Have you ever sat, watching the sky in the dark, taking in the celestial bodies, through the substratosphere? Los Angeles darkwave band, The Sea At Midnight, have released the single, “Atmosphere“.
The vocals are tantalising, peaking your interest with the delicate bass, reined in drums and tinkling guitar. There are swells where the music lets loose, floating in the confines of a vehicle, no longer under control, but rather left to the whim of chance.
The production and mixing is by Chris King, the mastering was done by Patrick Hills at Earthtone Recording Company, while lilting saxophone was provided by Tony Bevilacqua. When you hear such tracks, you can’t help but be taken back to the original spaceman, Bowie’s “Major Tom“. A tale of leaving the Earth and floating in the unknown and boundless expanse of the heavens. “Atmosphere” is a tasty post-punk treat from The Sea AtMidnight.
The lads from the Gold Coast hinterland are back with a new single. Which lads do we speak about? Why the Aussie duo, AtticusChimps, and the track “EyesSpeak“.
Grungy, and almost Black Sabbath inspired riffs, the rock and roll is laid down nice and tasty. Have you had fun with me?, is the chorus that plays through your head, in a not so playful jibe at the powers that be.
“EyesSpeak” is this really nice thumping, meaty chunk of heavier boogie rock’n’roll, nice and tasty, proving that AtticusChimps have the ability and talent, when it comes to changing up their sound.
German industrial project NeonInsect has released another single as of May, with the title “Implant“. NilsSinatsch is NeonInsect, whose forte is delving into a cyber-punk future of apocalyptic proportions.
The flesh screams in defiance as the cybernetic additions consume the body, taking away pain and everything else that makes a human feel. Nils‘ gruff vocals are the programmes and nano bots seeking to assume control, as they pulsate through their victim,
It starts with a few changes of enhancement, until the machines decides mankind is frail and prone to breaking. The road to human race’s doom seems to be paved in the industrial dance rhythms of NeonInsect and his “Implant“.
Back in 2020, we covered the release of the album PrepareForANightmare by Norwegian post-punk band Mayflower Madame, They have now re-released their second full length album as a deluxe version, on OnlyLoversRecords, with five new tracks included. In celebration, Mayflower Madame have dropped the single “Dresden“.
Photo by Tim Harris
The wandering guitars echo and plunge, for going out on this night might change your life forever, whether that is for your betterment or walking into disaster. The vocals are lethargic and almost unenthusiastic, like the singer knows the future, like a fortune teller, and there is a portent of gloom, especially if you take into account, Dresden burnt to the ground in WW2..
The accompanying video for “Dresden“, is a collection of noir, mostly silent films, cut together in a lovely montage of breathtakingly porcelain females. The signature psychedelic guitars are present and the synths have created an eerie background, held together with the drums and bass. Post-punk from Norway is alive and kicking with Mayflower Madame at the fore.
Some music projects go on hiatus, but they never truly go away. After twenty years, DCAstro and Martha A. Hoffmann, have breathed new life into their electronic/darkwave band DeepRed, and what better way to celebrate this than with the release of a new single, “BattleLines” which features Element104.
The low tones are heavy and bass driven, giving the track a voluminous depth, and a long with the rhythm hurtle this track forward. Hoffmann’s vocals range from whispered to clear and true, just as the synths chime out and spin about a relationship gone sour, and the fight to be able to walk away from other person.
In 2002, the album Chimera was released, which has the original version of “BattleLines” on it. I can hear why they wanted to, in a way, resurrect this track and give it another run, modernising it. A note of interest is that the mastering was done by DorukÖztürkcan of ShePastAway fame. The over all feel of “BattleLines” is a big break through track bound for the dance floor, which will ensure we will be hearing more from DeepRed.
From sun drenched Florida, VioletSilhouette are back with a new single, titled “Strange Wind“. This single is off the soon to be released EP Feverblue, which is the follow-up to the 2021 EP, SEMI-PERMANENTDEREALIZATION.
The metronome drum beats are twinned with the extruded electronics reverberating, which are joined by a classic post-punk heavy bass. The clean guitar breaks through, which heralds a burst of joyous, danceable sound. The vocals complete the booming shivers down the spine, as the music runs circles around your pleasure centres.
Longing and need are palpable in this track, along with the cascading layers of instrumentation. VioletSilhouette has mixed post-punk with both industrial dance and dark pop to give us the sublime “Strange Wind“.
Today’s quickie is from Swedish electronic band, FatalCasualties. They are Stefan Ljungdahland Ivan Hirvonen, and we are bringing to your attention a cover of The Cure track “One Hundred Years” with guest vocalist Alex Spalck of Pankow.
This track has always been a favourite of those who love the 1982 album Pornography, and the dark electronics follow this paradigm. Spalck’s wonderfully crazed and mournful vocals capture the essence of the track, while FatalCasualties manages emphasis the heavy feeling of longing through their manipulation of synths and programmes. The music video is a must watch affair, and this twist on the gothic tune is so well done.
NØIR is the electronic project for Athan Maroulis (vocals) and ErikGustafson (synths/guitar/producer). joined for live events by keyboard players JamieParganos and KaiIrinaHahn. The new single/EP “Fallen” was something NØIR had been working on just as Covid was kicking in and then was put on hold after the unfortunate passing of MetropolisRecords creator, DaveHeckman, but now it has now seen the watery light of evening, in May.
There is a euro cool chic glamour that coats the slick synths and Maroulis‘ vocals are, as always, wonderfully smooth, entrancing your senses into the dance that NØIR is bewitching you with. The ParadoxObscur remix is far more filled with thumping rhythms that has a disco like attitude, that is aimed straight for your pleasure zones. The darkwave retro fingers of SilverWalks caresses “Fallen“, giving it the feel as if the track could have come from the early 80s during the time of MidgeUre’sUltravox, while the Femme Mix features the sensual vocals of KaiIrinaHahn, as she goes from backing singer to replacing Maroulis.
You also get the brand spanking new track “DeathIsEasy“, which is going to haunt you in your sleep and you are going to believe that death really is easy in a sexy, stalking and lurid way. If you are as old enough, like some of us, the PsychedelicFurs song “LoveMyWay“, was an iconic dark love of many in the 80s, where we could all feel the words pull at our heart strings. NØIR have taken the track, playing it as an acoustic and the vocals actually remind me very much of Bowie’s.
The synths literally sing themselves, sparkling in “Fallen” and the vocals…. well, Maroulis proves his vocals are scintillating and beautiful as ever. The remixes have been wonderfully handled, and the extra tracks definitely show the depth of the musicianship of the members of NØIR.
Take one very enthusiastic New Zealand punk, living in the Blue Mountains of Australia, give him electronics to play with, and you get SchkeuditzerKreuz. KierenHills is back with a new single. “Joy“, before the release of his new album, No Life Left, on the 25th of August, and for the lucky people in Europe, he is going to be touring there between September and October.
The electronics are under stress and screaming, while voices can be heard from within. The laboured rhythm kicks in, as does the ear ripping vocals from Hills, exploding over and over again, slamming in the perfect exultation of destruction.
The anguish of crust punk, mixed with the harsh machine of industrial noise, somewhat describes SchkeuditzerKreuz, and yet there is elements of gut wrenching internal pain balanced by frenzied highs, incorporated into the music. Destruction often heralds in a time of recreation, and perhaps this is the “Joy” for SchkeuditzerKreuz. It is a banger of a track.
It is cold and light doesn’t last long during the day currently in Brisbane, Australia. Creatures of the night, Killtoys have crept out, and the 31st of May tolls in the release of the new single, “Blind God“. The trio of Mick Bristow, StavTsolakides and BevanBancroft have been steadily building their own sound since 2020.
There is an amazing echoing quality and the guitar beautifully rings out, reminding me of the early 90s gothic second wave of bands. Bristow’s singing absolutely gives you the chills and in the pit of your stomach you can hear the nightmare. Yes, the terror is in the form of a night hag infecting your dreams and on another level, it is also dealing with one’s inner torment from the past..
“We’re thrilled to be releasing ‘Blind God’ to our fans around the world,” said the band in a statement. “This song is deeply personal to us, and we hope that it resonates with listeners who have experienced the same feelings of fear and helplessness that inspired it.”
The anguish is palpable and a music surges with the call and response making the track hugely anthemic, and definitely something that would go off live. Killtoys are fusing gothic rock with garage grunge, and the track “BlindGod” may just eat you alive……
Onyx Music Reviews 