What’s up friends? Settling back into Vancouver life would probably be a lot easier if not for the massive number of shows and club events popping off in the dog days of the PNE summer. No complaints, but we’re barely caught up on new releases right now without taking into account brand new artists coming to our attention with each passing day. As always, we welcome your suggestions for new, notable and overlooked records we should be checking. Give us a comment below or fire us something via the contact page. On to new Tracks!
Debby Friday has a headstart, you better catch up quick.
Apoptygma Berzerk, “Atom & Eve”
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have noticed that Apoptygma Berzerk hasn’t exactly been inactive over the last couple years, although their output has been pretty unexpected to say the least. Last LP Exit Popularity Contest was a collection of spacey analogue synth instrumentals with basically no connection to either El Grotho’s 90’s futurepop heyday or the band’s alt rock rebranding from the 2000s. Appropriate then that new single “Atom & Eve” would be another left turn, albeit one that makes sense: apparently Apoptygma Berzerk make Kraftwerk-tinged electropop now. We weren’t expecting it, but ain’t mad at it either. New EP Nein Danke! should be a fun listen, if only to hear what direction the good ship Apop gets steered in next.
Spit Mask, “Force Fed”
Lo-fi bondage body music act Spit Mask have been having it both ways for the past few years. There’s been no new music since their 2016 debut EP, but they’ve been gigging and touring a good deal. Whether by accident or by strategy, that’s yielded them a good deal of back-burner buzz of late, and they’re now about to cash in on it with their first full-length, being released by aufnahme + wiedergabe, no less. The big kicks and incessant programming on this number are perhaps drawn a bit more clearly than on their previous tape, but still have all the bounce and energy which first drew us to them.
Debby Friday, “Fatal”
Scorching hot new single from Vancouver’s Debby Fatal, taken from the upcoming Death Drive, due this week on Deathbomb Arc. Composed of ethereal vocal samples, a low-key body moving bassline and some hard hitting drums, it’s a dancefloor mover that burrows itself into your mind with each listen. Part of that has to be Friday herself, whose voice is forceful and incredibly present, slicing through the track like a garrote with each syllable. Get on the train now or get left behind.
Null Device, “The Smallest Thing”
October still seems a good ways off, but it’s nice to know that we’ll have a new record from Madison’s Null Device come the autumn. The combination of emotional honesty, considered arrangements, and vocal strength that Eric Oehler & co always deliver – as on this track – can feel like a big cozy sweater in bracing times. We’re keen to check out what else Line Of Sight has to offer, and you can anticipate a full review sometime after the leaves turn.
Wingtips, “Here and Now”
Hotly tipped Chicago goth-popsters Wingtips show off their dreamier side on new track “Here and Now”, the last taster for their forthcoming LP Exposure Therapy. We’re getting hints of The Cure, some tasty new romantic sounds and pleasingly chill Summer vibes. Given the variety we’ve heard from the songs that have been teased from the debut we’re eager to get a more complete picture of this promising act. Not long now, the record drops August 23rd on Artoffact.
Thegn, “Depression Is A Routine”
Omnivorously witchy producer Matthew Gunn has a new LP on deck from his Thegn project. Judging from this track, it looks to continue Gunn’s shift away from the dark techno of his previous releases and projects, and expanding on his interests in classic dark electro and trap. It might be an odd recipe on paper, but it comes together well with some weighty and cloudy presence here.
