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Watch: ‘War on War’ by Frenchy and the Punk

Posted: 5 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr, Distortion Productions, Frenchy and the Punk, Guitarmy of One, Post-Punk, Scott Helland, Single, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Stream, Video, War on War

Post-Punk duo Frenchy and the Punk present their new video for the powerful and compelling single ‘War on War’, along with an announcement of spring 2026 tour dates. Playing up to 100 shows a year, the duo thrives on the road. Now they are set to bring that energy to dozens of cities across the Midwest and East Coast before heading overseas for select UK dates.

Torchbearers of a new era in post-punk, Frenchy and the Punk was formed in 2005 by vocalist, percussionist, keyboardist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, co-founder of Deep Wound (with Dinosaur Jr. icons J Mascis and Lou Barlow) and Outpatients, and also known for his exceptional solo music project Guitarmy of One.

Frenchy and the Punk, listed in the ‘Top 25 US duos’ by Yahoo! Music, is a powerhouse duo with a distinct sound, blending post-punk with a touch of new wave by way of electro-acoustic hybrid guitars, loop pedals, fiery live acoustic and electronic percussion, synth and rich commanding vocals.

The powerful video for ‘War on War’ was filmed and edited by Samantha Stephenson in New York State. The single itself was mixed and mastered by William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith and the Muse) at William Faith Music Production, with vocal recording and production at Kale Shelter Studios by Hillary Johnson, known for her work with Jeff Buckley, The Misfits, Rufus Wainwright, The Ramones, Nile Rodgers, Vernon Reid and more.

Following ‘Not Under Your Spell’, released at the end of 2025, this is the band’s second release through Distortion Productions, having signed to the label after label-head Jim Semonik saw their performance at Dark Force Fest, in New Jersey last summer.

“This song is not only about war but also the deterioration of truth and destruction of progress. It’s the belief that the majority of people in this country and the world do not want to go backwards and do not want to see bloodshed,” says Samantha Stephenson.

“It is the frustration that the few, fueled by greed and lust for power, who manipulate for their and their cronies’ advantage, cause such grief and destruction for the many. It is a call to voice opposition to the chaos and insanity. It is a call for unity beyond borders.”

A veteran of the US hardcore punk scene, Scott Helland has spent years honing a dynamic, high-impact performance style that now drives Frenchy and the Punk’s electrifying live presence and genre-blurring sound. Over the course of his music career, he has shared the stage with Black Flag, Husker Du, GBH, C.O.C, Agnostic Front and CroMags, in addition to performing with Dinosaur Jr. on occasion.

Samantha’s artistic expression came from a completely different place, having started in dance, piano and the visual arts. These two worlds collided forming a musical incarnation that moves effortlessly from bombastic and driving songs to atmospheric and almost transcendent soundscapes.

Listen: ‘Silence Calls’ by j:dead

Posted: 4 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: 12 singles in 12 months, Dark Pop, Electeonic, Industrial, Infacted Recordings, J:dead, Silence Calls, Single, Stream, synthpop

UK-based industrial/electronic artist j:dead continues his 12 singles in 12 months campaign with the release of ‘Silence Calls,’ available now on Infacted Recordings.

The track is a meditation on the difficult yet necessary act of shutting down, withdrawing, and stepping into silence. At first, the silence is described as dark, cold, and unforgiving; a space filled with unease and fear. Yet as the song unfolds, its message deepens; the absence of noise brings clarity, truth, and a renewed sense of wholeness. In the end, though silence remains a challenge, it becomes a source of strength and balance, offering perspective that cannot be found in constant noise.

Musically, ‘Silence Calls’ weaves together influences of darkwave, synthpop, and industrial rock, creating a rich, layered soundscape that mirrors its emotional journey. The track moves between atmospheric textures and driving electronic power, underscoring the tension between fear and clarity. As always, Jay Taylor’s commanding vocal performance is central to the song; shifting through vulnerability, intensity, and resolve, capturing the full spectrum of emotion embedded in the lyrics.

