Across nine songs, the Kill Devil Hills quartet balances post-hardcore urgency, shoegaze bliss, and guitar-driven catharsis. Recorded and produced by J. Robbins (War on Women, Mary Timony), Year of the Horse preserves the raw chemistry that defines the band while pushing their songwriting into sharper, more immediate territory.
‘Blind Smile’, the track described by Loud Women as “bright, melodic and eccentric” now has a music video. About the video, Dawn says, “The video is about someone stuck in a world of complacency. It’s her journey to break free and show color to the world around her. Much like the meaning of the song it’s about being your true self.”
“The blind man smile, the deaf laugh for all to hear, to be so brave, you can’t hear anyone.”
With their album debut Nüwa Mends the Sky, UREDDA reveal themselves as musical alchemists who create pieces of utter beauty and a fascinating otherness, that appear to the listener as magic due to being at least one step ahead of their time. Their perfect amalgamation of elements from contemporary electronics, new wave, post-punk, krautrock, and drone among many other influences creates something excitingly new from some things old and beloved. Their sounds are born from experience as well as a deep understanding and mastery of their art.
The masterminds behind UREDDA have already left deep marks in circles of avant-garde music. Thighpaulsandra, previously a member of Coil and Spiritualized, has worked with Julian Cope among other influential acts – these include URUK, in which he was joined by Massimo Pupillo. Pupillo and Paolo Mongardi are probably best known as members of label mates Zu.
UREDDA sprang into being out of pure synchronicity – while those who believe in predetermination are welcome to view the meeting as glorious providence. Thighpaulsandra had travelled to Italy for a solo performance at a contemporary art museum while, at the same time, Massimo and Paolo were working at the studio of UREDDA guitarist Bruno to try out some new raw sketches. On a fateful whim, they invited Thighpaulsandra to join them. There was no prior blueprint, no rehearsal, and no intention of starting a band. Yet the sparks of creativity and inspiration were flying while music began to flow spontaneously.
The band name stems from the famous Italian ‘Caso Amicizia’ (‘Friendship Case’). This refers to alleged mass contacts between humans and extraterrestrial beings called W56 in the central Italian region of the Abruzzi between 1956 and the late 1970s. These aliens supposedly taught harmony and friendship. In this context, ‘Uredda’ was defined as the vital energy of love, friendship and wonder. This energy was not an abstract concept, but the literal fuel driving their advanced technology and the very core of their mission on Earth. “All I know is that a world on the precipice has a desperate need for beauty”, Massimo Pupillo states, discussing today’s single release. “Not a shallow and only cosmetic glamour, but real beauty – one that incorporates and transforms our deepest anxieties and fears. The diamond is born in the lotus, but the lotus is born from the mud.”
This philosophical approach ties UREDDA directly to an esoteric legend of early Krautrock, by mirroring the belief that musicians could collectively tap into a cosmic current and were able to communicate directly with their mixing desks, instruments and gear as living entities.
Ahead of the album, they’ve unveiled a video for ‘All He Knows’, which you can see here:
‘God’s Picture’ is the latest track to be taken from Emma Ruth Rundle’s These Killing Times, and described by Emma as the centrepiece and thesis statement of this record. The album will be released via her own imprint Errant Child on 18th September.
“’God’s Picture’ is a meditation on the state of the world, particularly climate disaster, global conflict and class. Musically this song feels like a segue from Engine of Hell, with its gentle piano and guitar, to These Killing Times, with its more lush arrangements and message. This song is also a plea for the demolition of Western hegemony. Accompanied by a music video collaboration with many friends and for which I painstakingly constructed the sets for in the winter of 2025/26, ‘God’s Picture’ is the thesis statement at the core of my new album These Killing Times.”
