blends dark trip-hop atmospheres with powerful post-metal guitars driven by Sunn amplifiers, accented by electro-industrial elements and hints of post-black metal. In 2022, the band officially took on the name BAIKAL and made their live debut in Lyon, performing alongside Céleste.
The video created for ‘Rorschach’ vividly illustrates the imagery present in the lyrics and develops the aesthetic BAIKAL aims to present. Jérôme adds, “For us, music is inseparable from visuals. When I listen to music, images always come to mind, and when I watch a film, I need music that truly complements what I see to fully immerse myself in it.”
Brooklyn alternative rock outfit The Giraffes presents their new single ‘Million Year Old Song’, a caustic zipper from their self-released eighth album Cigarette, accompanied by an adventurous video, conceived and directed by Damien Paris, featuring a crass tongue-in-cheek modern depiction of America the wild.
Cigarette is a hypnotic hard-edged psychedelic rock score for our current age of decay and disappointment, fear and fury, idiocy and hope. Previewed by the singles ‘Pipes’ and ‘The Shot’, this long-awaited and loaded 7-track offering is full of surprises, taking new risks with subject matter and composition while maintaining the intensity and dexterity fans know and love.
Recorded and engineered by Andrew Totolos at Apesauce Studio, this was mixed by Grammy nominated producer Francisco Botero (Matisyahu, Odesza) at the iconic Studio G Brooklyn and by James Dellatacoma (Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock, TS Monk, John Zorn, Angelique Kidjo) at Bill Laswell’s famed Orange Music Sound Studio.
Since forming in 1996, The Giraffes have been crafting a hedonistic soundtrack that is loud, agile, dangerous, funny, sick, complex and satisfying. Known for their trademark menu of metal-tinged scuzz-rock, The Giraffes offer a tasteful mixture of heavy rock, punk, post-punk, surf and whatever else they find interesting. With lead singer Aaron Lazar and guitar maestro Damien Paris as its core, drummer Andrew Totolos provides the locomotive rhythm section with Hannah Moorhead anchoring the bass. This year marks the beginning of a new era for the band, with Moorhead now also contributing backing vocals and songwriting. With the line-up no longer in flux, the focus is now largely on songwriting.
Aaron Lazar explains the origins of this song: “One of Damien’s most ‘badass’ style cartoon bad guy riffs deserved some extemporizing. The phrase “a million year old song in twenty year old lungs” caused me to remember how I was at that age. The first verse is a picture of that time in my life – the feeling of invincibility along with my backward looking cultural tastes (obsessed with blues explosion and old soul and punk from the 70s). The smoke everywhere at all times. No phone culture. It was a world that kids today would not believe existed. I wanted to not be a total old man stuck looking back at my youth so I imagined someone my kid’s age hitting 20 and what the world will look like for them for the second verse. This protagonist has the power of youth but in a much more dire world. I believe that the animating spirit of “rock n roll” or whatever is that self-destructive imperative for fun at all costs. Interesting to think of what that will look like later on down the line. The song remains the same – just the world changes.”
Goth rock/post-punk band, Ghost Painted Sky recently unveiled their latest single, the introspective ‘Insomnia’.
Ghost Painted Sky have always tried to write songs that are true to their own life experiences, while also tapping into something a little more universal. With the new song ‘Insomnia,’ they explore some of the most familiar of common modern plagues: stress and sleeplessness.
Raw, claustrophobic, and perhaps a bit more aggressive than some of their previous material, ‘Insomnia’ is the sound of the night fight against the thousand micro-demons of anxiety that crawl and claw around the edges of peace and sanity.
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GHOST PAINTED SKY began as the solo studio project of David Strong, as a way to process some major life changes through songwriting, which resulted in a debut self-titled EP released in 2014. The following year brought a second short EP, The Shadows Breath, and the first live performances.
In 2017, Lisa Wood began contributing vocals with the Scars EP, and then with the first full-length Ghost Painted Sky album, Flightless, released in the summer of 2018. Lisa has since become the second official member of the band and the primary vocalist, continuing through the Ephemeral Wake EP (2021), and a series of singles – of which ‘Insomnia’ is the latest – offering previews of what to expect from the forthcoming second full-length album, Failure Blooms. While David remains the principal songwriter, Ghost Painted Sky continues to include work with musical collaborators and live band members (including current violin player, Aurora Grabill and guitar player, Michael Boudreau) while continuing the ever-present theme of songwriting as vessel for personal exploration and catharsis.
