It’s been a busy weekend; between some club DJ gigs, seeing Lords of Acid and The Chameleons UK (more about that on the podcast this week), and various goings on about town, its been pretty hectic here at the HQ. That said, it’s also been a really good time for new music, as this has been one of those easy weeks for Tracks posts, with plenty of intriguing cuts to dig in on. Pick one from below and let us know what you think in the comments!
Male Tears giving us the ‘Gavin Friday Gunstar Heroes Sleepover’ moment we didn’t know we needed.
Male Tears, “Talk to Me”
The more we hear from Male Tears’ forthcoming LP Paradisco, the more excited we are to get to see them live this summer at Terminus in Calgary. Pivoting from their pop-influenced darkwave to a more direct italo and freestyle influenced synthpop style is paying off to our ears; cuts like the recently released “Talk to Me” have a classic vibe we can’t deny. Good summertime listening.
Urban Heat, “Say the Words”
The official announcement of Urban Heat’s debut for Artoffact The Tower has arrived, with an arrival date of August 16th. That’s good news for folks who have been following the steady stream of excellent cuts the Texas trio have been releasing for the past several months, material that feels very on par with their extremely engaging live show. New song “Say the Words” digs into their slower, more directly emotional side, almost a ballad, but with the same power and musical charisma that have drawn so many plaudits. Circle the date.
Caput Medusae, “Eerie Dance”
German goth/darkwave duo Caput Medusae are playing things pretty close to the chest here, even as they prepare to release their debut LP a full three years after their first single. The subtle build of atmosphere is what this track hinges upon, with the soft crepuscular air it evokes allowing its relatively minimal hooks to gain a foothold. We’ll see if You Can’t Negotiate With Zombies is entirely restrained in such a manner when it arrives in a month.
Plague Pits, “Sleep Of The Just”
The first single from Swiss synth outfit Plague Pits’ forthcoming Bukolik serves as an excellent introduction to their style. The measured and precise pulse of first wave synthpop stands out initially, but as the track stretches beyond its presumed running time the sense of uncanny menace the group have used Human League-esque sounds to connote on their earlier work becomes apparent.
Mortal Realm, “Death Debt”
Mortal Realm is the new project from Adam Jones of HAEX, whose debut album Stab in the Dark is due in July from Negative Gain Productions. Described as “a multi-genre project with an industrial core”, the two cuts we’ve heard are indeed quite different from one another; “Trash” is an aggro, industrial rock styled number with a big stomping rhythm, where “Death Debt” plays as a melodic bit of minimal club darkwave, and one of the cleanest vocals we’ve heard from Jones. We’re keen to see what else the LP has in store.
Eteon, “Sophia Aeterna”
Here’s something not at all akin to what we would have expected by looking at the label. X-IMG has been synonymous with modern TBM for nearly a decade at this point, but the new project from Toronto’s Matthew Cangiano (of X-IMG stalwarts Human Performance Lab) and Elanor Espiritu (who served time in Toronto synthpop act Memorex) leaps fully into the most ethereal and dreamy styles of minimal wave with aplomb. Quavering and haunting stuff.
