Sweden’s Hatif are on the verge of releasing their next album, Small States, with Town And Towers Records. The electronic duo have dropped the last single for this album in March called “Direction.”
PHOTO BY DANIEL KWON
Pulsating and bouncing rhythms match perfectly the smoky synths, and that recognisable voice invites you into the hypnotic dance. The lyrics for the chorus ‘What we have to wish, what we have to do, what we have to look at when the sun sets on you,’ seem to speak of dreams and a past remembered, but also the end of those days .
I really love how Hatif always manage to mix the exotic strains of Middle Eastern music with modern electronic, that gives their tracks a really wonderful timeless feel, using invisible threads, tying us to other cultures. “Direction” is catchy while conveying a certain amount of introspection and observation, and is utter Hatif perfection.
Fans of The Birthday Massacre have been waiting with bated breath, for the release of a new album, and it seems they don’t have much longer to hold on. Pathways will be out on the label MetropolisRecords, however for now, you can immerse yourself in the new single “SleepTonight.”
There is a nice, harsh edge to the electronics to compliment the guitar. Chibi’s vocals are so much of what defines The Birthday Massacre’s sound, both sweet and strong… and occasionally creepy. For “Sleep Tonight” she is like an angelic dream, haunting, next to the weighty drum beats and raucous guitar, that hints at the promise of violence.
I remember first seeing The Birthday Massacre on a German music compilation video and proceeded to find the first album, and I thought it was amazing that these kids where putting out some great songs. Yeah, we won’t go into how old I feel now, but this band have never lost sight of their purpose in life and it has kept them accountable when creating music that is artistic and pleasing for themselves. “SleepTonight” proves that the wait was worth it, so bring on Pathways.
Holy Toledo Batman. PawnPawn are a band from Ohio, birthed in 2018 and on the NoFocusRecords label. It is no long Halloween, but this is the title of their three track EP, released at the end of January.
The title is Halloween and you cannot have it without a bit of “Trick or Treat.” The beat is like the hurried footsteps of someone being followed by the neighbourhood friendly stalker. The vocals are slightly echoing and the lines ‘All the souls you steal will never beenough, The only thing that turns you on is unrequited love’, sung so sweetly, so you know this person is a keeper.
“I Can Only Tell You With My Eyes” could be at any disco night, hanging out, surrounded by dance music, with your obsession that you can’t pick up the nerve to tell them how you feel. It is wishing they could see those hints in your eyes. and while this plan won’t probably work, the track is still a sexy ode to the unwary.
What would you do anything to hold onto someone? “Jealousy Looks Good On Me” has mean streak with spikey guitars and even more abrasive electronics. The green eyed monster minces its way, sinuous and unable to accept rejection.
Let’s face it, it is always going to be spooky season for most of us, year round Halloween is an extension of this joyous, never ending fest, with three tracks exploring the darker side of the human condition. Let’s face it, humans are pretty much the scariest monsters on this planet. Pawn Pawn have mixed their take on obsession, jealousy and unhealthy one sided relationship, with music that is equally as dark and very enjoyable. This is Halloween.
Dan Söderqvist, Karl Gasleben and Jocke Söderqvist have been together under different guises, making music since 1981, though they are best known as Twice a Man.. They are on DependentRecords and Twice a Man have dropped the single “Birds eye view,” off the soon to be released album The Coloured Breeze is a New Dimension.
There is almost a gentle calm in the beginning, though the echoing is unsettling. The vocals take strength and synths are soaring above the rhythms, pure and clean. An explosion of warmth as if the sun’s rays are gracing us through music.
“Overview can light sparks in the place where your roots are waiting. If you follow the time you can destroy the eradicating wheels of commerce. Don’t drown yourself in pretended sleep! There is a common knot that must be untied. Our thoughts are the light and nature sings our lullabies.” – Twice a Man
Between the video and the lyrics, Twice a Man seem to be tied to the natural world, using electronics to delve into their connection and love of the environment versus the industrial world. The crows in the video, make their way through different art styles and they look beautiful. “Birds eye View” is an ambient lullaby and Twice a Man have proven they are as relevant as ever.
When the weather warms up, the clothes get skimpier, and the eyes wander, which all leads to gothic SEX… or something like that. Those Italians are hot blooded and MotelTransylvania have dropped the equally hot single “BurningLust,” which is apparently the official track for the Burning Pants Festival 2025.
Slamming drums rock your world and from the start, MotelTransylvania are in your face with the theme. If you like LordoftheLost, then this is going to hit you right in the sweet spot. Big guitar riffs and an even bigger rousing chorus’, pounce and pin you down.
It is all about sticky, sweaty naughty bits, and the music see-saws between seduction and high power thrusting. Oh those young sexy driven darklings. I can appreciate the sentiment and MotelTransylvania definitely rock this hard. Beware of “Burning Lust,” as it might just consume you.
Label Negative Gain Productions, is dropping the new Hasswut album, Sauerstoff, on April 25th, but March sees the release of the title track as the first single and, indeed, first taste. “Sauerstoff” is German for oxygen, while Hasswut, who have been around since 2013, are from Alicante, Spain, with members Daniel NQ (vocals), JaviX (guitar) and Zufo (keyboard-synth/backing vocals).
Aggrotech vocals always sound extra gruff when sung in German and Hasswut pours it on heavy and thick, just like the unrelenting beats. The guitar is a chainsaw, throwing down the metal, which leaves the synths at odds, brightly highlighted and as light as oxygen.
