Hey friends, we’re back and only somewhat worse for wear from Terminus Festival. Even though our ears are still ringing and our feet are still sore from three days of music and socializing at Canada’s premier industrial, synthpop and dark electronic fest (we have so much to tell you about – make sure to check the podcast this week!) we need to take a quick minute to inform you that our Patreon has just passed the $250 mark meaning we will now be returning to a Monday-Friday posting schedule! Plan is to make our capsule review feature Observer a regular Friday thing, meaning we’ll be able to write about all kinds of singles, EPs and slightly smaller releases that might have slipped through our trad review rubric. Exciting times friends: thanks for your support, it means the world to us. Let’s get to Tracks!
We're still too post-fest strung out to formulate a "4th Chamber" "throw HAEX" joke, but know that the intent was there.
HAEX, “Daggers”
Getting to see Los Angeles-based esoteric industrial project HAEX this past weekend was really a highlight of our Terminus Festival: it’s not often you see a project of such recent vintage (the trio formed in 2016) look, sound and feel this polished and confident. Their new single “Daggers” highlights their atmospheric approach, especially their use of guitar as both a rhythmic and textural element. We had a chance to chat with them about their soon to be completed album The Ether The Abyss And The Void, which needless to say we’re now quite keen to hear more from.
Comaduster, “The Retracer (The Mirroring Recursion)”
We also had a chance to catch a live set from Comaduster, aka Réal Cardinal at this year’s Terminus. Along with debuting a new three member line-up for the live band, we got to hear a significant number of songs from Solace, Réal’s upcoming (like next week if all goes according to plan) album. “The Retracer (The Mirroring Recursion)” is a fairly good example of where Comaduster is with this release, featuring a combination of incredibly complex bass and drum programming, delicate guitars and Cardinal’s emotive vocals. Don’t even consider sleeping on this record, it promises to be astonishing.
Non Human Face, “Self Inflicted Amnesia”
There’s more new material from Terminus artists in the form of the new project from Robert Caterwaul of Wire Spine and Weird Candle. Non Human Face looks to be a distinctly dark techno project, with a whole lot of Robert’s characteristic lo-fi grit, and maybe some throwback midi flavour.
Double Echo, “High Wind”
Liverpool’s Double Echo have been plunging ever deeper into the darkest of goth waters on their past couple of releases, but the Envelope 23 nod of forthcoming LP Period Rooms perhaps hints a return to their dreamier early days. We’ll have to wait for the full release to know for sure, but first taster “High Wind” indicates that a lighter and more airy approach might be in the works. That said, we think even the most miserablist listeners will enjoy this swirlygoth number.
Klack, “Synthesizer (v 1.01b)”
The man who couldn’t stop himself, Caustic’s Matt Fanale adds yet another new project to his already considerable portfolio, this time in collaboration with Null Device’s Eric Oehler. What is Klack’s musical purview you may ask? We’re happy to report that it’s good old fashioned new beat, a sound and style we will never, ever tire of. Not much information about the project is currently available – both principles are busy with innumerable other musical endeavours – but their debut single “Synthesizer” makes for an intriguing manifesto to be certain.
L-Sedition, “What You Get”
Poland’s Mecanica label has done a tasteful job of curating a mix of releases by up and coming acts and (often overlooked) reissues from across the electronic spectrum. Their forthcoming compilation EP Some Have To Dance…Some Have To Kill accentuates the former; names like Millimetric and Randolph & Mortimer should be familiar to readers of these pages, but we have to admit this tidbit is the first bit of work from LA’s L-Sedition we’ve checked out. It’s a nice piece of cool dark electo…not, y’know “dark electro”, but just dark electro. You get us, right?