With this fifth release, j:dead reinforces his distinctive blend of dark electronics, anthemic hooks, and emotionally charged songwriting. ‘Silence Calls’ stands as both a deeply personal reflection and a compelling addition to the campaign’s expanding sonic world; a reminder of the necessity and challenge of finding stillness in a chaotic landscape.

Hear it here:

Listen: ‘Cruel’ by SINE

Posted: 3 April 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: Single, Stream, Dance, Metropolis Records, beats, SINE, technogoth, electronic boom, Cruel, La Mordre

Electronic artist SINE (aka Rona Rougeheart) has today released ‘Cruel’ as a new single on Metropolis Records. It follows the recent ‘Blood + Wine’ as her second self-produced track of 2026, with Rougeheart stating that the song “about people who purposefully choose to be cruel to others. The words are both sarcastic and serious and I like the contrast of the lyrical content against the upbeat nature of the music, which otherwise makes it a fun dance track.”

Mastered by Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated), ‘Cruel’ remains true to Rougeheart’s ‘electronic boom’ style while remaining modern and club-ready. It is the final single to be issued from La Mordre, a brand new SINE album out on 22nd May that also includes the previously issued ‘Trauma Bondage’

Watch: ‘Folding the Mind’ by Trelldom

Posted: 2 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Single, Stream, Jazz, dark, Gothic, Prophecy Productions, Official Visualizer, Trellson, Folding the Mind, Norwegian black metal, Röyksopp, ...by the word...

Iconic Norwegians TRELLDOM, founded by legendary vocalist Gaahl, unveil the visualiser single ‘Folding the Mind’ as the next advance track selected from their forthcoming new full-length: …by the word…

With …by the word…, TRELLDOM are pushing forward hard into their new musical era that was ushered in by the previous full-length …by the shadows… (2024), which ended a 17-year hiatus of the Norwegian band.

Mastermind Kristian Eivind Espedal aka Gaahl and his diligently selected collaborators have gone even beyond the complex yet sinister sound that they established with …by the shadows… The exponentially grown confidence and hard-gained experience of joining together seemingly quite different musicians is reflected clearly in each track of …by the word…

TRELLDOM have concluded the process of escaping the narrowest definition of black metal without compromising their artistic mission. Their music does not only stay loyal to the spirit of their black metal roots, but the Norwegians are making a solid point that their new sound is even more dark and fierce than ever before – just in more twisted and unhinged ways.

…by the word… is the result of Espedal expanding the immense range of his vocals even further into unexplored territories. And it should be noted that this was partly achieved by his return to the famous Grieghallen Studios in Bergen to work again with legendary producer Eirik Hundvin aka Pytten, who was instrumental in the creation of the ‘Norwegian black metal’sound.

Although Espedal remains firmly at the helm of TRELLDOM, the current line-up plays a massive part in the fresh exploration of musical extremes. Guitarist Stian “Sir” Kårstad (formerly also in DJERV) guarantees a form of continuity as he already contributed to the second and third album of the band. Furthermore, the new constellation features renowned percussionist Kenneth Kapstad, formerly of MOTORPSYCHO and hammering the drums in SPIDERGAWD, MØSTER!, and THORNS. Kapstad brought the internationally acclaimed jazz musician and saxophone player Kjetil Møster (MØSTER!, RÖYKSOPP, THE END) along. Bass player Eirik Øien is the latest addition to the cast of characters.

Watch: ‘Abject Sacrifice’ by Non Serviam

Posted: 1 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Abject Sacrifice, Avant-garde, black metal, Concept, Experimental, French, Industrial, La Lune Dont Mon Âme Est Pleine, Lay Bare Recordings, Non Serviam, Official music video, Single, Stream, symbolism

Deeply rooted in industrial experimentation and the rawness of black metal, French avant-garde collective Non Serviam have forged a singular style that blurs the boundaries between extreme genres while preserving their intensity through a radical and uncompromising artistic approach.

