As we pull into the final third of the year, it’s usually a pretty safe time for us to start thinking in earnest about what might make our year-end best of lists. This is of course complicated by the awareness that there are plenty of records yet to come that we might enjoy enough to rank, and also that there are albums out we haven’t heard yet. That means we’re entering the period of the year where we solicit you for thoughts on records we should be paying attention to. Feel free to leave comments here on the site or hit us up on social media, we’re keen to hear what you’re into this year that we haven’t addressed hereabouts yet.
Scattered Clouds
Boy Harsher, “Send Me a Vision”
The year of Boy Harsher continues with a reissue of 2017’s Country Girl EP. Out of print on vinyl basically since release, it saw re-release as an extended digital and cassette release, and now again with a never before released bonus track. Although not totally divorced from the paranoia and restlessness of this year’s excellent LP Careful, “Send Me a Vision definitely feels of a piece with some of Country Girl‘s more sanguine and funky stylings. And as an added bonus the high contrast video is a regular game of spot-the-artist with appearances from Light Asylum, Kontravoid, and Sally Dige amongst others.
Scattered Clouds, “Days On End”
Hailing from Hull, Quebec, Scattered Clouds are trading in a moody style of synth-rock on their first full-length, Take Away Your Summer. Landing somewhere between SURVIVE and All Your Sisters, tunes like “Days On End” don’t ignore the importance of percussion while crafting big and semi-spacey synthscapes.
Pictureplane & Fish Narc, “Underwater Panther”
Pictureplane and Fish Narc of emo-rap collective Goth Boi Clique team-up for a four-on-the-floor darkwave stomper, “Underwater Panther”. Not entirely the sort of thing we would expect from either act, but definitely the kind of melancholic song we’re here for as the two push their combined aesthetics into speedy, bubbly melancholic club territory. You wanna hear this one on a big system, believe us.
Jérôme Chassagnard, “Reverse”
We enjoyed Jérôme Chassagnard’s Sea EP last year for its contemplative yet lighthearted IDM stylings, and now Chassagnard (one half of Ab Ovo) has followed that up with another elementally-themed EP. Like its predecessor, Wind bases its sound design on its titular force, but rather than delving into the mythological or abstract, Chassagnard finds an easy and lithe joy in his subject matter, while still nodding to his background in heavier, glitchier fare.
Walk Onto Sun, “Tension City”
We caught wind of one-man LA act Walk Onto Sun just as their first EP was going to tape some three-odd years back. Since then it looks as though Ben Engebretson has been working on filling out the density of his compositions, jamming every corner of the lead track from his forthcoming self-titled full length with swooping drones and clatter, while keeping some rock-heavy darkwave kicking along. Should appeal to fans of Soft Moon and possible even The Agnes Circle.
Null Split, “Reaching Optimality”
Chrome Corpse front man Antoine Kerbérénès’ solo project Null Split returns after two years with a new EP XL Peace. With two originals and three remixes from Chrome Corpse, INVA//ID and Notausgang, the EP lines up with his EBM work in CC, while also displaying some tweaky electro-industrial leanings. Solid stuff throughout, especially in the remix department where each take on “Reaching Optimality” comes across as a vital and intentional take on the acid-tinged original.