Watch the video for ‘God’s Picture’ here:
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EMMA RUTH RUNDLE LIVE IN EU/UK IN 2027:
22/03/2027 DE Berlin Festsaal 23/03/2027 DE Hamburg Bahnhof Pauli 24/03/2027 DE Leipzig UT Connewitz 25/03/2027 DE Cologne Gebäude 9 27/03/2027 CZ Prague Palác Akropolis 28/03/2027 AT Wien Arena Wien 30/03/2027 DE Munich Backstage 31/03/2027 CH Zurich Rote Fabrik 01/04/2027 FR Lyon L’Epicerie Moderne 02/04/2027 FR Lille L’aeronef 03/04/2027 FR Nantes Ferrailleur 05/04/2027 UK Bristol Fleece 06/04/2027 UK Manchester Gorilla 08/04/2027 UK Glasgow St. Luke’s 09/04/2027 UK Leeds Brudenell Social Club 10/04/2027 UK London Islington Assembly Hall 11/04/2027 UK Brighton Chalk 13/04/2027 FR Paris Elysee Montmartre 14/04/2027 BE Antwerp Trix 15/04/2027 NL Tilburg Roadburn
Deconstructing Sequence unveils a devastating video for the track ‘The Undying Void’, taken from their latest full-length, Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora, which was released last November via Black Lion Records. The album leans into undiscovered realms of black metal but also pushes even further forward into progressive and avant-garde territories. As an explosive reminder of what the new album encompasses, Deconstructing Sequence deliver a striking video for an unhinged and thoroughly heart-hammering song. The video was recorded at Two Shots Studio and produced by Łukasz Grosik from Remedy Brand.
“Łukasz Grosik perfectly captured the atmosphere behind the song and the band, showing a very dark, destructive vision,” states the band. “A vision that we, as Deconstructing Sequence, will follow.”
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Deconstructing Sequence was formed in 2012 in Taunton, Somerset (UK) by Tiberius. Alongside former Northwail bandmate Morph, the duo sought to explore more progressive and avant-garde territories within extreme music. Soon after, J. Nerexo (from Shadows Land) joined on drums, culminating in a more aggressive and twisted edge to the band’s progressive sound. This lineup produced two EPs and one full-length album.
The debut EP Year One (2013), mixed and mastered by Arkadiusz “Aro” Jabłoński at Monroe Sound Studio, laid the foundation for a new era of artistic freedom. The follow-up, Access Code (2014), featured a video created by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight13Media, hinting at an evolving musical vision. In 2017, Deconstructing Sequence’s first full-length album, Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through the Oddities of Space, released via Polish label Via Nocturna in 2018, was praised worldwide for its unconventional approach and bold sound. After relocating to Szczecin, Poland, Tiberius began shaping a new creative direction for what would become the band’s second full-length. With Morph stepping away, drummer Dark Soul joined in 2018, injecting fresh energy into the band. Over the next few years, Deconstructing Sequence meticulously constructed what would become Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora, recorded at Monroe Sound Studio under the supervision of Arkadiusz “Aro” Jabłoński between 2022 and 2025, with guest vocal contributions from Mazak and Adrian. In 2023, bassist Immortal joined as a full-time member, followed by Uruk on second guitar in late 2024, finalizing a complete and stage-ready lineup.
Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora, the sophomore album, blends the furious riffing of Mayhem, the majestic elements of DHG and Emperor, and the haunting depth of Akhlys, forging a journey through idiosyncratic sound and vision. While their previous album lent significant credence to death and post-metal in manifesting their progressive black metal art, this new opus sees the band truly deconstructing their earlier sequence — shapeshifting into a weirder and more unhinged black metal entity.
Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora unfolds as an allegory of humanity’s self-destruction and self-conceit. It follows the last human’s journey from Earth’s destruction to his transformation into a godlike being consumed by his own creation. Guided first by Lucifer and later corrupted by cosmic forces, he witnesses the collapse of faith, power, and meaning. In his quest to control and recreate existence, he becomes the very force of ruin he once fled — until only the void remains, reflecting the eternal flaw of humanity itself.
Looking ahead, the band is already working on new material, rehearsing demo tracks, and continuing their relentless pursuit of twisted, black metal innovation.
Burning Song is the new release from Kali Malone and the first new album of solo compositions since early 2024’s All Life Long. The album arrives via Ideologic Organ on October 30th and is previewed with today’s single and video for the song ‘Heavy with Fruit.’
