We’re just days away from taking off for Calgary to revel in the annual joy that is Terminus. Checking out bands familiar and fresh, reconnecting with festival fam and meeting folks we’ve formed connections with online in the flesh all add up to make it the best weekend of the year for us. As usual, we’ll be on a reduced schedule on the site (though the podcast will continue unabated). That said, if you’re out at Calgary for the fest, come say hi!
Sacred Skin getting moreso by the minute
Sacred Skin, “Too Hard to Find”
We are very hungry for Sacred Skin’s sophomore album (and their debut for Artoffact Records), mostly because the Los Angeles act have never let us down. When they first emerged plying their trademark cinematic new wave sound, we were taken with the fact that their songwriting and performance was as much of a draw as their aesthetic, making their songs stick in the ear and work for the dancefloor. Such is the case with new single “Too Hard to Find” which works octave-bass, Chic-guitar accents and some very tasteful synth programming into a satisfying whole. Born in Fire remains one of our most anticipated records for 2024.
Rue Oberkampf, “Deine Augen”
New single from Munich’s Rue Oberkampf, one of the modern acts carrying the flag for the classic euro darkwave sound. Like we’ve opined many times, there’s a specific cool, detached, melancholia to electronic european darkwave that separates it from the warmer, often more openly emotional American variations of the sound, a vibe that Rue Oberkampf have got down pat. Beyond that, we’re definitely getting some Neue Deutsch Welle feeling from the buzzy, guitar-like lead on this track and it’s peppy, minor key progression. Very nice for the dog days of summer that approach.
Ravetop, “Intrusive Pretensions”
It’s been a minute or two since we heard anything new from Ravetop, the Columbian body music producer who was one of the most engaging names in the wave of Central and South American body music which really began to make waves up north a few years back, but the new four track Dolor EP is a great reintroduction or jumping on point. Minimal and lo-fi without sounding rote or uninventive, there’s menacing atmosphere and immediate grooves in equal measure on this cut.
neat_less, “Demanding”
The last time we checked in with some solo work from Phillip Muench we were treated to some charmingly naive teenage synthpop. The latest offering from one of his other solo ventures, neat_less, is equally removed from that sound and his pioneering powernoise as one half of Synapscape. Tapping into minimal wave, early EBM, and the more psychedelic sides of dark electro, tunes like this have raw, throwback abrasion but don’t feel particularly enslaved to any specific period. Heady stuff we’re looking forward to getting lost in.
IG METALL, “Torso”
Here’s some absolutely pitch black stuff coming to us from Phage Tapes, who always manage to unearth some of the sludgiest and grimiest (but freshest) stuff going at the outer edges of noise and industrial. No clear information about the provenance of this project, but that it’s named after a German metalworkers union and has tracks called “Muscle & Hate” should tell you all you need to know. Thundering dark techno that almost circles around into dub, some power electonics influence, and in the case of this cut some clear appreciation for OG powernoise are all brought together very nicely.
Boy Harsher feat. Ms. Boan, “Machina (Soft Crash mix)”
“Machina” was the standout from Boy Harsher’s concept soundtrack LP The Runner, in no small part thanks to the distinctive vocal performance from Ms. Boan, taking the italo-disco sound of the track and injecting it with plenty of her natural charisma. It’s been a while since that record came out, but we’re now getting an EP of remixes of the song, including this one from Soft Crash (aka Hayden Payne and Pablo Bozzi) that does everything you would want it to, leaning in on the classic electronic dance pop sound while pumping up the drums and bringing some extra NRG to the mix. Just a little extra oomph that goes a long way for your italo-summer playlist or club set.
