A quick note to prime regular readers for the near future: we’re going to be taking some time off in early August, the first two weeks to be precise. With the Senior Staff both planning to burn some vacation time it seemed like the best option, and while there won’t be any new written content on the site during that period, we are stockpiling a special podcast project for the month we hope people will be into. We generally have only taken time off around end of year, so this is a first of sorts, but don’t worry, we’ll be back mid-month with our usual Tracks, reviews and other posts.

Wingtips - Photo by Carlos Azuara

Wingtips – Photo by Carlos Azuara

Vlimmer, “Fensteraus”
An ID:UD exclusive, here’s the new single from Vlimmer. Much more aggressive than the German act tends to go with its combination of minimal synth, neo-classical, and coldwave, “Fensteraus” has a clattering caterwaul which sounds as though it’d fit in nicely on a bill featuring Danse Society and Bestial Mouths. New Vlimmer LP Nebenkörper sees release at the end of August.

V▲LH▲LL, “Slithering”
Burbling darkwave isn’t what normally comes to mind when we think of V▲LH▲LL, but like we mentioned a few weeks ago, Neversleep has been pitched to us as a much more melodic and poppy version of the duo’s misty, witchy soundscapes. The sing-songy approach they’ve so often taken fits in quite well with the more stripped down and regimented programming on this track.

Wingtips, “Run for Shelter”
The second track released from Wingtips’ sophomore LP Cutting Room Floor shows a different side of the Chicago goth-pop act then debut single “Cross the Line”. Where the latter track showed their penchant for bright, dancefloor friendly pop, “Run for Shelter” taps into the moody, dreamy side of their sound, with the tone set by an excellent vocal from Hannah Avalon. Variety in songwriting and execution has always been a tool in Wingtips’ arsenal, and showcasing that in the lead up the new record’s release has us wondering what other angles the duo will be exploring. Anticipation is mounting…

Nuclear Sludge, “Heat”
Stockholm based industrial project Nuclear Sludge is the brainchild of Jimmy Svensson, whose roots in punk and rock acts show in the vocals to new single “Heat”. While the heavy machine rhythms of the instrumental read as pure rivet from the body school, the way Svensson delivers the track’s mantra-like refrain – “Heat, the burning of the mind/Heat, the burning of the flesh” – has a lot of rock swagger in it. Definite club potential on this one.

Matiajka, “Off You Go (Jump Off The Top Of The Roof And Die I’m Sick Of Your Complaining)”
Look, sometimes a gimmick gets you in the door. Would we have checked out the debut record from Kuwaiti project Matiajka were it not for ridiculous titles like this one and “I’m Sorry My Telephone Is Down (I’ll Charge It Again And Text You Back)”? Quite possibly, given that it’s on Detriti. But either way, after that first impression, the dreamy, pastel washes of melancholy synths which guide the song get over even without the header.

Kill Shelter & Antipole, “Nine While Nine”
Unknown Pleasures records out of Spain with a new Sisters of Mercy tribute Honoris II featuring Years of Denial, Chris Shape, Velvet Kills and a host of others paying tribute to the gothiest of goth rockers. Appropriate then that Kill Shelter & Antipole, who put out a collaborative record that speaks to Andrew Eldritch and company’s legacy and influence this year, would cover “Nine While Nine”, leaning in hard on that track’s high melodrama. Break out the cloves and the aviators.