Music that hovers in the moment just before understanding, where revelation lives. Moving through endings and beginnings, reflection and foresight, Burning Song represents a transformation in Malone’s compositional strategy towards a process that is more intuitive and direct. The album was recorded at the historic Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany, where J.S. Bach was cantor for the last 27 years of his life; his body rests beneath the sanctuary. Malone is the first musician to perform contemporary works on the church’s Bach Organ, an instrument completed in 2000 but with bespoke tuning and temperament systems based on historical norms of the baroque period.
She is joined by Lucy Railton on cello and Stephen O’Malley on bowed acoustic guitar, the same trio that honed a profound connection based on deep listening through the development of Malone’s work Does Spring Hide Its Joy. Recording took place over the course of two late nights in August 2025, with the engineer Francesco Donadello placing over 20 microphones throughout the room and closely upon the instruments, allowing the listener to locate themselves within the music as it fills the historic sanctum.
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Across the album, chord follows chord, each in slow succession, emerging like stones of various shades and shapes on a winding path. The trio moves as one, stepwise, through passages that are alternately ambiguous and radiant, at times triumphant as the tones rise towards the organ’s upper register. By discarding canon form, which has dominated much of her organ work, there is a clear sense of freedom that allows these pieces to unfold more gradually and speak more declaratively than ever before. Even with the presence of one of the most canonized and dissected composers of all time just underfoot, Malone felt the pressure of tradition lifting, an ease of being dictating the flow of the music. She is careful to never extend the narratives of any individual piece beyond what feels conclusive, resulting in a relatively compact cycle of compositions.
The metaphor of burning holds two meanings. Fire moves in ways that appear intuitive, changing shape moment by moment, and relentlessly insistent. Here, Malone moves from harnessing the fractaline beauty of mathematics to reveling in the impact of feelings, of foresight, of something more undefined and from within. But burning is a process of change in which transformation spreads from a nexus point to rapidly consume whatever it encounters. The freedom found in the process of composing and realizing Burning Song is one that opens innumerable doors of possibility. In the fertility of ashes grows whatever comes next.
Live dates 2026/2027
Wed. Sept. 23 – Lisbon, PT @ Culgurest * Sat. Sept. 26 – Cologne, DE @ St. Gertrud [Brutalism] * Sun. Oct. 11 – Bern, CH @ Berner Münster [bee-flat] ^ Sun. Nov. 29 – Bratislava, SK @ Novy evanjelicky kostol [NEXT Festival] ^ Thu. Jan. 28 – London, UK @ St. Martin # Fri. Jan. 29 – London, UK @ St. Martin # Sun. Jan. 31 – Vernier, CH @ Madeleine Chapel – Espace de la Madeleine [Festival Antigel] #
* = Electronic set ^ = Solo organ set # = Burning Song set Plus more to follow
‘Hallucinations’ is the first single and video from Fire Aim Ready, the sixth album from seminal Chicago punk band The Effigies. This is their first release featuring new lead vocalist Geoff Sabin, who took over following the tragic death of founding lead singer John Kezdy in 2023.The new album was recorded at Million Yen Studios in their hometown, and was produced, engineered and mixed by their guitarist Andy Gerber. The album is being released on 12” LP vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming services by the venerable Chicago independent label Pravda Records October 23.
Following writing sessions between live dates in late 2025, the album came together featuring the riff heavy punk metal the band became known for in the 80s with sharp lyrics and aggressive vocals showcasing a clear-eyed worldview on the current state-of-affairs. Written and recorded quickly to capture the moment, the album also includes a cover song from the Stranglers as a nod to the band’s early influences. This is the band’s first release since Burned in 2024, the last album to feature Kezdy.
