Posts Tagged ‘Single’

Sky Valley Mistress continue the countdown to the release of their second album Luna Mausoleum, that is due to land on Friday 23rd January 2026 (New Heavy Sounds).

Intended to be the soundtrack of their Hearsecraft ride to the moon, Pilot Kayley “Hell Kitten” Davies and Commander Max “Leather Messiah” Newsome launch you into the Sonic Stratosphere with an audio journey fuelled by 70’s hard rock, driven off the road to a fresh new destination.

Today sees the release of the official video for previous single ’Too Many Ghosts’, a song which, according to the band, “is meant for the open highway. Somewhere you have the freedom to put your foot down and still feel like you’re cruising”.

Watch the video now, which stars the band and the hearse they drive around in on tour known as ’Thundertaker’:

AA

In a brief glimpse behind the curtain, the band have also shared the details and dangers behind the making of ’Too Many Ghosts’.

"The story behind making the music video for Too Many Ghosts is that it took five separate weekends to shoot with us only managing to actually record any footage during the last day. The reasons for the failed recording days were:

– A car full of drugs dealers moving us on from location and ‘politely’ requesting that we don’t return

– The power generator for the lights being faulty followed by torrential rain

– Our videographer realising he had forgot his memory card after driving 90 mins to location followed by the hearse breaking down due to a broken fan belt

– Kayley’s astrosuit zip breaking after shooting one take

The hearse battery also died moments after we finished filming, which meant I (Max) was left alone in the middle of Slaidburn Moors at the dead of night in a hearse with no power or heating (it was fucking COLD) for a few hours whilst I waited for a recovery vehicle and Kayley to return from driving our videographer home in the other car.

This video started the band’s catch phrase of ‘the curse of the hearse’ that we use any time something goes wrong, which it does. A lot."

New album Luna Mausoleum takes you through desert rock grooves and mountainous riffs, you are guided by Kayley’s soulfully smoked voice and her range of soaring, delicate, yearning and understated melodies as the band ride peaks and valleys of dynamics and pace with an eclectic selection of instrumentation of fuzz guitars, organs, real orchestras and a children’s choir.

Twisting influences of Queens of the Stone Age with Portishead and turning from Spiritualised-sized gospel choruses to the gallow heavy swing of Black Sabbath, with sound as fast as light they move between their influential orbit to create a modern classic that is entirely their own. There isn’t space in this genre the band haven’t explored. This is a demonstration of their refusal to wait for permission to create a record that stands in scale with some of the most monumental albums in rock.

The band’s statement on their intent behind creating Luna Mausoleum was that it should be “greater and beyond all reason”.

r1CpyOCw

AA

Sky Valley Mistress live:

The band who has one member play every instrument so that they sound like a four piece in the studio, defy logic with aspiration with their iconic live show as a Duel-Drumming Duo. Vocalist Kayley “Hell Kitten” Davies takes the sticks and one half of a drum kit whilst original drummer Max “Leather Messiah” Newsome battles the electric guitar with the kick drum under his foot. No samples. No backing tracks. No click tracks. No one is playing rock and roll the ways these two do.

Sky Valley Mistress will be performing at a number of live in-store shows this month.

FRI 23 @actionrecords Preston

SAT 24 @jacrecordstore Liverpool

SUN 25 @five_rise_records Bingley

MON 26 @crashrecords Leeds

TUE 27 @reflexrecordshop Newcastle

THU 29 @justdroppedin Coventry

FRI 30 @sunbird_records Darwen*

SAT 31 @vinyltaprecords Huddersfield

*Venue show supporting @hotwaxbandd

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)

AA

IST

Photo by Thomas White

The Twilight Sad seem to be one of those bands that remain niche and somewhat divisive. But those who are into them are really into them, and with good reason. They’ve been long championed by Robert Smith and have access to a huge, huge audience following epic tours supporting The Cure, but they obstinately refuse to tone down their overt Scottishness, and they stubbornly refuse to bend to any kind of commercial leanings, or to cheer the fuck up. They’re also one of the most emotionally intense bands around: their live shows are quite simply something else.

‘Designed to Lose’ is the second single from their next album, and simultaneously harks back to the blistering welter of noise that was their second album No One Can Ever Know, while pushing forward on the trajectory of their last album, It Won/t Be Like This All The Time, which was both glorious and harrowing as fuck.

