Is it Monday? Yes? Well, sorry, but that means we’re going to use this weekly Tracks post as an opportunity to once again plug the new batch of 12th Anniversary ID:UD shirts which we have up for pre-order. We’re quite happy with the new design, and while there might not be time enough to get them before Terminus itself, you’ll certainly have them in your hands in time to brag about getting to see Ashbury Heights’ first North American show to the cute person of non-determinative gender you’re so often bumping into at the local coffee place. On with this week’s tracks!
Male Tears don’t have to see Urban Decay, Dottie: they lived it.
Male Tears, “Sad Boy, Paint My Nails”
If you’ve ever heard us talk about “down to mope”, a popular turn of phrase in our friend circle some years back, well, nothin encapsulates the feeling of DTM like Male Tears’ “Sad Boy, Paint My Nails”. It’s not crippling depression or vague post-millennial malaise the song captures, but that feeling of vague but all-encompassing glumness that we’ve all felt so often, as filtered through the goth synthpop sensibility of the Los Angeles duo. This is music to stare into the middle distance to, in the best way.
Die Selektion, “Der Katalog”
You’d best believe that we are still all kinds of geeked up about the new Die Selektion record. The Italian/German trio were many miles ahead of the paths that continental EBM and darkwave would head, and we’re very keen to see how an audience that’s been primed for the sorts of sounds they helped pioneer will react when Zeuge aus Licht drops in the near future.
Hecq, “Redom Solid”
New Hecq? Hell yes. The longstanding project of Ben Lukas Boysen has earned plaudits from the likes of anoraks like us for its savvy programming and disarming rhythmic moves without ever becoming a mover and shaker on oontz focused post-industrial dancefloors, but god damn if tracks like this one from the Form EP aren’t a reminder of just how and why its rep was earned in the first place. Smooth, warm, and deeply satisfying.
SPÆCIALISTA, “Tainted”
After a series of incredibly bombastic and rhythmically dense tracks, this down the pipe throwback EBM track ain’t exactly the move we necessarily anticipated from SPÆCIALISTA, but it speaks to how much of the Bogota producer’s style comes from tight and wormy production that recalls plenty of European anhalt as much as it does the new wave of South American EBM. SPÆCIALISTA teaming up with Georgia’s SHISHI for a new EP makes all the sense in the world, and we’ll have it covered here soon.
Emmon, “Like a Drum (Potochkine remix)”
We rather enjoyed Emmon’s LP from last year, the well-established Swedish synth producer and performer having returned with a fun record of EBM, electro and synthpop after a few years away. Now comes a fun remix of one of Recon‘s tracks by none other than France’s Potochkine. It’s a complimentary pairing that emphasizes both the original cut’s mechanical energy and the remixer’s studied European character, propulsive and poised in equal measure.
Nature Nvoke, “Shadow”
We’ve been tracking Cleveland darkwave project Nature Nvoke for a few years now, and specifically the development of the project’s capacity for atmosphere towards songs. “Shadow” is another good step in that journey, behind it’s repeating synth figure it has a nice and even hopeful feeling melodic progression that matches it’s obscured lyrical message.
