Boy howdy is there a lot going on here at the ID:UD HQ, but that only mirrors the flurry of activity and tour announcements that seems to be fluttering through the industrial world right now. The broader public was evidently as impressed by the Cold Waves line-up as we were, with three day passes selling out almost instantly, and on the west coast tip savvy heads didn’t have to strip their minds to notice which act might have tipped their hand as to an appearance at DB21. For our part, we had a blast at the Kite show in Seattle, and are cooking up something pretty special for this week’s episode of the podcast which we think folks’ll enjoy. Let’s get on to this week’s new tracks!

The Width of this Picture of X Marks is a Metaphor

Borghesia, “Rodovnik”
It looks as though Slovenian true-schoolers Borghesia weren’t back just for a quickie when they reconvened for 2014’s And Man Created God and some live dates. We imagine the wordplay involved in “Rodovnik”‘s text, a poem written by Srečko Kosovel, “Slovenia’s Rimbaud,” is largely going over our heads, but we’re well used to that when it comes to Central European industrial. This beat and vocal heavy number is the first taster of forthcoming LP Proti Kapitulaciji; we’ll be sure to keep you posted!

X Marks the Pedwalk, “Secrets”
Since he returned from an extended hiatus with 2010’s Inner Zone Journey Sevren Ni-Arb’s output has been more focused on songwriting and mood than on the club sounds that defined peak era X Marks the Pedwalk. We’ll be talking a bit more about this when we review the recently released Secrets in a week or so, but the new material seems to be trying to reconcile the project’s late 90s sound with the more recent material into a sleek, tasteful hole. Plenty to like about that, as evidenced by the title track, which you can hear (and watch!) below.

[:SITD:], “Genesis”
[:SITD:] were standard-bearers for the industrial club scene in the post-futurepop mid-to-late-aughts. Along with Rotersand they offered a specific brand of European EBM that could stand alongside the popular aggrotech sounds of the era, mostly by virtue of the dramatic, widescreen arrangement of their singles. We haven’t checked in on their new LP Trauma: Ritual yet, but latest single “Genesis” is pretty much straight down the pipe club-fare, maybe not as massive as some of their classics but sounding pretty much as you’d expect the project to sound. And hey, if you find my Master System, I’ll have that back too.

Atonalist, “The Road To Perdition”
Saxophone, cornet, ant-zen-type grinding, and Gavin Friday? Sign us up. We’ll admit to not knowing French musicians Renaud-Gabriel Pion or Arnaud Fournier by name, but both look to have long histories in experimental fare and as session hands, and more importantly the first tasters of their new project sound absolutely monstrous. Anyone who can get a legend like Gavin Friday to grace their debut obviously has some juice to spare, and the slinky stomp of this number shows his faith wasn’t misplaced. Since we’re talking about French free jazz/industrial zaniness, it’s of course Audiotrauma who are handling the release.

The Gothsicles, “Unbekannt in Deustchland (Neuroticfish remix)”
Two unlikely great tastes that taste amazingly great together, did you ever think you would hear frigging Neuroticfish remix the ‘Sicles? We never did, but now that it’s arrived we are amped. The Gothsicles write some amazing club tracks (a fact that is often overshadowed by their use of satire and humour) and Neuroticfish are one of the best late 90s futurepop acts to still be active and making material on par with their original run of classics. Check this one on the upcoming Sic Remixes which also features rejigs by Null Device, E-Craft, Fedorahead and Sex Death Religion.

Clan Of Xymox, “Loneliness”
It’s been an uneven road for everyone’s favourite darkwave pioneers of late, marked by missteps just as much as shades of former glory. We’re feeling a bit more optimistic about new Xymox LP Days Of Black after hearing this new single. The clipped beat matches up with some of their best recent fare, and Ronny’s really going for a Robert Smith deal on the chorus with good results. If nothing else this goes a way to undo the foreboding prompted by the album art.