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Queensland band, Atticus Chimps, released their new single, “High At The Sight Of You” on February the 8th, The pop/punk/grunge duo from the Gold Coast Hinterland, are picking up air time on the alternative radio waves and also touring their high on life form of music.

A sonic hail of guitar noise hits your ears and it is a bit like a trip back to the 90s grunge era that spawned the wonderful Brisbane band Regurgitator. The cooed ooooo’s especially, that lapse into uplifting sound of the chorus’ gleeful announcement of being high at the sight of you. This song would have to go off live with the energy it brings.

Atticus Chimps have a huge verbosity about them for a two man band. For me, I really enjoyed this track with its massive sonic booming guitar and of course the thrashing drums that run this song at full throttle. The vocals are so utterly open and compliment “High At The Sight Of You“, giving you the taste of love’s first arrow in the modern era.

https://www.instagram.com/atticuschimps/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/AtticusChimps/

https://www.atticuschimps.com/

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Alexander Leonard Donat, I do believe, might be the crazed mad scientist of the German post-punk world. He always seems to have many experiments on the go and putting out a plethora of music. while he stirs the cauldron with his music label Blackjack Illuminist Records. His main music project is Vlimmer and the last album, Menschenleere, was out in November of 2022, and now he is back with the single “Platzwort” with the backing track “Out Of Sight“, and neither of these were on that album.

The translation of “Platzwort” is something like this place. The synths don’t ready you for the shifting drum rhythms that enhance the vocals, building in in waves as those same synths trickle in starlight. Donat’s vocals exude a certain longing within the musical magnificence. The b-side is actually a cover of “Out Of Sight” by the British 90s band, Spiritualized with the Donat twist of being translated into German. That isn’t the only difference. Spiritualized are well known for their love of the psychedelic guitars, while this new cover is kind of introspective and even is imbued with an electro dusty spaghetti western style, in the midday shadow of Ennio Morricone.

Vlimmer is a project that never fails to surprise and delight. Alexander has the knack of melding darkwave with that experimental edge, ever evolving his sound. It always makes me happy to hear his clean vocals as they hold a myriad of emotions. “Platzwort” is definitely not an empty place, but rather a sanctuary where you can lose yourself in the music.

https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/platzwort-b-w-out-of-sight

https://www.facebook.com/VlimmerMusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist/?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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A new year has brought us a shiny gift, in the form of the single, “Love You Like The Ocean” by the mercurial gothic trio, Ariel Maniki And The Black Halos. In further good news, there is a studio album slated for this year, so we are told by a little birdie. This track, by the band, was recorded at their home studio, in San Jose, Costa Rica, and will appear on the next album..

The synths are ephemeral and delicate as wisps of smoke, yet there is a heavy rumble below all, the bass set so low, creating almost, a pressure in your chest. The vocals are cocooned within this tumbling kaleidoscope of sounds, topped off by exquisite lyrics of a promise for unconditional adoration.

I have it on good authority that a bass VI was used, the instrument that Robert Smith, of The Cure, favoured for albums, such as Disintegration, and it is neither a bass, nor a guitar. This has imbued “Love You Like The Ocean” with that Cure like dreaminess, synths painting a vastness, a bass so low that holds the depth of that ocean… and a love of all loves.

https://arielmaniki.bandcamp.com/track/love-you-like-the-ocean

https://www.facebook.com/ArielManikiMusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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Ireland is a land of poets and musicians, and in this vein there is the duo of  Liam O Callaghan (vocals, guitars) and Edward Butt (guitars) in Arctic Lights. The 3rd of February sees the release of their new single “Holy Joe” and they are joined by Max Mac on drums and playing tambourine Nora O’Neill.

You are greeted with brash guitars, that lead into the thundering drums and synths that chime in. O’Callaghan’s purposeful whispers are perfect with the rock attitude and a pinch of psychedelia giving it a funky edge.

The guys have stated that they need to change things up or they get bored and they have certainly have done that. The very name “Holy Joe” had me thinking of The Cult’s “Resurrection Joe” but the track far more reminds me of the equally wonderful Love And Rockets. The track powers along, a perfect blend of alt rock creating an urge to live life to the fullest. So, like Marc Bolan said, get it on with Arctic Lights and “Holy Joe“.

https://arcticlights.bandcamp.com/track/holy-joe

https://www.facebook.com/ArcticLightsCork?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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New band time!!!! Electrinity are from Piraeus, in Greece and they have dropped their debut maxi single, “Rise“. This is an electro rock project by duo Zan Pol (vocals, bass) and Antonis Adelfidis (synthesizers, samples, drums) and the single was released on February the 1st.

As a maxi single there are two songs to delight you. The first is “Aggressive A.I.“, a mixture of rising keyboards and electric guitar, warning before the grave alert to something seriously wrong. The machines are no longer safe to be around as the synths illuminate our modern foe, while the vocals tell you of our worse nightmare. The second single is “Love“, though, in the words of PIL, this is not a love song. A cry in the electro wilderness to not be overlooked and the bass punctuate the lyrics. The synths exude a darkwave quality.

Electrinity look to be generating a theme that incorporates the vision of Terminator and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, with darker electro sound, the bass giving it that slightly more dirty, grungy sound. What will they do next? If you want to find out then support a new act in Electrinity and “Rise“.

https://electrinityband.bandcamp.com/album/rise

https://www.facebook.com/Electrinity-105535501995175/

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Colorado goth band, Plague Garden formed just over three years ago, with members Fernando Altonaga and Angelo Atencio, and in that time, rather impressively, have released an album a year. The latest was unleashed on Halloween of 2022, named Blue Captain on the label Bleeding Light Music.

The bass conjures thoughts of The Damned or The Cure, as the album starts off with “Tonight” and breaks into a cool barrage of post-punk jangling guitar. The vocals echoing in the beautiful shadows of nightfall with a drum machine punctuating the thick air. The serpentine winding of “Land Of The Free” is a commentary that not everyone is so free in a land where money and privilege can buy you everything. The single “Blue Captain” has the tendrils of The Cure’s Pornography curling all over it from the curt beats to the wandering guitar that graces your ears, and it almost seems you can hear the waves of all hope lost, washing up onto shore. So we descend into the depths, with tones of early 80s Sisters Of Mercy in the intro, to be “Bathed In Fire“, a holy baptism by flame. The rhythm pickups in the mood ridden “We Will Be Forgotten” with it’s fusion of gothic roc\k with electronics, which is perfect to set up the last track “Cry” in its sorrowful lament, though you cannot truly be so sad when you hear that twisting guitar.

You can’t deny hearing the musical influences for these two gentlemen but at the same time they are not trying to be those bands, rather paying homage and building their own music from what they love. Plague Garden have gone for creating beauty from simple good writing and that always gives the music more heart. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue…. this is Blue Captain.

https://plaguegarden.bandcamp.com/album/blue-captain-2

http://www.facebook.com/Plague-Garden-361762094541437/

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Name your poison! For VAZUM, it is deadly “Night Shade“, which happens to be their next single as released on the spooktacular day of Friday the 13th of January, by the deathgaze duo of Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm.

The driving guitar is the trademark of VAZUM and “Night Shade” is laced with it. A warning that not all fawning friends and influencers, are actually going to be there for you when the chips are laid down. But they will lie to your face and make you adore them, which fits in perfectly with the contemptuous music. There is also a second track included that also follows the theme of untruths, called “Living Great” that has this wonderful shoegaze brilliance that never pauses.

Having two very different sounding tracks, even if they are on the short comings of humans, makes this release quite delightful bit of gothic rock to get your heart beating. VAZUM again have given us something killer in “Night Shade“, a killer of a track which is name your price on Bandcamp.

https://vazum.bandcamp.com/album/night-shade

https://www.facebook.com/VAZUMROCKS/

https://www.instagram.com/vazum_

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The Yets are the dream pop duo, Robin Wilson (vocals, keyboards, lyrics), and Craig Anderson Snook (guitar, everything else), who are based in South Carolina Their self-titled debut EP has given us the new single, “A Letter To A Boy“.

In a different era, before social media and text messages, one often wrote long letters of love. The wistful and dreamy guitar jangle echo’s back in time, while the vocals sweetly give you an insight into her heart and how much this boy means to her as a mother. The keyboards are an understated accomplice to the beautiful guitar flourishes, as Wilson reminds the lad that no matter what, he is forever her beloved.

The guitar work and the ethereal nature really does give this track that Cocteau Twins delightful ambience, though there is something I cannot quite put my finger on, that definitely makes it sound not quintessentially British, which is great. I love the guitar and the vocals, more so that The Yets have their own niche sound that sets them apart

The Yets | The Yets (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/theyets?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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The night(mare) before Christmas, came in the form of the track, “The Snow Queen Is Coming” by New Zero God. This is the first release from the four piece post-punk band since 2019 and their lead singer, Mike Pougounas, is a stalwart in the Greek gothic/darkwave scene since the 80s.

The best description would be a sinfully sumptuous amount of jangly guitar with the vocals delightfully crystal clear. A precautionary tale to not let the Snow Queen steal you away, for otherwise, you will never see another day.

I remember Mike from the MySpace days, when we would talk of music and he sent several pictures of Athens covered in snow, which is something a lot of people don’t realise, that it actually gets that cold in Greece. The snow looks pure and beautiful, but in essence, she will slowly freeze you until your heart stops. This is the Hans Christian Andersen queen of snow, as the song says, though the title made me think of the witch queen from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. For those currently in the grip of winter, will know her icy touch but can enjoy a warm dance to this fabulous piece.

The Snow Queen Is Coming | New Zero God (bandcamp.com)

New Zero God | Facebook

HOME (newzerogod.com)

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There is a lot of excitement in the electro-industrial world currently with the fact that Germans, Beborn Beton just released their new single, “Dancer In The Dark“, however the big news is that the single is linked to a brand spanking new album, titled Darkness Falls Again which is slated to drop on the 17th of March, with Dependent Records.

Wonderful, danceable beat, sprinkled light synths that harmonise with the vocals. Speaking of vocals, the last time we heard Netschio singing was on a track with Kill Shelter and it so nice to hear his dulcet tones. The electronics court with the guitar, spinning and melding into a track of perfection.

Oh, Beborn Beton…. how I have missed your eloquently smooth synthpop. There is a real human warmth in their music considering they use electronics and I can guarantee that “Dancer In The Dark” is going draw you in and satisfy your craving for beautifully crafted music.

Darkness Falls Again | Beborn Beton (bandcamp.com)

Beborn Beton | Facebook