Hey chums! We hope y’all had a good weekend, especially those of you who were repping hard for ID:UD at Aftermath in Toronto and in Bradford for Infest. On top of general props for being soldiers for Our Thing, we’re beyond flattered that some of you think enough of our silly website to wear a dumb joke we came up with while drinking on a t-shirt, in public no less. Warms the cockles of our embittered hearts, f’real. Speaking of those shirts, we’re almost at break even for a THIRD printing, so if you missed out and want one (and we know some of you do), head on over to Teespring and let ’em know you’d be willing to shell out.
As is customary, here’s some hot new Tracks to get you started off right this week.
Cocksure defeats the dastardly Knob Twiddler with the help of some kindly TRU EBM lovers at Infest!
M‡яc▲ll▲, “Thє Λrmy of Ξmpty”
M‡яc▲ll▲ jumped into out consciousness at the exact same time as V▲LH▲LL, and lest you think they’re trailing behind their frequent collaborators (for serious: their split Għøsŧs of Λnŧįquįŧұ is one of the most important markers of the last couple of years in dark electronics), the New York based act have been working their own angle on the post-triangle sound. If you’re hearing some electro, some synthwave, and some industrial in this, the title cut from their new EP, hey so are we. Consistently grand and shadowy stuff from an act too many people are still sleeping on.
Cardinal Noire, “Black Sustenance Scrape 2”
We got completely taken by surprise by Cardinal Noire’s debut album back in February, and have kept it in the listening rotation since. We’ve usually got time for a nice Skinny Puppy pastiche (and these guys won our hearts by describing their sound as “Vancouver school”) but the energy and detail with which these Fins approached their take on that venerable sound was and remains singular. Come to find they did a slightly more chaotic and monolithic version of one of the self-titled album’s best tracks and threw it up on Bandcamp with some other cuts as something of a calling card. Hey, we’re cool with it, we’ll need something to keep us warm in the long wait for the sophomore album.
The Harrow, “Love Like Shadows”
Maybe it’s because we’ve been mainlining that new Lycia like it came in a syringe, but boy are we in the mood for moody goth music with hella drum machine action and intricate filigreed guitar work. Fortunately for us the folks at aufnahme + wiedergabe have us covered with a new single from The Harrow, about whom we know very little other than their NYC provenance and the fact that they got a cosign from ol’ Mick Mercer. And hey, if a dude as knowledgeable as the Double M is spinning them, there’s definitely something to it, check the single at Bandcamp and look for their album Silhouettes some time in the near future.
Death in Rome, “What is Love?”
Just in time to coincide with the release of their debut 7″ (a side: “Barbie Girl”/b side: “Pump Up the Jam”), neo-folk pop cover act Death in Rome drop an astounding cover of Haddaway’s eternal eurodance classic “What Is Love?”, and oh man what a cover it is. The most incredible thing about DiR is how transcendent the band’s gimmick has become, their spot on stylistic imitations of the bands alluded to in their name revealing some previously obscured quality in the songs they choose to perform. This has been on loop in the HQ for days, here’s hoping for a legit pressing at some point in future.
Iris, “I Wanna Be Adored”
Speaking of covers we enjoy, we’re very pleased to see Iris have released their version of The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored”, as heard at the close of their rousing set at Terminus last month. Faithful as it is, we’re definitely hearing some interesting stylistic connections between the acts that we wouldn’t have twigged before, something in the use of guitars for big blocks of melodic texture and Reagan Jones’ read on the pleading vocal of the original just feels right. Great and fun stuff from an act who have earned their faithful following one release at a time.