The collective now announces their third full-length album, La Lune Dont Mon Âme Est Pleine, set to be released on June 12 through a new alliance between Non Serviam and Lay Bare Recordings. Alongside the announcement, the band unveil the video for the new track ‘Abject Sacrifice’.

Five years after Le Cœur Bat (2021), and more than a decade after Un Petit peu d’amour Pour la Haine, this new album stands as a major step forward in the band’s evolution. After a prolific run of EPs, splits, and mini-albums, Non Serviam return with a full-length work that pushes further the sonic and aesthetic direction unveiled on Le Cœur Bat, now refined through experimentation and artistic evolution.

La Lune Dont Mon Âme Est Pleine is a symbolist concept album centered on the myth of Diana and Actaeon, exploring themes of the desire for the absolute, the violence it engenders, and the melancholy that follows. These ideas permeate the album’s compositions, shaping both the music and the lyrical narratives. Beyond the metamorphosed and tormented figure of Actaeon, the album also draws on historical and mythological figures such as Émile Henry, the late-19th-century French anarchist, and the apocalyptic goddess Kali, invoked through a powerful vocal appearance by Mirai Kawashima (Sigh).

With La Lune Dont Mon Âme Est Pleine, Non Serviam continue their artistic trajectory, delivering a work that is ambitious, confrontational, and emotionally intense, further pushing the boundaries between extreme music, experimental composition, and avant-garde art.

Watch: ‘If’ by Helen Svoboda

Posted: 31 March 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Drone, Heavy, Helen Svoboda, If, Lawrence English, Room40, Single, Stream, uplifting

Room40 – 31st March 2026

Room40 announces a new album by the Finnish/Australian award-winning double bassist, vocalist and composer Helen Svoboda, arriving on the 26th June.

The distinctive sonic world of Headwater weaves sixteen threads or ‘earworms’ built around two double basses, two voices, and electronics; heard as singular and combinatory bodies of material. The album forms an abstracted picture of self, rooted in a devolved song form. It can be experienced as a tapestry that blurs the edges of identity; strange, beautiful, evaporative, and fluid, like memory itself.

On revealing the album opener, ‘If" today, Svoboda says “’If’ explores a dream shaped by constant interruptions. The sleeper is caught in a series of jolts, driven by the fear of losing precious hours of consciousness within a fleeting human life. Each disturbance prevents a descent into deeper sleep, yet the body never full awakes.

“The video, directed and filmed by Angus Kirby, captures this state between rest and recurring subconscious thoughts. We filmed this around the corner from my house in Melbourne during, and after, a stunning summer sunset.”

Songs are glued together by extended instrumental practice, improvisation, and strands of Svoboda’s cultural heritage. As a Finnish-born artist who has lived in Australia since the age of five, Svoboda delves into her Nordic background largely through the album’s vocal work, which carries echoes of Finnish folk harmony and traces of invented “Finnish” words, explored in collaboration with Savolainen as the second-voice. Svoboda notes that she does not seek to emulate or replicate this style of music, but has taken and nurtured the seeds of its influence on her musical language into something deeply personal and intuitive.

The instrumental pieces reveal an articulate language, with an expanded approach to the melodic and textural qualities of the double bass. Svoboda’s fascination with timbre is explored with collaborator Jacques Emery through the interplay of the two basses and Robinson’s electronics, extending traditional understandings of how the double bass might typically operate in a chamber context. The result is a different sound-realm entirely – traversing between spaces of lightness and weight, bound by a sense of youthful curiosity.

The ensemble features Helen Svoboda (double bass, voice, composition) with close collaborators Jacques Emery (double bass), Finnish vocalist Selma Savolainen (voice), and Tilman Robinson (electronics, production).

