HeatherShore and KeganHeiss are the cool kids from Pittsburgh. Their cool factor lays in the fact they are duo behind the avant-garde post-punk project Hemlock For Socrates, who have a new single out, titled “You’re Not Here.”
Shore’s vocals are the focal point, lilting and mesmerising within the pulsating electronics. The guitar adds an air of experimental surrealism, as the track divulges a relationship where one never seems to get close enough to truly understand or know the other, as if they are hiding who they really are.
With “You’re Not Here,” you can almost taste the traces of sadness and frustration, while the static electronics give the impression of a glitch in the human. HemlockForSocrates always seems to pull off the coupling of ethereal and bohemian, creating something beautifully evocative.
For us kids, of a certain age, 1984 was a time of huge musical hits, and the Summer filled with the sound of LauraBranigan’s “SelfControl.” Toronto’s JayDraper& the Subterraneans have revived the single, that was incidentally originally released in ’84 by Italy’s Raf, and now has been included in the soundtrack for the new horror movie MaxXxine. I guess this guarantees something a bit dark……
The original (Branigan) version was kind of a rock anthem with these big punctuations, followed by aahhhs, and this is something you should not expect from Draper. Draper has drawn on the electronic side of the force, while his singing is delicate and spidery, ramping up the creep factor during the verses. Do not mistake the delicate for weak as there is steel beneath, cold as the looped winds that sweep through “SelfControl,” and it feels like there is a grieving lament in the powerful chorus. There is also a bonus b-side “Ascending to the Moonlight City” and this perfectly fits the mood as an instrumental piece, darkly lit by synths, casting their gloom on grim streets.
Hearing this track with Draper’s vocals is a bit of a spin-out being so used to Branigan’s, as I am not sure if I have ever heard a male cover, so that is pretty cool. He has created an attention grabbing atmosphere , which one might even say wavers between euphoric and claustrophobic, and this seems to be enough to cause shivers down the spine in complete delight. Yeah I can still hear the aahhs, but this is such a great choice for a horror movie and I have to say that I listened to this one too many times….addiction is a terrible thing *happy le sigh*.
Norway’s MayflowerMadame is back with a new single called “PaintItAllinBlue.” This is the second single off the yet to be released new album, Insight, out on the NightCultRecords label.
Photo by Astrid Serck
Looking at the cover, there is a hand with a wedding ring and the lyrics most definitely allude to a relationship where someone has given everything to another and it hasn’t been a healthy partnership. Their signature dark and heavy bass is present with the flowing dreamgaze guitars. The vocals reverberate sublimely as we are drawn into the song.
It is interesting that hands seem to feature so prominently visually for MayflowerMadame and it makes me wonder if it is about the act of holding onto a person or an ideal and the pleasure or pain that this can cause. “Paint It All in Blue” is blissful post-punk, holding you in a sea of forlorn and of course this is a beautiful thing.
Tāmaki Makaurau lays in the Land of the Long White Cloud, aka Aotearoa, aka New Zealand and is also the home base for the three piece punk rock band BURDENZ, who have released their debut single “CULTZ.” Members JimmyColdham (vocals, guitar), AlexRossSmith (bass, backing vocals) and AlexGallagher (drums) are also involved in bands such as NUGGIEZ, CoffinClub, Jang, ShotguntheCouch and SoulStroke.
The guitars rumble, soar and dominate in “CULTZ,” winding and fluctuating along with the equally eviscerating vocals searing the air without compromise. They drop into a false lull before once again descending into the vortex of instrument versus man.
Loud and unashamedly balls to the wall punk rock, not over produced and BURDENZ really know how to play. “CULTZ” is a pretty cool debut single from the fertile music scene that is bubbling away in New Zealand.
Minneapolis based band, autumn, have been honing their post-punk music since their three member inception back in 1994. JuliePlante (vocals), NeilMcKay (guitars/programming) and JeffLeyda (bass) released their new single “catacombs,” in May, with WilliamFaith (BellwetherSyndicate) recording, mixing, mastering and producing at 13Studio. This track is off the new soon to be released album, songs about dying, out on SettRecords.
There is something warm and inviting in the tone of the guitars, rich and deep. JuliePlante is quite mesmerising as their lead singer and she sings you a song of love but in the end everything dies, and it all feels so fleeting. Sometimes memory is all we have and that we live on in the memories of others..