In the vein of Rammstein or Hocico, Hasswut mix metal with industrial and a pinch of techno synth, getting both something you can dance to as well as bang your head. Do I know what the lyrics are about? Nope. Does It matter? Absolutely not. Inhale the “Sauerstoff.”
The Funeral March was breathed into life in 1987, also known as The Funeral Marchof the Marionettes, a US band heavily influenced by the early 80s post-punk scene. Original member, JoeWhiteaker, decided that the thirtieth anniversary might be time to revisit this project, and consequently added new band members Wayne Thiele (guitar) and longtime friend Darius McCaskey (bass). 2023 had the band recording the album It All Falls Apart, with musician/producer William Faith, at his 13Studio. It wasn’t until the end of recording Whiteaker was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which took him from his wife and children, as well as his music family in 2024. A video for the title track, “It All Falls Apart” has been released just before the album drops.
JOE WHITEAKER (1968-2024)
“I’d like people to know how proud Joe was of this record. We had a great time recording what would become It All Falls Apart with William Faith in 2023, before Joe was diagnosed with cancer, and he was able to hear the final mixes before he passed away. Joe didn’t have a specific theme in mind – each song was written independently, some even several years ago – but as tracks were selected and refined, this idea of things and people breaking down and falling apart emerged.” – DariusMcCaskey
The crying and echoing guitar curls your toes and it does not get much better than this. Whiteaker’s vocals are forlorn and calls out with the guitar, reaching for lost dreams and ideals, knowing everything is falling apart. His sighed ahs are the angelic acceptance.
This is a poignant tribute to a man and it fucking hits so hard. It already was a beautifully tragic song and with the passing of Whiteaker, just ramps up the overwhelming feeling of loss. It can be said that this is not like The Funeral March’s other work and you see them in a whole different light. There is a bigger point to all this that all monies raised from sales of It All Falls Apart can go towards his family. It is a good cause, and from someone who has heard the album, it is phenomenal and just highlights the dark wonder of a truly gothic heart.
Laurent Audouin (bass, keyboards, programming), JulienBrevet (guitar, keyboards, vocals, programming) and VincentLechevallier (drums, percussion) make-up Nantes based post-punk band LOWPKIN. Their new single, released at the end of February, is called “Vacancy.”
There are electronics keeping time with the drums, but the guitar stands out as it wails in the chorus. “Vacancy” has this really silken feel to it, as if it might have been a track from the past, especially with the guitar and vocals, yet it is the programming that makes it modern. Very danceable and, more so, I just found ‘Vacancy” truly enjoyable. The French are so good at cold new wave styled music and LOWPKIN follow in this tradition.
DanielEdgar, DavidBattrick and GeoffTripoli make up the US electronic band Monody, and February 21st saw the release of the EP, AbandonedWisdom, out on DistortionProductions label. The EP is seven tracks long and is comprised of four original songs and three remixes by guest artists.
With AI creeping further into our lives, there is a healthy fear that they will take over human contact, but not be working in a human’s best interest. This is the theme of the darkly smooth “ArtificialIgnorance,” which says the road was laid with good intentions that have been distorted. The clean vocals are easy on the ears, as are the synths. Second track “Drowning,” further drags you under the spell of Monody with the echoing singing and danceable rhythm, The “Drowning” is about choosing the best or easiest way for yourself, by feeding others to a system that doesn’t care about these individuals and groups. When this happens, we will all go down with the ship and message is probably more important than ever.
“Stand” has a lovely gravitas and has the feel of a self perpetuation rhythm device as the beats thrust the song forth. For me, this is about finding inner strength and the synths burn so brightly. The Hitchcock movie Gaslight is where the terminology began for making someone feel as if they are losing their mind, though it is all deflection and lies. There is a slightly oriental tone in the beginning of “Gaslight” and it is both intricate in sound and subject matter.
GeoffPickney (Tenek/CycloneEye/TheNine) remixes “Drowning” and I have to admit he has really changed up the whole track where the electronics kind of have this DepecheMode edge. You just know the “Stand” remix by RedLokust is going to be kicking as the beats are doing overtime and the creepy growling vocals invade track. Crane11 remixing “ArtificialIgnorance” tricks you at first into thinking this is going to be an extremely laid-back affair, though it is still stripped back and heavy on the electronics.
Abandoned Wisdom is a carefully crafted EP, with a lot of thought going into vocals, synths and textures. Monody to my ear, almost sound like they could be from Europe, in the ilk of bands such as De/Vision and Beborn Beton. Perfect future synthpop.
London’s testplan are back! The latest single is called “MyTeeth,” and I have to say, this is not the video to watch if you are having a current altered state of mind. I will just point the finger and say, it all the fault of Max Mason (drums, vocals), MichalisFragkiadakis (guitar, backing vocals) and RoryDickinson (bass, backing vocals).
Frenetic is the word that hits my tongue, as the bass is tortured into booming deeply, and the drums slash and cut through all. The vocals are diabolical, screaming at point blank range that you have no choice but to listen about teeth falling out.
As someone that knows teeth, I have to say that I saw a lot of nice dentition in the video, but also the horror come real in the form of large teeth. As a dental student, it is one of those fever dreams, being chased by rogue molars down the street. What is “MyTeeth” all about? I don’t plan on looking too hard into what testplan are ranting on about, but it’s bloody great!
Onyx Music Reviews 