Photo credit: Celeste de Clario

The 113 – When I Leave

Posted: 31 March 2026 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
Tags: contemporary life, critique, dating apps, EMI North, Launchpad+, Leeds, Noise Rock, Post-Punk, Review, Single, social interaction, Stream, The 113, The Internet, When I Leave

EMI North / Launchpad+ – 30th March 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

The 113 have done it again – only this time, more so. Like its predecessors, single ‘When I Leave’ is take from the forthcoming debut EP, The Hedonist, which is due to land on 17th April. And once again, it steps things up.

It follows the noisy path of debut, ‘Leach’, a vitriolic blast which powers in on a thick, thunderous overdriven bass, paired with an attack of heavy-hitting, cymbal-smashing percussion, slamming in with hard impact in the opening bars. Immediately, it’s the sound of a band that means business and arrives with a physical force. The vocals are straight in with a pumped-up spleen-venting tone of disaffection, and on this outing, the focus of their dissection and dissatisfaction with the conditions of contemporary living is lasered in on ‘the personal, exploring the gamified and repetitive nature of dating apps, where every interaction can seemingly begin to blur into the next’.

The accompanying notes expand on this, explaining how ‘the track captures that specific sense of cyclical monotony; scripted conversations, fleeting intimacy, and the almost inevitable feeling of disillusionment that can occur following the search for something real within systems designed with the purpose of endless scrolling: “Nice to meet you! Scratch the skin and we’re done, and hold the stench of a thousand pros playing for fun”.

Does anyone actually gain anything but grief and stress from dating apps? A few shit experiences, perhaps gathering a stalker or pest along the way, but really, how many find love – versus how many find nothing but the dregs of humanity?

It’s perhaps relevant to mention here that I met my (now late) wife online, in a music chatroom, at the turn of the millennium, before dating sites existed and before it was socially acceptable to meet people from online in real life. Her friends and parents were far from encouraging about her meeting me: back in 2000, the perception was that the Internet was full of weirdos, creeps, stalkers, and worse. Now… perhaps we’re more willing to take those gambles with the ever-expanding creep of isolation as a result of floating office hours, where people only see one another occasionally, the death of after-work drinks, and social media taking precedence over in-person interaction. How do you meet new people nowadays? Is this really what we’ve come to? It would seem the answer is yes….

And then, the guitar kicks in over that thick bass and pounding percussion, and it’s squalling and dissonant and then everything hits a laser focus to drive home a blistering chorus – their strongest yet – and POW! ‘When I Leave’ is two minutes and thirty-seven seconds of concentrated, distilled intensity.

Credit: Naomi Whitehead

Watch: ‘Aquatint’ and ‘Pad Tide’ by Glissandro 70

Posted: 30 March 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: Aquatint, Constellation Records, double A-side, electronic, Experimental, Glissandro 70, Pad Tide, Single, Stream, Video

The exploratory electronic duo of Craig Dunsmuir and Sandro Perri returns 20 years after its self-titled debut. G70 2: Bones Of Dundasa is out on 1st May 2026.

Hear the skittish industrial stutter of ‘Aquatint’ and fractured beats of ‘Pad Tide’ here:

20 years after its self-titled debut, Glissandro 70’s follow-up straddles the Album and Archive: a decade’s worth of recordings that were abandoned, lost in a hard drive mishap, recovered in the form of rough stereo mixes, reappraised with the balm of time, and restored/augmented/enhanced to forge a captivating new LP.

Glissandro 70 is the collaboration between Toronto musicians Craig Dunsmuir and Sandro Perri, first formed in 2003 as a mostly studio-based project of longform loop-based guitar and rhythm-driven experimentation. An eponymous (and up to this point singular) album appeared on Constellation in 2006, blending Dunsmuir’s afrobeat and Perri’s tropicalia influences through their shared reverence for Arthur Russell and dub techno.

