In this modern era, have you ever experienced an “Emptiness“? This is the latest single from Amsterdam based group TheDarkWave, who mix gothic rock with a new wave sensibility, on the label Walboomers Music.
Guitar slides, verses that powerup, and launch you into the chorus and jangling guitar tussling for dominance against the vocal harmonisation. All the while there is that 80s post-punk bass guitar rumbling along as the song breaks into an infectious 90s Brit pop bounciness. Who could ask for anything more alive than this?!
It is rather interesting to see the artwork seems to depict the shape of a mobile phone, a powerful mini computer that can let you see and converse with people from around the world, and yet it also makes humans feel more alone that ever before. This is the concept behind “Emptiness” where one can touch multimedia to connect to things you love, while taking us further away from real interactions. “Emptiness” is full of energy, even if you are dancing by yourself.
The label Nerang Records can be found on the Gold Coast in Queensland, with the sub-label, Ronnie’s Records, all run by Christopher Mcivor, who recently debuted under the persona Moody Mcivor. This darkwave project began in 2021 for Mcivor and the end of August saw the release of his second single “Benaiah Fiu.“
The drum machine rattles out it’s constant rhythm, only broken by the wavering and light synths, twinkling just out of reach. Mcivor’s utterances are as controlled as the drum machine, with industrial precision, his vocals a cross between IanCurtis (Warsaw/JoyDivision) and FrankTovey (FadGadget).
One should ask not what is “BenaiahFiu,” but rather who? BenaiahFiu was a friend of Mcivor’s and the soon to be released EP, Shadow Frequencies, is not only an ode to the departed, but also equal parts tribute and expression of loss. And there is a profound sense a grief below the surface, for as mechanical as Mcivor can sound, it is like this is all that is keeping everything together, should the surface tension be broken. There is a none too subtle nod to the early 80s post-punk sound and in all honesty, he pulls it off so well. Fly high “BenaiahFiu.”
Incirrina are a two piece band from Athens, Greece and signed to the label ColdTransmissionMusic. The latest single is called “ΚΡΥΦΟ (Hidden)” by the darkwave duo George Katsanos (synthesizers, drum machines, octapad, bass guitar) and IriniTiniakou (synthesizers, vocals).
The synths ebb and flow with an incantation of gothic sorrow. “ΚΡΥΦΟ(Hidden)” is the embodiment of what should be and yet, still remains obfuscated and incomplete. The vocals of Tiniakou, sung in her native Greek, are so alive and are only matched by the insistent guitar. It builds, a vortex of singing and instruments.
This track just struck me as possibly influenced by 80s Xmal Deutschland, especially with those wonderful yips recalling Anja Huwe’s vocal style. However, this is a far more modern fare with a smooth electronic bearing. Incirrina have brought forth and wonderful darkwave track in “ΚΡΥΦΟ (Hidden).”
Chronotape are a relatively new project, that started in Murmansk in Russia in 2024, and since then have relocated to Batumi in neighbouring Georgia. The darkwave duo of Eve (vocals) and Dee (music) have released the new single “Pale Fire.”
There is a lush, black and white video to go with “Pale Fire” and you can hear the influence of TheCure, circa Disintegration era, with those rivulets of guitar and washing synths, from the beginning of the track by Dee. There is an initial shock when you first hear Eve, as you are expecting the lilting tones of a woodland sprite, yet instead there is a deep feminine spoken word, accentuated by her Russian accent, giving a lament of what is no more or now may never be.
Eve reminds me so much of Nico with her unhurried, mostly spoken lyrics, and you should also lend your ear to the cover of Mike Oldfield’s “Moonlight Shadow,” which is the ‘b-side’. It is really startling to listen to a gothed up version and the vocals actually make this even better, with the popping programmed rhythms. Not going to be for everyone, but if you have loved The Velvet Underground and Nico or Anne Clarke, then Chronotape is going to enthral you.
If you are old enough or spend a lot of time in second hand record stores, you will know about the 12″ remixes called maxi singles. I love the fact that those guys, ie TimVester and ColtenWilliams, from Oregon band, WarmGadget have named their latest single “Debutante” as a maxi and have a bunch of guests on remix duties, plus a guest vocalist/guitarist in PageHamilton from HELMET, all brought to you by Re:MissionEntertainment.
It is unmistakably WarmGadget, with the pernicious rhythms and physical heaviness, in their form of industrial metal. The guitars grind the very air molecules and vocals bounce between the screaming madman Vester and Hamilton’s smoother tones, which is the trade off of sour and sweet or sand paper and silk.
Lament Cityscape, Divider, Ex-Hyena, FrontalBoundary, and FactPattern are all label mates on Re:Mission Entertainment, and their remixes vary from heavy electronics, techno stylings and even glitch noise, but all highly diverse and engaging. “Debutante” is no shrinking flower, meaty and powerful, and picking Hamilton to feature is a stroke of genius. Go on…..touch the Warm Gadget.
One of the true joys about the dark alternative scene is the enormous amounts of creativity many artists have and how they use both music and video to express themselves. Maryland’s Marie Ann Hedonia is soon to drop her latest album Eclipse on the label Paul and Marie’s Country Kitchen, but from it has come forth the single “EveHad the Metallic Shine of Summer,” which features the talents of fellow electronic artists BlackKite.