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Formed in 1980, The Effigies are recognized as one of Chicago’s pioneering punk bands, shaping the Midwest punk scene with their aggressive sound and captivating lyrics. The band’s DIY ethos and commitment to authentic themes about corruption and urban alienation positioned them as a seminal influence on the punk scene for generations. Led originally by vocalist John Kezdy, bassist Paul Zamost, drummer Steve Economou and guitarist Earl Letiecq, the band’s early work blended the raw energy of classic punk with a distinct Midwestern working class sensibility, setting them apart from the coastal scenes of New York and Los Angeles. Their early performances in small Chicago clubs energized a local community of fans and helped establish the city as a notable hub for punk and alternative music. Early releases such as 1981’s Haunted Town EP, 1982’s 7” single “Body Bag” b/w “Security”, and 1983’s “We’re Da Machine” cemented the band’s significance in the expanding scene.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, The Effigies shared stages with many prominent acts, including local favorites Naked Raygun and Big Black, as well as national acts The The, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, The Cramps and PIL. Their live shows became legendary for their intensity and were seen as a threat to the local rock establishment still mired in tribute and cover bands. Renowned record engineer Steve Albini writes that “The Effigies were absolutely essential to development of a healthy punk scene in Chicago. Between them and Naked Raygun in the early 80s they basically kept the scene going until it developed momentum beyond them. The Effigies were a moving force during a crucial and exhilarating time.”
While the band drew inspiration from post-punk, hardcore and metal, they have always maintained that, at heart, they are a punk band. Their music consistently embodies the core values of the punk movement: celebration of individuality, egalitarian ideals, and the power of a committed supportive community.
In 2023, the band emerged from a period of relative inactivity to record a new album. They teamed with Andy Gerber at Million Yen Studios, who also produced the 2007 release Reside, and would go on to take over lead guitar duties with the band. The tragic death of founding member John Kezdy in August of 2023 marked a deeply emotional turning point for the band – Kezdy’s vision and charisma had been central to the Effigies identity. In honor of his legacy and last works, Burned was released in October of 2024 on BFD Records followed by reissues of 1984’s For Ever Grounded and 1985’s Fly on a Wire. To support the album releases and continue moving the legacy forward, the band enlisted a new vocalist, Geoff Sabin, whose energy and passion have reinvigorated the group. Their return to the stage has featured festival sets at RiotFest, Rebellion, and PunkRockBowling, a regional tour with The Black Crowes, and coast to coast shows including prominent clubs like Metro, The Whiskey, Sainte Rock, and The Middle East. The live sets have been embraced by long-time fans and critics alike, signaling that The Effigies are poised for a new chapter while maintaining the spirit and integrity that Kezdy helped establish. As of 2026, The Effigies are touring extensively, with plans to continue reaching audiences worldwide.
It’s pretty self-evident that Ministry has never been a big fan of ‘Hair Mussolini’, especially now as he bombards the American people on a near daily basis with self-aggrandising AI slop. Al Jourgensen and co. therefore felt it necessary to give ‘Trumplethinskin’ a dose of his own medicine with a new single out today entitled ‘We Hate’. A video for it directed by Joshua Bradford can be seen here:
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‘We Hate’ is the second track to be lifted from a final Ministry album, Hate To Go (Take Out Or Delivery), out 30th October on Cleopatra Records. It follows ‘Burned Out’ video, which was issued in July. The album puts an end cap on an incredible 45-year career that has shaped a whole genre of music.
Ever since 1981, Ministry and Jourgensen have been recognised as pioneers of industrial music across 17 studio albums, 8 live releases, 8 side projects, multiple touring campaigns across 5 continents, an autobiography, 2 documentaries, the administration of last rites no less than 3 times, and, of course, by the band’s countless devoted acolytes and fans.
However, before bidding adieu, creator and music madman Jourgensen has a few things to say on this album about the state of the world, those in charge and how we should all collectively move forward.
It also features one notable final collaboration with legacy member Paul Barker on its very last track, ‘We’re Still Here’, alongside the handiwork of Jourgensen’s current bandmates: guitarists Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto, bassist Paul D’Amour, synth player John Bechdel and drummer Pepe Clarke Magaña.
Dark-electro band, SINA MATIX has announced the release of their new single ‘Killing The Curse’.