While continuing to collaborate musically and foster a close friendship, Dunsmuir and Perri largely went on to helm their own projects thereafter. Perri transitioned from his ambient electronic sobriquet Polmo Polpo to a string of acclaimed singer-songwriter albums under his own name starting in 2007, with a side quest as ringmaster for the inscrutably leftfield electronic collaborations of Off World. Meanwhile Dunsmuir continued deploying lo-fi loops and broken beat iconoclasm as Guitarkestra and Kanada 70 (whose early tracks provided the original birthplace of Glissandro 70) and intermittent live concert Hi-life extravaganzas at the head of Toronto’s Dun-Dun Band (recently captured on wax for the first time by Ansible Editions).

G70 2: Bones of Dundasa arrives 20 years after the Glissandro 70 debut as an archival celebration, revisiting unfinished paths and re-assembling rediscovered recordings originally made between 2005 and 2015. The new album includes a cover of Arthur Russell’s ‘Lucky Cloud’ (augmented by Peter Zummo’s trombone newly recorded in 2025) and a previously unreleased Dan Bodan remix of the debut record’s ‘Bolan Muppets’, alongside 10 tracks of sample- and beat-based vignettes brimming with skittish guile.

Photo by Colin Medley

Watch: ‘Under Scarred Skin’ by Arroganz

Posted: 29 March 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Arroganz, Carcass, Death Doom Punks, Death Metal, Dying Fetus, Groove, Heavy, Official music video, Single, Six Feet Under, Stream, Testimony Records, Under Scarred Skin

ARROGANZ reveal the next advance single ‘Under Scarred Skin’ taken from the forthcoming new album Death Doom Punks in the shape of an eruptive music video. The seventh full-length of the German death doom punks has been slated for release on May 15, 2026.

ARROGANZ comment: “In terms of the music, this song is not just a tribute to such legends as Carcass, Dying Fetus, Six Feet Under, and even Slayer – it is also a further proof that funky basslines work exceedingly well in death metal”, frontman -K- explains on behalf of the trio. “You want to have groove, feeling, and brutality all in one song? Here you go! Regarding the lyrics, well, you’ll be happy to read that they will drown you in utter despair. Enjoy!”

Watch: ‘Nevver’ by lowsunday

Posted: 28 March 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: Post-Punk, Single, Video, Stream, showgaze, lowsunday, Projekt Records, Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP, Nevver

Pittsburgh’s LOWSUNDAY presents ‘Nevver’ single (via Projekt Records).

Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP, their first all-new material in 25 years, is out now.

Legacy postpunk-shoegaze outfit Lowsunday presents‘Nevver’, the final single from their new Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP, following the earlier-released ‘Love Language’ and ‘Soft Capture’. 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.

With early gothrock underpinnings, here Lowsunday capture a different energy than other tracks on this EP, with a slightly more down tempo and driving rhythm. Itt is uniquely sparse and delicate at times, relative to the band’s typically multi-layered approach regarding atmospherics and dense noise. The accompanying video, produced by Jer Herring, drifts between dark postpunk atmosphere and a homage to classic outsider cinema.

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).
”This is one of my favorite songs on the White EP. These lyrics are related to an increasing sense of apathy in the world – how it feels like even love isn’t enough sometimes and yet, the only fate worse is to let go of it. The feeling that happiness can be delicate and unhappiness can be so determined to take its place,” says Shane Sahene.

“This song touches on very early influences and the recording captured some of the most unique guitar tones we’ve ever used. What’s unusual is that, separately, Bobby had been working on a bass line and I had been playing this guitar part. It was serendipitous in how well they went together to form this song.”

‘Nevver’ is a case in point, showcasing the band’s legacy of creative experimentation and talent for weaving counter-culture cadences and weightless production with a sense of visceral vulnerability.

Bobby Spell shares, “’Nevver’ was enjoyable for the two of us to compose. I had been playing with this menacing bass line that happened to be a perfect match for a guitar part Shane had been working on. It gave us an opportunity to explore darker tones and indicated the need for a more sparce production. The almost plodding tempo made this song more challenging and fun, imbuing it with a combination of creepy darkness with a dash of humor.”

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