A very big thank you to everyone who checked out our interview with Covenant last week on the 500th episode of We Have a Technical. As we said during the episode, it was a long gestating idea we were so pleased to get to execute on, and Joakim and Eskil were both very forthright and thoughtful over the course of the three hours we spent chatting with them. It couldn’t possibly have gone better, and we are so pleased by the response. So thanks if you peeped it or shared it, and if you haven’t, you should!
Meet Verttigo (photo by Morgan Gold)
Verttigo, “Snow Angels”
We could not possible have been more impressed with Edmonton dreampop outfit Verttigo when we saw them live for the first time a year ago, and our anticipation for new recorded music has gotten more acute as time has passed. Enter new single “Snow Angels” (and its lovely video), a tremendously pretty song with hooks, texture and the amazing voice of singer Karimah, who has more honest to god star quality than anyone we’ve seen on stage in recent memory. Put these cats Bandcamp on your sub list now, you’re gonna be hearing about them a whole lot sooner rather than later.
Kite feat. Henric de la Cour and Anna Von Hausswolff, “Losing”
There’s so much history written between the lines of new Kite single “Losing”; featuring guest appearances by the iconic gothic art pop star Anna Von Hausswolff and longtime associate Henric de La Cour (who we missed dearly and are so happy to hear again), it’s a track weighted with both a grandiose sorrow and hesitating but genuine light of hope. Kite are never not moving, but even for them, this is heartrending, in the best way.
Male Tears, “Regret 4 Nothing”
Male Tears has been putting out new songs regularly since the release of last year’s excellent KRYPT, and yet its somehow the announcement of the forthcoming Paradisco came as a surprise to us. Less surprising, but no less welcome is the revelation that the LA goth scene up and comers are leaning in on the freestyle and italo sounds that were already present in their sound, making cuts like “Regret 4 Nothing” equally appealing for dancing and moping, or both at the same time.
Eric de Vries, “Maximum Chemical Dose”
Winterkälte’s status as powernoise royalty has been cemented by their inventive, fluid, and dare we say it expressionist approach to rhythms, and that same combination of immediate intensity and thoughtful dynamics is on full display on the first track from the first solo LP from one half of the project, Eric de Vries. de Vries has been public with his ongoing fight with brain cancer, and that fight looks to be the driving theme of the forthcoming My Battle.
Comfort Cure, “I’m The Drug”
Stark, minimalist, but still packing plenty of swing and charisma, the new single from Detroit’s Comfort Cure is a sleek demonstration of why we’ve been tracking the project for so long, and how it’s kept us guessing the whole time all the way back to its previous incarnation as Feral Body. Are you coming at this number from an EBM, techno, or acid perspective? Doesn’t really matter, as it’s getting the goods across despite its pared down simplicity.
Facets, “Raw (Stigma Remix)”
Here’s a slice of new beat/EBM coming out of Brooklyn which has a nice and colourful wetness to it. This mix digs into the modern EBM groove at the center of the track but also doesn’t neglect the new beat side of things, fleshing it out with all manner of toms and gurgly accompaniments. Very much in the same vein as the Soft Crash record from a couple of years back.