It Won/t Be Like This All The Time was released in 2019, so it’s been a long wait for new material. Oh, but this is worth it. The Twilight Sad aren’t a band to rush-release something sub-par, and ‘Designed to Lose’ is classic Sad on first listen, and just gives more with each play.

AA

610853967_18551797819034050_433013541538668716_n

French progressive rock collective HamaSaari today unveil a brand-new lyric video for ‘Lost in Nights,’ another evocative chapter taken from their forthcoming album Pictures, out January 23rd via Klonosphere.

Following the recent release of lead single ‘Frames’ (featuring guest vocals from Christelle Ratri), ‘Lost in Nights’ dives even deeper into the album’s introspective essence. The track unfolds slowly and deliberately, guided by HamaSaari’s signature balance of cinematic build-up, emotional restraint, and expansive release, a nocturnal journey through doubt, memory, and inner landscapes.

AA

AA

Rooted in modern progressive rock and drawing inspiration from the likes of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, and Karnivool, HamaSaari craft music that is rich in atmosphere, emotional depth, and cinematic movement. Born from the ashes of their former project Shuffle, the band embraced a more serene and melancholic identity, allowing their sound to unfold like a stormy ritual, dark clouds, falling rain, and slowly emerging light.

Their 2023 debut album Ineffable introduced this balance with striking clarity: delicate yet powerful compositions flowing through shifting shades of darkness and color, built on organic interplay between polyrhythmic bass and drums, reverb-soaked guitars, and a clear, expressive vocal presence.

Now, nearly three years later, Pictures picks up where that journey left off and expands it into a fully realized conceptual statement. The album explores images, paintings, and dimensions, what we choose to frame, conceal, or confront. Inspired by myths, ancient civilizations, dreams, reality, and fiction, Pictures reflects on belief systems, fears, desires, and the fundamental questions that shape the human experience.

Following the release of Pictures, HamaSaari will take the album to the stage with an extensive European tour throughout spring and summer 2026. The tour will see the band bringing their captivating, emotionally charged live show to clubs and festivals across France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, culminating in major festival appearances later in the year.

HamaSaari – Pictures EU Tour 2026 (selected dates):

• March 12 – Le Mans (FR) – Le Bar’ouf
• March 19 – Lyon (FR) – Rock ’n Eat
• March 21 – Stuttgart (DE) – Club Zentral
• March 22 – Munich (DE) – Substanz
• March 24 – Kronach (DE) – Kulturclub Kronach
• March 27 – Kleve (DE) – Radhaus
• April 10 – Perpignan (FR) – L’Anthropo
• April 11 – Zaragoza (ES) – Sala Creedence
• April 12 – Badalona (ES) – Estraperlo – Club del Ritme
• April 17 – Murcia (ES) – Sala Revólver
• April 18 – Málaga (ES) – ZZ Pub
• April 21 – Coslada (ES) – The RockLab
• April 22 – Ponferrada (ES) – Sala La Vaca
• April 24 – Tolosa (ES) – Bonberenea

Festival appearances:

• July 4 – Woodbunge Festival (DE)
• July 18 – Prog For Peart – Abingdon (UK)
• July 25 – Rhine Entertainment Festival – Xanten (DE)

AA

b58dce43-3359-3aeb-f406-d0cf7eeaba95

Infacted Recordings – 2nd January 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Where were you when…? That’s the question that is so often asked when it comes to moments in history. Whether it’s the assassination of John Lennon or JFK, or 9/11 (I was at work on the third floor of an office in Glasgow, and as the news broke, it didn’t seem real. At some point, people may ask ‘where were you when America invaded Venezuela, abducted their president and declared that they would be running the country and taking their oil?’

Me, I was starting preparation for a pasta bake ahead of a visit from my elderly mother whose mental capacity is in severe mental decline, and my stepfather, whose mental capacity has been questionable for the thirty years I’ve known him, stressing over how much grief I would get over being vegetarian, yet again, or similar.

I found myself faced with the dilemma – did I actually want to write about music in the face of this? Was it even appropriate? The answer was that I needed to immerse myself in music, to take myself out this hellish unreality by retreating to someplace safe. Someplace safe, for me, is my office, with some candles, a large vodka, and the challenge of articulating the impact of new music in words.

Back in 1992, The Wedding Present undertook the task of releasing a single a month, on 7”, and each one hit the UK top 40, and scored the band a record number of chart singles in a year – beating Elvis Presley. A couple of years back, I covered the progress of Argonaut as they released a single a month to assemble their next album. Again, it was a great example of how deadlines and confines can push creative output, although I was rather glad I didn’t have to get busses into town after school and rush round the various record shops to source a copy of said monthly singles.

And now UK industrial/electronic artist j:dead are on a trip of twelve singles in twelve months, perversely starting in December, making this the second in the series.

For a moment, I shall step aside and share from the accompanying bio for expanded context:

‘Where opening single “Pressure” confronted the crushing weight of expectation, “Disgusting” turns the lens inward, addressing the uncomfortable realization of having slipped into complacency. Through candid, visceral lyrics, the track embodies the feeling of awakening to one’s own laziness, comfort, and decline; expressed symbolically through the erosion of physical appearance. It’s a raw, self-critical reflection delivered with the intensity that defines j:dead’s work.’

‘Disgusting’ is a slice of high-energy electronica with a gothy / industrial edge which hits hard. Pumping beats, processed vocals and buoyant dance derivative synths dominate this single release which has alternative clubnight rager written all over it. And it’s the perfect escape.

AA

AA

J-DEAD_DISGUSTING_BANNER_1500x1500px

Christopher Nosnibor

The debut single from Nottingham band KEE. is a rare beast – it does something different. Sure, they’re an electro act who’ve been described as ‘Portishead on steroids’, but there’s a whole lot going on here. Yes, there’s a noirish aspect to the sound, and a haunting female vocal which has undeniable shades of Beth Gibbons about it. It’s also muted, low key, with something of a vintage analogue feel. But then there’s some twanging guitar soaked in reverb and it’s more desert rock than country, and suddenly, as if from nowhere, an urgent drum ‘n’ bass beat pumps in, jittery, frantic, like a fibrillating heart, an anxiety attack arising inexplicably in a moment of tranquillity.

The accompanying video – shot in part artful black and white, naturally, the rest blurry – captures and enhances the tense, dark atmosphere.

The groove builds as the track progresses, but so does the tension, and the abrupt finish seals it. It’s exciting, and promising, and I want more.

AA

AA

KEE. Promo shot

Cack Records – 31st December 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

When is a Christmas single not a Christmas single? When it’s released on New Year’s Eve, has nothing to do with Christmas, and it’s new work from Mr Vast. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from the king of cack in terms of releases: Touch & Go was seven years ago now.

It’s feast or famine when it comes to output from Henry Sargeant, the maniac behind the weirdness: Wevie Stonder had been mute and seemingly dormant since their compilation The Beast of Wevie (the title of which may or may not have been an influence on my own retrospective release, The Beast of Noisenibor, released in the autumn of this year. If you think environmentalism and social conscience is only about recycling papers, glass, and plastic, think again, and start recycling puns and jokes too) in 2017, only to drop a fresh dose of warpedness in the shape of Sure Beats Living in June.

Meanwhile, he’s spent the summer on the road around the UK bringing a ‘vast’ array of outfits and strangeness to venues around the country – and now, ahead of the release of a new Mr Vast album – Upping the Ante – due for release in March, he’s dropping ‘This and That’, a real banger for your New Year’s Eve party. And because it’s Mr Vast, he’s gone and picked the album’s longest track for the single.

It’s a whopping six minutes of strange – a hyped up slab of lo-fi electronica that’s big on repetition and bubbling bursts of synth. It has many of the features of 90s rave woven (or Wevien, if you will) into its fabric, and it straddles the space between a bona fide dance tune and a parody of one. But as Hugh Dennis’ embarrassing dad character used to say on The Mary Whitehouse Experience, it’s got a good beat…

AA

AA

a3950043454_10

Artisans of a sound that is at once massive and delicate, French prog-rock collective HamaSaari return this January with their long-awaited new album, Pictures, set to be released on January 23rd via Klonosphere.

Just recently, the band have unveiled a new video for the haunting track ‘Frames’, featuring guest vocals from Christelle Ratri, offering a first glimpse into the record’s thematic heart.

AA

Rooted in modern progressive rock and drawing inspiration from the likes of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, and Karnivool, HamaSaari craft music that is rich in atmosphere, emotional depth, and cinematic movement. Born from the ashes of their former project Shuffle, the band embraced a more serene and melancholic identity, allowing their sound to unfold like a stormy ritual, dark clouds, falling rain, and slowly emerging light.

Their 2023 debut album Ineffable introduced this balance with striking clarity: delicate yet powerful compositions flowing through shifting shades of darkness and color, built on organic interplay between polyrhythmic bass and drums, reverb-soaked guitars, and a clear, expressive vocal presence.

Now, nearly three years later, Pictures picks up where that journey left off and expands it into a fully realized conceptual statement. The album explores images, paintings, and dimensions, what we choose to frame, conceal, or confront. Inspired by myths, ancient civilizations, dreams, reality, and fiction, Pictures reflects on belief systems, fears, desires, and the fundamental questions that shape the human experience.

The newly released video for ‘Frames’ (feat. Christelle Ratri) embodies this vision beautifully, pairing HamaSaari’s cinematic progression with an added layer of emotional intimacy and vulnerability.

Following the release of Pictures, HamaSaari will take the album to the stage with an extensive European tour throughout spring and summer 2026. The tour will see the band bringing their captivating, emotionally charged live show to clubs and festivals across France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, culminating in major festival appearances later in the year.

HamaSaari – Pictures EU Tour 2026 (selected dates):

• March 12 – Le Mans (FR) – Le Bar’ouf
• March 19 – Lyon (FR) – Rock ’n Eat
• March 21 – Stuttgart (DE) – Club Zentral
• March 22 – Munich (DE) – Substanz
• March 24 – Kronach (DE) – Kulturclub Kronach
• March 27 – Kleve (DE) – Radhaus
• April 10 – Perpignan (FR) – L’Anthropo
• April 11 – Zaragoza (ES) – Sala Creedence
• April 12 – Badalona (ES) – Estraperlo – Club del Ritme
• April 17 – Murcia (ES) – Sala Revólver
• April 18 – Málaga (ES) – ZZ Pub
• April 21 – Coslada (ES) – The RockLab
• April 22 – Ponferrada (ES) – Sala La Vaca
• April 24 – Tolosa (ES) – Bonberenea

Festival appearances:

• July 4 – Woodbunge Festival (DE)
• July 18 – Prog For Peart – Abingdon (UK)
• July 25 – Rhine Entertainment Festival – Xanten (DE)

AA

b58dce43-3359-3aeb-f406-d0cf7eeaba95

SLAUGHTERDAY drop the lovingly animated lyric video ‘Dethroned’ that features Pär Olofsson’s horror cover art. This heavy, groove-ladden track with a subtle punk attitude has been taken from their forthcoming new album Dread Emperor. The sixth full-length of the East Frisian death metal veterans has been chalked up for release on February, Friday the 13th, 2026.

SLAUGHTERDAY comment on ‘Dethroned’: “This track is Slaughterday at our most unusual and adventurous – an explosive collision of groove, punk energy, and death metal brutality”, axeslinger Jens Finger states. “We explore new musical territory while sticking to our roots by combining heavy grooves and infectious hooks with relentless aggression.”

Bernd Reiners continues: “Lyrically, ‘Dethroned’ is a manifesto of rebellion and resistance, a clarion call against tyranny where no gods and no masters hold sway”, the growler emphasises. “This song is catchy and ferocious as well as uncompromising, and we see it as a powerful statement of defiance and raw energy.”

AA

c0b6936c-6d54-98ff-7898-2c8f9f590a3b

Legendary Italian experimental trio Zu recently announced their return with Ferrum Sidereum (produced by Marc Urselli), a big and bold double album arriving on House of Mythology on the 9th January.

The music combines the complexity of progressive rock, the grit of industrial music, the precision of metal, the spirit and energy of punk, and the freedom of jazz. The result is a sonic journey that is as cerebral as it is visceral, defying easy categorisation while remaining unmistakably Zu.

Today they share the new single and video for ‘Kether’ – about which the band comments,

“Kether is the crown, the halo, the nimbus, the corona. Since it has been symbolically attacked, we symbolically take it back.The golden crown became the sign of kings, but it is a much older and deeper symbol, and it is at anyone’s reach to reactivate the crown.”

AA

IMG_18602-9903cf03cf05143c

Photo credit: Marco Franzoni