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Holy Toledo Batman. Pawn Pawn are a band from Ohio, birthed in 2018 and on the No Focus Records 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 be enough, 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.

Halloween | Pawn Pawn

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Pawn Pawn (@pawnpawn.bsky.social) — Bluesky

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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 Dependent Records 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.

The Coloured Breeze is a New Dimension | Twice a Man

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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 Motel Transylvania have dropped the equally hot single “Burning Lust,” which is apparently the official track for the Burning Pants Festival 2025.

Slamming drums rock your world and from the start, Motel Transylvania are in your face with the theme. If you like Lord of the Lost, 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 Motel Transylvania definitely rock this hard. Beware of “Burning Lust,” as it might just consume you.

Burning Lust | Motel Transylvania

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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.”

Sauerstoff (Single) | HASSWUT

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The Funeral March was breathed into life in 1987, also known as The Funeral March of the Marionettes, a US band heavily influenced by the early 80s post-punk scene. Original member, Joe Whiteaker, 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 13 Studio. 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.” – Darius McCaskey

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.

It All Falls Apart | The Funeral March of the Marionettes

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Laurent Audouin (bass, keyboards, programming), Julien Brevet (guitar, keyboards, vocals, programming) and Vincent Lechevallier (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.

Music | Lowpkin

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Daniel Edgar, David Battrick and Geoff Tripoli make up the US electronic band Monody, and February 21st saw the release of the EP, Abandoned Wisdom, out on Distortion Productions 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 “Artificial Ignorance,” 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.

Geoff Pickney (Tenek/Cyclone Eye/The Nine) remixes “Drowning” and I have to admit he has really changed up the whole track where the electronics kind of have this Depeche Mode edge. You just know the “Stand” remix by Red Lokust is going to be kicking as the beats are doing overtime and the creepy growling vocals invade track. Crane 11 remixing “Artificial Ignorance” 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.

Abandoned Wisdom | Monody

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London’s test plan are back! The latest single is called “My Teeth,” 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), Michalis Fragkiadakis (guitar, backing vocals) and Rory Dickinson (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 “My Teeth” all about? I don’t plan on looking too hard into what test plan are ranting on about, but it’s bloody great!

My Teeth | test plan

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Warsaw is a hotbed for darkwave music, and Grief.Christ are hitting you with their 2025 demo, called Make me wish I couldn’t beg.

They have mastered the ability to create a pall of claustrophobia in the creeping “Sinner Messiah,” that oozes the intent of a want-to-be saviour that cannot leave the entrenchment of death. An air of insanity taints “Safekeeping” with clattering electronic rhythms and fuzzed out vocals that wind over the retro science fiction sounding synths. “Child of hate” is going to grind you up and spit you out with the whirring drone, and yet it is not the fault of the child. It is a modern litany of pain and hopelessness, culminating in the ultimate end.

Blood and bone are good plant food and the track “Blue blood makes the roses grow so red” suggests that the more upper class the blood, the better the quality. A duel of female and male vocals are the present reminder of a relationship gone very wrong. Final track is “Push me back,” and it echoes the sentiment of “Blue blood makes the roses grow so red,” reiterating the ideas of blood and roses, and for me, pays homage to the Bjork single “Army of Me.” in the turbulent rhythm and humming electronics.

This is a name your price on Bandcamp and that is pretty good for a five track EP. Most tracks average out at about three minutes, with each entrenched in heavily morose imagery combined with an industrial edge. This is Grief.Christ and Make me wish i couldn’t beg (demo 2025).

Make me wish i couldn’t beg | Grief, Christ

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Matt Webster is a composer and musician from the heart of Bradford, UK, where life isn’t always easy and stories in songs are forged in the fires of the daily struggle. His project is Signia Alpha and often incorporates like minded music types such as Paul Gray, bass player of The Damned, and they have released the new full length player, the fairy-tale Wonderland.

The cool, almost reggae beginning to title track “Wonderland,” is married to the seemingly disinterested vocals, which makes this track curiouser and curiouser. The dual vocal by Webster and Harris are taking us down the rabbit hole to a world, our world, where big brother is in control, and are offering a pill to fix your head, or a pill to fix your health. The guitar work is light, but the vocals illicit feelings of restlessness. There is a play of words in regards to Star Trek in the track “A Slave To Enterprise.” Harris gives us vocals that are suitably disenchanted, wavering between the spoken word and the sung chorus, along with the smoky guitar, as they throw up that everything benefits the wealthy. This leads to the Bond inspired instrumental, “For Your Ears Only,” which feels whimsical and an escape into a world of spies, fast cars, faster women, and martinis, shaken, not stirred. It is a mixture of organ like keyboard and duelling guitars that blend magnificently. Paul Tunnicliffe provides his honey rough vocals for the empathy filled “Anyway.” Grungy and stripped back, “Anyway” plays to its strengths and the harmonica makes you think of America in the 30s and 40s, when the homeless often rode the trains for free to eek out an existence.

Returning for the track “Starlight,” Tunnicliffe croons with that gravel worn voice, over psychedelic guitars, stretched sax, and fluttering flute. There is something delicate and magical about “Moonlight” and it hints of a Damned influence. There are delightful guitars reminiscent of the sound of the Damned, Damned, Damned album (though the band says The Black Album…. potato/tomato), sculking saxophone and an air of just letting go in order to enjoy life, and this is possibly my favourite track. “Killing Flies” is one of the first singles and has the dulcet tones of Webster serenading you. Between the story of why they are murdering those buzzing winged creeps in the middle of an English summer and being drawn in by the acoustic guitar, this is an amusing tale. Maybe sleeping in a squat is not such a good idea, but the track is a memory of misguided youth spent in Czechoslovakia.

At the beginning, I say this album is a fairy-tale, as Wonderland is where Alice disappears and in a round about way, finds herself. Most fairy-tales are often based in real life and they don’t really end happily ever after. This is what we experience. Life and it isn’t easy for the common folk with juggling money, time, mental health, aging and a litany of other parameters. Wonderland is the every day, where its joys and flaws are perfectly shared through a myriad musical styles, blended together, with the lynch pin being Matt Webster.

Wonderland | Signia Alpha

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