“This song really hits on many of the big themes still circulating in our lives right now, but it really came together during the COVID lockdown time. I knew my dad was nearing the end of his life, and I was finding myself really trying to make my peace with this fragile world and my own limited time in it. I was also really dealing with solitude in a way I hadn’t ever before: recognizing that we are each born alone and will ultimately die alone, and yet we are never alone… Much of the video footage was shot up north in the woods in the coldest part of winter, and that too felt right to me. The starkness of a northern winter landscape has always spoken volumes to me of the thin line between life and death.” – Plante
The music video is beautifully shot by Faith, between a snow laden forest and the group playing together. Bones might reside in “catacombs,” but those remains hold stories of lives with great loves and this track is genuinely a lovely gothic ode to life from autumn.
When creating music, is the artist doing it for themselves to induce joy or for the audience, who may not be so receptive or critical? The latest track from Melbourne’s Velatine delves into this quagmire, delightfully called “FCKYOUALL,” out on the SpookyRecords label.
This is not some punk song, as this is doom coming to get you with death tolling bells and Lockwood is joined on vocals by BarbDwyer. There is a more industrial tone to the electronics and indeed the chorus is a resounding ‘fuckyouall.’
The commentary of the lyrics is about the toll of being an artistic type in the alternative genre, where it can be a thankless slog to gain recognition, often leading to mental health issues, then relying on substances like alcohol and drugs to get that kick. This is a much darker and harsher sound for Velatine, if that is possible for a goth project, and it is accompanied by a music video, shot in black and white by MarkBakaitis , as the duo stalk through the night-time streets of Melbourne with no fucks given. And honestly, I think we all need to occasionally let off steam and say “FCKYOUALL.”
Few things are guaranteed… death and taxes seem to be universal, just ask the dynamic Melbourne duo of LouiseLove and LuisGutierrez, of the electronic indie pop band Roles as they bring you the single “Taxes.”
There is something very old school about the sound of the electronics, and maybe it is the way it reminds me very much of early NewOrder when they were more in their experimental phase, along with the chiming in guitar. All the while you can delight in Love’s always beautifully executed vocals.
Oh my oh my Roles, “Taxes” musically is a charming track, though there is that underlying sadness when it comes to the content of the lyrics, about a friend who is battling their inner demons, talking about the things they need to do but knowing that they might choose to leave this mortal plane. The sweet, the sour and the brevity of this gift called life encapsulated in this brilliant song called “Taxes.”
The new album Glimmer came out in April, but right now I am going to drag your attention to LunarPaths’ single release “A Star At Dawn.” It dropped in March for the duo of Diane Dubois and Kevin Hunter, and I think it deserves its own time in the moonlight.
A depth to the electronics, an undercurrent of something ancient in the Middle Eastern lilt of the vocals and instrumentation, while the drums pick their way on the odyssey. Like Venus at the end of night, Dubois‘ vocals light the way and are a bridge between the past and present.
LunarPaths are masters of intertwining darkwave with world music. Entrancing and exotic, they pour themselves into these tracks because they see the beauty in how an instrument sounds or can influence the overall ambience. I love the ability to express themselves in such an alluring manner and “A Star At Dawn” might my favourite to this date while following the LunarPaths.
Brisbane based dark rock band, Killtoys, isn’t+ looking for your approval and instead is bringing you a tale of a vampire love story in the form of the new single “MyConfession.” Mick Bristow, Stav Tsolakides and Bevan Bancroft are our purveyors of this murky world of the undead.
There is something very 80s post-punk about this track and possibly it is the big soaring jangle guitar that is so infectious, working in conjunction with the thumping rhythm section. An immortal soul in love with a human, unsure whether to leave her be or take her into the dark embrace so she might be his forever.
Recorded, mixed and mastered at King Street Studio by Mick Bristow, and the cover art was created by powerhouse duo Jess and GaryJones of Obscure Medium Art. The band have again proven that their style never stands still and is always evolving. Quite frankly, I really love this bold sound that reminds me a lot of the early 80s classic goth bands.
Paul Devine is a wordsmith, a musician, a composer, a scholar, a historian and at heart a humanitarian. The single “Leader of the Free World” (2024) has been born from the stark reality that Donald Trump might win the next North American election, even though he tried to usurp the White House in a coup in front of the whole world and equally is one of the most sexist and slimy humans in the public eye, that has absolutely no remorse for anything he does or says.
The thrumming bass and Devine’s snarled punk vocals, sneer at the propaganda of making America great again through guns, extreme Christianity and perversion of laws. He is the leader of the free world is the sing song chant, because in the end, it as all a joke. Angry guitars and booming drums highlight the truths of how backwards things have become as women have lost rights to their own bodies and racial tension overwhelming.
Not that I think this sounded wholly like TheClash, but I think JoeStrummer is probably sitting somewhere with a smile on his dial. “Leader of the Free World” takes no prisoners and tell no lies. This is a protest, taking a stand against a rising tide of misogyny and intolerance, in the hopes that history does not repeat itself, plus it is an ace song.
