Needlework caught our attention a few months ago when they supported Aural Aggravation faves Soma Crew.
They’ve just dropped the track ‘Saddle Rash’, and we dig. Check it here:
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Needlework caught our attention a few months ago when they supported Aural Aggravation faves Soma Crew.
They’ve just dropped the track ‘Saddle Rash’, and we dig. Check it here:
AA
Genre-defying UK-based music outfit Tian Qiyi presents their impressive new single ‘Dharma’ featuring the legendary Jah Wobble on bass. This is the final single to be released ahead of their sophomore album Songs For Workers, out June 27 via Pagoda Records.
Tian Qiyi is more than just a band, bringing together brothers John Tian Qi Wardle and Charlie Tian Yi Wardle with their father, Jah Wobble (John Wardle). Their unique sound reflects their rich family heritage, blending their father’s pioneering work in post-punk and dub with the Chinese cultural influences of their mother, Zilan Liao.
’Dharma’ flows with a captivating blend of Eastern psychedelic melodies and Charlie’s ethereal vocals, all underpinned by a hypnotic fusion rhythm and beautifully primordial percussion. As groovy as it is addictive, the trio serve up a truly grounding experience here.
This new offering follows their stunning lead track ‘Watch The Sunrise’ and Bandcamp exclusive ‘Mongolian Dub’, a fascinating ethno-psychedelic initiation into this 10-track musical journey. Like much of the goodness found on this album, Tian Qiyi’s music bridges generations and cultures, blending deep dub grooves with Eastern traditions.
“‘Dharma’ is a track that brings together our Irish, Chinese, and Mongolian roots. It features flowing, psychedelic melodies, with Charlie’s otherworldly vocals adding to the vibe. The rhythm section, anchored by a laid-back, hypnotic pulse from me on percussion and my dad on bass, creates a psychedelic dub fusion”, says John Tian Qi Wardle.
”And Songs For Workers is an album where we have moved away from influences and inspiration, instead embracing instinct and familiarity. Our background played a crucial role, from the traditional Chinese music we learned with our grandad and mum, to the improvisational, instinctive playing we developed from performing and recording with our dad.”
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With roots dating back to the early days of the industrial rock scene, the US band 16Volt also crossed over into related genres as soon as group founder Eric Powell signed his first record deal in 1991 while still in his teens.
Brand new single ‘White Noise’ is taken from a long-awaited album by the band entitled ‘More Of Less’. Scheduled for release on 25th July, it is their first full-length record since 2017, when Powell put 16Volt on a hiatus that lasted seven years.
“‘White Noise’ is a song about feeling unheard, when your voice gets drowned out and it seems like you can’t get a word in or no-one is listening to you,” he explains. “To others, you become just white noise, that static sound of nothingness.”
The single follows just two weeks after a first ever (and already sold out) vinyl pressing of Wisdom, the group’s 1993 debut album. Powell’s reactivation of 16Volt in 2024 had been marked with the release of Negative On Arrivals, which combined songs from the group’s previous two records in 2016 and 2017.
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Emerging once again from the shadows of Gothenburg’s heavy metal underground, LOMMI returns with a vengeance. The Swedish riff-worshipping power trio announces their long-overdue new album 667788, set to be released on August 1st via Majestic Mountain Records.
Following a decade-long hiatus, 667788 is a bold and thunderous statement that marks a fierce new chapter in LOMMI’s evolution. A decade in the making, the record sees the band lean harder than ever into their signature fusion of traditional heavy metal, groove-driven Swedish grit, and no-frills sonic power. The result is their most focused, aggressive, and riff-drenched release to date.
Just recently, LOMMI has unveiled their blistering new single ‘Down’, a heavy-hitting anthem that perfectly captures the band’s trademark intensity and razor-sharp songwriting.
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Criminal Records – 20th June 2025
Christopher Nosnibor
If I didn’t know this was the new single by The Kut, I would never have guessed in a million years. ‘Sevens’ certainly sound different – very different… Beloved by Kerrang, Download veteran, with a debut album that reached number seven in the UK Rock Charts, The Kut is rock music. ‘Sevens’ however, is distinctly pop. Yes, really. But when you pick it apart, just how different really?
From their very inception, Princess Maha’s songs demonstrated a pop nouse, a knack for a hook, a nagging guitar line, a keen melody. It’s easy to overlook these components when it comes to many of the acts which have provided inspiration and comparison, the likes of Hole, Nirvana, Placebo. But all the raw energy in the world won’t translate to commercial success if there’s nothing that sticks in the mind. And so it is that all of these things are very much present on ‘Sevens’. Where it depart from previous offerings is not only that it’s sunny ad sultry, but the beats are backed off and everything is clean, smooth, the guitars are there but off in the background while a remarkably groovy bass flexes and bounces about in a way that’s not quite funky but certainly noddable. Landing in the middle of a heatwave and ahead of some festival appearances, it feels incredibly fitting. But, more to the point, if switched around to be recorded differently, with the guitars up in the mix and the vocals less compressed-sounding it would still be a solid rock tune. Done this way, it’s a solid pop tune with a post-punk flavour.
At heart it’s still The Kut, but with a new spin.
“’Made Of Rain’ is a song of hope. It is about getting up and trying again despite the scars life can leave. This “almost acoustic version” is very dear to me. I love the organic elements present: the pedal steel, violin, and, of course, Whitney Tai’s beautiful, ethereal voice elevate this piece, making it something transcendental. Similarly, the video shoot was an almost spiritual experience. A celebration of friends and art. What more can you ask for?” asks Ashton Nyte of The Awakening, who will soon tour Europe in support of the band’s self-titled album.
“‘Made Of Rain’ is a warm amber glow in a velveteen speakeasy where tales of folk and longing send a message from the beyond. There’s a wisdom and a patience in Ashton’s voice. His lyrics swarmed in the magic of Beauty In Chaos’ production for the acoustic version hits different. Doing this duet with Ashton is a dream, as he is someone with the vocal tenacity of the wisest tree in the forest. Together, it felt like we planted wildflowers in a gentle field. What made this collab special for me apart from the music is the friendship that Michael, Ashton and I share. We are family and making art with feeling is at the forefront of our passions,” says Whitney Tai, who appears on many BIC tracks. Her latest single ‘Slumber Party’ is out now, previewing her third full-length album ‘American Wasteland’ (out in September).
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