Gonna use this space here on Tracks to encourage everyone to go check out our We Have a Commentary podcast with Spahn Ranch released this past weekend, firstly because Dan and Athan were pleasant to chat with and we very much enjoyed having them talk about The Coiled One and secondly because Facebook has made it impossible to link there for vague “violation of community standards” reasons, and so many people may not have seen it. As we often say on the podcast, sharing our stuff is how folks find out about it, and since social media is now just randomly flagging our posts for removal with no means of appeal, it’s even more important. Let someone know about us if you like what we do, we sure appreciate it. On to the Tracks!
1186
Haujobb, “In the Headlights”
We already discussed the new Haujobb single a bit on the podcast last week, and what it may portend for the forthcoming LP The Machine in the Ghost; in summary, we’re getting a lot of the analogue synth and mechanical rhythm action that has defined their last two LPs, and perhaps even a more minimal form than ever before. That suits us just fine, as massive fans of Daniel and Dejan’s work together, it’s hard to imagine a Haujobb LP that doesn’t grab us, and this appetizer is getting us good and warmed up for the main course in a few short months.
1186, “Ataque Sistemático”
Here’s some very strong deathrock from Bogota which takes liberally from broader post-punk and goth rock traditions without skimping on the intensity of the former or the precision of the latter. 1186 have been together since 2019 but have only laid down their debut release recently, so it stands to reason that they’d be tightly dialed in, but the material itself and the fury of the vocals takes it to another level.
Sydney Valette, “The Wanderer”
We’ve spoken before about the knack Paris’ Sydney Valette has for classically European darkwave. It’s not just the direct but well executed instrumentation on his latest single which gets that across, but in the sweep and gravity of the vocals finding just the right register with that instrumentation when the chorus kicks in. We’re also catching a good whiff of post-millennial European electro in this one, too. Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the Terminus stage in a few weeks time.
Menthüll, “Spectre”
If you read these Tracks posts regularly, you should be familiar with Quebecois synthpop act Menthüll, and how generally enamored we are of their material. The duo release frequently, but usually only in the form of one-off singles, which leads us to “Spectre”; as laid out in the Bandcamp release notes, this fits into a thematic foursome with the two previously released songs “Parade” and “Culte”, and the yet to be released “Solaire”. We have yet to dig deep into how the songs relate to one another, but this kind of thoughtful, deliberate endeavour is exactly what we come to these cats for. Just a lovely cut, with a bit of continental flavour and sadness for flavour.
C Z A R I N A, “Ghost Machine”
Another grandiose effort from C Z A R I N A, this one heading further into a symphonic/prog direction while still maintaining a grounding in club-focused darkwave and electro-industrial. The standalone tracks the Spain-based artist has been putting out over the past couple of years sounds like very little else going today, and should be building up anticipation for her next full length, whenever that happens to be.
Velvet May, “Broken Ballad”
Honestly wasn’t expecting something that sounded like this cut when checking out the latest announcement from Veyl, but absolutely on board for it. High tempo, breakbeat driven darkwave with an industrial edge is a very particular mix of ideas and sounds that Velvet May, an act we haven’t been following, absolutely nails here, certainly making the soon to be released Enchanted by the Muse one for us to watch out for.