Ah, within the opening seconds, the electronics are almost forbidding, and the use of harsh noise eludes so something almost brutal. The nearly spoke words could be mistaken for sexual utterances, but if you listen carefully, Hedonia sounds defeated and lyrics lean into this as the synths slowly lurch forward. There is a chorus of…. what….. angels?… that are the hope and light, compared the Hedonia’s singing, which is smooth, but bleak and dark.
The track is inspired by the classic movie Persona, starring Ingmar Bergman, and is about giving everything to another and for them to take it all, never reciprocating. The music video sees Hedonia pouring all she has emotionally into a mannequin, yet it stays cold and aloof, though at the end we see our heroine finally break free, under stormy skies. There is tragedy and loss of self, however there is power in discovering you are on a downward spiral. Marie Ann Hedonia has immersed herself in “Eve Had the MetallicShine of Summer” with Black Kite, and produced something beautifully sombre.
PrimitiveRomance rose from the ashes of Florida punk outfit TheStraitJackets in 1981, based around the brothers Allen and LesterEsser, with RandallBarnwell, who would move to Massachusetts to continue the path of post-punk music. In 1987 the band folded, but it seems was never truly forgotten about by fans. 2025 has seen the release of the compilation album, The Spirit’s Still There: 1981 – 1986, and this is also a tribute from Allen to his brother Lester, vocalist/guitarist, who passed away in 2024.
Within this album, there are no less that sixteen tracks, and the initial song is also the title track, “The Spirit’s Still Here,” full of that raw, under produced guitar that is part of the ‘sound’ of the post punk era. You can hear the Bauhaus influence, a hint of “Bella Lugosi’s Dead,” and it is a wonderful reminder of a simpler time. “Motions and Pictures” had me at the unique drumming signature at the beginning, and the kind of flare in the guitar that reminds me of The Jam. The English influence is easy to hear.
The energy rippling off “Bound To Happen” is really a joy to behold. The guitar is reminiscent of Hüsker Dü and with that attacking technique, like a finger poking you in the chest, as the track rolls along, never waiting for you to catch up as it on a mission. “Every House Still Standing,” might be a very early track, as it bridges the 70s punk with mod music and interestingly, Lester utters the words ‘the spirit’s still there,’ so I am wondering if this song was inspiration for the title track, or is it a term that kind held a lot of meaning.
This compilation for PrimitiveRomance, just highlights how much excellent music came out in the 1980s, and though there are fans of the group that would remember seeing them play live or hearing them on college radio, having this music re-released allows people like myself the opportunity to experience their songs, unless going deep diving on YouTube. On The Spirit’s Still There: 1981-1987 they are immortalised as passionate, angry young men, the music ringing in a time of sonic upheaval and Lester’s vocals forever serenading us, even from the other side….. and there it not anything more goth than that.
When the sun hits the shores of New Zealand on August 8th, there will be the release of Frau Knotz’ newest EP release, called Digital Plastic Surgery, but we are going to visit the Egypt with the track “Khepri.”
PHOTO by JOACO DIBBERN
The electronics suggest the sun drenched reeds and papyrus on the banks of the Nile, snaking its way past the Valley of the Kings, with that same sunlight reflecting off the golden cap of Cheops’ pyramid. There is a wonder in the unhurried synths, though below, it can be noted an urgency, wind swept and the mysteries of this ancient land waiting to be unearthed. Purely instrumental, “Khepri” is just a taste of LaurenNottingham’s talent, crafting electronic music into worlds, that we the listener can lose ourselves in.
Philip Faith (bass, vocals, keyboards, drum programming), Pat Gaudette (bass) and Michael Rien (keyboards, percussions) are the members behind Quebec project SEXSOMNIA, who will be releasing their newest EP, Forbidden, on the 25th of August. For now though, SEXSOMNIA have dropped a single and video from said EP, which is the Shadow Mix of “Forbidden.”
Marita Volodina is the guest vocalist, and she is bold and sensual. Wavering between singing and spoken word, the eroticism drips from each word and every breathy sighed ah. Nothing is hurried, the rhythms constant and the electronics contain the prohibited, while the bass draws us in. Faith’s voice is the gritty foil in the chorus against Volodina’s.
The video is an expression of what “Forbidden” is for many, full of latex and blindfolded, as all the senses become carnal, delving into the realms of fetish. The sexual taboos of pushing what is not considered normal as the lyrics say ‘Look! but don’t touch, Touch but don’t taste, Taste, but don’t swallow.‘ Theremix was done by Faith and I think “Forbidden” is going slow burn on the dancefloor in the most delightful way.
From Doncaster in the United Kingdom, the Rollings lads, James and Jools, of post-punk band PeakFlow, have a new single. “Don’t Die In Your Sleep” is a very personal track about losing a friend suddenly and dealing with the aftermath.
‘The anxiety is rising’ is the first line of lyrics, which brings a whole other spin to the swift rhythms and high energy synths, making them feel far more cloying and intense. There is a regret in the title line, for dying while you sleep leaves so many unanswered questions and an inability to say goodbye. The music never gives up, relentless in its pursuit of emotional exhaustion, powering on.
It is never easy to deal with the death of someone who is elderly or sickly, however, when you are told they just stopped being unexpectedly, you wonder what you could have said or done differently. As much as this track is about loss and dealing with the grief, the high energy of the track speaks of getting through this, and that maybe the lesson is never take anyone for granted. A darkwave dance number, full of flowing synth lines and cool vocals, and as Peak Flow have extolled, “Don’t Die In Your Sleep.”
Onyx Music Reviews 