‘Killing The Curse’ is about those life-changing moments when an event occurs and uproots a person and puts them into a state of the unknown. Bad luck, divorce, backstabbing, instability along with a fear of commitment – this goes on for years, until a person finally gets the strength to push the “reboot” button on their life. The reboot is ‘Killing The Curse’. SINA MATIX expresses this person’s feelings through certain sounds, landscapes and dramatics. For this single, SINA MATIX sought to convey the song’s message through a sonically-angrier tone but with an upbeat EBM sound to reflect the message of resilience and of moving forward.
SINA MATIX addresses dark themes with a cinematic sound infused with samples for context. As a result, a new sub-genre is born; one that can only be described as “dark dramatic electro”.
Chicago-based alternative music legend Chris Connelly is back with the sensational single ‘House of 70’s’, the invigorating first offering from his new album Doo Wop In The Dark: A Portrait of Lou Reed, out in October via Shipwrecked Industries with distribution by Virtual Label.
Produced by Connelly and his Sons of the Silent Age bandmate Alan Berliant, the adrenaline-fuelled video was produced by Someoddpilot Studios and directed by Chris Eichenseer, originator of the Chicago-based creative force Some Odd Pilot, and features artists Kira Leadholm (Madame Reaper) and Jay Drenkula.
Doo Wop In The Dark echoes Connelly’s critically acclaimed 2022 album Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico, a colossal 20-track collection exploring one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of modern music.
This new record presents a unique mix, including Lou Reed’s own compositions, spanning his career from the Velvet Underground onwards, and songs penned by Connelly, detailing the creative and often turbulent path of Reed’s life from his teenage years through to his death in 2013.
Chris Connelly explains, “’House of 70s’ is Lou Reed’s New York of the early- to mid-70s distilled into a rock song. The 1960s hippy dream burned out, Altamont in the rear-view mirror — while the queens, the uppers, the downers, and the streets are brought to life by Lou’s pen and guitar, a remorseless sarcasm cutting down the competition with a switchblade, Taxi Driver in drag, chain-smoking and blasting the radio at 3 am."
While Connelly and Berliant produced most of the album, four tracks (‘Babyface’, ‘Bye Bye Johnny Viola’, ‘Doin’ The Things That We Want To’, ‘One Too Many Mysteries’’) were produced by Chris Bruce (Meshell Ndegeocello, Seal, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, The Waterboys, Sheryl Crow).
Mixed by Berliant and Bruce in Chicago and New York from 2023 to 2026, and mastered by James Scott at Populist Recording & Mastering, this album is dedicated to Chris’ dear friend Zak Boerger (1973 -2025) and also the wildfire, tempestuous spirit of Lewis Allan Reed.
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Connelly’s latest release was for Fini Tribe in 2025 for their colossal 3-disc anthology The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe: 1982-1987. That same year, Connelly also released The Lives and Loves of the Serial Homesick, Vol. 1, a personal album rooted firmly in his hometown of Edinburgh, his second recent album dedicated to his beloved Scotland. Prior to that he also released The Birthday Poems, which features Monica Queen (Belle and Sebastian, Thrum).
As of August 18th, ‘House of 70s’ is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Bandcamp. On October 16th, Doo Wap In The Dark will be released digitally and as a limited edition two-CD set, with a selection of tracks also being made available on vinyl.
CRUCIVORE unveil the crushing music video ‘Depths of Despair’. This brand new track is the first advance single taken from their forthcoming debut full-length Desecration. The Portuguese’s first album has been scheduled for release on November 13, 2026.
Crucivore comment: “The track ‘Depths of Despair’ carries a distinctive sense of eerie darkness”, vocalist Ricardo Proença explains on behalf of the band. “This unsettling atmosphere is created by a melodic foundation that is contrasted with powerful grooves and precisely placed slams, which add crushing weight to the track. Lyrically, this song explores the feeling of being trapped within your own despair, with no apparent way out. Heavy, dark, and captivating, ‘Depths of Despair’ combines a cinematic feeling with brutality to a powerful and immersive experience.”
Check the video and prepare to be devastated here: