A song that’s all about making fresh starts, taking risks, and writing new chapters; this timely release opens the new year with a tantalising glimpse into the Manchester band’s next studio album, Protagonists, which arrives on 31 March (via Kind Violence Records).
Pulling a handbrake turn on the serene electronica of previous single ‘Mary In The Black And White Room’, Ist Ist’s follow-up act kicks things up another gear altogether. Driven by piston-like percussives and veering guitar lines that accelerate headlong into oblivion, ‘Something Has To Give’ is a shot of pure adrenaline that rushes and dissipates all too soon.
Offering a cryptic synopsis of the new single, frontman Adam Houghton says:
“’Something Has To Give’ is all about new beginnings. It’s a sort of stick or twist situation. Do you settle or go for it?”
Norwegian Rock outfit LEPROUS have just launched a brand new “Live in Studio” video-clip for their song “On Hold”, taken from their current album “Aphelion”, in order to promote their upcoming European tour starting February 1st as well as the special ‘Tour Edition’ of “Aphelion”, to be released on February 3rd, 2023 via InsideOutMusic.
The audio for “On Hold (Live in Studio)” was recorded and mixed by Thomas Wang at Urban Sound Studios and the video clip was directed by Troll Toftenes.
LEPROUS commented as follows: “For the first time we chose to release a live recording/video from the studio. We decided to do this in order to capture and show a LEPROUS song in more detail and so allow the fans to get even more into our vibe. This footage was collected as a part of our latest rehearsals before our ambitious European tour taking place February 1st until March 18th. We are looking forward to seeing you all soon…”
The “Aphelion (Tour Edition)” release will be available both as limited 2CD Digipak and as Digital album (2CD) featuring the original “Aphelion” album, its two initial bonus-tracks as well as a separate, brand-new live bonus disc of 6 tracks/40 min. recorded this year during the first leg of the “Aphelion” touring campaign at Motocultor Festival in France and in Berlin, Germany. The new live tracks were recorded and mixed by Chris Edrich as well as mastered by Pierrick Noel at Atelier Mastering.
There is more than one way to listen to BEBORN BETON’s ninth album "Darkness Falls Again": it is possible to just dance and enjoy contemporary synth pop hymns that have a solid musical based in the golden 80s with a dash of cool 90s influences. Catchy tunes and mature songwriting combine to form a sonic joyride.
Yet there is another side to BEBORN BETON, which is mostly expressed in their lyrics. On "Darkness Falls Again", the Germans wade right into the political battles and culture wars of our times. BEBORN BETON speak out against the attempts to deny and deprive women of their rights. They take a strong stand against those who try to restrict love, the freedom to choose gender, and sexuality. The trio clearly call out racists, demagogues, preachers of hate and violence, and those who destroy our planet in order to enrich themselves. In short, BEBORN BETON put their finger right on the pulse of our time.
BEBORN BETON were founded by vocalist Stefan Netschio, keyboard player and drummer Stefan Tillmann, and keyboard player Michael Wagner in 1989. The trio set out with the declared aim to keep synth pop relevant and give it meaning. Their first signs of life were three self-released works, ‘Pyre’ (1989), ‘Scythe’ (1991, and ‘Die Stahlbetontour’ (1992) that came out on tape.
Following their first two regular albums "Tybalt" (1993) and "Concrete Ground" (1994), BEBORN BETON found a label-home where they joined renowned acts such as WOLFSHEIM and DE/VISION. Having conquered home, the three electro-musicians rapidly expanded abroad and the 1996 full-length "Nightfall", followed by "Truth" in 1997, and "Fake" (1999) gained the Germans strong acclaim by critics and fans around the globe.
By the time, "Rückkehr zum Eisplaneten" (‘Return to the Ice-Planet’) was released in 2000, BEBORN BETON had firmly positioned themselves as a headlining act within their scene and toured in all the strongholds of electronic music such as Canada and the US, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, and even Russia among other places. In the North of America, the Germans had scored a veritable club hit with the track ‘Another World’ in 1997. Across the Atlantic, the track’s ever-growing popularity finally led to the exclusive US release of a best-of double-album entitled "Tales from Another World" in 2002, which was followed by extensive touring in North America with APOPTYGMA BERZERK in the same year.
Yet the heavy touring and the creatively highly demanding output of so many excellent albums in quick succession started to take its toll. After the release of "Tales from Another World" (2002) and the associated touring, BEBORN BETON went on an extended hiatus. It took 13 long years, until BEBORN BETON returned to the delight and surprise of their still huge following with a new album on Dependent Recordings. "A Worthy Compensation" (2015) was showered with accolades from the relevant magazines such as an "album tip of the month" in German Sonic Seducer and Orkus Magazine called the record an "undisputed masterpiece".
Having learned from previous experiences and not to fall back into a relentless production cycle, BEBORN BETON took their time to write another masterpiece. "Darkness Falls Again" has all the ingredients that make synth pop great. Catchy songs that make the legs twitch, a dash of melancholy, a pinch of irony, and a knife-tip of anger. Music with a meaning, welcome back BEBORN BETON!
Taken from their album ‘Apocalypse For Beginners’, Rabbit Junk have released ‘Nostromo’ as a taster of their bold technoindustrial/electropop/metal crossover sound.
Rabbit Junk draws subtle parallels between the challenges facing our species as a whole and the challenges facing our own personal lives. These challenges are characterized as foreseeable and yet tragically unavoidable. As such, the album communicates the fatalism and frustration of modernity alongside the lack of control we often feel over our own lives.
The album’s lead track “Stone Cold" (Feat. Amelia Arsenic) exemplifies Rabbit Junk’s willingness to take risks and defy genre norms. “Stone Cold” is a gender-fluid and genre-mashing anthem with an infectious sing-a-long chorus. The song featuries lyrics in both German and English delivered by masculine and feminine vocal textures floating over a mélange of punk, drum & bass, metal, and hip hop.
Other standout tracks include “Nostromo”, a sci-fi influenced art-metal meets synthwave track which is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and “Love Is Hell”, a decidedly danceable and gritty homage to everyone’s broken hearts.
The union of composers Lawrence English and loscil aka Scott Morgan is seamless, sublime, and long overdue.
Born of a conversation centered on the notion of “rich sources” as a forge for electronic music, Colours Of Air is a collection of recordings of a century old pipe organ housed at the historic Old Museum in Brisbane, Australia, which were then processed, transformed, and elevated into eight majestic electro-acoustic threshold devotionals. The timbre of the instrument and spatial fluctuations of room tone infuse the music with a subdued, sacred feel, like vaulted light in a nave of stained glass.
They describe the album as “an iterative project, a reduction and eventual expansion,” sifting the swells and drones of the organ for every shivering shade of radiance. The tracks are named for the hue each piece suggests – from the gauzy levitational miasma of ‘Yellow’ to the pulsing melancholic mirage of ‘Violet’ to the seething twilit sandstorm of ‘Magenta.’
Synthpop artist, Meersein recently unveiled their third single, ‘Speechless’. In this acoustic version, which presents the artist’s first single in a stunning new guise, Meersein sums up the fear of failing someone who seems too good to be true.
We all live in a society that puts us under immense pressure; perfection instead of individuality. The fear of failing every day and not conforming to the norm hinders us even in something as natural and inscrutable as love.
With a minimalistic arrangement and soulful piano contrasting with Meersein’s classic synth-based electro aesthetic, the lyrics take center stage. The equally minimal lyric video helps invite you deeper into the heart of the singer. Both melancholic and affirmative, “Speechless” reminds you that you are not alone with your doubts. We are hundreds. We are thousands.
Do you know the feeling of being completely overcome by a sudden rush of emotion? You see that one person who makes your heart beat faster, and you are stopped in your tracks. All you can do is surrender to the awe of the moment. This is ‘Speechless’.
Otra is a duo of two sisters. Recorded at their home in foggy Pacifica, CA, their debut album I’m Not That Way (out digitally on Feb 10, 2023 via Thirty Something Records) documents their journey as they learn to see themselves more clearly and exist outside of expectations. As the band ruminates on their purpose and sense of self, the tracks search for their own sonic identities – weaving and wandering erratically through a fogfest of hypnagogic synths, chaotic clarinets, haunting vocal stacks, crunchy guitars, and polyrhythmic earth.
Of the first single ‘Repercussion Concussion,’ the band says: “It’s a love song we wrote in September 2019 inspired by Beirut and Sigur Ros! It’s about the weird little moments that make up a relationship, and the resounding joy of learning to move through challenges together.”
Singer Liset Alea (known for her long collaboration with Nouvelle Vague) fuses with French darkwave producer Distance H to create ‘Reason To Rush’; an impelling dream pop evocation, navigating the realms of reason and impulsiveness, luminous euphoria and its dark plunge.
Liset Alea sings her ‘Reason To Rush’ in a driving immersive atmosphere where menacing guitars weave beneath the surface.
Distance H gives birth to a musical universe that sources its array of sounds within and beyond the margins of post-punk, dark wave, cold wave, ethereal, and shoegaze, sometimes borrowing some more electronic-driven beats. For his debut EP, Intimacy, he invites an assortment of collaborative singers to express themselves by escaping into and from the vast distances of themselves and their experiences
His second single "Waters Of Woe" featuring Marita Volodina from Stridulum / Burial Fields / Blood Tears After was released on the 30th of September 2022 and was appreciated as a ‘spectacularly intoxicating track, with a captivating melody, dark and enticing’.
Venomous Concept, the hardcore punk band formed by Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth and Shane Embury of Napalm Death, return in 2023 with their 5th album ‘The Good Ship Lollipop’. Bonding over their love of punk heroes such as Black Flag, GBH and Poison Idea, the duo have been the core members of the band since 2004.
Now all these years later Venomous Concept are about to release their most unique album to date on 24th February. "When the pandemic hit we decided we needed to make an album that didn’t fit – we all loved so much other kind of punk and rock, so why not explore that which is in essence closer to our hearts?. To do the same album over and over again would be boring” Shane comments.
‘The Good Ship Lollipop’ sees Sharp and Embury joined by fellow Napalm Death member John Cooke alongside Carl Stokes, former drummer with UK death metal legends Cancer. ‘Having John Cooke of Napalm Death on guitar brought a new variety to the record, and Shane’s lifelong friend Carl Stokes formerly of the bands Cancer, Current 93 & The Groundhogs came in on drums to lay down some more solid rock grooves and old school power” Kevin adds.
New single ’Timeline’ showcases the quartet’s equally catchy and crunchy new direction paired with visuals as pulse-pounding as this new track. Watch the new video now:
Seven long years following the release of their critically acclaimed debut full-length album Heavy Over The Home, Perth-based death-metal outfit Sanzu finally unleash new material in the form of a visualizer video for a new track off the band’s album Our Behaviour When Drowning.
Titled ‘Throne Of Rope’ this new song was written and recorded by Sanzu, mixed and mastered by George Lever at G1 Productions, and the video for the song was created by Leovannmusic.
Watch the video here:
Comments the band: "It’s great to finally be able to release something to our fans. People have been continuously asking us for new material for 7 years and that’s not something we’ve taken lightly or ignored. We’ve constantly had a duality of situations that have helped and hindered. We had the fundamental agreement that we still wanted to make music together and wanted to pursue it under the stylistic SANZU "idea". But, also month after month, year after year, massive personal and interpersonal changes, complex situations, changing tastes, members going, members going then coming back, health issues and evolving standards and ideas for music and life. All these factors were rapidly turning over faster than we could hope to produce music."
"So it’s at this point that we are really pleased to release a couple tracks we’re proud of and to show some different shades and tones being experimented with. We know and understand there may be real disappointment that the promised full length isn’t a reality yet. But we hope that the people who saw that announcement and our lengthy explanation of the trails leading to that point can trust us in knowing that the trails have not stopped! And yet we’re one step closer and one toe out of the door. So, easy does it!"
"Throne of Rope is from a handful of songs we have written over the last few years that have concepts around having children. This one is maybe more abstract and less literal than our other material as it loosely brings together ideas about toxic parenting, ownership and projected expectations. As well as the frustration a lot people can have with an outdated education system that seems at odds with human and childlike nature. This song has some deceptive qualities, if you surrender to its tone in the given moment it tends to pull you around and down without much consideration for where you were before. Coincidentally the structure also sets a frame for the concept of childhood and education that the lyrics address. With its free and flowing beginning, being full of potential that then descends into turbulence and militancy."
Aural Aggravation 